One meaty cupcake!

                                                 

I know you are probably saying, "oh no, not another cupcake recipe....!"  Let me explain.  I really love using a large cupcake pan to make things because everything stays together nicely.  Plus, you have individual neat servings as opposed to cutting into a huge pan.  Let's face it, it just looks nice!

I began by lightly mixing a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground pork together.

Set that aside and cook 1/2 a Vidalia onion, chopped, 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped, and 4 slices of bacon, snipped with scissors.

When the onion and bacon are done, add to you mixture, along with about 2 handfuls of spinach, torn up, 1 packet of oatmeal (I used cinnamon flavor, but feel free to use whatever you would like), salt and pepper, fresh snipped parsley, and 2 eggs.  I purposely didn't add any other herbs because I didn't want too many flavors going on at the same time - the cinnamon, bacon, and onion were just right.  When you are combining all of this, try to mix as lightly as possible.  If you mash everything together, the meatloaf is going to come out dry and really dense.

Now it's time to build your individual meatloaf cups.  Start by filling the cup 1/2 full of your meat mixture.  Then add some cheese....any kind will do.  Then, add the rest of your meat.  Try to shape them like a cupcake.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.  While they are baking, there is a sauce you need to make that will go on top, before they finish cooking.  In a saucepan, mix 1/2 cup of ketchup, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1 tbs mustard powder.  Cook over medium heat until everything is dissolved.  Take the meatloaf out and spoon a little sauce over each cupcake.  Back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Now it's time to whip up a quick batch of mashed potatoes (about 3-4 servings ought to do it) to frost your cupcakes.  Follow the package directions, and add garlic powder to taste.

When your cupcakes are done, let them sit for a minute to cool slightly.  Take a sandwich zip-lock bag and cut one of the bottom corners off.  Fill the bag with the mashed potatoes and pipe the potatoes on the tops.

 I cut one open so you could see how the inside looks.   I love how the cheese melts perfectly in the middle.