Got Meatloaf?

Asking me if I'd like a meatloaf sandwich would be a lot like asking me if I like money. Yes to both! Making a batch up in the slow cooker can pose some problems, however!

This meatloaf recipe was done, on the fly, as far as the ingredients went. I used what I had on hand, and in the case of bread crumbs, I improvised by using a couple of slices of bread!

First off, here is the ingredient list:

½ cup diced onion

¼ cup diced celery and bell pepper

8 oz can of tomato sauce

¼ cup of milk

2 eggs

1 ½ pounds of ground beef

2 slices of bread, crumbled

2 medium potatoes, cut into pieces

1 slice of bacon

ketchup

salt and pepper to taste

For this meal, I used a small crock pot that had been in the family for almost forever. I placed it on the counter top and set the heat control to high. Next, I peeled the two potatoes and cut them up into

equal pieces so that they would cook at the same rate. These were placed in the bottom of the slow cooker.

On tip of the potatoes was placed two lengths of foil that had been folded into a sort of cross. These were placed over the potatoes, over which another roughly circular piece of foil was also placed. (These make extracting the finished meatloaf from the close confines of the slow cooker a breeze, later on).

I then assembled the ingredients for the meatloaf, itself, in a large glass bowl. Basically, you add everything all at once (less the bacon and ketchup) and then mush it all up! This finished product is pretty wet and is therefore some what of a challenge to get into the slow cooker! I could use less liquid, I guess, but I've found that sometimes the quality of the meat loaf can suffer.

Once you do get the mass of meat into the pot, cover it with a strip of bacon to form a cross and then I like to add a little topping of ketchup to seal the deal. Set on high for about three hours, cover and walk away!

Cook on high for about four hours or low for six. Voila! Dinner is served! (See the You Tube version at http://youtu.be/v37ye_KQBT0 )!