Meat in a loaf!

So this week was another rather random week, trying to throw together relatively cheap recipes that would still taste awesome! I settled on meatloaf, because well everyone loves meatloaf, and it's one of the most fun things to play around with. I've done mexican meatloaf before, adding salsa, green peppers, queso fresco and tortilla chips, but this time I wanted to do something a little simpler, while still being fun and different. Then I was craving something sweet, so I decided to make a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Sadly I couldn't eat it all, so I gave some to my friend Amanda, but I'd be a bit worried if I ate the whole thing on my own!

Awesome Meatloaf

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 4 slices of bread
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of ketchup
• 1 packet of dried onion soup mix
• 6 slices of bacon
• 1 block of pepperjack
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl, and add the salt and pepper to taste. Place into a loaf pan and hollow out a depression in the middle large enough for the cheese, and wrap the rest of the beef mixture around it. Top with the bacon and bake for about an hour, or until browned all the way through. The bacon may turn the beef a bit pink on top, but don't worry, as long as it's brown through the middle it's done :) I baked mine on a pan because my loaf pan was full, and you can do it this way if you'd like, but is up to you :)


Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting

 Cake ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Frosting ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

Enjoy! How do you like to make your meatloaf? Let me know!