Meatloaf Cupcakes

Yes, y'all!  You read that right! 

MEATLOAF. CUPCAKES.

As I was getting my ingredients ready for my meatloaf, I realized I didn't have some ingredients, so I went on google just to look for substitutes, and then bam, I saw a "fun fact" saying, to cook your meatloaf in a cupcake pan to help it cook faster.  Then...it hit me, I always serve my meatloaf with mashed potatoes, why not just combine it? and make it into what I make best? A CUPCAKE!

Come on in guys, lets get started on this awesome and fun dinner.  

I don't have kids, but I have two little sisters and I know this is something they would love helping with, and enjoy eating.  For those of you with kids, little siblings, or husbands/wives/partners that are kids at heart, THIS RECIPE IS FOR YOU! 

All you do, is take your favorite meatloaf recipes, bake it for the time/temp below.  Make your favorite mashed potatoes, and follow the steps below! 

For the Meatloaf cakes ::

• 1pound ground beef
• 1/3 C. red onion, chopped
• 1/4 green pepper, chopped
• 1 C bread crumbs (I used italian seasoned bread crumbs)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 C ketchup
• a couple shakes of Worcestershire sauce
• 2-3 shakes of cayanne pepper
• 1 1/2 Tbls. brown sugar
• Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease your cupcake pan.
2. Mix all of your meatloaf ingredients together, and make sure that it is mixed together evenly.
3. Take your mixture and put into cupcake tin about 2/3 full.
4. Drizzle as much ketchup as you want on top of each, then bake for 45 minutes.

For the potatoes ::

• 4-5 Potatoes
• 1/3 C whole milk
• 1/4 C sour cream
• 1/4 C cream cheese
• 1/3 C butter (I used I can't believe its not butter)
• Salt and Pepper

1. Wash and peal all of your potatoes, roughly dice them and boil them, until soft (10-12 minutes).
2. Drain potatoes, and then put back into bowl.
3. Throw in all the other mashed potato ingredients, with your masher/blender.
4. Put it into a icing bag, or ziplock (and cut a small tip out).

Once your meatloaf cupcakes are done, pop them out, top with your mashed potato icing, and serve!

Throw it in the Crock Pot :: Parmesan Honey Pork Roast

Sunday's in the Herre Home is day of relaxation, for it is said that it is the day of rest.

As Adam and I came back from church, he says to me that he just wants to have a chill Sunday, and since we just bought a pork loin roast, he wanted us to just throw that in the slow cooker and snuggle today.

Relaxing and kicking back, I wanted to do something different with my pork roast.  Normally, the brown sugar, honey, and garlic recipe from my Momma is what I use, but I decide to google different recipes.  I came across Leigh Anne's recipe at Your Homebased Mom, for her Slow Cooker Parmesan Honey Roast.  As y'all know, I like to take recipes and put my own little twist on it, so that is exactly what I did!  It looked delish and I knew that we had to try, and share with you!

 

It warms the whole house.  Once you put this in the crock pot, y'all's house with start filling with wonderful smells.  After about 5 1/2 hours, Adam and I decided to pair our dinner with my Mom's Rosemary Garlic Potatoes, and a side of veggies!  With the remaining liquid, I just put it on top of the roast, and had a little extra on the side for some dipping sauce.

450 degree oven, 10-15 minutes, then flip potatoes for another 10-15 minutes.

Throw this in the crock pot, sit back, relax and watch a movie, while your yummy food is cooking away.  After y'all try it, tell me what you think?  What changes you made, what you paired it with.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Queen City Birthday Celebration

Hi Guys!!

I have been meaning to post this Birthday post for a long time, like since March 2nd, but my busy schedule has prevented me from editing this long post until today!  But I still wanted to share it with y'all! BECAUSE IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY!!! :) And I wanted y'all to feel like you were there with me!

I am not one to brag, so please do not think that I am y'all! But, I just wanted to explain my love for all of my friends and family that came out to celebrate with me in the Queen City, and my new found love for a restaurant called Villa Francesca!

From the beginning, I woke up to a beautiful day that God gave us!  It was warm and sunny and it smelled like spring!

Adam surprised me with my FAVORITE Starbucks beverage - the White Chocolate Mocha - ErhMerGerd, it is just so delicious, and with a pecan danish! :)

Then, Adam wanted me to open the presents he got me!

The first one is the Diamond Candle.  Y'all - Diamond Candle is one of my favorite things ever! I found out about this wonderful company about three years ago, and then out of no where between 2013 and 2014, it has become super popular!

But, any who, Adam got me the scent called "Sweety Pea" which tugs at my heart strings because Sweet Pea is what my Mum used to call me, and he got it for that reason!

But enough about that, a Diamond Candle is a 26 ounce candle that has a ring, that is worth $10, $100, $500, $1,000, or $5,000 in every yummy smelling, soy candle.

This is the beautiful candle! (My favorite color is purple by the way!)  And as of about 10 minutes ago, I found the little folded foil in my candle and this is what it revealed...

Adam also got me a double tea kettle, and single cup from Tea Forte. It is loose tea strainer duo within the items.  I love tea, I love trying new teas, loose tea, Tiny Tea, everything!!!

Double Tea Pot!

The Up-Close of the cherry blossoms!

 As you know y'all, I am from Maryland, so cherry blossoms have been a part of my whole life! It was really touching how all of my lovely gifts (that no one had to get me) were so 'me' and who I am deep down, where I come from, what built me.

The focus is on the strainer! :)

After a wonderful afternoon making Cake Pops, and tying bows on the mini wine bottles as my party favor for my guests, we made our way to Villa Francesca in the Queen City.

This little Italian place, y'all, is AH-MAZ-ZING! The wait staff that took care of my party were on point, they took care of everything, complimented me all night and my guests, and the food was so so fabulous!

One of my best friends, Olivia, bought me a drink over the phone because she couldn't be there in person!  The bartender made me this fantabulous drink, called "The Dirty Princess." I had about 4 of them! They were just so yummy!

Another thing that I love to do at parties, is leave lovely little party favors that I believe everyone would enjoy!  (Spoiler Alert of what I made was already stated.)  As you all know, I LOVE making cupcakes, actually I just love baking, so I made Funfetti Cake-Pops and mini bottles of everyone's favorite wine, which I got Sutter Home wine from our local place called Frugal MacDoogal!

I love spoiling people!  I love giving and surprising people with things! :)  It is just the bees-knees, y'all!

In return, I did get spoiled by my friends :: here is a quick pic! 

From left to right & from who ::
* A cute apron with my monogram on it! - Joanna
* Blender Bottle/Shaker (Green) - Chris and Cara
* Diamond Candle - Adam
* Lululemon Shorts (blue&green) and shirt (black) - Meredith
* Canvas (hand-painted) & girl scout cookies- Sydnie
* Tea Forte - Adam
* Be Flirty Wine - Lily
* Merlot Wine - Kalen and Jordan
* Bailey's Coffee Cup - Adam
* Red Blender Bottle with black top and funnel - Emily
* Flowers - Adam
* Lovely cards - Everyone

All in all, I had a wonderful birthday celebration, and you should definitely consider having your birthday in the BEAUTIFUL Queen City!

Baked Sweet Potato Quinoa "Anytime" Patties

Whenever we are preparing dinner, and we know that we really want sweet potatoes, but we're tired of having it the same way? 

{Baked, with maybe some brown sugar and butter?} 

Yeah I was tired of it too, y'all, so I went out there and found something COMPLETELY different, that I fell in love with and I know you will too!

Yep, there's sweet potatoes in this bad boy!

I found the recipe here, that I changed and added to in order to make it my own, and to create something a little different.

* Literally, eat these anytime, last night I had mine with chicken, but this morning I also had them with an egg on top!
* Makes about 14-16 patties (depending on your patties size, cause size matters. lol)

What You Need ::

- 2 medium to large sweet potatoes
- 1 cup quinoa (2 cups water) - we'll be cooking it
- 1/4 red onion (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 Tbls. thyme (rub between your fingers when putting in the pan in order to release scent)
- Dash of cilantro
- About a Tablespoon olive oil
- Coarse sea salt
- Olive oil for the fryin' :)

Directions ::

1. First, make sure those potatoes are ready y'all, so get your oven to 400 degrees, and bake them for 45 minutes. At about half way through, I took mine out and cut them in 4th's so that they cooked through, and were softer.
2. Cook your quinoa.  1 cup quinoa, 2 cups water, bring to a boil, once it has reach a vigorous boil, reduce heat to low (simmer) and keep on heat for 15 minutes.  Once cooked, take off heat and set aside.
3. In a pan, take your onions, the 1 Tbls of olive oil, and a hefty pinch of coarse sea salt, and sauté until the onions are translucent.
4. Add the garlic, and stir for 1 minute, add thyme and cook for about 30 seconds. Take off heat and add to a large bowl.  Add the {mostly} cooled quinoa to the same bowl and stir. Set aside.
5. Take potatoes out, peel them, then mush them up and add them to the quinoa mixture.  Add another 1/4 tsp of the sea salt and mix everything together.
6. Form a small golf ball size of the mixture in your hands, then squish together to form a patty.  Cook on medium heat, for about 2.5 minutes on each side, until crisp and browned.  Make as many as you want.   

* If not using all of the mixture, it will keep up in the fridge for about 2 days.  But they are so delicious I don't think that you would want to leave them that long!

Now, look at you making something delicious, healthy, and irresistible!

GO YOU!