Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

 

Meatloaf is one of my favorite things. At heart, I’m just a simple girl, and nothing pleases me more than comfort food, whether it comes in the form of a double cheeseburger, or meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Because I love it so much, I’m always looking for new recipes. I found this one on Pioneer Woman’s website. Let me just say that this is excellent, but I had a bit of trouble with it. I followed the directions exactly as written, with the exception that I cut the recipe in half. After I had baked it for the required amount of time at the required temperature, I pulled it out of the oven, went to slice it, and it wasn’t near done; it was shockingly mushy inside. One would think that perhaps there was something wrong with my oven, but I had something else baking in the oven at the same time, and it came out just fine.

 Considering that I had already planned this meatloaf for two nights, plus meatloaf sandwiches, I was not going to let this deter me. I cranked the oven up to 400°, and put it back in for 30 minutes. It came out perfectly, and that bacon was wonderfully crisp. I don’t know what my problem was; I just wanted to give you that information so that if you find yourself in a similar situation, you’ll know what to do. Honestly, considering her meatloaf was twice the size of mine, it stands to reason that one half that size would’ve gotten done sooner. Anyway, it’s delicious; just watch how you bake it.

Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

For the Meatloaf:

1 c. whole milk

6 slices white bread*

2 lb. ground beef

1 c. (heaping) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ t. seasoned salt

¾ tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/3 c. minced flat-leaf parsley

4 whole eggs, beaten

10 slices thin/regular bacon

 For the Sauce:

1½ c. ketchup

1/3 c. brown sugar

1 t. dry mustard

Tabasco, to taste

 Preheat oven to 350˚ (See note above). Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.

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

 With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.

 Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce 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 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

 * I used half bread and half Italian breadcrumbs. It gave it a lovely texture, and I liked that extra little bit of flavor.

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Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

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 So...I bought shrimp. A lot of shrimp. I don’t know about you, but during this past year I went a little crazy buying things. I fell victim to one online ad after another. That’s not to say that it was a bad thing, I’m pleased with everything that I’ve gotten, it’s just that there’s a lot of it. The shrimp alone takes up an entire shelf in my freezer. I love shrimp, but it was the late Mr. O-P who handled fish and seafood in the kitchen.

What all of this means is that I need to educate myself in the ways of cooking with shrimp. I have spent the past week digging through family cookbooks, seafood cookbooks, magazines, you name it, compiling as many shrimp recipes as I possibly could. Here’s the first, and it’s a winner. If a rookie like me I can make something that’s delicious, so can you. You can put these together ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them. If you prefer not to bake them, you can cook them on the grill. Makes a great starter, or entrée. More to come; I know you’re excited about this.

 Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
Slightly adapted from Delicious.com

1 lb. shrimp (about 20 pieces), peeled and deveined, tails on
6 slices bacon, cut in thirds
4 T. butter, melted
2 T. maple syrup
1 t. chili powder

Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Wrap each shrimp with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.* Place shrimp on prepared pan.

In a small bowl, mix together butter, maple syrup, and chili powder.

Brush shrimp with about half of the maple butter. Bake for 15 minutes or until bacon is crispy and shrimp is cooked. Brush with remaining maple butter and broil 3 minutes.

 *I used bamboo skewers.