Meat Muffins

     I'm back after a few days' hiatus, due to a cold that showed up at our house and sapped all our time and energy. We all got something but Cam and Auz were hit worst. Austin had an ear infection and Cam's cold was so bad he got desperate enough to try a neti-pot.
     Last night I cooked Speedy Mini Meat Loaves, which we christened "meat muffins". I had found the recipe in a People magazine from September, and the recipe was printed there as an excerpt from Paula, Jamie, and Bobby Deen's cookbook, The Deen Bros. Take It Easy.
     Captioned as "Dinner For Four Under $10" and touted as fast and easy to prepare, I was game to give it a try, although I typically don't get my recipes from tabloids. Apparently tabloids aren't just for gossip, because the Mini Meat Loaves were actually darn good and everyone enjoyed them, including Mr. Picky Eater (Austin.)
     Here's how to make them:
1.5 lbs ground beef (I would use lean or extra lean)
1 cup plain unseasoned bread crumbs (I would be game to use seasoned ones if that's what was in the pantry)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp. milk
1 garlic clove, finely chopped (I put 2 in)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I chopped mine chunky, so Austin could pick the onion out)
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme (no thyme in my pantry so I used herbs de provence instead)
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp. ketchup
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard (we only had the grainy kind, so I used 1 tbsp. grainy and 1 tbsp. prepared mustard)
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (I shook in more)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine beef, breadcrumbs, eggs, milk, garlic, onion, salt, thyme, and pepper.
3. Divide the meat mixture among the 12 muffin cups, pressing firmly into the pan.
4. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet (in case of grease/meat overflow) and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the meat is almost cooked through. The loaves will be firm when pressed lightly but not set.
5. While meat is baking, whisk together the ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire. After baking, remove the pan from the oven and brush the tops of the loaves with the glaze (omit glazing meat that your picky child will be eating), and return the pan to the oven. Bake 10 minutes more or until glaze has thickened and the meat is completely cooked through.
6. Run a spatula or knife around the edges of the muffin cups and pop out the meat loaves. Serve hot.

I served these with mashed potatoes and carrots & peas. I actually think the meal came in well under $10. Enjoyed the leftovers for lunch today too, so that was definately a thrifty meal and it was great comfort food for people suffering from colds.