Meatloaf...and not in a Bat out of Hell kinda way.

If there was one meal I know I could throw down with...it would be my mama's meatloaf. Hands down, Bobby Flay, my meatloaf would kick your meatloaf's ass. This dish kicks ass right out of the oven, and continues it's ass kicking the next day in an amazing meatloaf sandwich. The meat stays moist, and it is sweet in all the right places. Plus, I don't want to brag (whatever, I am totally bragging), my meatloaf won the local cooking contest thrown by my library when I was 12...so yeah...I am a local meatloaf legend...or something ( I still TOTALLY have the ribbon somewhere). Anyways, the meatloaf has kinda had a bad rap, lumped into the gross category with fruit cake, and often known for just being thrown together with what ever was laying about (did I just bite into a starburst?!), but I am here to clear the meatloaf name.

P.S. What self respecting meat and potatoes Ohio girl could pass up some great starchy sides? I serve my meatloaf with some cheesy garlic red potatoes and some chili corn.

Meatloaf

2 pounds of Ground Chuck
1 bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce
2 large spoonfuls of Brown Sugar (white sugar will work also)
4 cups Rice Crispies
2 eggs

1. Preheat over to 350.

2. Before starting the meat, pour about 1/3 cup of the Chili Sauce into a small bowl or mug. Add to the mug, about 2 large spoonfuls of brown sugar, stir to mix, and set aside.

3. In a LARGE bowl, add meat, the rest of the chili sauce, 2 eggs, and about 4 cups of rice crispies. Mix together with your hands for a few minutes to make sure it’s all together.

4. Form meat into a loaf shape, and place in a 9x13 glass baking dish. Top meat with the reserved sugar/chili sauce mixture.

5. Bake for 1 hour, and serve with potatoes or veggies.

Red Potatoes (Bear with me, it's done without any measurement, so feel free to adjust to your tastes)

2 lbs. Red Potatoes
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Garlic
1 tsp Kosher Salt

1. Quarter red potatoes, and and put in a pot filled with just enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, and let boil for 12 minutes.

2. Remove from heat, drain, and return to pot.

3. Add cheese, garlic, butter, and salt, mix to coat. Cover with a lid for 5 minutes to melt everything down.

***You can find the chili corn recipe in my post about frozen veggies. Basically add butter, kosher salt and chili powder to drained microwave corn. Beyond YUMMY!