I think I know what meatloaf heaven is like; I was there again tonight when I ate a plate of leftovers (Is there anything better, really, than meatloaf leftovers?) The recipe for this wonderful meatloaf, which has a delightfully-sweet taste, came to me via my second cousin, Sara Olson. Sara is a Mennonite, and if you know anything about Mennonites (besides the fact that they wear dresses and cute bonnets), you know they can cook. (Or is that just a stereotype? I'm sure someone will let me know, haha.) Anyway, Sara's meatloaf is to-die-for, and it's unlikely that I will ever use a different recipe, now that I've tried hers, so it's only appropriate that I share it.
Ingredients:
2 lbs ground beef2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed saltines (about 30)
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 tsp salt (we like kosher)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
Glaze:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 T mustard
First, prep your ingredients. Think about how artistic food can be. Is it just me (a Wisconsinite), or does this cheese look gorgeous next to the carrots
?
And speaking of carrots, why is it that every time I peel carrots, I think of women's legs?
And then, be very, very brave, and mix it with your bare hands!!
I'm shocked that I did that, actually (Usually, I wear sandwich bags on my hands when I tough raw hamburger, cuz it grosses me out).
At this point, check on your rice.
Did I catch you with that one?? Only kidding; there is no rice in this recipe; it was for the sick dog.....
Yeah, you know your dog is sick when he won't touch a peanut butter sandwich.
Pat the meatloaf into a 9 x 13 baking dish. What?!! I packed it all into a bread pan, obviously...
Mix glaze ingredients....
and pour over meat.
Allow me to interject here to insist that you never, ever, ever skip this glaze part, as it is the most wonderful part of the recipe (next to the cheese and carrots inside the meatloaf, of course.)
Bake 10-15 minutes longer. (Add a half hour or more if you cook it the way I did; in a stone loaf pan.) I wonder if Martha Stewart shows pictures of her cooking messes or just pretends they all turned out perfectly?
Be sure to use a meat thermometer if you aren't sure. 170 degrees is good. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
FYI, my photo is missing a vegetable...
because I got impatient with the cooking time and ate the broccoli long before the meatloaf came out of the oven. One might think I spoiled my appetite by eating a ton of broccoli, but thankfully, I did not; I ate every single bite of my supper.
And then I went to stuff an Imodium tablet down the dog's throat....
