Meatloaf

I don't understand why meatloaf has such a bad rap.  I never ate it as a kid but, that's just because it wasn't a meal anyone around me made, not because I didn't like it.  I don't remember having meatloaf until I was older.  I don't know why TV hates on meatloaf so much, you always see kids sneaking it to the dog under the table, in my opinion, that is a lucky dog!  Maybe, it is because people haven't had a good recipe.  The first time I had this meatloaf was at Mike's family's house.  Jeanne (Mike's stepmom) made meatloaf one night for Sunday dinner and I loved it! It was moist and so good!  I asked her what her recipe was and it couldn't be simpler, it is on the back of the Lipton Onion Soup Mix, how easy is that?!  We switch up a few things but, it is optional.  This is how Mike and I like it...

What you need:

• 1 lbs ground turkey
• 1 lbs ground beef (I use lean ground beef)
• 1 pack of lipton's onion soup mix
• 3/4 c bread crumbs (I use already seasoned)
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c water
• 1/3 c ketchup plus 1/4 c
• 1/4 BBQ sauce
• bacon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place the first 5 ingredients, plus 1/3 c ketchup into a bowl and mix.   Make sure to take off your rings before getting in there.  It is one of Mike's pet peeves when he sees Paula Dean get in there with her huge diamond rings on.  You know some of that raw meat is going to get stuck in there!

Place into a greased 9x13 casserole dish and form into a loaf.

Mix the remaining ketchup and the BBQ sauce and spread all over the top and sides of your meat football.

 Place the bacon on top.  If you put it on a diagonal, it tends to work the best but do whatever makes you happy!

Your meatloaf is ready for the oven!  Bake for 1 hour (I know, it is a long time to wait for all the meaty goodness but, the wait will be worth it!).

Let the meatloaf rest 10 minutes before cutting into.  Also, I try to drain some of the grease out.  It is pretty tricky to drain, we almost lost it into the sink.  The better way to get some of the grease out is by putting some paper towels in the pan to soak it up.

Then cut up and serve!  I made green bean casserole for our side but, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach...any of your favorite sides would work.

If you don't like beef, you could use all turkey or if you don't like turkey, use all beef!  We like the mix.  Meatloaf is great leftover, too!  It reheats well or you could make a meatloaf sandwich...YUM!