Sweater gone, Meatloaf for Dinner

 The sweater went to my sister-in-law.  Fit her perfectly.  I know it is going to a happy home.

This is my riff on the Meatloaf 101 recipe from Martha Stewart.  It is perfect because the onions are precooked, therefore NO INDIGESTION!  It also has bacon.  It is less complicated than it looks.

I keep fresh breadcrumbs in my freezer because I am just too tightfisted to throw out stale bread - especially if it was home made or artisan bread.  Sometimes I dry the crumbs out and then keep them in a jar in the cabinet.   Or if it is nice chewy french bread we make croutons with garlic oil.               

Meatloaf Inspired by Martha

1  cup      fresh bread crumbs
1/2           cup  milk
2 carrots -- grated
 2     large  eggs
 1         tablespoon  salt
1/2    tablespoon  pepper
2        tablespoons  Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2        tablespoons  oil
1        large   onion -- finely chopped
1-2 ribs  celery -- finely chopped (shoot for about 1/2 the amount of onion)
2             cloves  garlic -- minced
1              pound  ground beef
1        pound  ground pork
1/2         pound  bacon -- thinly sliced
1/2           cup  light brown sugar
 1         tablespoon  mustard powder
 1           teaspoon  tomato paste

Put the breadcrumbs in a large bowl.  Pour the milk over the bread. Grate in the carrots. Add the egg, Dijon, salt, pepper and Worcestershire.  Whip everything up with a fork. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic; cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes.

Add cooled onion mixture to the milk-and-bread mixture, stirring again with the fork. Add the ground meats, stirring with the fork, fluffing the mixture, until well combined.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Place mixture in a large ungreased baking dish or roasting pan. Shape into a 5-by-12-inch loaf. Overlap bacon slices across the top, covering meat.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, ground mustard, and 2 tablespoons water. Stir in tomato paste, making a glaze. Brush the meat loaf all over with the glaze.

Bake until juices run clear when loaf is pierced, 1 1/4 hours to 1 1/2 hours. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing.