Recipes

Heat the oven to 375'F.

Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and place in a small bowl.

Pour milk over it & set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.

Add onion, celery & garlic; cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove from heat & let cool.

Line a pan with foil to make clean-up easier.

This baby makes a mess (although it comes up pretty easily if you fill the pan in hot, soapy water).

Place carrots in a large mixing bowl.

Add the milk-bread mixture, meat, eggs, parsley, Dijon, salt & pepper and onion mixture.

Combine well.

Place mixture in a large ungreased baking dish (a 9 x 13 cake pan is about right) or roasting pan.

Shape into a 5 x 12 inch loaf.

Run bacon around the sides of the loaf, then overlap bacon across the top, covering meat, completely.

Season with salt & pepper.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, ground mustard & tomato paste to make a glaze.

Brush meatloaf all over with glaze.

Bake, brushing every 15 minutes or so with glaze, until juices run clear when loaf is pierced with a 2 pronged fork & the bacon is crisp, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Let cool 10 minutes before slicing.

** Once the bacon fat starts to run (probably around your second basting--30 minutes into the cooking), spoon off several spoonfuls of fat. Spoon a little more off every time you baste, so it's not sitting in fat as it bakes.