The best Meatloaf you will ever eat!

I've never been a fan of meatloaf, so when my Dad requested that I cook him some, I dreaded it. Dry meatloaf with ketchup on top. One word comes to mind: GROSS!!! So I went on a quest to find the best meatloaf recipe out there, no ketchup necessary. I came across this recipe, tweaked it a little bit, and whalah!!!! The best Meatloaf you will ever eat. It is soooooo good! I've cooked it a few times now and the entire family LOVES it. The last time I cooked it, I cooked a 7 lb. meatloaf and it was gone within a couple days. Even a picky 18 year old said it was good. So, I wanted to share the recipe with y'all!!! I know everyone doesn't want a 5+ lb meatloaf, so I'm giving you a recipe for a small loaf. If you want a lot of it (and you probably will!!!), just double, triple, quadruple the recipe!!

Here's what you will need for a  small 1 lb. meatloaf (3-4 servings):

Cooking Spray

8 green onions (sliced)

1 pepper (chopped)

1 carrot (chopped)

2 eggs (beat) OR 2 slightly beaten egg whites

1 lb. ground beef

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 cup chili sauce (if you want a little kick, you can use hot asian chili garlic sauce)

2 Tbsp. milk

14 crackers (1/2 cup smashed)

1 Tbsp basil OR oregano

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. white distilled vinegar

skillet

meatloaf pan (I prefer glass)

Coat a skillet with oil. Add chopped peppers, carrots, and green onions. Cook over medium heat until tender. Remove from heat.

Combine eggs, crackers, milk, 2 Tbsp. chili sauce, basil or oregano, and pepper.

Add cooked vegetables and raw ground beef. Mix together with your hands and mash the mixture down evenly into a meatloaf pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. While it is cooking, mix up 1/4 cup chili sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar.

Spoon glaze mixture over the meatloaf and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Enjoy!!!



Pasta E Fagioli

My niece, Meghan, moved in with us and has an obsession with the Olive Garden. She LOVES their Pasta E Fagioli soup. Since we don't go out to eat much, she wanted me to cook the soup at home. I cooked this last night and half of it is gone already. Success! I know other people love this soup too, so, here's the recipe, just for you! **DISCLAIMER** I have one of the biggest crock pots they make, so you might want to half the recipe. This recipe yields approximately 15 bowls of soup.

Here's what you will need:

2 lbs hamburger meat

1 large onion

4 carrots

1/2 - 1 stalk celery

56 oz. diced tomatoes (you can also use stewed tomatoes)

16 oz. white kidney beans

16 oz. red kidney beans

30-40 oz. beef stock (depending on how soupy you want it)

20 oz. spaghetti sauce

1 tsp. tabasco sauce

3 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. pepper

5 tsp. parsley

8 oz. pasta

Brown the hamburger in a pan. While the hamburger is cooking, chop up the onion, carrots, and celery. When the hamburger is done, drain off the grease and put the meat in the crock pot.  Drain the red and the white kidney beans and add them to the meat. Add the undrained diced tomatoes. Then, add everything else except the pasta and stir it all up. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours.

 During the last 30 minutes to an hour, add the pasta.

Enjoy!!!!