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2024 Thanksgiving Menu and Meal Prep Timeline

* image These past few months have been busy for our family, especially since our oldest joined a local swim team. Between juggling our work schedules and balancing school with practices... we're all pretty wiped out. Although it's a lot of work, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. Preparing the holiday meal for our family fills my heart with joy, and I can't wait to get started. To make things easier for me, I don't deviate much from  our first Thanksgiving  as a family. The dishes I make are familiar ones, and the recipes for them live at my fingertips. Keeping the same menu year after year means I don't have to spend time researching recipes or planning a new one. Here are my tried-and-true Thanksgiving recipes, as well as my prep timeline for the big day!

The Secret's in the Sauce Meatloaf

Not too long after I created my FoodBuzz foodie profile, a fellow foodie, Country Al, contacted me with a request to try Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce and to blog about it if I liked the product. I'm not one to turn away the opportunity to try something new, so I told Al to go ahead and send me complimentary bottle of the sauce. Last week, not one bottle arrived, but two! After giving the second bottle to my coworker Aaron, I tried to decide how to incorporate the sauce into one of my recipes. And then I had it. Meatloaf!


My usual method of making meatloaf involves the eyeball technique. I don't normally measure and I stop adding ingredients once the liquid ingredients have been absorbed and the mixture comes together nicely. I learned that method from my mother and it hasn't failed me yet! (Just ask my boyfriend. He can comment on all the meatloaves I've made that he's devoured.)

But because I was dealing with a new ingredient, I measured, omitted ingredients I typically use (ketchup and Parmesan cheese), and added another new ingredient (honey). All in all, a really delightful dish. Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce gave the meatloaf a great tangy flavor, that was offset nicely by the hint of sweetness from the honey, and helped keep the meatloaf moist. I highly recommended contacting Al and requesting your own free bottle of the sauce.

Serve with my Sour Cream and Onion Mashed Potatoes or your own favorite sides. Aside from mashed potatoes, what do you like to pair with meatloaf?

The Secret's in the Sauce Meatloaf
Printable Recipe


INGREDIENTS
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (80% lean)
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Cook onion and garlic until the onions are translucent. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  3. Once cool, combine all ingredients in a large bowl until the milk is absorbed and all the ingredients just come together. Be careful not to over-mix, as over-mixing will result in a tougher meatloaf.
  4. Place mixture on a baking sheet and form into a loaf. Bake for 1 hour or until cooked through. Let stand 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Taste As You Go Disclaimer: I was provided with product samples at no cost. I do not accept monetary compensation for writing about these products or about my experiences while using them. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Comments

sj said…
sounds great Michelle! :) You and I make meatloaf in a very similar way... eyeball method :)
Jo - Meatloaf is such a comfort food. So not worrying about how much of x, y, and z goes into it aids the enjoyment of eating it! :)
Matt Casey said…
Agh! I just ate and now I'm hungry again!
Matt - Two questions. 1) What did you just eat? And, 2) Will this meatloaf sit well on top of it? :-)
I make 'varietal' meat loaf and this is up my alleygo
Doggybloggy - Excellent! Thanks for stopping by my blog!
I just read my comment..what is "alleygo"....I think I meant alley.
Doggybloggy - No worries. I knew what you meant. I think I may have posted twice on your review of the Electrolux event. You know what this means... Neither one of us should attempt to comment on other people's blogs after midnight!
exactly...and "luck of the draw"
Anonymous said…
Nice recipe!
Isn't it great to receive food freebies in the mail?
I love it! :-)
Zen Chef - Thanks for stopping by my blog and for the compliments on the recipe. I think food freebies in the mail is definitely one of the perks to having a food blog. It helps that I'm mostly willing to try anything at least once. :-)
Zesty Cook said…
Oh Very nice Michelle. I am a sucker for a great meatloaf. I may have to take you up on that offer. Oh wait - did you offer me a piece?

thanks for sharing
zesty
Zesty - Seriously. How can anyone turn down a piece of great meatloaf? :-)