(taken from an email conversation with a friend. i had sent her a meatloaf recipe i had gotten from another friend and she liked it. so i shared my own. as i was typing it, i thought it would make great blog fodder… enjoy!)

i love meatloaf!

i make a mean one myself.

1lb beef
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup + extra for topping
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 onion, minced
2 tbsp parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs (use more or less to taste), Progresso Italian style is what we use, but plain should work just fine

preheat oven to 350º
mix everything with a potato masher till smooth. dump mixture into a greased loaf pan and cover top of loaf with ketchup for a glaze. bake for 30 minutes or until meat is well done.

let rest for 5-10 minutes… serve.

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i only use the potato masher b/c of all that liquid and b/c the meat is usually quite cold and my fingers hate the cold. plus the masher really gets everything worked to a nice paste which makes a denser, easier to serve, meatloaf. and yes, that’s a lot of liquid, but most of it boils off in the oven and it makes a very juicy meatloaf (i hate dry meatloaf… ick!)

ever since i started making it this way, i’ve been deemed the official meatloaf cook in the house. oh! and take out the breadcrumbs and eggs and you’ll have the best burgers ever!