Dish on Delish by Lee Hock: It's My Birthday! Meatloaf Cupcakes

I'm a firm believer in living life to the fullest, which for me includes celebrating everything as much as possible.

For as long as I can remember, I've always loved my birthday. As a little girl, I used to perpetually plan my birthday parties. I had numerous types of birthday parties: swimming, hula, cheerleading, treasure hunt, and even a party where I kidnapped my friends and took them to breakfast.

For many years, I went to sleep away camp and would be there on my birthday, that was the best! I remember waiting for the stroke of midnight so I could run outside my cabin, down the hill and scream "it's my birthday!" even if it entailed getting in big trouble.

Nowadays, I like to have week long celebrations filled with lunches and dinners. This year my birthday falls on Shabbat, so what better way to celebrate than with a Shabbat dinner?One of my dear friends, who is coming tonight, is making me a birthday cake because she insisted I don't make my own. So that's when I decided to make Meatloaf Cupcakes! They are adorable and delicious.

Here's the recipe:

Meatloaf Cupcakes

2 lbs. Ground beef
2 Eggs
1 C. Bread crumbs
1 small Onion, grated
1 t. Garlic powder
1/4 C. Seltzer
2 swigs parve Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. Salt, use more for non kosher meat
1/4 t. Pepper

glaze:
2 T. Mustard
2 T. Brown Sugar
1/3 C. Ketchup

Mashed potato "icing"

4 baking potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 T. Margarine
1/4 C. Non dairy creamer or plain unsweetened soy milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with non stick spray.

Make the meat filling by mixing together the ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, onion, garlic powder, seltzer, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Divide evenly among the cupcake pan. Mix together the mustard , brown sugar, and ketchup. Spread this glaze on the tops. Bake for 45 minutes.

While baking, prepare the mashed potatoes. Boil them until fork tender, drain most of the water (saving it in a seperate bowl), add the margarine, soy milk, salt and pepper. Use an electric mixer and whip until fluffy, add some of the reserved water if the mixture seems too dry, be careful not to overmix it, or they will get gluey. Place some of the potatoes in a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Squeeze the mashed potatoes over the top by making a large circle and then piping around to create a peak. If you don't have a pastry bag and tip, you could just spread the icing on top. Sprinkle the tops with paprika, if desired.

Heat the broiler and place the pan back in the oven until the potatoes get slightly browned.