I seldom follow a recipe for meatloaf. A lot depends on what I have around. I prefer to mix ground beef with pork sausage, usually I have some Hot Jimmy Dean's around. (It's not really hot, just a nice flavor and spices up the hamburger a bit). Sometimes I'll add some bacon or pepperoni slices to it. Onion, dried or fresh or onion soup mix, whatever I have, often I like teriyaki sauce, usually some Louisiana Hot sauce, maybe some Worsteshire or soy. Much depends on the flavor I'm going for. Oh, and an egg or two and I prefer to use torn or cubed bread soaked in some milk and the sauces rather than crumbs. BBQ sauce if I want more of a BBQ flavor. Lately I've really enjoyed more of a "pizza" or Italian flavor to my meatloaf. So I use Italian seasoning, lemon pepper, fresh ground black pepper, some garlic and whatever else strikes my fancy. Mix in a little pizza sauce is fine too but not necessary. I also occasionally will cube up some mozzarella cheese and poke in there for a secret treat. I don't like sweet toppings and don't like it flooded with ketchup like the culinary terrorists do. Scrape that off and put some gravy on there for crying out loud! I kind of like a bit of a crust on there like my mothers would get but seldom if ever get it. Guess the roaster is just too inclined to keep it moist. I like to use about 80-85% beef so there's some fat in there. Then I take a small rack, cover it with foil, poke holes in the foil for grease to drain through and put the meatloaf of top of it. I have a meatloaf pan or two that works OK but I like the exposure all around better. I often bake potatoes along with it but Dottie I really like your idea of everything right in the pan. Apparently it doesn't have an issue of too much grease this way? Or are you just using lean enough meat that it doesn't produce that much? I need to try that sometime.

Well, I just wanted to report back that baked bacon is wonderful! I cooked a whole pound yesterday in about 15-20 minutes, very little mess, my kitchen is clean, and my house doesn't smell like bacon for days. Love it! I just rolled up the tin foil afterwards and tossed in the trash. I do agree though, fried bacon does render differently and is ultimately the tastiest. I'll still send hubby out to fry on the grill on occasion, but in a pinch, baked is the way to go. :-)

This is fun! For me, macaroni and cheese is a supper, with maybe a vegetable and a salad. When I lived in a Texas, we used to go to a restaurant called Black-Eyed Pea. Loved it, lots of home-style cooking comfort food, perfect for us young singles transplants far from home. You could choose a main dish, and any two vegetables, and there was always a vegetable of the day. On occasion the “vegetable of the day” was Mac-n-cheese. Never did figure out where the vegetable was in it, but it sure was good. (I know, they meant “side dish.) Oh, and the rolls. Which are of course just an excuse to eat butter. But Mmmmm their rolls.

I was never a fan of meatloaf because they all seemed to be covered in ketchup which I really hate. It wasn't until we were on a holiday in Charleston, SC back in the 90's that I found a meatloaf that I actually liked at the Magnolia restaurant. It was based on veal and was served grilled. After we got home from that trip I came up with my own version of this meatloaf. Meat Loaf Magnolia ================== (note: It isn't always easy to find ground veal so I have also made this recipe with ground pork) 1 1/2 pounds ground veal or mixture of beef and veal 1 small onion finely chopped 1 to 2 cloves of garlic 2 slices Italian/French Bread soaked in milk 2 eggs 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley 1 tablespoons of dried herbs, (sage and Thyme, a small amount of rosemary olive oil Sauce Green peppercorns mushrooms 1 to 2 cups chicken broth Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Do not brown garlic Soak bread in milk In a large bowl add meat, Dijon mustard, chopped parsley, herbs, onions and garlic and mix with hands. Squeeze bread to break up and add milk and bread to mixture. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Saute a small piece to check for seasoning. Adjust to taste. Shape meatloaf into a rectangle about 8 X 4 x 3 inches high and place in a small roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes and then add a small amount of broth to the pan to prevent the bottom from becoming to brown. Bake another 30 minutes and baste with the pan juices. Add more broth if necessary. Cook another 10 minutes or until the meatloaf is nicely browned. Let cool and wrap in foil and refrigerate. Reserve pan juices. Make a sauce by adding some green peppercorns and sautéed mushrooms to the pan juices. Heat grill Slice meatloaf into 1/2 inch thick slices and grill on both sides until nicely marked and hot. Serve with mashed potatoes I also like a meatloaf made with ground turkey breast. Turkey Breast Meatloaf You don’t really need a recipe for meatloaf. This is my basic outline. 1-1/2 pounds ground turkey breast 1 to 2 tablespoons butter small white onion chopped 1 stalk of celery finely chopped 1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth 1 clove of garlic salt and pepper 2 to 3 slices Bread fresh parsley sage, thyme, rosemary (to personal taste) 2 eggs Melt butter in skillet and sauté onions and celery. Add garlic and some chicken broth and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add the salt, pepper, sage, thyme and rosemary. Break the bread up in the processor. Added the parsley, the onion/ celery mixture and processed for a few seconds, just long enough to combine. Mix the bread mixture into the ground turkey along with two beaten eggs. Fry a little piece of the mixture to test for seasoning. Shape the meatloaf in a buttered roasting pan (I used a cast iron skillet) and roast at 375°F for 45 minutes to an hour. Baste with pan juices once or twice.