We're talkin' 'bout meatloaf (meatloaf, yeah)

My mom is seriously one of the best cooks on the planet.  Seriously.  And, even though she made meals that were freaking da bomb delicious, I was a ridiculously picky eater as a kid.  It's a crying shame when I think of all the meals I turned my nose up at in my youth because I didn't like the texture of beans, or whatever.  Never fear all you moms of picky eaters, eventually I came around with age.  I'm still texture sensitive and can't eat bananas because of it, but, all in all, I'm good with most foods.

I'm not sure why I talked about picky eating as the intro to this post, except for the possibility that a picky eater may not find the idea of eating meatloaf particularly appealing.  You guys.  This meatloaf is so amazingly good, it might, just might, turn your picky eater around, and get them on the meatloaf bandwagon.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 tsp minced garlic (or two cloves, minced)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix brown sugar, ketchup and 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce in a separate, small mixing bowl.

Pour half of the ketchup and brown sugar mixture into the bottom of a 9x5 loaf pan.  Set rest of the mixture aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf.  Place on top of the brown sugar/ketchup mixture.

Pour the remaining brown sugar/ketchup mixture on top of the loaf.

Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes until juices run clear.


-recipe inspired by 71toes.com (I've made a few changes according to my tastes)