Meatloaf - no, not the artist!

My grandpa was really great at learning what foods everyone in my family liked and when we came to visit he always had our favorites prepared. Whether it was omelets, dunkin eggs, fresh strawberry pie, steak, or chicken noodle soup he always made sure he made the things we loved the most. This is something I hope I can master as well because I think paying attention to those little details is a great way to let people know you care about them.

One of my favorites when I was in my teens was meatloaf…and he made an awesome meatloaf. So, when I would visit my grandparents it always seemed like we had a meatloaf or two floating around. We would eat it plain or grab a homemade roll and make a sandwich.

Lucky for me, John loves meatloaf too. Also lucky for me, John doesn’t mind when I experiment with food and try new recipes. I have said this before…I love Italian food, especially meatballs. So I thought, why not take the concept of a meatball and turn it into an Italian meatloaf? I have made it for several years now and it is really yummy. It took me a while to get a solid recipe down, but I think I have mastered it now.

I couldn't decide which picture I liked best :)

• 1 pound ground beef
• ½ pound hot Italian sausage (or mild Italian sausage)
• ½ onion diced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 cup Italian cheese
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs (or regular bread crumbs if you don’t have these)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/3 to ½ cup balsamic vinegar (optional - but highly recommended)

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or cover with tin foil and set aside. In a small mixing bowl, mix Italian seasoning, breadcrumbs, and milk. Stir to combine, then set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix beef, Italian sausage, onion, garlic, cheese, and salt and pepper (mix just to incorporate ingredients - do not over mix). Once mixed, gently mix in breadcrumb mixture. Form a loaf and place on cookie tray. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then turn oven down to 375 degrees for an additional 45 minutes.

In the meantime, mix the balsamic vinegar and ketchup together - the balsamic goes a long way, so make sure you taste as you are adding to assure you get the desired tanginess you are looking for. Heat through in a small saucepan. When there is 15 minutes left, pour over top of the meatloaf and continue to bake. If you would like a little darker glaze, broil the meatloaf for a few minutes at the end. Take out of the oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Note: I do not use a loaf pan to make my meatloaf. I read somewhere that if you just shape a loaf on a baking sheet, it gives the meatloaf a nice crust. I have found this to be very true. If you were trying to be healthy, you could make this same recipe with turkey sausage and ground turkey.

I served this tasty meatloaf up with some spaghetti squash and garlic mashed potatoes. Both were excellent accompaniments to the meatloaf. 

Well, there you have it...meatloaf. Tonight I am working on some crab cakes. I have never made these before, but found a few recipes that looked good. I'll let you know how they turn out!