Meatloaf Patties

It's a new year and I am among the many folks vowing to change their eating habits and to get more exercise. I've done this before, I can and will do it again but this time I'm determined that those pounds go away and stay away for good!  They are not welcome back nor can they bring their friends.

I started my journey about two weeks ago along with a life long friend.  We are determined to keep each other on track, though our strategies differ somewhat.  I know that I have a weakness for desserts and sweet treats as well as pasta and home baked breads.  I have given those things up for now, but I am looking to learn alternative ways to still enjoy them with different ingredients.
As I find recipes that I try and like, I will share them.

One of the things I do to help myself is to do the majority of my food preparation on the weekend.  I will spend 3-4 hours in the kitchen and cook everything for the week, so all that is needed is a quick warm up.  Keep fresh veggies for munching at hand as well, for those times that I just want to gnaw on something but am not really hungry because those calories can add up fast!!

Last weekend I made meatloaf patties.  These have been perfect for packing in my lunch for work as well as quick suppers this week.  How many of you like cold meatloaf...go ahead raise your hand, it is okay.  I like it too and it makes a great sandwich.

In thinking about the big game day tomorrow and many of you having parties, I thought that these would be great for sliders for a party, so if you are looking for something a little different, get yourself some mini-buns and give this a try.  Obviously, you'd need to make them smaller, but I'm sure they would be a hit.

I have already posted the meatloaf recipe on the blog.  You can find it here.  The only difference is that I measured out my meatloaf mixture into 4 ounce patties and topped them with the following mixture and baked them in the oven in a broiler rack.

Barbecued Pork Chops

Once again, I'm rummaging in my old recipe file.  Pork chops were on sale this week so I purchased a big package.  I believe it had a dozen or so boneless chops. You will notice that this recipe calls for 8 chops, but I used it with the 10 or 12 chops in the package.  Growing up, we always had chops with bones, but boneless fit into the pan a little easier and you don't have bones to throw away later!

This is comfort food for me.  This is my mom's recipe.  I don't recall where she got it but it is unique.  It is a thin sauce and not the sweet sticky bottled sauce you buy at the store.  It has a couple of unique ingredients that are more commonly found in sauerbrauten recipes.  Anyway, seeing chops on sale triggered a memory and these are now cooking in the oven and the whole house smells amazing!