Meatloaf in a Flaky Cheddar Crust (to warm you up on an icy December Sunday)

Meatloaf is what’s for lunch… and dinner. (Four nights in a row!)

I’m not a huge fan of meatloaf (I think I prefer the hamburger), but one wrapped in crust should be interesting. So, I made a standard meatloaf, wrapped it like a present in cheddar crust, and…

Tada!

I also thought it would be cool to make soda bread (in the background). Jacques Pepin made it seem just SO simple. And it was, for the most part. Meaning that I messed up the first one (too much moisture = tough bread), but the second one came out beautifully:) Who knew bread could be so easy to make?

The cheddar crust (which tasted like goldfish crackers – who doesn’t love goldfishes!) and the homemade barbeque sauce really took the meatloaf to the next level. I’m not gonna be able to eat regular ole meatloaf anymore!

And another round of gougeres, just to use up the gruyere. I used Beth’s recipe this time. I’m not sure which recipe I prefer; this one was more cheese-y, and the other one was a perfect combo of bacon, cheddar, and cayenne flavors. Make them both next time?

Finally, jam thumbprint cookies! These were actually a couple days old. I was feeling unreasonably blue the other day, and realized that it was probably because I hadn’t baked anything in over a week. I wasn’t going to make it to Sunday… So, I rummaged around, and whipped this together! You can see the cookies in the four stages of the production process – rounded-out, nut-coated, thumb-pressed, jam-filled.

They were more of a snack-ish dessert. But a nice way to wrap up a warming meal:)