Sweet And Sour Meat Loaf

Pollen on every car windshield in Jefferson County. The yellow that turns into a film. Tuesday feeding ran clean. Sister Beulah was there at three. The chicken was dredged by four. We served from six until eight. Sister Beulah shooed me out at nine-thirty.

Calvin preached Sunday on the mustard seed. The church said amen. I talked to Mama at the stove. I told her the recipe was right. I told her the kitchen was holding. The cast iron skillet hummed.

Fried chicken Saturday. Buttermilk overnight with hot sauce. Seasoned flour. The cast iron at three-fifty. Skin crisp. Meat juicy. Bernice's recipe. The chain holds.

A new face at Bernice's Table this week. A young woman with a baby. I gave her two plates. She thanked me. I told her, baby, come every Tuesday.

I went to bed at ten. The kitchen was clean. The day was the day.

Calvin Jr. called Tuesday night. He was tired. He had been at work twelve hours. I told him, baby, eat something. He said, Mama, I will. I said, what did you eat last. He said, a granola bar. I said, baby, that is not eating. He laughed.

A new young wife joined the Saturday cooking class. Twenty-two years old. She does not know how to make rice. I will teach her. The chain extends.

I have been thinking about heaven a lot lately. I do not know what I think. I know what Calvin preaches. I know what the AME doctrine says. I know what my Mama believed. I am at the age, sugar, where heaven is more than a Sunday school answer. I am working on it.

Sunday after service Calvin and I drove past the new sanctuary site. The choir loft windows were going in. We sat in the car and looked. He did not speak. I did not speak. The watching was the prayer.

Bernice's Table Tuesday. The team was sharp. The food held. The room held.

Sister Beulah came by Tuesday afternoon to drop off the bulletins. She stayed for coffee. We talked about the church, about her grandbaby, about the heat. The visit was the visit.

Mr. Henderson across the street brought me a bag of pecans Friday from his tree. I made a pecan pie with them. I took half of it back to him. He said, Loretta, this is wrong, you took my pecans and gave me back a pie. I said, that is exactly right. That is how it works.

I drove to the grocery Saturday morning. Greens, three pounds. Onions, two big ones. Buttermilk, half gallon. Cornmeal, the good kind. Salt, because I always run out of salt.

I made coffee at five Tuesday morning. Strong, with cream, no sugar (the diabetes). I stood at the kitchen window. The yard was still in dark. The day ahead was the day ahead. I went into it.

A young woman from the new members class came to me Sunday. She was nervous. She said, Mother Simms, my husband and I are expecting our first and I do not know how to cook. I said, baby, come to the Saturday class. She said, I'm coming. The chain extends.

Doris called Thursday. Three times a week, the standard. We talked about Calvin's health. We talked about Harold's health. We talked about the family. We talked about what I was cooking.

I sat on the porch Saturday afternoon. The neighborhood was quiet. Mr. Henderson across the street waved. I waved back. The porches are the original social network, sugar. We have been at this since Eden.

I had a small cry Wednesday morning at the kitchen window. No reason in particular. The grief comes when it comes. I made coffee. I went on. That is how this works.

Now, the fried chicken is Bernice’s recipe and it stays Bernice’s recipe — that one belongs to the chain. But when Calvin Jr. called tired on a Tuesday and I thought about what I would have sent home with him if I could, I kept coming back to this sweet and sour meat loaf. It is the kind of dish you make when you want somebody to feel like somebody made something just for them. I taught it in the Saturday class once, and that young woman — the one who did not know how to make rice — she wrote it down like I was handing her something precious. Sugar, I was.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 1 hr | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20)
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Sweet and Sour Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tbsp light brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard

Instructions

Preheat and prepare. Heat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan or line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard until smooth. Set aside — you will use half now and half at the end.
Mix the meat loaf. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, milk, egg, onion, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and thyme. Mix gently with your hands until just combined. Do not overwork it or the loaf will be tough.
Shape and glaze. Transfer the mixture to your prepared pan and shape it into an even loaf. Spread half the glaze over the top in an even layer.
Bake. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, spread the remaining glaze over the top, and return to the oven for another 15 minutes, until the glaze is caramelized and the internal temperature reads 160°F.
Rest and serve. Let the meat loaf rest in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing. This keeps it from falling apart and lets the juices settle back in.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sweet And Sour Meat Loaf — The Table Always Has Room for One More