This meatloaf isn’t my grandmother’s recipe but I have named it in her honor. She was an amazing woman and entertainer. I have some special items of hers, two in my kitchen. First is her recipe box with all of her hand written recipe cards. The second is a little notebook she kept about dinner parties. Back in the day, instead of going out to dinner on weekends, couples would entertain each other. God I wish this would come back into style!
In this little notebook, she kept track of the date of the party, who attended, the menu, a description of the centerpiece and tablescapes as well as what the “prizes” were. Each guest would go home with a little something from the host and hostess… most common prizes were a deck of cards for the men and a compact for the ladies. I just love looking through it. The date of the first entry is August 27, 1936. My dad was 8 years old then.
Popular menus included Chicken A-la King, Lobster Newburg on Toast, and Grilled Steak. According to the book, cocktails were served upon arrival… most commonly Manhattan’s for the ladies and Highballs for the gentlemen. They really knew how to do it!
I always loved going to Grandmas’s for dinner. The table would always be set when we arrived and it always seemed so elegant! Usually we would have a dinner in August near the date of my brother’s birthday. She would always make a cake and somewhere in the cake would be a quarter wrapped in wax paper. I always thought the baked the quarter into the cake but realized later on that she inserted it after the cake was baked. We would all wait in anticipation as to who would receive the quarter! Usually it was my brother. After all, more often than not, we would be celebrating his birthday. I remember the time I got the quarter though. It seems to be one of the best days of my life. After that, on occasion, when I make cakes, I’ll slip a quarter wrapped in wax paper into the cake so I can share the story with others.
The other fun item I have is her recipe box. It’s an elegant (just like her) wooden box with her gorgeous penmanship… each recipe written out on index cards. =-Maybe I’ll look through it again and update some of her recipes!
In the front “Main Dishes” section, her recipes include Chicken Divan, Spanish Rice, Corned Beef Casserole, Crabmeat Thermidor, Lobster Newburgh, Crab Royal, Chicken Fricasse and her famous Spaghetti. I’ll have to do a post on that amazing recipe soon!
For Sunday dinner last weekend, Bill requested meatloaf. It’s one of his most frequent request and while it is May, it’s rainy and a cool 58˚F here. I decided to mix it up a bit and create this meatloaf version. I’m excited with the results and I hope you enjoy it too!
Grandma Finley’s Meatloaf
Serves 8
1 pound lean ground beef
1-1/2 pounds meatloaf mix (mixture of beef, lamb and pork)
3/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1 cup yellow onion, finely diced or grated
1 6oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (I use gluten-free)
1 egg
1 cup tomato sauce, divided
2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning (I use this one)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
- Heat the oven to 375˚F. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, meatloaf mix, red peppers, yellow onion, artichoke hearts, breadcrumbs, egg, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, garlic cloves, italian seasoning mix, salt and pepper just until combined.
Pack the mixture into a loaf pan. If the pan is packed to the rim, place on a baking sheet to catch any juice that may drip over the edge.- Bake 1 hour. Remove from the oven and spoon the remaining 1/2 cup tomato sauce over the top.
- Return to the oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160˚F.
- Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve warm.
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What wonderful memories..it is all true. She was a remarkable woman and I was blessed with a very special mother-in-law.
Absolutely! xoxo