Is there a recipe out there that I can leave completely as I find it? Totally unchanged? I doubt it. I look at a recipe and all I can see are the many ways it could be 'improved'. In my house there is a good chance you will never have quite the same thing twice. I am always tweaking my recipes to see if I can make it just a little bit better. My next recipe is one that takes to changes very well. Meatloaf is also as American a meal as anything else I could write about. In my research I have found so many variations it seems the only common ingredient is the meat: and that can be of many varieties, too. I will list the various kinds of ingredients I have seen in the many recipes along the way. You can use the lists below to create your own recipe for meatloaf. All meatloaves contain basic ingredients. Of course meat, some kind of bread or starch, what I call a base flavoring, various seasonings and what I call add-ins. Pick one from each category and see what magic happens in your kitchen.

Meat---Ground beef, pork, veal, lamb, chicken or turkey, chopped ham, bulk sausage

Bread---bread crumbs, oatmeal, seasoned stuffing mix, instant rice, saltines, cheese crackers, cottage cheese

Base flavoring---catsup, tomato sauce, onion soup mix, barbeque sauce, canned soup, taco sauce, salsa, chili sauce, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, wine

Seasonings---horseradish, mustard, herbs and spices, Worcestershire sauce, bacon, soy sauce, garlic, steak sauce, Tabasco, chili powder and any other seasoning blend that strikes your fancy.

Veggies and other add-ins---onions, celery, carrots, green pepper, tomatoes, potatoes, chopped or grated cheese, French fried onions

This first recipe is as basic as it gets. It may remind you of the meals served at the old fashioned diners of days gone by. Again vary the ingredients to suit your taste.

Mix egg, milk, salt and bread crumbs. Let stand to soften. Thoroughly combine with meat and chopped vegetables. Place mixture into loaf pan and top with ketchup. Bake for 1 hour at 350° F.

This next recipe is the famous Ann Landers recipe. It is a classic. She mentioned it many times in her column over the years and I still have my old yellowed newspaper clipping. I am sure she would not mind if I pass it along. It is a good meatloaf if you make it just as the recipe states: a great choice for a family dinner. Save some to make a sandwich for lunch the next day. The only change I will make to this recipe is to omit the Accent seasoning as it is MSG and many people object to MSG these days. Because this recipe makes a large amount, you might want to split it between 2 loaf pans. It will cook faster and have less chance of bubbling over in the oven.

Mix together all ingredients except tomato sauce. Put into loaf pan, cover with two strips bacon, if you like that flavor. Pour tomato sauce over loaf. Bake one hour at 350 degrees. Makes 6 servings