Labor Day Dinner

While most people associate Labor Day with grilling outside on the grill, my husband requested meatloaf for dinner tonight.
So for a twist on the original meatloaf, of which I am not a fan, I made this tasty dish.
Meatloaf Muffins with Barbecue Sauce
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

1 2/3 to 1 3/4 pounds ground sirloin
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
2 ribs celery from the heart of the stalk, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper
1 large egg plus a splash of milk, beaten
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1 cup smoky barbecue sauce
1/2 cup tomato salsa
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Put ground beef into a big bowl. Put onion and celery into a food processor. Cut the bell pepper in half, rip out the seeds and throw them into your garbage bowl. Cut the pepper into a few pieces and add to the food processor. Pulse the processor blades to finely chop the vegetables into very small pieces then add them to the meat bowl. Add egg, beaten with milk, bread crumbs and grill seasoning to the bowl. Next, mix together the smoky barbecue sauce, the salsa and the Worcestershire sauce. Pour half the sauce mixture into the bowl with the meatloaf mix. Mix the meatloaf together with your hands. Wash up. Brush a 12-muffin tin (1/2-cup each) with vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil. Use an ice cream scoop to help you fill meat into a each tin. Top each meat loaf with a spoonful of extra sauce. Bake about 20 minutes. Cut open 1 muffin to test that the middle is cooked through.

The meatloaf muffins are fun to make and I love the little muffins... they make perfect servings! The BBQ sauce lends great flavor to the meat. I served the meatloaf muffins with crispy red potatoes and sauteed green beans. We had a great dinner sitting on the screened porch watching the black capped chickadee eat from the feeder. Doesn't get much better than that! I hope everyone was able to enjoy the weekend!