BBQ cheddar and bacon meatloaves and pioneer woman Mac n cheese.

This was Saturday night's dinner. I'm terribly behind on blogging. I've been so busy preparing for the holidays!  I'm anxiously trying to pass time at work until my brother's flight arrives!  I haven't seen him since August when he left for college. It has been tough, especially when my Brudder is my best friend!  I am very proud of him but I definitely I can't wait to see him!  

The meat loaves are one of my husband's favorite even though he detests meatloaf. Does that explain how amazing these BBQ cheddar meatloaves are?  YES!!!!

You will need:

1 tbsp butter

Salt/pepper to taste

2 lbs ground beef

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 egg whisked

2 tbsp worchestire

1/4 cup & 4 tbsp BBQ sauce of your choice

1/4 cup bread crumbs

3 oz package of real bacon bits

4 oz cheddar block cut into cubes (I use extra sharp cheddar)

First whisk your egg in a large bowl and add beef, worchestire, 4 tbsp BBQ, bread crumbs, cheese, bacon, salt, and pepper. 

Mix with hands until all ingredients are equally mixed together. Line a baking sheet with a piece of foil. Then spray with nonstick spray. Form meat into mini loaves. 

Top with remaining BBQ sauce and a few more bacon bits. 

Then bake on 425 for 20-25 minutes. There will be a lot of grease in the pan. Just remove your loaves, place on a serving dish or plate and let sit for 5 minutes. 

Yummy!!!!!

For a side dish I made the Pioneer Woman's Mac n cheese. She is amazing if you don't know who she is check out her show on food network. She also has a blog and Pinterest that I follow as well!

You will need:

2 cups dry elbow macaroni 

1 whole beaten egg

8 tbsp butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 1/2 cups milk

2 heaping tbsp dry mustard

1 lb grated cheddar (again I used extra sharp cheddar)

1/2 tsp salt, pepper, and season salt

(Sorry, horrid picture)

Cook your macaroni until it is very firm. Too firm to eat. This will allow it to be perfect once the dish is finished since we have to bake it later on. 

In a small bowl, beat the egg. 

Allow the egg to sit at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients. This will help with the tempering later. 

In a large pot, melt the butter on med-low heat. Once melted, slowly whisk in your flour. Constantly whisking so it doesn't stick. Heat for 5 minutes. Then pour in milk, mustard. Whisk 5 minutes until very thick. 

Take a few ladles of your sauce mix and temper into your eggs. This prevents the eggs from getting too hot too fast and scrambling. TO TEMPER: slowly add each spoonful (you will need about 3) while constantly and quickly whisking. The trick is to make aide it's added very very slowly. 

Once you've gotten that, pour the tempered egg back into your sauce and add almost all of your grated cheese (you will need some for topping). Stir cheese until melted. 

Add your firm elbow Mac and stir until coated with cheesy goodness. (:

Pour into a baking dish and top with shredded cheese and season salt. Bake 325 for 20 minutes. My husband and father in law dug in so fast I couldn't get a picture straight out of the oven, but here it is. 

Everyone have an amazing thanksgiving!!!  Don't forget to be thankful ALL YEAR!!!