Away from dwelling, Minj discovered herself craving one of many comforting recipes from Southern Fried Sass: a meatloaf dish created by her mother. It reminds her of Wednesday night time household dinners, and the Thursday afternoon meatloaf sandwich lunches in school that adopted.

“Now, at any time when the air will get even barely chilly and the world feels darker—not simply bodily, however metaphorically—I simply need one thing brilliant. To me, that’s what my mother’s meatloaf is like, it’s brilliant,” she says. “My childhood was not nice, however the good moments had been brilliant for me, and the meatloaf was all the time a extremely brilliant spot. It made me really feel heat, it made me really feel taken care of.”

That’s why, when she’s not on the street, she nonetheless enjoys the meal on a weekly foundation. Now, her husband, sister, nephews, and mother—who all share a Florida dwelling—take turns cooking, however her mother’s meatloaf retains its integral spot within the rotation, serving as a flavorful reminder of life’s completely happy moments. Right here’s how Minj and the entire household benefit from the dish to the fullest.

1. Mashed potatoes are a should—for many.

Minj loves residing together with her household—“I by no means have time to actually get homesick,” she says—however there may be one tiny level of rivalry on meatloaf nights: Her nephews don’t eat mashed potatoes, the traditional facet dish that all the time accompanied the meal.

To maintain the peace, Minj and her household present a facet of rice for the boys, and traditional mashed potatoes and gravy for the grown-ups. Succotash additionally pairs completely with the meatloaf, as a result of, based on Minj, “I’ve all the time beloved lima beans, and you may’t go unsuitable with corn—it’s candy and scrumptious.”

2. Sip on a traditional Southern staple together with it.

Facet dishes could also be negotiable, however the one factor that’s not is the meatloaf’s excellent accompanying beverage. “There’s all the time an enormous jug of candy tea and it’s all the time selfmade—there’s no such factor as a manufactured candy tea,” Minj says.

Plenty of grocery retailer variations are both too citrusy or too candy, Minj says. “The important thing to a very good Southern candy tea is you should not have the ability to actually style the sugar,” she says. “I like one squeeze of lemon in the entire pitcher and simply sufficient sugar in it to take the bitter edge off.”

3. Hold the dinner desk a tech-free zone.

Rising up, Minj’s household abided by a strict no-distraction coverage at dinnertime that she cherishes to this present day. “That was the one time when the radios went off, the TVs went off, and every thing else was shut out,” she says. “Even my father, who was not the best presence in my life, that was the one time when he was nice. We’d sit down and discuss and share. The entire household would get collectively, and that is nonetheless what we do at present.”