Khayerepublic: My Mom's Famous Cheesy Bacon Meatloaf

So how's everyone doing on a Sunday? Apart from the obligatory attendance at church, there has got to be something that everyone's up to on their rest day. For me, I usually dedicate my Sunday paying homage to the two things that I like to do on my spare time: cooking/baking and reading.

This Sunday is the usual any given Sunday that doesn't call for a visit elsewhere aside from church. It's one of those days when I would rather curl up in bed and practically do nothing but my flesh and soul aren't up for that today as I, together with my mom, decided to make her sought-after Cheesy Bacon Meatloaf! Uh huh, sounds so yummm, right? I consider my mom as one of the formidable home cooks in the kitchen and the best at that. She's an untouchable in that discipline which explains the number of people ready to make a beeline just to get a taste of her dishes on family and corporate gatherings. She just loves to cook and wants nothing else but be able to do so when time permits. She gains happiness in serving good food to her loved ones and make non-profitable returns. This is a prime example of her not thinking too lofty of herself and rather play smart with her priorities in life. People have been prodding her to put up a catering business and operate it alongside her office career as a fall back when she retires. But my mom decided not to. She's very stubborn sometimes to not give in to the dictation of others and that's one of her many qualities that made her a successful careerwoman. She knows if it's right to devote time and money on certain things and has mastered the art of timing. Being a force to reckon with in the workplace on weekdays and running a household on weekends are just her non-negotiables at this point. Putting up a business necessitates sheer dedication, which, she has to steer clear from at the moment so as not to sacrifice anything important in her life.

Today, my mom is very generous in sharing her Cheesy Bacon Meatloaf recipe with me/us. It's one of my favorites that I squeal in delight just thinking about it! It's cheesy and it has strips of bacon, how could it possibly go wrong? It doesn't crumble when sliced as compared to others' and is best paired with mashed potato or potato salad and red wine. Oh my gosh the feeling I had when I took my first bite was like heaven had come to me! The meat was juicy and delicious, all points covered! The smell of Christmas literally permeates in the air of our home right now. Today happened to be too mundane that it has to be spruced up with something special so my mom thought of making something that she cooks only during special occasions. I promise you, it's really good that the recipe has to be placed in a vault and get locked up until such time when my mom is ready to put up a food business. But then again, she's being generous and she doesn't want to earn anything from it(i'll convince her to think this decision over). A huge smile on my face as I take a bite out of it is enough recognition for her. Click Read More for the recipe.

Mom's Cheesy Bacon Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1 Kilo of ground meat (1:1 ratio of beef and pork)

10-12 slices of bacon

1/2 Cup grated cheese

1/2 Cup finely chopped onions

1 Tbsp finely choppped garlic

1/2 Cup tomato ketchup

1/4 Cup chopped parsley

1/2 Cup breadcrumbs

2 large eggs

2 Tbsps Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsps brown sugar

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder and Hot Sauce to taste

Instructions:

1. Prepare the ingredients mise en place

2. Preheat the oven to 170 deg Celsius and set the rack in the middle. Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.

3. Dump all the ingredients (except for the bacon) in a large bowl.

4. With clean hands, mix all the ingredients together.

5. Transfer the mixture to the center of the prepared baking sheet and form a loaf. Drape the bacon slices diagonally over the loaf, laying them side by side, making sure that the entire surface of the loaf is covered.