My First Meatloaf

I never liked meatloaf as a kid and never though more of it. Why did I decide to make it then, you ask? Well I wanted to surprise my boyfriend during his end of the school year stressfest. He has been boasting about how good meatloaves are for years, and, I must say, I think this one measured up to his boasting. It was delicious and I was able to use it in so many leftovers: meatloaf sandwich, crumbled in a quinoa salad, cheesy quesadillas, etc. The meatloaf was delicious and I'm glad we paired it with simple lighter sides: quinoa and spinach salad.

Basically, for this recipe you can go two ways: 1) you follow a long recipe that makes it seem more complicated than it is (what I did), or 2) use the basic (meat, milk, bread crumbs, eggs) and mix in whatever you want in it (what I'll do next time).

Ingredients
2 strips of bacon, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped*
1 medium onion, finely chopped*
1 medium carrot, finely chopped*
4 mushrooms, finely chopped*
1 pound extra lean ground pork
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 1/2 tbsp horseradish, well drained
1 tsp dried parsley
1 pinch salt
1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
4 bay leaves

Method
1. Preheat oven at 375 F
2. Cook the bacon in a sauté pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or when it starts to crisp up. Add the garlic, onion, carrot and mushrooms, and sauté for about 4 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and the onions translucent. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the two meats using your hands. Add the eggs and the milk. After the liquid has been incorporated in the meat, add the bread crumbs. And, finally, add the cooled vegetables, the mustard, the barbecue sauce, the horseradish, as well as the parsley, salt, black pepper and thyme.
4. Once all the ingredients are well combined, form a loaf the size of your pan, preferably a bread pan about 4''x10''. Press the four bay leaves into the top of the loaf.
5. Cook for about an hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F and the top is nicely browned.
6. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and cut crosswise into slices.

*Note: Toss these vegetables in a food processor on chop for a few seconds to save some time.