Another Fail-safe Recipe from the Uncook

Honestly, there is not much I enjoy less than meal prep. I dislike planning menus, I don't like the grocery store, I detest schlepping the bags of groceries home and into the house, I am not a fan of the whole wash-prep-store stage, I am insecure about that tricky heating process, I do NOT like the mess of pots and pans and plates, and I honestly don't really even like eating all that much. If I lived alone, I'd develop a deep, abiding relationship with the cereal aisle. Cheerios would become my passion. Raisin Bran would be my raison d'etre. Tony the Tiger would be my Number One guy.

Perhaps one of the great ironies of my life is that I LOVE the Food Network. I've never cooked a single thing I've seen on it, but I love it nonetheless. It's my version of the romance novel.

Anyway, here's my mom's meatloaf recipe. It's one of 2 or 3 recipes she left me, (I get my "I Hate to Cook" DNA from her) and it's a pleaser.

2# ground meat
2 eggs
15 saltine crackers, crushed
Bell pepper, diced (I don't like it, so I put in about 1/4 cup)
Onion, diced (or shake in some dry stuff)
Seasoning salt (maybe 2 tablespoonsful...I like this stuff)
Pepper (to taste. I like lots of this, too)
1 small can Tomato sauce (reserve some for the top)

Moosh it all together in a big bowl, and press it into your loaf pan. Make a nice moat around the outside -- you'll need it to collect the grease. Bake it at 375 for about 45 minutes, then top it with the reserved tomato sauce, and bake it another 10-15 minutes. Dump the grease, slice it up, serve it with baked potatoes and green salad.

Nana would be so proud.