Meat Loaf Monday

Yes, I gave in to Meat Loaf Monday. But, we happen to like meatloaf so it works out. :) I'm not even sure I have ever made meatloaf the same way twice. I usually just throw in whatever I have on hand, which is probably strange because it seems everyone else has that "go to" meatloaf recipe. I'm not even sure I've come across a recipe that would warrant making it again. Not that whatever I've made hasn't tasted good, but its just not that "wow, that was really good" taste. Until last night. My husband asked "Did you put pepperoncini in it? It was good!" And of course, it wasn't anything that I measured, wrote down or even took pictures of as I was making. Until the very end, and that's what counts, right? The end result?

How can you resist some meatloaf with cheese & other goodies, topped with bacon?

I started out chopping up some onion and pepperoncini. Threw that in a pan with a little bit of oil and sauteed with some minced garlic. I was too lazy to sautee long enough for the carrots to soften, so I just shaved some carrots into the pan and added a little bit of cumin. While that going, I put 2 eggs, half cup of milk and some pepper into a bowl and whisked. Added 1 cup of bread crumbs (I normally use oatmeal but had some crumbs to use up) and threw in about a half cup of some leftover salsa from the frig, added my meat (approx 2.5lbs) and then added my pan of goodies that were sauteeing and mixed it well. Oh, and added some shredded mozzarella cheese. Can't forget that! Then I microwaved 4 pieces of bacon for half the time I normally would cook it just to get it started, so 2 minutes. Then I lined a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick foil and free formed my meatloaf. I much prefer doing it this way than using a loaf pan. Added my bacon pieces on top, trying to tuck in the ends into the meatloaf.

Bake at 350 for about an hour, until the internal center temperature is about 165. Take out and let rest, about 10 minutes. MMMM....... each piece gets bacon, cheese and all the other yummy goodies you put in it!