Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Hello again friends. Thanks again for visiting and if this is your first time, welcome to the J. Benjamin Clothing blog. If you are a first time visitor or if you are just wondering why am I posting recipes on a clothing blog then the answer is because cooking inspires me and I like sharing my gifts and talents with all of you.

The weather has slightly dropped in Texas very recently (although today I consider it pretty warm) the cooler weather makes me want to do cold weather things like; bake my yearly apple and pumpkins pies (I will be posting these recipes with pics soon too), apple picking (there isn't any of that in Texas though), carving pumpkins, drinking Gingerbread or Pumpkin Spice lattes, and cooking warm, hearty meals.

The recipe I am sharing with you today is courtesy of Rachael Ray. I first saw it in her magazine and made it immediately about a year ago. EVERYONE loved it! I have been wanting to make it again and I thought what a good time to do it. So you can follow along with my pics and try it yourself or just check out the mouth watering pics I have posted.

Cheeseburger Meatloaf

What you'll need:

2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for greasing
1 red onion, finely chopped
2/3 c. of ketchup
2/3 c. of bread crumbs
2 large eggs
1/2 c. dill pickle chips, chopped
1-1/2 lbs. of ground beef
8 oz. of cheddar cheese, cut into 1/3" cubes



Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease the edges of a loaf pan and set aside.



On a cutting board finely chop the onion. Then in a skillet, heat 2 tbsp. of the Olive Oil over medium heat and cook the onions until soft. This should take about 3 minutes.


Now, in a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, eggs, ketchup, and chopped dill pickle chips (chopping has to be done prior to combining or you can cheat like I did and use pickle relish). Mix the ingredients together.

Once those are mixed together, stir in the onions.


On the cutting board, cut the Cheddar Cheese into small cubes (you could cheat here and buy the prepared cheese cubes also).

In the bowl, mix the cheese and the ground beef with the the other ingredients.



Place meat mixture into loaf pan. Set it in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Thermometer should read 160 degrees when finished. Let the loaf sit for about 5 minutes before serving.




I served mine with mashed potatoes. You can serve yours with whatever side dish you most enjoy. The pickles, onions, and cheese make this meatloaf so good. I hope you enjoy it and please comment on the recipe if you do end up trying it. ENJOY!

Simple Spaghetti & Meatballs

Hello again friends! I am going to offer a simple and quick spaghetti and meatballs dish that I made last weekend. It is really quick and easy to make so if you are really busy and have some hunger people waiting this definitely won't take long. People make think you slaved all day over a hot stove but you will know the truth.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb ground turkey
Salt & pepper for seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic
1/3 c of parsley
1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 c of bread crumbs
1 egg
Spaghetti noodles
1 jar of pasta sauce



Pour water into pot according to amount set by the box. Add 1 tsp. of salt to the water while boiling. Boil until al dente according to box directions. Drain when done and set aside.


Meanwhile, pour jar of sauce in saucepan and set it on low. Let it simmer while you prepare your meatball. Makes sure to stir the sauce occasionally so that it won't burn.

In a skillet, add 1 tbsp. of Olive Oil and saute the chopped garlic cloves until just brown. This will go into the large bowl of meat.

Now in a large bowl, put your ground meats into the bowl along with a gently whisked egg, salt and pepper, bread crumbs, shredded Parmesan cheese, sauted garlic, and parsley. Now lightly mix all the ingredients with your hands until all the ingredients are combined. Don't over mix.


Form 1" balls with the meat. They should look like this:


Put 1 tbsp. of Olive Oil in the skillet again and place meatballs inside with enough room to cook comfortably. Don't overcrowd. You should cook the meatballs for about 1 to 1 1/2 where each side is brown and the meatball is cooked fully through.


Once the meatballs are fully cooked place them on a baking sheet that are covered with paper towels.


Once complete, place noodles on a plate, then meatballs, and top with sauce. Then ENJOY!

Shredded Bufflao Chicken Sandwich With Sweet Potato Fries

Hey friends! I have been trying to work on this for a while and I seem to have gathered a little interest in my food postings. I post what I make for dinner on Facebook and Twitter but I never share my recipes. Better yet, I haven't shared my recipes. Many of my recipes I get are from the internet mostly. I take pieces or most of the ingredients and just throw done in the kitchen. It is one of my passions and I am glad that a lot of you are enjoying what I have made so far. I had a few requests last night for the titled post so here I will share with you. The Shredded Buffalo Chicken is from www.kraftfoods.com and the sweet potato fries I have just made so many times that I mastered it. I will try my best to give you a recipe that will feed about 4ish people.

Shredded Buffalo Chicken

4 cups shredded chicken breast

1/2 cup hot pepper sauce for Buffalo wings (I prefer the Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup Mayonnaise

1/4 cup Ranch Dressing

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

1/4 cup Blue Cheese Crumbles

1 pack of sandwich buns

1-1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Cut chicken breast in pieces so they will cook easier in the pan and place in to pan to fry. Cook chicken on medium heat. Cooking time will be about 3-5 minutes. Chicken will be white all the way through.

While chicken is cooking, chop celery stalks. Mix mayo, ranch dressing, blue cheese crumbles, and celery together in a small bowl. Set aside.

When chicken is finished, set aside to let cool. Once chicken is cool enough to touch pull chicken apart into shreds. Once all chicken is shredded, place it back into pan and mix the buffalo sauce and water. Cover all shredded chicken pieces with sauce.

Now layer chicken on to bun then creamy sauce, then shredded cheese.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 large sweet potatoes
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel each potato and then cut into fries.

Place the cut potatoes in a large sealed plastic bag. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bag. Seal the bag and shake until the fries are all evenly covered.

Place the fries on a baking sheet and cook for 30 mins. Flip fries after the first 15 mins.

Take out and let fries cool for 5 minutes. Then ENJOY!