Make a big rat meat loaf for Halloween dinner.

Every year I like to make gross meals for my grandkids around Halloween.  They absolutely love it and look forward to it every year.  This year I made rat meat loaf, sweet potatoe bones, and lizard eyes in black sauce. (Creamed peas tinted black.)

Meat loaf:

Make meat loaf like you usually do but then mold it into a rat shape on a cookie sheet with edges or a baking pan.

Ears:

Cut piece of bologna into four pieces.  Fold each quarter as shown and stick it down into the rat’s head.

Tail:

Cut a long strip of bologna to use as a tail.  Stick it into the rats behind.

Eyes:

Stick two olives into the meat loaf for the eyes.

Bake as you normally would and enjoy the reaction of your guests when you unveil their main course.

I also make a piquant sauce to go with it and, of course, call it a blood sauce.

This meat loaf recipe was given to me by a wonderful lady by the name of Mary Ruth.  I haven’t seen her for many years but think of her every time I make this meat loaf.  I’m sharing this recipe because I know it stays together as it bakes and because it’s really good.

2/3 cup bread crumbs

1 cup milk

1  1/2 lbs lean ground beef

2 eggs slightly beaten

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp sage

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half.

Piquant Sauce

3 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp dry mustard

1/3 cup catsup

Mix, heat, and serve over meat loaf.

(I usually double the sauce recipe because everyone loves it and likes to put extra on their meat loaf.)

I served mine with sweet potatoes because my grandaughters love them but you could use regular potatoes as well. I mashed them and then put them in a frosting bag with no tip and squeeze them out on the plates in the shape of bones.  I make two dots then the long strip and then two more dots on the other end.

I also made creamed peas and tinted the white sauce black with black paste food coloring.

Happy Halloween!