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My father-in-law (Grandpa Mark) was a really great guy. He was all about family and spent the better part of his life raising 8 children.
My father-in-law (Grandpa Mark) was a really great guy. He was all about family and spent the better part of his life raising 8 children.
August 13, 1994 my wedding day and the day I got hitched to this great Eskelson family.
That’s a lot of kids no matter how you look at it!
He wasn’t really a fashionable sort of fellow….
More like a
get in there and work….
and build things like this….
and that.
He was the kind of guy that liked to ride around in a back hoe….digging and moving things around, and making life more pleasant than he found it.
He suffered from Congestive Heart Failure for more than twenty years, which included all of the time I knew him. Towards the end of his life he spent a lot of time at the computer, researching and writing and learning about new things. You could call him pretty much any time of day and know that he would
…be at his computer….
…and at your service….
Always willing to answer any question, or help solve any problem.
This good man found a lot of great recipes while he sat at his computer. This wonderful Meatloaf is one of them.
It is hands down the best meatloaf I’ve ever had.
Hope your family loves it as much as we all do.
The view from Grandpa Mark’s Bear Lake Cabin.
Photo by Grandpa Mark himself.
Sure wish he were around to give me some
photography tips
and parenting advice
and to help me figure out the technical side of blogging
(he would have been all over that kind of a project)
and to visit with
and to see my kids grow up
and to visit with
and to visit with
and to visit with…..
He knew a lot of good stuff.
Grandpa Marks Meatloaf
Time: 1 hour
Yield: 12 servings (you can easily half this recipe)
Recipe from my father-in-law Mark Eskelson
The Loaf:
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 onion, chopped
2 sleeves saltine crackers, crushed into tiny pieces
4 eggs
salt and pepper
3 T honey mustard
1/2 C ketchup
1 t Worcestershire
The Sauce:
1 C brown sugar
1 C ketchup
1. Place all loaf ingredients in a large bowl. Get your hands in there and mix it all up together. You want all of the ingredients to be incorporated well. (Don’t be shy now….touching ground beef will not kill you. If you lick your fingers after you have been smashing it all together…you most likely will kill over dead immediately, or so I’ve heard. Please refrain from licking raw hamburger off your fingers. Your immediate death is something I don’t want on my conscience. However if you decide to lick raw hamburger and you do indeed kill over…give Grandpa Mark a kiss for me when you see him.)
2. Spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the bottom.
3. Form your meat mixture into two loaves. Place them on top of the brown sugar leaving a little alley way between them. (Wash your hands…do not lick them.)
4. Pour your ketchup between the loaves…..
and around the sides of the loaves.
5. Cover with tin foil and bake at 375 for 40 minutes, or until the inside of the loaf is no longer pink.
6. Remove the pan from the oven, take off the foil and spoon the sauce over the tops of the loaves. Return to the oven and bake for about 3-5 more minutes.
7. Take the pan out of the oven and let the loaves rest for about 5 minutes. Then slice and serve.
Enjoy!
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Aw… what a sweet post. I'm sorry your Grandpa Mark isn't with you anymore
… I bet he would have been tickled by the fact that you dedicated this post to him.
ButterYum
Loved the memories of Mark. He was a great man!
Sounds like a wonderful man! We don't quite realize what we have until it is gone. Sounds like he left a wonderful legacy and lived his life for his family, you were blessed to have a great mentor…one day in Heaven we will all rejoice together again! Thanks for the yummy version of meatloaf, one can never have enough versions of meatloaf to try!
What a testimonial about a guy who sounds really nice. I love meatloaf, especially meatloaf with crackers. That's the way my mama made hers (a lot like this one). Will definately make this one for my husband and myself. I'll make the full recipe – have leftovers for sandwiches & freeze the rest. How simple!!!
I found the cooking technique for this meatloaf to be so interesting… bought all the ingredients and will make it for dinner today or tomorrow. Can't wait to give it a try.
ButterYum
Okay, this was about the best thing I've ever eaten. Made it for dinner tonight and it was out of this world. Thank you so much, now I have a Grandpa Mark!
I found this recipe via ButterYum. Looks really good and I'm sure Grandpa MArk would be proud of you for sharing it with us.
It's on my bookmarked list to make VERY soon and I'm now also your newest follower
Siliconemoulds.blogspot.com
Absolutely delish – thanks so very much!!!
ButterYum
I miss that man! He certainly was a character and always made me feel really special anytime I walked in the room! Thanks for the post and i will try this recipe!
I made Grandpa Mark's meatloaf last week and it was a big hit at our home. I even ate leftovers the next day…and I do not like leftovers. Thanks for posting and we'll definitely enjoy it many more times.
Thank you for sharing the story about your father-in-law along with his recipe! This was the best meatloaf I've ever made! Simple ingredients, easy directions, and simply delicious!
your last photo had a sprig of curly leaf parsley on it….I grow this to PRESS AND DRY it in my greeting card creations, Jamie! I sooooo needed a great meatloaf recipe! YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER and MY NEW BEST FRIEND! XOXOXOX
Best. Meatloaf. Ever. Thanks for sharing this recipe and the story about your father-in-law.
I made this recipe and it was yummo! I made one slight change…I carmelized the onions before I put them in the meatloaf. So moist
Was just wondering how to freeze Grandpa Mark’s meatloaf. Do I do the recipe up until the baking point or bake it, freeze it and then reheat it when we want to heat it? Thank you!
Grandpa Mark seemed like an awesome guy!
Nichole,
It is easiest if you freeze the meat loaf raw. Then just be sure it has defrosted fully before you cook it. Good luck!
~Jamie
Now that sounds wonderful!
I only used 2 and 1/4 lbs of hamburger and this thing is taking forever to cook! I cooked it for 40 minutes and only the outside was brown, the rest was raw! So I put it in for another 20 minutes and its still not done. Trying for another 20 minutes and hopefully this thing will finally be done. Don’t know why its taking so long.
Trying this for dinner tonight. It’ll be my first time making meatloaf. I love all of your recipes. Since I take night classes and my parents and siblings are at school during the day I love surprising them with a fantastic dinner when they get home. All thanks to you!
The meatloaf was fantastic!!!! Great flavor and easy to make. I do have a question though. Is there a mistake with the cooking time? I halved the recipe and still got 2 large loaves. I cooked it for the time above and it was still pink. I did use a more shallow pan. Maybe that was the difference. Any thoughts?
This is very delicious!!! Like Mark and Diane, I had to cook it much longer than the recipe called for. Maybe I’ll try several small loaves next time.
Tasty and moist!! Will definitely be making again!
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