Foodie Friday! - Comfort Meatballs

Comfort Meatballs

This is my go-to dish any time we have company. I've made them a few times, and they NEVER get old. These are not meatballs for spaghetti - they're more like meatloaf meatballs. I adapted this recipe from The Pioneer Woman's recipe in her first cookbook. If you don't have her cook book, go get it. It's awesome! She has two cook books out now, and they're both fantastic.

Ingredients

Meatballs

1 pound ground beef

3/4 cup quick oats

3/4 cup milk

3 Tbs finely minced onion

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1 Tbs minced garlic

1 tsp paprika

ground black pepper to taste

4 Tbs canola oil

1/2 cup flour

Sauce

1 cup ketchup

2 Tbs sugar

3 Tbs distilled white vinegar

2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

4 to 6 Tbs minced onion

Dash of Tabasco

Directions

In a bowl, combine the ground beef and oats. Then add the milk, diced onion, salt, seasoned salt, paprika, garlic, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Roll the mixture into tablespoon-size balls and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet (I use a cast iron skillet) over medium heat.

Dredge the meatballs in the flour, then brown them in the skillet in batches until light brown. As the batches brown, place them into a rectangular baking dish.

Stir together the sauce ingredients and drizzle over the meatballs. Make sure all the meatballs are covered in sauce.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and the meatballs are done in the middle.

They take a little more time than your typical weeknight dinner, so if you're pressed for time, split it up. After you brown the meatballs, place them in an airtight container and put in the refrigerator. The next day, place the meatballs in a baking dish and cook at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until done in the middle.

I serve these deeeeeeeeeeelicious meatballs with mashed potatoes and green beans. They get gobbled up every time - with no complaining. Which is always a bonus!

Foodie Friday! - White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili!

I've promised this recipe to a lot of people....and I'm sorry that I am just now posting it.

I suck.

I love to eat. A lot. And this....this meal is no exception. In fact, I probably eat more of this than anything else. This is one of those awesome meals you just throw in a slow cooker and it's ready when you get home. And that moment you walk in the door, it smells like heaven. You could easily double the recipe if you have a decent size slow cooker, then freeze half of it.

So, make this. Okay? Okay.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cans (15oz) great northern beans (any white bean will work)
1 can (4 1/2oz) chopped green chilies
1 can (14oz) chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 Tbs ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 envelope taco seasoning (optional - use if you don't use the cumin or paprika)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place chicken in slow cooker (I spray my slow cooker with non-stick spray, it helps with the cleanup). Top with beans, green chilies, onion, and chicken broth. Stir in seasonings, and stir until well combined. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Once the chicken is finished cooking, use a fork to shred it. In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream and whipping cream until smooth. Stir the cream mixture in to the slow cooker. Let the soup cook until heated through. Serve immediately.

That's it - you're done! Serve with tortilla chips, warm tortillas, shredded cheese, cilantro, avocado.....whatever your little heart desires.

Give this a try - even if you typically don't like white beans - you will love it!

*Remember, every slow cooker is different. Mine takes about 5-6 hours to cook the chicken, so use your best judgement.

Foodie Friday! - Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings

Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings!

Picture and recipe from Polish the Stars

 

This recipe is about as good as it gets - unless you have time to make actual dumplings. Though, I don't know many people that have that kind of time. Honestly, this recipe is one of our favorites! Plus it's easy. It's a win win! I made this for dinner on Wednesday night....it's just SO good, I knew I had to share it! Once again, I didn't have a chance to take a picture of dinner before it was devoured (I guess that's not necessarily a bad thing). So, this picture is from the blog where I found the recipe, called Polish the Stars. It's an awesome blog, so check it out!

Ingredients:

1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 cans (10.5oz) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can (14oz) Chicken Broth

1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced

4 Large Flaky Refrigerator Biscuits (half a can)

Directions:

Place thawed chicken into crock pot. Top with cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, and diced onions. Cook on high for 4-6 hours, or low for 8 hours. Do not stir while cooking.

 

Cut each uncooked biscuit into 9 small pieces and stir into the chicken mixture. Continue to cook on high for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from crock pot and shred with a fork. Return to crock pot and stir everything together. Serve hot.

 

Make this....like, this week!! You will not regret it! If you do make it, let me know how you like it!

Menu Monday - just a day late!

Here is this week's menu for my family. I have found it saves time, money, and headaches if you plan your meals ahead of time. I make time on Sunday's to sit down and plan dinner for the upcoming week, then send my husband off to the grocery store. This is what we're having this week:

Dinners:

• Monday - White Chicken Chili - this is so good, and it makes enough to have leftovers!
• Tuesday - Homemade Chicken Taquitos - I got this recipe from a friend of mine. Can't wait to try it!
• Wednesday - Crockpot Italian Pork Chop Dinner
• Thursday - Baked Chicken Spaghetti
• Friday - Creamy Chicken and Rice - a classic that's always good!
• Saturday - Cinco de Mayo!! We have company coming in from out of town, so we'll be going out to eat!
• Sunday - Spaghetti Pie

I know, I know there are two recipes that are spaghetti-type dishes, but I have a ton of spaghetti noodles, so I might as well start using them! Also, four of these recipes I have never made before - I'll let you know how they turn out!

I found this adorable menu planner/grocery list from Kamley Lane.

One of these days I'll give freezer cooking a try! Until then, this plan seems to work just fine for us! We've saved time and money by not going through a drive-thru somewhere or making daily trips to the grocery store.

If you still are not convinced that menu planning will cut down your budget, then I challenge you to give it a try for one week! You won't regret it!! What are you having for dinner this week??

P.S. I don't know what I'd do without my crockpot! Three of these recipes use the crockpot - I love that thing!

Lynsey