Recipe for Meat Loaf Buddies™

So ya wanna make Meat Loaf Buddies™.

While walking down the street, or while I'm at my local grocer, many more people than anticipatingly intended physically stop me in my tracks and bark the same question right into my innocent little face: WHAT IS IN YOUR MEAT LOAF BUDDIES™?

Well shucks. All you had to do was ask.

Pretty much it's the same recipe as a Regular Old Meat Loaf™.

Surprised? For sure.



INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350º

Find that cupcake pan you never use, even though you love cupcakes and can't imagine, as you pull it out from the way back of the cupboard, why you do not utilize this fantastic mold more often. (see Corn Bread Buddies™, page 32)

In a fry pan, drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium/high heat. Once hotsee totsee, add half an onion, diced. Also add a mess of garlic, also diced. A jar of minced garlic can also be used. Although not the whole jar, unless you are worried about unwanted visitors. The amount of garlic is up to the chef. As are the onions. There are no rules in Meat Loaf Buddies™.

Here are the rest of the rules:

Sautee onion and garlic for about 5 minutes. Hear that? Yes. That snappy sensation means flavors are happening. This is not your mother's Regular Old Meat Loaf™.

After the mixture is a bit browned and smelling like an Italian, remove from heat. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine 1.5 lbs ground beef and pinches, or more than pinches, of the following spices:

Pepper
Lemon Pepper
Garlic Salt
Garlic Powder
Italian Seasoning
Cumin
Celery Salt
Whatever is in your cupboard that you don't hate.

After you have spiced it on up, add about a half a cup of bbq sauce.

Bbq sauce is delicious, and can be sampled during this time.

Mix with hands.

Oh. Wait. Um...

WASH hands thoroughly before beginning this recipe.

Ok.

Great.

Mix with hands. If you are ickied out by mixing raw beef with your hands, imagine it is brains.

After mix is mixed, add my secret ingredient. The one that makes Meat Loaf Buddies™ what they are. The one that causes people to slap me across the face and then thank me.

Add:

One packet of instant Maple and Brown Sugar Flavored Oatmeal.

You heard me.

After the oatmeal is added, mix like hell once again.

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Heck! Perfect timing. Oven is preheated.

Remember that cupcake pan you pulled out earlier? Grab it.

I said grab it.

Ok.

Now. I like to use the disposable cupcake pans a consumer can buy at Safeway. They are made of foil and something else, and the foil (and the something else) prevents the Meat Loaf Buddies™ from sticking to the pan. And after, you may throw the pan away after one use instead of having to clean.

It's ok. No one will know.

Making little balls of the meat mixture with your tiny hands, fill the cups in the cupcake pan about 3/4 of the way to the top. This will make a nice little nestling area for all the FAT that will seep out of the meat and collect in the cup.

After filling the cups to their 3/4 mark, brush a bit of the leftover bbq sauce onto each Buddy using one of those paint brush things that aren't paintbrushes. Or use a paintbrush.

Place cupcake pan in oven. Cook at preheated temperature of 350º for about 30 minutes.

Note: MEAT LOAF BUDDIES™ DO NOT NEED TO COOK AS LONG AS REGULAR MEAT LOAF.

If you find yourself wanting to cook them a bit longer, that's ok. I won't tell. Anywhere from 30 minutes to 45 minutes will work.

When the Meat Loaf Buddies™ are done, remove the pan from the oven.

Wait.

When the Meat Loaf Buddies™ are done, grab two potholders! Oven mitts will work as well.

While wearing the oven mitts, or while holding the potholders, remove the cup cake pan that houses the Meat Loaf Buddies™ from the oven. It will be hot.

Let cool for about 5 minutes, then stab a fork in them to remove and place onto a stack of 3 paper towels that you have laid out on the kitchen counter.

Wait.

Lay out a stack of 3 paper towels onto your kitchen counter. Stab each Buddy with a fork to remove and gently place each Buddy onto the stack of paper towels so that the FAT will soak out.

After you have prepared your side dishes (see SIDE DISHES, page 87), place your desired amount of Meat Loaf Buddies™ onto your plate, as well as your dining companion's plate(s).

Eat.

Enjoy.

You're welcome.

This recipe for Meat Loaf Buddies™ is an excerpt from the recipe book "Why Does Dinner Have To Happen Every Night and Where Did My Mom Go" By Erin Stewart.