Brown Sugar Meatloaf

Meat Loaf:
-1 small onion
-1 clove garlic
-1 and 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
-3/4 cup milk
-2 eggs
-1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp. black pepper
-1/4 tsp. ground ginger
-3/4 cup bread or cracker crumbs

Topping:
-1/4 cup packed brown sugar
-1/4 cup ketchup

Assembly instructions: Saute onion and garlic. Mix together with remaining meatloaf ingredients. Shape mixture into loaf and place in pan. Mix brown sugar and ketchup; place in baggie for freezing separately.

Cooking instructions: Thaw completely in fridge. Brush or drizzle sauce on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until juices run clear.

***Alternate cooking instructions! - If you do not want to heat up the house with your oven, a meatloaf can be cooked in your crockpot. Thaw meatloaf completely. Slide it out of the pan and into your crockpot. Brush or drizzle sauce on top. Cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat loaf registers 165 degrees. It should take 6-7 hours. Carefully remove meat loaf from slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing. I have never tried this (the instructions are from my slow cooker cookbook), but with 90 degree weather, we may not want to turn on our ovens!