the ragin' cajun meatloaf

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So. You hate meatloaf huh? I did. I felt like the cat on the Sheba commercial. It was like poor man's pate. That's: pah-tay, I don't know how to make an accent on pate, or where it would go.

After I made said ragin' cajun meatloaf, I became a changed woman! I always like things hot (or I tend to make things hotter), so the heat was great. I do love me some honey, so the glaze on top is ketchup and honey. That part I always did like on a meatloaf, the carmelized, slightly crunchy ketchup topping. That alone would cause me to go back for more.

~Ooh, which reminds me, I toured Round Rock Honey this weekend (be sure to get you some "honey from the Rock"), so I'll share those pics with ya'll later, too. Lucky for me, I was able to score the FOUR XL bee suit. I'm 5'4" people. My friend nicknamed me "Stay Puff." It was pretty awesome. But hey, I was safe.

Got your bayou blues on? Let's do this:

• 2 pounds ground beef (or, I used 1# beef, 1# turkey)
• 1 pound ground pork (or, I used up the leftover pork sausage in the freezer)
• 3 bell peppers (I found red, orange, and yellow, any will do)
• 5 stalks celery
• a LOT of garlic: 9-10 cloves
• 3 eggs
• 6 T butter
• 2 c breadcrumbs, at least
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. cayenne (yeeeah, that's what I'm talkin' about)
• 1 T Worcestershire
• 1/2 c milk
• 2 cups ketchup
• 2 T honey
• MORE hot sauce, if you'd like ;)     (nobody threaten me with more hot sauce)

Ok, first, I was excited because it was another recipe where I needed to break OUT the food processor! WOOOHOOOO. Yes, it weighs as much as a small child, but MAN is she powerful! LOVE it! 

First, throw all your veggies in there! Go crazy! Or, patiently chop celery, bell pepper, garlic into a fine mince. Truth be told, even in the food processor, you want to "pulse" them to avoid turning to mush. And we all know, nobody likes a mushy meatloaf.

Next, brown your butter slightly. Add veggies and garlic. Add a good pinch of salt too, 1 T.

Cook for a few minutes, over medium high, add Worcestershire, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. This is where I also add a few good shakes of hot sauce.

Then, add in 1/2 c of ketchup. Stir a few minutes longer. Remove from heat.

Cool mixture for a few minutes, add 1/2 cup of milk. Stir well.

Now, add 1-2 cups of bread crumbs (my veggies were very moist, so I added about 2 1/2 cups) until your mixture forms a thick paste.

In a large bowl, whisk your eggs and add to the meat mixture.  THEN, begins the gross wonderful process of adding the veggie mixture to the meat mixture and combining. You know, squishing all that meat through your fingers (freezing fingers) to combine evenly. 

Cover a pan with foil (and recycle it after!). Form the meat into a, well - a loaf! About 6-8 inches wide, 1 1/2 inches tall. This, ladies, makes a hungry man's meatloaf! I froze half.

In a small bowl, mix 1 cup ketchup with 2 T of honey. Mop this sauce over the top of your meat loafy beauty. Bake at 400 for 40-50 minutes. When it finished, I also stuck it with the meat thermometer, and yup, it read 180. Perfect!

Enjoy! Check out later this week to see how I prepared the corn and squashed stuff. HA HAA. Accidental typo - I meant stuffed squash. It was delicioso! 

Someone, quick, how do you say "delicious" in Cajun??!!

Have a great night ya'll!