Kid Creations - Mini Meatloaves

My oldest has decided I'm boring in the kitchen. He has reached the tender age of 8 1/2 and is "bored" with my menu choices. The child is a budding foodie. He has exotic and varied tastes and I love that about him.

In our house, whenever I hear complaining, I figure that person needs to come up with a solution to whatever problem is bugging them. Since I wasn't doing the complaining about the food, I didn't think I need to change. I pulled out the kid cookbooks and said, "pick what YOU want to make for dinner". He actually thought about it seriously, read through the cookbook, and then showed me his pick...Everyday Drumsticks. This recipe is from a very old Betty Crocker's Children's Cookbook that my Mom used to cook from as a child.

The recipe actually cracks me up. In essence, it's a meatloaf on a stick, creating a "drumstick". I figured we really didn't need weapons sticks at the table, so we settled on just the "drum" part of the recipe. These have nothing to do with what you usually think of in terms of drumsticks. There is no chicken involved in the recipe. It's an easy recipe that Super Bear made ALL by himself. I seriously did not help him except to stir the cranberry sauce. See?? I told you to buy those extra bags of cranberries over Thanksgiving and put them in the freezer.

Mini Meatloaves
1 lb ground beef (I used venison)
1 c soft bread crumbs
salt and pepper
2 eggs
bacon (optional)
2 c cranberries
1/2 c water
1/2 c sugar
zest of one orange
1 tsp nutmeg


Combine all in a large bowl and knead with your hands to really get it mixed well. Shape into mini balls or rectangles. Wrap with 1/2 bacon strips. Place on a slotted baking sheet or wire rack on top of a baking sheet to catch the grease. Broil for 10 minutes. Watch carefully for burning bacon!


In the meantime, combine cranberries, water, sugar, zest, and nutmeg into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries are popped and soft. The mixture will thicken. Serve over meatloaf.