Begin by chopping the following:
1/2 Cup Bell Pepper (I had to use banana peppers, it's what I had)
1/2 Cup Onion
1/2 Cup Button Mushrooms
1/2 Cup Bacon
2 Cloves Garlic
Fry the bacon until soft to render the bacon grease and then add the veggies. You won't have to worry about draining anything because the veggies (mushrooms in particular) will soak it all up. Just tell yourself it's added flavor and deny to yourself that it is added fat. :) Then let that mixture cool completely. Oh, and preheat your oven to 375 degrees. I always forget that part.
Grate a 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese. On a side note, this little bowl that my cheese is in is actually the base to my box grater! I bought it at Ikea. It has 2 interchangeable grater plates for feather and fine grating and a lid for storage of leftovers! I only paid $6 for it and I think it's adorable and fabulous. I just wanted to share!
I just realized I should have edited this picture and fixed the white balance or something. Oh well, forgive me. The meatloaf base is:
2 Pounds Ground Beef
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Yellow Mustard
2 Tbsp. Ketchup
1/2 Cup Oatmeal
1 Egg
I didn't picture the egg because, well, I didn't have one. It was an odd day in the Wilson house. Just pretend that it's there. Add the cheese, vegetables, and bacon and squish, squish, squish! I find the best way to properly combine meatloaf is with your hands!
Portion the meatloaf mixture into the cups of a muffin tin. I imagine this could be used to make a traditional style meatloaf, but where's the fun in that? Small food tastes better. Small food is already portioned. Small food is cute!
Bake the "small food" for 30 minutes. In the mean time, prepare the sauce!
Whisk together:
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup Yellow Mustard
1/4 Cup Ketchup
Get it as smooth as you can. I can't keep brown sugar completely fluffy because I live in the south and because the south is humid. I even keep it in the freezer. I'm not sure what that does but my mother in law does it and it works better than my canister.
After the muffins have baked for 30 minutes, spoon 1 teaspoon of the topping over each muffin. Place the muffins back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve! One of the things that makes me feel better about eating these muffins is that I can see all of the fat left behind in each muffin cup when I serve them. I mean, I know these aren't health food by any stretch of the term but somehow I'm a little comforted when I see what I could be eating but I'm not. But, I digress.
Here's the finished product:
I serve them with green beans and smashed potatoes every time. I mean, what's more American than that? Let me know how much you love it!
