i made a meatloaf, and it didn't suck!

if you know anything about me, you know that i make my dishes up as i go. so, when i decided that i wanted to make meatloaf, i totally fucking winged it. here goes nothing. meatloaf with balsamic onion marmalade.

ingredients

meat loaf:
1 lb ground turkey (shadybrook farms' 85/15, not 93/7 or turkey breast)
1 small red onion, grated
sea salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 egg, whipped
4 white button mushrooms, sliced thin
olive oil
garlic powder, to taste
about 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
& the special ingredient!! about 1 cup cheerios (plain), crushed & smashed into smithereens.


onion marmalade:
butter (or earth balance or whatever buttery thing you use), abt 1 tbsp
2 medium sized red onions, diced
balsamic vinegar, abt 1/2 cup
a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsps agave nectar or honey (it's all i had. other marmalade recipes call for sugar, of course)
a dash of garlic powder

instructions!

- preheat oven to 375 degrees
- saute the sliced mushrooms in olive oil, garlic & a pinch of salt. once the mushrooms are soft, set them aside to cool.
- while mushrooms cool, add the remaining meat loaf ingredients in a bowl. mix thoroughly -- set mixture aside.
- in a saucepan, add all marmalade ingredients EXCEPT the vinegar and agave.
- stir frequently, cooking on high heat.
- once the onions become translucent, add agave syrup.
- cook mixture for about 3 minutes on high heat or until the agave reduces to a thicker consistency.
- add balsamic vinegar; reduce heat.
- cook marmalade on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, or until the onions are completely soft, stirring often.

- after the marmalade is done, comes the fun part: the meat loaf.
- mix the mushrooms into the turkey mixture.
- coat the inside of a large-enough roasting pan with olive oil.
- pour the turkey mixture into the roasting pan. shape the meat into a rectangle with rounded edges (that's loafy, right?).
- roast for approximately 40 minutes, covered with aluminum foil or a lid (if your roaster has a lid, awesome).
- remove from oven. cover the meat loaf in onion marmalade.
- return to oven and cook, uncovered for approximately 15 minutes more (or until the meat loaf is your desired firmness).

enjoy!