Hi there,

It is my pleasure to share with you Hettie’s story about her homestead and cooking with her mother. She has included a wonderful recipe for us to try. You can find more heartfelt stories at her blog http://hettieshomestead.com. I know you will not be disappointed if you take the time to visit with her.

I grew up cooking with my mom in the kitchen. She was no ordinary woman and was an extraordinary cook. Having been a manager of a college cafeteria she could cook for large crowds and even make camp jello appealing. People in our community would talk about how delightful it was to get an invite to her table. My father was incredibly proud of her abilities and would frequently invite others to join us for a meal. One of my dad’s favorite sayings was, “we live like paupers but eat like kings.” Growing up on a farm and being the only girl meant I was her assistant in all things– snapping, picking, washing, chopping and the list goes on. For the most part I loved my time in the kitchen with my mom even though it was hard work. My favorite memories involved my mom and I singing old hymns while working; my Mom would always sing harmony with me. My mom is no longer on this earth, I imagine that she is in heaven planning and preparing a feast while singing with the angels. Her legacy in the kitchen and life, live on through our family traditions and meals.  I love to prepare a meal for my family and my boys tell me frequently that I cook just like her. 

Mom loved to “cook” with her grandchildren too.

One of my family’s favorites was my mom’s meatloaf. Growing up I had no idea how much bad meatloaf there is in the world. People thought it was funny when I would tell them meatloaf was one of my favorite meals. I also did not know about the whole ketchup meatloaf craze. My mom’s meatloaf was a melt- in- your- mouth mushroom meatloaf. Once you try it you won’t go back for the ketchup bottle. So save your ketchup for your french fries and try this yummy recipe ! 

Ingredients for Mom’s Mushroom Meatloaf:

 2 lbs of ground beef (at least 85% lean)

¾ cup of plain bread crumbs

½ diced sweet onion (this can be left out)

2 eggs

1 can of cream of mushroom soup 10.75 ounces

Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions for Mom’s Mushroom Meatloaf:

Preheat Oven to 375 Fahrenheit 

Step One: Place beef, chopped onion, bread crumbs, eggs, seasoning, and half a can of cream of mushroom soup in a bowl. 

Step Two: Use your freshly washed hands and blend the ingredients together.  

Step Three: Pat out your meatloaf in a 9×13 casserole dish, making sure to not touch the sides of the pan with your loaf.

Step Four: Cover the meatloaf with the other half can of cream of mushroom soup. (If you want to be fancy you can add a few fresh quartered fresh mushrooms to the top.) I usually lightly season the top with blackpepper, it is a great accent to the meatloaf flavor. 

Step Five: Place in the oven with the middle rack lowered (so basically not in the bottom of your oven but the slot just above the bottom) and bake for one hour. 

Mushroom Meatloaf ready for the oven or the slow cooker

*Another option is to place meatloaf in your slow cooker and cook on low for six hours. 

A couple of years ago my husband developed diabetes.  We changed what we eat and I changed how I cook.  I cut way back on carbs and developed low carb recipes for a lot of our favorites. At first I was not sure if I could continue to make our beloved meatloaf. However, after a couple of tests and trials, I came up with a savory lower carb option that my family (even my teenage boys) enjoy.  You simply replace the breadcrumbs with ½ cup of almond flour along with ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese and now Mom’s Meatloaf is low carb.  Over the years I also developed a sauce or gravy, if you are feeling a little extra in the kitchen.  

My Simple Mushroom Meatloaf Sauce:

½ can of  cream of mushroom soup

1 cup of sourcream

2 tablespoons of meatloaf drippings (wait till the meatloaf has cooked entirely) 

Add milk to thin 

Directions for Simple Mushroom Meatloaf Sauce:

Step 1: Whisk the first three ingredients in a saucepan on the stove

Step 2: Heat ingredients until the everything is warm and well blended

Step 3: Use milk if needed to thin sauce to the consistency you prefer

Serve meatloaf and sauce over rice,mash potatoes or eat with a lower carb option like mashed cauliflower. This recipe is considered comfort food in our house, and when my college age son rolls into town it is always on his request list for dinner.