…………………..I had a small dinner party for four, and decided to make a meatloaf….I started with small bowls of vegetarian 3 bean chili…..then the meatloaf with roasted potatoes and mixed salad…..For desert my cheese cake with raspberry sauce and fresh whipped cream….The receipt for the meatloaf is pretty standard…..2 lbs. 90% lean ground beef, 2 eggs, Italian seasoned bread crumbs, sauteed chopped onion, garlic powder, onion powder and ketchup.. Mix it together, but don’t over mix or it will come at very dense [which I actually don’t mind]. I get a 9″ X 5″ loaf pan and line in with parchment paper….then put the meat mixture into the pant…..but…..I don’t cook it in the pan because it keeps all of the fat in it……I get a flat cooking tray covered in tin foil and turn the loaf pan upside down so this perfectly formed rectangle loaf is now sitting on the foil……I bake for 40 min. at 350, and then take it out and put my glaze on top, and then back into the oven it goes for 15 go 20 more minutes…….The glaze is made up of ketchup, brown sugar, white Balsamic vinegar, a little onion powder, garlic powder and paprika….. I transfer the loaf to a platter and let it sit for a while before serving…………When I store it in the refrigerator…..I cover the loaf with saran wrap…..but there’s a little trick that I learned from Jac who learned it from her mother…….Her Mom was a BAKER, and would make the most delicious frosted cakes!!!! She would put toothpicks all around the edge of the cake, and depending on it’s size maybe some picks in the middle. Then she would gently cover the cake with the saran wrap so it wouldn’t touch the frosting…..Now, I do the same thing…….top two photos at the right…………The dinner was delicious!
