Good for you, making a more enjoyable life for yourself than what you had growing up.
You won't regret getting a good chef's knife and cutting board if you don't already have one.
By the way, meatloaf only takes an hour at 350 deg, 1 1/2 hrs at most...3 hrs is way too long. A glaze over the meatloaf really takes it to the next level and it's easy to do. Here's the way I was taught to make meatloaf, a long time ago.
First, in a saucepan, bring to a simmer 1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Set aside.
Combine the following: 2 lbs ground beef, 1 small onion minced, 2 cloves garlic finely minced, 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, 1 cup whole milk, 16 finely crushed saltine or Ritz crackers, 2 beaten eggs, 1 tbsp each of worchestershire, hot sauce, and brown mustard; and 2 teaspoons each salt and pepper. Use your fingers till everything is combined but don't over-mix. Gather the meat into a loaf shape and place it on a foil lined cookie sheet. Make a lengthwise shallow ditch on top of the meatloaf and fill it with about 1/3 of the glaze, and coat the sides of the loaf with the glaze. Bake at 350 deg for an hour, adding some more glaze during the final 10 minutes. After you take it out of the oven, wait 10 minutes before serving; less of the juices will run out. Serve with the remaining glaze on the side as a sauce.
Using the cookie sheet method instead of a loaf pan, you get a nice crust all the way around and it keeps the grease away from the loaf.
