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Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf and Homemade Creamy Garlic “Sidekick”

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Anything for love, oh I would do anything for love

 

I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that

 

 
Meatloaf
 
There are certain things from my childhood that I just don’t want to remember. 
 
It’s funny but most of them involve really yucky food. 
 
What makes that really funny actually is that I was never a foodie. In fact, I remember when me and my WpgBesty moved out and a gourmet dinner to us was Chicken Cordon Bleu from M&M meat shop and a packet of Sidekicks!
 
It wasn’t until Ninja, my Sis and I lived together and I made risotto for the first time that the cooking bug hit me. 
 
It was the worst risotto I had ever made LOL but I was hooked. Add that to the Christmas dinner I prepared and the organization of menu planning and cooking brought on a whole new appeal. 
 
Shortly after that I made an Easter dinner for Ninja, my sister and two of Ninja’s friends that were also living far away from their parents. These were simple guys that were expecting ham and potatoes or perhaps even a turkey for Easter dinner LOL. That was the Easter that my meal was prepared around fruit. You should’ve seen their faces but they were very polite and they tried everything and even I have to admit now it was… very ambitious lol. 
 
My Mom wasn’t a particularly amazing cook but she could fry things like nobody’s business though! My Dad was a stay-at-home dad for the majority of my childhood and he really wasn’t a cook. He tried but to my Dad a gourmet meal was and still is a plate of Ramen noodles or Sidekicks and pressed meat from M&M’s with a side of breaded appetizers or give him a hotdog and he would be happy!  
 
I remember coming home and smelling Shake & Bake pork chops in that old silver pan that plugged in on the counter OMG even thinking about it makes me shudder. Or spaetzle, I mean really boiled dough that’s fried, ugh!
 
But one of the worst by far was meatloaf. When I came home from school and I would see meet being formed into a loaf I knew it was going to be a long night of me sitting at the table not eating until bedtime. I would think about all the things that I wanted to do that evening that I was no longer able to do 🙁 no Full House, no Who’s the Boss and definitely no Nintendo 🙁 
 
My Dad loves meatloaf. He has repeatedly over the years asked me to make it. I did try one time, I made Parmesan meatloaf using ground chicken. I actually have it as a post I just haven’t published it yet lol. 
 
The fact that I did not use ketchup seem to be the deal breaker for him though. When I discussed this with others the best response I got was from my BIL. He blinked a few times and said ketchup is a condiment not ingredient!! 

Hallelujah! My sister did something really right when she married that one 🙂
 

So, I’ve been looking to see if there are any recipes out there that would be a happy medium. I finally found one from The Pioneer Woman. I have never tried a recipe from her that I haven’t loved so I have high hopes for this one. Usually I can picture mashed potatoes with meatloaf but we’ve had mashed taters twice this week so I’m thinking about going real old-school and making a homemade “sidekick”. Egg noodles and garlic cream sauce and some corn I feel like I’m in 1991!!! I think I will turn Songza on to the 90’s and I can wear some neon and Ninja can wear a plaid shirt 🙂

Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
3/4 cup milk
5 slices bread
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 cup Asiago cheese, grated
¼ teaspoon seasoned salt
¾ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
8 slices bacon
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

 

Preheat oven to 350. 
Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.

 

Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Asiago, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. 


Pour in beaten eggs.

 

 

Using your hands, mix the ingredients until well combined.  


Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a foil lined broiler pan.

 

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf. When I pulled up my bacon and I realize they only had four slices in there so I laid them lengthwise it’s not going to be as bacony as I would like it but perhaps I should’ve checked my bacon stock before I went grocery shopping today LOL. 

 

Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard in a mixing bowl.


Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.

 

Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 45 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

 

 

 

 

Life Is Fantasmic
Homemade Creamy Garlic “Sidekick”
Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats
 
1/2 bag egg noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup milk
salt & pepper
1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
2 teaspoons parsley, chopped
Cook pasta in a pot of salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain then set aside. Let pot cool off the heat for several minutes.

 

Return pot to stove over medium heat then melt butter in olive oil.
Add garlic then saute until golden brown, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in flour then whisk and cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in chicken broth and milk while whisking until mixture is smooth. Season with salt & pepper and stir constantly until mixture is thick and bubbly, about 4-5 minutes.

Take pot off the heat then stir in cheese, garlic powder, and parsley until smooth 

then add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Taste then adjust salt & pepper if necessary.

 

 

Inspire Me Monday Link Party

This past week has been our 1st week of returning to “normal” since the holidays and the flu bug 🙁

HBear is in full swing with Yoga class, Guitar lessons, Jazz class, Sparks, Broadway Musical Class and Swim Kids 4. In between, LOL, she finds time to do her nightly reading, 60 Minute Kids Club and watch MasterChef Jr 🙂 

 

SBean has been all sorts of Big Girl lately!!!!

She is in swimming lessons twice a week. This girl loves water!!! I can’t even get her out of the shower after lol!!

 

She’s becoming more interested in the kitchen too! Especially if it involves Jell-o making!

We have spent some good time just PLAYING too 🙂 She loves reading, building and tea time!

 

 

We went shopping on the weekend and I was in Gymboree… for a while LOL. I came out with $323.69 worth of stuff… but after sale prices and Gym bucks new total $53.23!!!!, Ninja looked DONE lol I asked him why he didn’t take the girls to the “rides”? 
 
He was like,
 
“I did that first and after they pretty much tossed the little boy that was enjoying the ice cream truck out… they enjoyed it…for 5 minutes. THEN WHAT?!?!?!!?”
 


I hear you,

preaching to that choir baby…

BAHAHAHAHAHA

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