The cold weather is coming soon. Sorry for the reminder but it's happening! What is better to eat on a chilly autumn evening than a big helping of everyones favorite - meatloaf! I'm not going to give you a recipe, per se, because I am a firm believer in cooking from your heart - and you can't cook from our heart when your following a step by step. What I will give you is some simple guidelines and some secret ingredients that will really make your meatloaf POP!

First off - meatloaf is about MEAT - not just ground beef. I recommend as a base to the meat loaf to use 2 parts ground beef (hamburger for those of you in the midwest) to one part ground sausage. Since we are talking about meat here it is also great to mix in other favorites to your recipe, I personally like to cook some bacon up and cut it into the mix but you can use ham, salami, or any other meat! We want a meat trinity as it creates a great taste profile.

The meat alone is great but you need some "fillers" to extend your wallet, this is the reason meatloaf was created in the first place. You can use just about anything: crackers, breadcrumbs, croutons, toasted bread, and the list goes on. I personally prefer Matzah as it holds up really well and does not affect the flavor of my meat trinity. You want about 15 - 20% of your meatloaf to be filler.

To have the meat and filler work together in a loaf you need a "binder". The binder is traditionally eggs but you can get creative. I like to use mayo as it adds to the flavor and helps keep everything moist when cooking. When binding the meat you want it to just all hold together well. Added too much binder? Add more filler... its really easy to fix.

So you mix it up and add your own touch of spice (garlic, cumin, onion, celery seed, salt, pepper are all great) and then you cook it up to perfection. When it's almost done (about 10-15 minutes left) you need to add a glaze... this can be really simple stuff or elaborate - you choose. I like a simple mixture of 1/2 cup catchup and 1/4 cup brown sugar with about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and brown mustard. The glaze is something you just want to be tangy and add to the flavor of the loaf - so get creative! Save some on the side if there is any left for serving.

There you have it - meatloaf tips for a warm, enjoyable, and comfortable dinner!