Meatloaf

It's good to be back in my cooking groove.  I was very much into cooking when something unfortunate happened, forcing me out of the kitchen and confining me to my bed.  I was out of the game for more than three months and I don't know, I just got lazy.  Sure I'd whip up something from time to time but would be too lazy to grab the camera and blog. But people do get tired of eating the same food cooked by the helper--  and suddenly I'm back.  Yep, I'm sweating it out in the kitchen again.  Seems like I'm not the only one happy about the comeback.  Naddy and Nanawu are liking it too!

I chose this meatloaf as my comeback entry.  Nothing fancy, nothing gourmet.  It's comfort food.  It's simple and easy to make, it's loaded with protein and I can sneak in my veggies. The meatloaf itself is pretty plain, deliciously plain if I may say so. The real star for me is the glaze. It breaks the monotony of the meatloaf.  Another thing is the slices of bacon blanketing the meatloaf.  It's a wonderful surprise for the hubby who automatically likes anything with bacon.  I used Pioneer Woman's meatloaf recipe and as expected, it didn't disappoint. I halved the recipe and it was still good for two meals for three adults and a toddler plus the hubby's lunch box. Of course, we had it with veggies and truffle mashed potatoes plus rice so it was stretched that far.

Here's the full recipe, I substituted the parsley with a bunch of basil leaves but I don't think it made any impact on the meatloaf.  

• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 6 slices White Bread
• 2 pounds Ground Beef
• 1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
• 3/4 teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/3 cup Minced Flat-leaf Parsley 
• 4 whole Eggs Beaten
• 10 slices Thin/regular Bacon
• Sauce:
• 1-1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard--> if you don't have dry mustard, use this: 1t dry mustard = 1T prepared mustard
• Tabasco To Taste--> omitted

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.

Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs. *I also added grated carrots!

With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!) *I don't have a broiler pan nor do I have a meatloaf pan.  I used the turbo broiler instead of the oven and formed the loaf on an aluminium foil on top of the wire rack of the broiler.  I poked some holes around the foil to let the fat drip so that the loaf will be firmer. 

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.

Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.

Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

It's the first time I've made this and will definitely be in the menu rotation.  And then Naddy can aptly say, "meatloaf again?"