Trina's Mini Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf

This recipe is in honor my friend Trina. Having a large family herself like the one I was raised in (there were 6 of us) she knows how important good food is for your family. She shared this recipe on her Instagram page a few months ago and I begged for the recipe. It's a huge hit for my family. My boys Ethan and Jakob were so excited when they heard I was making this for dinner yesterday, that they even passed up food from Grandma. I love when my family loves my cooking over eating something else. This is a very easy and pretty quick cooking recipe for meatloaf. Traditionally in a loaf pan meatloaf can take onwards of an hour or more to cook thru. These are done in around 30 minutes. How's that for 30 minute meals? Here is a picture taken back in 2005 maybe with from left to right (my mom Marcia, Me, Trina, and my sister Amy. All great cooks taken standing in the kitchen)

Here is a picture of the ingredients you will be needing for this recipe. I chose ground turkey, but you can do ground beef, chicken or turkey.

You're going to start by peeling and chopping your onion and garlic. You can also used the pre-chopped garlic in a jar and add about 2 small spoonfuls.

Take your meat of choice and add it to a bowl for mixing.

Add your chopped onions and garlic to the bowl with your meat.

Then add in 1 cup of bread crumbs. I went with regular Italian bread crumbs.

Next throw in 1 1/2 cups of your favorite sauce. I usually make my own spaghetti sauce from scratch and will use that, but when I don't have any on hand I go with the next best option. Here I'm using Newman's Own. Then you will also add 2 eggs.

On a clean cutting board take your washed fresh herbs, and add them to your mixing bowl. I'm using Parsley and Basil and chop them finely. If you're not good with a knife a chopper works great as an alternative.

Now it's time to get your pan ready. I use a large cookie sheet type pan, but a baking dish will probably work just as well. Take several sheets of cut foil and spray with cooking spray to prevent your meatloaf from sticking.

Grab your bowl of ingredients and give it a good stir with a large spoon or mix well with your hands. Next you're going to take a 1 cup measuring cup and fill it with your meatloaf mixture like this....

Then you plop it down in the center of your foil in a mound.

Take the bottom of your measuring cup and gently push down in the middle of your meatloaf mound. The purpose of this is to make a hole or space for your cheese.

Take a cheese stick or 1-2 tbsp of shredded cheese and put it in the groove you made in the meatloaf. I decided to go with cheese sticks this time as a new option in place of shredded cheese. I think I prefer the shredded cheese better.

With your hands fold the meat over the cheese so it's hidden in the middle into an oval or oblong shape.

Fold the sides and then top and bottom of the foil into a log shape and place on your baking pan.

This batch made me 6 good sizes of mini meatloaf. You can adjust the size to fit your family by making them bigger or smaller.

Bake them in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes. Bake time can vary from oven to oven. Once the timer goes off I open each of them like so and continue to bake an additional 5 minutes. You will see the cheese oozing out from some of them. You can add ketchup or extra sauce to the top of them. Unwrap, eat and enjoy. This is a kid approved meal!

Trina's Mini Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meat Mixture- 2 lbs. ground meat of choice beef, turkey, or chicken 1 1/2 cups of your favorite sauce 1 cup bread crumbs 2 eggs 1 chopped onion 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced or jarred garlic 1 spoonful About 8 leaves of fresh Basil, chopped 1/4 cup fresh Parsley, chopped Additional ingredients: Cheese sticks or shredded cheese Mix meat mixture well in a mixing bowl with a large spoon or your hands. Set aside. Cut several pieces of aluminum foil into sheets and one at a time spray with cooking spray. Fill a 1 cup measuring cup with your meat mixture and dump it into the middle of your foil. Take the bottom of your measuring cup and gently push down until a dip has been made in your meatloaf. Either take a cheese stick or 1-2 tbsp. of shredded cheese and place in the middle of your meatloaf were you made the hole. Push the side into an oval or oblong shape until you can no longer see the cheese and fold in the side and then top and bottom of your foil. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes. After the timer has run out pull them out of the oven and open up the foil of each one exposing their tops. Place back in your oven and continue baking for about 5 more minutes. Serve alone or with a side of rice, sweet potato, or small salad. Enjoy! "MANGA BENE, RIDI SPESSO, AMA MOLTO!" Italin Quote- Eat Well, Laugh Often, Love Much

Stuffed Zucchini with Spanish Rice

This is one of my favorite comfort foods. It reminds me so much of love and my mom. She used to whip up this meal when I was younger and it always comforted me. It's totally vegetarian, but you can also add ground beef, turkey, or chicken to it to add protein. It's a great way to sneak in veggies without it tasting like one. Of course you can add a variety of twists onto this meal switching the rice for different kinds and also altering the sauce on top. But I think it's great just like this! I buy a package of zucchini which usually comes 3-4 in each one. Wash them well and slice off the ends, then cut them directly down the middle cutting them in half. If you have a steamer you can place them in there. I don't, so after I cut them I place them cut side down in a large shallow pan filled with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce temp to medium and steam until fork tender or whatever softness you prefer.

While the zucchini is steaming start cooking your rice. It will take about 7 minutes to cook. Fill a pot with 2 cups of water and 1 tbsp of vegetable oil (optional) and contents of the package. Once it comes to a boil, lower the temp to medium and cover for 7 minutes. Once it's done cooking allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Once your zucchini is done cooking pull them out of the pot or steamer and place them in a baking dish. You are going to take a large spoon and scoop the inside out like this...and you can either discard the inside of the zucchini, or eat it.

I love zucchini so I usually take a little Earth Balance vegan butter and salt and eat it right up.

After you've scooped the center part out, this is what you'll have left.

Take your cooked rice and start to place spoonfuls of it inside your empty zucchini. Then take some salt and sprinkle 1/2 tsp. across the top.

Then take 1 cup of shredded cheese and sprinkle it across the top of the zucchini.

Next take 1 can of stewed tomatoes and place them in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

You're going to pour the blended stewed tomatoes over your zucchini. Cover with foil.

The reason I do the toppings in this order is because if you add the sauce first, and then the cheese, it comes off with the foil after it's backed. So....I add the cheese first and then the sauce to avoid the cheese from sticking to the foil :) You're going to bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool, plate and enjoy!

Stuffed Zucchini 3-4 large zucchini cut evenly in half 1 package of spanish rice 1-15 oz. can stewed tomatoes, blended 1 cup shredded cheese 1/2 tsp. salt Steam zucchini halves with a steamer or in a large pan with a small amount of water covering the bottom. Place the zucchini in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so that the water lightly boils and cook until fork tender. Do not overcook!) While the zucchini is steaming, cook the rice. When the zucchini is cool enough to handle, place in a backing dish and scoop out filling inside. Fill each half with a couple heaping spoonfuls of rice. Sprinkle with salt and cheese. Pour blended tomatoes over the top. Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Food...It really is a love hate relationship

Food, you either love it or hate it. Personally I love food. It seem to be the thing I want most in life. Good food! It comforts me, makes me happy when I'm sharing it amongst those I care about most, but some can hate food. When it comes to cooking you either love it or hate it. I'm Italian so growing up much of my life was revolved around food. I remember going to my grandmothers house as a kid and she always had tons of food. Growing up in a big family (6 of us) my mom did a lot of cooking as well. I don't remember cooking that much when I was younger, you know enough to get by with my favorite dishes, but I did get married young at 22 and really needed to freshen up my cooking skills. I didn't really learn to be a great cook until a few years ago. I will say it can sometimes be hard when all your meals revolve around you being the one to make them. I have 3 kids and they all have different likes and dislikes. My husband is another one that can be tricky to feed at times. He's a typical meat and potatoes kind of guy who likes a gourmet twist on things. I myself can eat just about anything. There's not a whole lot I dislike. I could totally be a vegetarian but it's hard to live that lifestyle when the rest of your family is demanding meat. I incorporate many different styles into my cooking and many different ethnicities as well. Desserts are my absolute favorite to make so I will have lots of those on here as well. Sign up to receive updates every time I have a new post and Happy Cooking! "MANGA BENE, RIDI SPESSO, AMA MOLTO!" Italin Quote- Eat Well, Laugh Often, Love Much