Dining with Doc: Mom's Meat Loaf

"What is your favorite restaurant in Walt Disney World?" This is a question that many frequent visitors to the World has either asked or been asked. Over the years I have found it best to attempt to answer the question categorically. Such as, "my favorite restaurant for steak is...", or my favorite restaurant for seafood is...", or "for the best egg-roll I'd go to..." By this method I avoid the uneasy task of pinning down one specific restaurant. And let's be honest, on any given day, depending on your appetite or tastes, any restaurant could become your favorite. Even if only for a moment.

When it comes to which is my favorite "novelty" restaurant, that answer is easy and has not changed for many years. It is the 50's Prime Time Cafe. Love it! Love the atmosphere, love the show, love the Peanut Butter and Jelly Milk Shake! So for this weeks delectable dalliance we are preparing Mom's Meat Loaf.

Let's begin with the ingredients. You'll need:

2 pounds ground beef

1 pound ground pork

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned crumbs)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 teaspoon coarsely cracked black peppercorns, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

To prepare the dish you:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and lightly oil two 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. (I used two 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pans.)

2. In a large bowl,combine the beef, pork, eggs, bread crumbs, onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, cracked peppercorns, and salt just until well blended; do not over mix.

3. Divide the meat mixture in half; shape into 2 loaves, and place in the prepared loaf pans. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the internal temperature taken with an instant-read thermometer is 155 degrees fahrenheit.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Brush the meat loaves with the ketchup mixture and bake 10 minutes longer.

5. Remove the meat loaves from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

We served our meat loaf with nice garlic mashed potatoes and a vegetable stir fry, stirred in just a touch of virgin olive oil.

The meat loaf was excellent! A wonderful flavor and nice consistency. I like to prepare these recipes exactly as they are presented in the cookbook, which in this case, is the Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs by Pam Brandon, Disney Editions (c) 2004, New York, New York, page 20. By this I mean, I am not adding additional salt, pepper or herbs to the flavoring. True, I may take a liberty or two on future endeavors with some recipes, but I think not with Mom's Meat Loaf. The flavor was very nice using exactly the specified amount of spice. I tend to sprinkle pepper over most meat dishes, but the flavor with this dish was so nice that I didn't want to spoil with additional pepper.

The reviews? My wife and nephew said, "it tastes like something you'd get at Disney World." And it was. And the best thing about it, two loaf pans of Mom's Meat Loaf for a family of three means a few days of meat loaf sandwiches are on the horizon. Oh yea!

Of course, none of this helps to shrink my waistline in preparation for the Disney Dream Cruise. Oh well.

Now, I wonder if there is any Vanilla Ice Cream in the freezer? A PB&J would be nice about now.

Bon appetite!