Quick and Easy Dinner

Yesterday I'd taken out two pounds of hamburger to defrost for dinner with no idea on what was going to become of it. Went along through my day working on a HubPages article that I wanted to get finished and published before thinking of making dinner. Before I knew it, it was five o'clock and realized that dinner prep was gonna have to be quick. So as I stood in the kitchen staring down at this defrosted meat a few ideas on what to do with it came and went. Shepherds Pie .... nah, didn't feel like frying the hamburger and wanted to skip that step of the preparation. Spaghetti ... no, would still have to fry the burger, and already had that this week. Then it came to me .... Meatloaf! Now there's something I haven't made in eons.

I'm not a big fan of meatloaf but the rest of the family loves it. I don't think I've ever made it the same way twice but after tasting last nights meatloaf I think I'll be making it this way again as I enjoyed it. When my husband saw meatloaf the first thing out of his mouth was, "You only made one?" He loves meatloaf.

Meatloaf with Baked Potatoes, Carrots and a Kitchen Sink Salad

Prep Time: 20 min.
Cook Time: 60 min.
Ready and on the table in 1 hour and 20 min.
Serves 4-5 people

Ingredients Needed for Meatloaf

• 2 pounds of lean ground beef 
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs 
• 1/2 tsp. of dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
• fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup of chili sauce 
• 1 egg

For the Meatloaf Topping

• 1/4 cup of ketchup 
• 2-3 tbs of Dijon mustard (or regular yellow if you don't have Dijon)
• 2 tbs of brown sugar

Let's Get Cooking

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray (much easier when it comes to cleanup)
3. In a bowl combine hamburger, chopped onions, breadcrumbs, spices, chili sauce and the egg.
4. With your hand mix everything together. You can use a spoon but I find it easier to use my hands.
5. Once everything is mixed together really well press the meat mixture into the loaf pan.
6. In a small bowl mix the topping ingredients together and then spoon over the top of the meatloaf.
7. Place meatloaf into the oven and bake for sixty minutes.
8. Wash and wrap 4-5 potatoes in tinfoil and place in the oven at the same time as the meatloaf.
9. While the meatloaf is cooking peel, wash and cut 5-6 medium-large carrots, and place in a pot with water to boil about fifteen minutes before meatloaf is ready to come out of the oven. 
10. Recipe for the Kitchen Sink Salad can be found by clicking on the link.
11. When carrots are cooked add butter or leave plain. If you'd like glazed carrots, drain the water from the pot leaving the carrots in the pot. Add butter or margarine with 2 tbs of brown sugar and place back on the stove burner stirring until butter is melted and brown sugar is mixed well with carrots. 
12. Serve and ENJOY!