Cheesy Meatloaf

I have been threatening to make this blog for months, but kept postponing it because I wanted to get some other people to join me in submitting posts for it.  Today, I decided to just go for it:)  I will fix up the blog with better background and header pic as soon as I can:)  For now, this will be a little "draft blog, mostly to save the name and URL for it:)

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Today's recipe is actually one of our household favorites.  It's just my RL husband and I in this house, so I tend to cook enough for several meals at a time, and this meal actually makes enough for 6 -8 people.  It's pretty easy to make, especially if you are like me, and keep a bag of pre-crushed Ritz crackers in your pantry, and a container of "make your own" onion soup mix (I'll add a recipe for that at the end, because it's better than that store-bought crap, and easy to make).

We all know how much I love meat in my hands....lol

Not the best pic, I was in a hurry since someone was starving..LOL!  Cheesy meatloaf with a side of homemade mashed potatoes (normally I serve a veggie, but he requested just this today)

INGREDIENTS:

for meatloaf:

1 1/2 pounds (680 g) lean ground beef (UK folks: mince)

1/2 cup (30 g) Ritz crackers (buttery round crackers...  in a pinch, you can use bread crumbs, but I like the Ritz)

3/4 cup (85 g) shredded Cheddar cheese

1 envelope or 1 ounce of dry onion soup mix

2 eggs

2 tablespoons (30 ml) ketchup

1/4 cup (60 ml) BBQ sauce or steak sauce

for glaze:

2 tablespoons (30 ml) BBQ sauce

2 tablespoons (30 ml) ketchup

1 tablespoon (15 ml) honey

DIRECTION:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Stir the ground beef, crushed crackers, Cheddar cheese, and onion soup mix in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk the eggs, ketchup, and BBQ sauce in a separate bowl until smooth. Mix the eggs into the meat until evenly combined, if the mixture seems too dry, add a little water. Press into a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
3. Mix together the glaze ingredients, spread over top of meatloaf
4. Bake in preheated oven until the meatloaf reaches 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) and is no longer pink in the center, 45 to 60 minutes.

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Recipe for my "make your own" Dry Onion Soup Mix


INGREDIENTS
4 teaspoons (20 ml ) onion powder
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml ) crushed celery seed
1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml ) sugar

3/4 cup (175 ml ) instant minced onion
1/3 cup (75 ml ) beef bouillon powder
1/8 teaspoon (.625 ml ) ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients in an airtight container, then give it a good shake.

Use 4 Tablespoons Onion Soup Mix in a recipe in place of 1 packet of onion soup mix.   Store this in a dry, cool place.