Sweet and Tangy Meatloaf--take 2

I told the story behind this recipe once before, but I'll briefly tell it again. When I was in middle school, my mom and I had a deal--I'd make dinner and she'd do the dishes. Since I despised doing the dishes, it was a really good deal for me. Since she was working, it was a really good deal for her as well--she got to come home to dinner in the oven or on the table! Typically, she would leave a recipe and I would just follow the directions. Being the only girl in the family, I had been by my mom's side cooking for a long time. Anyway...one day, she left the recipe for meatloaf and we were out of ketchup. So...I went looking for anything else that was red that I could throw in. I added Catalina dressing and BBQ sauce. It turned out pretty good. Thus began my experiments with meatloaf. Over the years, I definitely stopped using measuring cups and just added what seemed right. That led to the guestimates on the measurements that I posted earlier. Monday, I tried measuring and think that I may have figured it out. Here's our favorite version of my meatloaf:

Meatloaf

Ingredients:


1 1/2 pounds of ground beef (I try to use fairly lean beef--(85-90%)
1/3 cup of ketchup
2 Tbs of BBQ sauce
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2 eggs
~15* crackers crumbled (I prefer whole wheat Ritz crackers, but often use saltines)

sauce:
1/3 cup of ketchup
2 Tbs of BBQ
3 Tbs of brown sugar

*if the meatloaf seems too runny, add more cracker crumbs, if it seems really dry, add a little extra ketchup

1. Preheat oven to 375, get out a 9 x 13 pan. (I prefer cooking it in a 9x13, b/c then the grease has someplace to go besides back into the meat, unlike in a loaf pan)
2. Mix all ingredients in a big bowl with your hands
3. dump the meat mixture into the pan and form into a loaf

4. Mix sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over med heat until it comes to a boil.
5. Drizzle, or spoon generously over the meat mixture


6. Bake at 375 for 50-60 minutes.

This is great served with baked potatoes. I usually stick the potatoes in the oven before I start the meatloaf and they're all done around the same time. Make some steamed veggies or a side salad and some rolls and you've got a great meal!