This spicy cheeseburger soup with squash was a surprise recipe. One of the good kinds of surprises, and the only reason it happened was because I chose to skip going to the grocery store.

After spending the morning at an omoksee, I came home to thawed hamburger and squash I’d cooked yesterday. Everything else was born from opening the cupboard door to my canned goods. Try cooking with what you have. Creativity isn’t confined to writing and painting; bust it out in the kitchen, too.

Spicy Cheeseburger Soup with Squash

What you’ll need:

• 1 pound hamburger
• 1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
• Milk (about 1 can full)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• squash

What you’ll do:

• Brown the hamburger, add the soup, milk, tomatoes and squash. I used winter squash – about 2 cups, I think. I added onion powder, dried basil and salt. Oh and a dash of liquid smoke, because it was there.
• You could throw in additional spices – a little chili powder would have been nice extra kick.
• Bring to a boil, and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
• Serve steaming hot. Eat with spoon. Fill your tummy box.

I’m a converted meatloaf lover after this weekend’s trial recipe run. I now firmly believe meatloaf is one of the most underrated recipes for beef. Why does it not have more fame?! There has to be hundreds of different spins you can put on this versatile dish, including making them into imitation cupcakes.

Yes. That’s right. Meatloaf cupcakes. Best. Meatloaf. Recipe. Ever. Mashed potato frosting. Little bites of heaven. Your tummy box will thank you for filling it with this concoction. (By the way, is it “meatloaf” or “meat loaf”? I can’t ever decide.)

I’m not a meatloaf connoisseur, if truth be typed. I was never a big fan of the stuff growing up, finding it a tad dry and a little boring. Bah! How silly of me.

If you have similar sentiments, make these meatloaf cupcakes from Meg Brown. If they don’t change your life, they’ll certainly change your views on meatloaf. And they’ll win you friends if you go to a party where you don’t know anyone.

Nothing says “This girl is witty and creative and AWESOME.” like meatloaf cupcakes.