Cooking, Cooking, Cooking!

Casey got home yesterday!! I had my camera all ready to capture Anna smiling but most of them turned out blurry. I didn't really get a picture of her smiling anyway!! All I know is we were all very excited he was finally home!

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One of my LOVE's: COOKING!

I decided that since Casey had been gone for so long this week I'd cook things I've never made before. I went through some of my cookbooks and came up with three new ideas (complimentary of Barefoot Contessa, Paula Deen, and my good friend Dg)

Last night- Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf (Paula Deen's recipe)
Casey loves meatloaf! Me? Not so much! I do love bacon cheeseburgers though. This recipe was really easy and actually pretty good! Casey LOVED it!!



Ingredients
1 pound ground chuck
10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 (8-ounce) package sharp Cheddar, grated
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 (3-ounce) can French fried onions
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck and next 8 ingredients, mixing well.

In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard. Stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into meat mixture, reserving remaining ketchup mixture.

Press meat mixture into a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan, or shape into a loaf and place on a rack in a broiler pan. Spread remaining ketchup mixture over loaf. Bake 40 minutes. Top with French fried onions; bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink.

Tonight we are having the Barefoot Contessa's Eggplant Gratin! I'll let you know how that goes!!