Fiction-Food Café: Finn's Meatloaf

Meatloaf is Finn's favorite food. We first learn this from the Ice King in the episode "Still" (s.3, ep.7) when he freezes Finn and Jake in order to bond with them. He mentions meatloaf when he is proving to Finn and Jake how much he knows about them, and thus, how much he loves them.

Ice King: And Finn, your favorite food is meatloaf.
Finn: How did you--?

Meatloaf also appears in "Jake Suit" (s.5, ep.27) when Jake retaliates against Finn for jacking up his body each time Finn wears him as a suit, by wearing Finn as a suit instead! They're both hungry so Jake takes the opportunity to exact some revenge on Finn while sitting in his mouth, controlling Finn's limbs from inside. (The below text is from the "Jake Suit" transcript on the "Adventure Time" Wikia.)

Finn: You know, you could use the opportunity of cooking me food to mess with me.
Jake: [gasps] Wait a sec, you just gave me an idea!
Finn: Yeah? [Jake laughs evilly.] Uh-oh. Oh, look out, you gonna make me something gross? Something spicy? You know I can take it! [Jake blindfolds Finn. Scene changes to later, when the dish is ready. It is served in a dish with a lid on top. Jake makes Finn take the lid and his blindfold off at the same time.]
Jake: Ta-da!
Finn: Meatloaf? That's my favorite dish.
Jake: Mmm-mmm.
Finn: What did you do to it?
Jake: I assure you, it's delicious.
Finn: Okay, well, you're really terrible at this. [Finn grabs a bite of meatloaf & holds it up to his mouth. Jake snatches it up before he can eat it.]
Jake: Yummy!
Finn: Oh, that's just mean.
Jake: Admit you're wrong, and you can have some of this delicious meatloaf!

(Artwork by J.J. Harrison, Dynamic Forces Adventure Time #10 limited edition variant cover.)

It just so happens that I am in possession of an awesome meatloaf recipe that I make often. The recipe was given to me by a former roommate and all around amazing girlie, Nicole (seriously, I am so sad to be so far apart from her!). The only thing I do differently from the original recipe is use pumpkin purée instead of ketchup. And sometimes I use quick oats instead of bread crumbs. And maybe a pound and a half of meat instead of just one...But either way, this meatloaf is sooo nice. I think Finn would totally mow (prn. mao) down on it. And Jake would make a sandwich if there were any left overs.

Finn's Meatloaf

Ingredients:
Meat Mixture
1 lb. Ground Beef (or, you know, a little bit more if you have it.)
3/4 cup Milk
2/3 cup Plain Bread Crumbs OR Quick Rolled Oats (will absorb more of the meat juices)
3 Tbsp. Pumpkin Purée
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Egg
1 Small Onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. Mustard Powder OR 1 tsp. Prepared Mustard (meaning the spreadable kind), flavor of choice
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Sage Powder
1/4 tsp. Garlic Salt
Dash of Pepper
Topping
3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree OR BBQ Sauce (for a tangy kick)
2 Tbsp. Prepared Mustard, of choice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Put all of the meat mixture ingredients in a medium bowl & combine thoroughly with your hands. Scoop the meat mixture into a baking pan or bread pan & pat down & smooth over.
Note: In the photos you'll notice that I lined my pan with parchment paper. I did this to easily extract the finished loaf in order to put it on a plate for pictures. In normal serving situations I don't use paper & simply dish the meat up straight from the pan.

2. In a small bowl stir together the topping ingredients, breaking any brown sugar clumps with the back of the spoon. Pour the resulting sauce onto the top & spread it evenly. Put the glorious loaf of meat in the oven & bake for about an hour or until the middle is a little bubbly & the edges are starting to get dark. Remove from oven, let cool, & serve with yummy sides of your choice.