I’d do anything for love – Meatloaf, Bat Out of Hell, vocals

Well, Meatloaf, I bet you’d love the twist on this perennial home-cooked favorite and I assure you it is nothing close to what was served up in the Rocky Horror Picture Show!

I love meatloaf, but I am quite picky about it. I rarely order it out since I covet my own recipe (Exception: Firebirds Wood Fired Grill has a wonderful buffalo meatloaf that is the epitome of comfort food.) I always make enough for leftovers – that is the point of meatloaf, isn’t it?

Gabe is not a fan of traditional meatloaf – it’s mainly the onions and celery that he doesn’t like. I remembered that many years ago (it may have been in Home Ec in junior high school) I made some meatloaf muffins. It occurred to me that it would be easy to make Gabe a couple without the stuff he hates, and then add those ingredients after he was taken care of. Brilliant! So for those of you with picky eaters, this is a great way to satisfy everyone. Plus, the kids love the idea of muffins made of meat – but then, who doesn’t?!

Ingredients (makes 18 medium-sized muffins)

• 1 lb. ground beef (93% lean)
• 1 lb. ground pork (90% lean)
• 1 pkg. (.4 oz) Hidden Valley Ranch® buttermilk recipe salad mix
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup mayonnaise (I use Duke’s light)
• 1 cup celery, chopped small (2 large stalks or so)
• 1 cup sweet onion, chopped small
• 3-4 garlic gloves, minced
• 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, plus more to top the muffins (I used Guy Fíerí’s classic Kansas City barbecue sauce, which is now available in most grocery stores.)
• 1 teaspoon oil (I use canola)
• Worstershire sauce to taste
• Ground pepper and salt, to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the oil and add the onion, celery and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until the onions start to become translucent. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, mix together the ground pork and beef.

Sprinkle with the dry salad dressing mix, and add the mayonnaise, eggs and Worstershire sauce (a few good shakes is good.) Mix together well.

Add the breadcrumbs, barbecue sauce and freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.

At this point, I go ahead and make Gabe’s muffins, sans the celery and onions. Just spoon the mixture into a muffin tin (use cooking spray if you tins are not nonstick.)

After I get Gabe squared away, I go ahead and add the celery, onion and garlic mixture to the meat mixture, and blend well.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tins,and brush with some of the barbecue sauce. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until brown on top and cooked through the middle.

Serve this with garlic mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.

As previously mentioned, I like to make extra because these freeze well, plus I must have obligatory meatloaf sandwiches (on white/wheat bread with lots of mayo and pepper, and a little bit of barbecue sauce) the following few days. Yum, yum, yum, yum yum!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!