i thought i hated meatloaf

I went for many years thinking that I hated meatloaf. I think it was because I had not tried this meatloaf. What? It doesn't look so great in the picture? Well, funny story about that. I did a sloppy job of taking it out of the pan yesterday, and it was all crumbled on the plate. I decided to take a picture of the leftover loaf instead and forgot. So there you have it - cold, morning-after meatloaf in a Tupperware container. Whatever. It's still GOOD! How good? My brother asked for a meatloaf for his birthday last year. :)

Anyway. This is by no means a healthy recipe. It is the tastiest meatloaf you'll ever try. We don't make it often. If you experiment and find a way to make it tasty and healthier, let me know and you can do a guest posting! :) I have not played around with it - but you should make the original first so you have something to compare to! Yes, I know the obvious choice is to substitute ground chicken/turkey and chicken sausage. I've never tried though!

Of course I got this recipe in my favorite cookbook - "The Bride and Groom's First and Forever Cookbook" by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford.

2 teaspoons oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup ketchup, divided
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, divided
1 pound ground beef
8 oz. ground breakfast sausage
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 and 1/4 teaspoons Mrs. Dash seasoning mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender.

While the onion cooks...

Combine the milk and bread crumbs in a small bowl and set aside. Combine 1/4 cup ketchup and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce in another small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, add the beef, sausage, the remaining 1/2 cup ketchup, the remaining 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, the egg, seasoning mix, garlic powder and bread crumbs. Add the onion when it's finished - mix (I like to hand mix because it's easier...) until just incorporated.

Transfer to a loaf pan (9-by-5-by-3). Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, pour of the fat, spread the ketchup mixture over the top, and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer reads 160 in the center. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

If you don't have an instant read thermometer, well... why not? They're cheap. You can buy one at Wal-Mart or Market Basket, and it takes all the guess work out of your cooking. You'll never overcook again. :)