MONDAY MORNING RECIPE - MEATLOAF

I enjoyed this recipe very much and found it at Brown Eyed Baker hosted by Michelle.  You can see the original here.  Thanks Michelle! (This is an old recipe and not made recently.)

Meatloaf 

6 to 8 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes 
Cooking time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Glaze:

1/2 cup ketchup
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
4 teaspoons cider vinegar

For the Meatloaf:

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup whole milk
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
16 saltine crackers, crushed
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

Directions:

Make the Glaze:

In a small saucepan, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar; set aside.

Make the Meatloaf:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat.

Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

Set aside to cool while preparing the remaining.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, thyme, salt, pepper, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and milk.

Add the ground meats, crackers, parsley and cooked onion mixture; mix with a fork until evenly blended.

With wet hands, pat the mixture into a 9-by-5 inch loaf shape and place on a foil-lined rimmed baking pan.  If you prefer you can use a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan with a perforated bottom.

Brush with half of the glaze.

Bake loaf until it is cooked through (it should register 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer) about 1 hour  (With my oven temperature of 350 degrees it wasn't cooked, so I put it in for an extra 15 minutes.)

Cool at least 20 minutes.

Simmer the remaining glaze over medium heat until thickened slightly.

Slice the meatloaf and serve with extra glaze.

Suggestions from Michelle (from Brown Eyed Baker):

1) the whole milk can be replaced by 1/2 cup plain yogurt.

2) the crushed saltines can be replaced by 2/3 cup quick oats or 1-1/3 cups fresh bread crumbs.

What did we think?

I served this meal with mashed potatoes, along with asparagus and a sectioned roasted onion.  

I have made meatloaf before and this one was my favorite so far.

I kept to the recipe and didn't change a thing.

There are leftovers and we will be having another favorite, meatloaf sandwiches.  This looks like it is a good recipe to freeze. I will cut slices off and wrap individually.