A meat loaf that loafed


As a newlywed, I had never cooked before. Because of our limited budget a meatload seemed to be the likely selection of the day.I phoned my cousin who had been an army cook as asked him for the recipe. He gave me the old standby with oatmeal added. The notion of eating anything with uncooked oatmeal never crossed my mind. I cooked the oatmeal before adding it to the meat mixture.When I tried to shape it into a loaf it stubornly refused to stand up. I cut up cardboard into strips and fastened that around the mixture with string. Then baked it in the oven according to my cousins' directions. This entree was proudly served on a platter. When the string was cut, the meat "loaf" promptly collapsed. We ate it with a spoon.