"Rempel Family Meatloaf"

I get a lot of my recipes off of Allrecipes.com. I HIGHLY recommend it. I definitely believe in giving credit where it's due...and this is from their website. If I make a bunch of changes to the recipe before posting it, I consider it "my own". Anyway, this is the first time I've made this specific meatloaf.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup crushed buttery round crackers
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons steak sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Stir the ground beef, crushed crackers, Cheddar cheese, and onion soup mix in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk the eggs, ketchup, and steak sauce in a separate bowl until smooth. Mix the eggs into the meat until evenly combined, if the mixture seems too dry, add a little water. Press into a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven until the meatloaf reaches 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) and is no longer pink in the center, 45 to 60 minutes.

The result... This meatloaf is definitely a keeper. I used 97% lean hamburger, so it wasn't exceptionally juicy. It was dense and flavorful. It didn't have the ketchupy taste that many meatloafs had, and it held together very well. I cook my meatloaf in a small casserole dish, and shape it into a loaf. I do this b/c the fat then goes to the sides, and I can spoon it off much easier than if it was in a loaf pan. When I make it again, I don't think I'll make any changes. I did take some pics, and I'll post them later. I served it with garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and a green salad.

This pic definitely has the salad looking like the most appetizing thing! What an UNcolorful meal I made!!! Oh well!

A note on mashed potatoes....I have yet to find a way to make them taste good, but be lower fat (use less butter) Anyone have any secrets??