Joan Mondale's Meatloaf

This week I read that Joan Mondale had passed away. Her obituary in the New York Times emphasized her contributions to the arts, including her own practice of ceramics, along with her work as a political spouse. As a former Minnesotan, I'd like to mention her culinary contribution as well: a recipe for meatloaf. It is a fitting legacy in many ways.

Most of us have heard, at one time or other, that question-cum-provocation, "Where's the Beef?". Some of us old enough to vote in the 1984 presidential election may recall that phrase as the zinger candidate Walter Mondale launched at Gary Hart (for trotting out the even-then hackneyed call for entrepreneurship as the best solution for entrenched poverty) in a primary debate. The question, lifted from a popular Wendy's commercial, became the catch-phrase of the Mondale - Ferraro campaign, which succumbed at the polls to voter enthusiasm for Ronald Reagan's anti-government message.

I don't know whether this recipe was printed somewhere, or whether it was passed around at Junior League or Westminster Presbyterian Church when Mrs. Mondale and the women in my family took part in those groups. I found it, in my Grandma Nina's handwriting, between the pages of her Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook (1950) labeled "Meat Loaf - Joan Mondale."

I'll call it this:

"Here's the Beef!" Meatloaf - Joan Mondale

1 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 lb. ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 T. copped green pepper
1 1/2 t. Worchestershire sauce
1 T. catsup
1/4 t. sage
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. dry mustard
1 egg
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

I. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9" x 5" x 3" pan.
II. In medium bowl, thoroughly combine all ingredients, but use only half-can of sauce, tomato.
III. Turn meat mixture into loaf pan, smooth surface and top with remaining tomato sauce. Bake 45-60 min.
Makes 4-5 servings.

And for dessert, here is Mrs. Mondale's suggestion:

Chocolate Upside-Down Cake - Joan Mondale

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 T. butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 t. vanilla, pure

Topping

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T. cocoa (unsweetened)
1 cup boiling water

I. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
II. Grease and flour an 8' x 8" baking pan.
III. Stir chocolate mixture with dry ingredients along with milk and vanilla.
IV. Make topping. Combine sugar, brown sugar and cocoa. Sprinkle evenly over batter. Pour boiling water over all.
V. Bake about 40 minutes. Cool on rack.
VI. Turn out onto cake plate so cake makes its own syrup-like topping.
VII. Serve warm or cold.

Just one thing, though, "Where's the Egg?"

While this meatloaf looks less interesting than my usual recipe, I think I will make it tonight in honor of Joan and to help celebrate the Olympics in frigid Chicago.

I posted the above before googling. Looks like this blogger beat me to it. The thing is, SHE found it in HER grandmother's recipe box. (That's the name of her blog as well.) And she found the original clipping in which the recipe appeared, in "Smart Cooking" by Marilyn Hansen in the Sunday Family Weekly section of the newspaper January 9, 1977. "Rosalynn Carter and Joan Mondale Share Their Favorite Recipes."

Thanks for posting "Here's the Beef" Meatloaf, Josephine! I love your new name for what is a fairly basic meatloaf. Imagine having to produce recipes for publication as a political wife.... But Joan Mondale seems to have carried it off well even if she did leave off the egg in the chocolate cake (or was that your grandmother?).

Thanks for posting this, Josephine.

Thank you so much for posting.
Old recipes from our grandmother/mother's books/boxes/drawers are simply treasures.
How kind of you to share.

EvA wrote:Thanks for posting "Here's the Beef" Meatloaf, Josephine! I love your new name for what is a fairly basic meatloaf. Imagine having to produce recipes for publication as a political wife....

Indeed. I am reminded of the flap over Mrs. Clinton's use of a metaphor involving cookie-baking, and how her official response involved her recipe for chocolate chip cookies (now with their own link on the White House website!)

EvA wrote: But Joan Mondale seems to have carried it off well even if she did leave off the egg in the chocolate cake (or was that your grandmother?).

Good question, EvA. I assume that there is no egg in the cake. Maybe it is an eggless cake. Anyone want to try it and "bake one for the team?"

jilter wrote:Thank you so much for posting.
Old recipes from our grandmother/mother's books/boxes/drawers are simply treasures.
How kind of you to share.

I agree wholeheartely, jilter. I have plans to share some of my grandmother's recipes, and I urge anyone who is so moved to start a thread (if there is not one already).

I'd add that any abandoned recipe boxes found in antiques shops and at tag sales deserve to be plumbed for their secrets, in honor of the now-anonymous people who devoted themselves to those collections. In that spirit, I posted on the recipe for Grape Cake that I found in a recipe box in the kitchen of a B&B. I imagine it was there principally as a prop. I later made the cake and brought it to the LTH picnic, where it stirred a bit of curiosity.

I'd love to get together a bunch of us to bake these rarely seen "vintage" desserts and bring them to the picnic next year. Anyone interested in a bakery table? I don't think we can outdo the Al Pastor Guys for impact, but there are a few unused cake stands in my china cabinet. And doilies. Let's not forget the doilies!

Josephine wrote:

jilter wrote:Thank you so much for posting.
Old recipes from our grandmother/mother's books/boxes/drawers are simply treasures.
How kind of you to share.

I agree wholeheartely, jilter. I have plans to share some of my grandmother's recipes, and I urge anyone who is so moved to start a thread (if there is not one already).

I'd add that any abandoned recipe boxes found in antiques shops and at tag sales deserve to be plumbed for their secrets, in honor of the now-anonymous people who devoted themselves to those collections. In that spirit, I posted on the recipe for Grape Cake that I found in a recipe box in the kitchen of a B&B. I imagine it was there principally as a prop. I later made the cake and brought it to the LTH picnic, where it stirred a bit of curiosity.

I'd love to get together a bunch of us to bake these rarely seen "vintage" desserts and bring them to the picnic next year. Anyone interested in a bakery table? I don't think we can outdo the Al Pastor Guys for impact, but there are a few unused cake stands in my china cabinet. And doilies. Let's not forget the doilies!

That sounds fun--I'd like to participate. For the 2008 picnic, I made my great-grandmother Mitzi's Sacher Torte recipe. As a Viennese, Mitzi of course had her own recipe. As I recall, the cake was devoured at the picnic, so I would be happy to make it again--I think it's better than any I've ever had from a bakery. It's the only "secret" family recipe I've got, and there are some good stories about it and about getting Mitzi to give her own family the recipe. It would be fun to include any of that sort of information with the desserts.

I see the recipe for the chocolate upside down cake can be found on the internet and it does not include an egg. Its interesting to find some of these old time recipes. Most of them now can be found on the internet. Many people think their grandmothers recipe was secret or unusual but now only to find out other grandmothers/mothers had the same one. Recipes traveled quickly in church groups, ladies aid and junior league type functions also there were large recipes and food sections in the newspapers where they were printed. Keep them coming...its interesting to see them.

P.S. I recall my mother giving me a recipe for Bill Blass meatloaf. You can google it and see it was popular at the time.