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! - Green Chicken Curry

Green Chicken Curry!

This is a favorite at our house. One that I make often because it's pretty healthy, easy, and tastes delicious!

Ingredients:

1 pound Chicken Breasts (cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 Green Bell Pepper (sliced)
1 Onion (sliced)
1 can Unsweetened Coconut Milk (do not shake)
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 tablespoon Green Curry Paste (you can do 2-3Tbs depending on how spicy you like it)
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Fish Sauce (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Basil

Directions:

Scoop the white creamy part off the top of the coconut milk - should be about 1 cup - and put in a saucepan over medium heat. Discard the rest. Add the chicken broth and green curry paste, whisk until well incorporated. Add the brown sugar (and the fish sauce, if using) and cook for two minutes. Next, add the chicken, onion, and green pepper. Cook until chicken is no longer pink - about 8 minutes. Add the basil, stir to combine.

I just serve this with rice - and it makes for a very pleasing meal!

Enjoy!

Foodie Friday! - Enchilada Pasta Casserole

Enchilada Pasta Casserole!

This recipe was super easy (which I'm all about) and tasty! Plus, it made enough for leftovers. Score! I found this recipe on Pinterest, but changed a few things, to make it more to our liking.

 

Ingredients:

1 pound Ground Beef (or Turkey)

5 ounces Cream Cheese (cut into cubes)

1/4 cup Light Sour Cream

1 can (10oz) Red Enchilada Sauce

1 can (4oz) Diced Green Chiles

2 cups Mexican Style Shredded Cheese

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 Tbs Southwest Seasoning (I used Pampered Chef)

1/4 tsp Cumin

12 ounces Egg Noodles

Salt & Pepper to taste

*next time I will be adding some fresh cilantro

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*

 

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook egg noodles according to package instructions.

 

In the meantime, in a very large skillet, brown your meat, then drain the fat. Then add the diced green chilies, chili powder, cumin, and southwest seasoning. Stir to combine.

 

Add in the cream cheese, stir until melted and combined.

 

In a large bowl, combine sour cream, enchilada sauce, and half of the shredded cheese. Stir until combined.

 

Pour mixture over the beef and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

 

Drain pasta, then add to the beef mixture. Make sure you stir it until it is well combined, and every noodle is coated with the sauce.

 

Spray large casserole dish with non-stick spray. Pour in pasta mixture and top with remaining cheese.

 

Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted.

 

Serve hot. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. This can also be frozen. Thaw before heating reheating.

Voila! It was delicious! Enjoy!

 

P.S. Please don't judge the pictures....they were taken very quickly with my phone. :)

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!

Foodie Friday! - Taco Pizza

Taco Pizza!

From Life as a Lofthouse

I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious!! All three of us scarfed it down like we hadn't eaten in two weeks. It was super easy, and super fast. Oh, and super yummy! We ate it so fast, I didn't have a chance to take my own pictures of it, so I got this one from Life as a Lofthouse (where I found the recipe!).

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated Pillsbury pizza dough
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used colby and monterey jack cheese)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced black olives
4 green onions, chopped

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brown ground beef in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add taco seasoning to the ground beef according to package directions.

Unroll pizza dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (I used a 10x15 inch cookie sheet). Let dough sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Press dough over the bottom and up along all 4 sides the of cookie sheet. Bake pizza dough for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from oven.

Place refried beans into a microwavable-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir well and then spread beans evenly over the top of the warm pizza crust. Top with the cooked ground beef mixture, sprinkle with cheese and then add the tomatoes, black olives and green onion.

Return to oven and bake another 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

I'm telling you....if you ever need a quick meal - try this one out! You won't regret it!

Foodie Friday! - Chicken Spaghetti

Chicken Spaghetti

Okay, this may not look too delicious - but it is!! Everyone in the family goes back for seconds....annnnnnnd it makes enough to freeze some! Double score! This is a recipe I stumbled across about three years ago when I had nothing better to do than read The Pioneer Woman's blog. I miss those days. Anyway, I've adapted this recipe from her, making a few changes so that it's easier to make for weeknight dinners.

Ingredients
1 Rotisserie Chicken
1 box (about 2-3 cups) Thin Spaghetti, broken into 2" pieces
1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
Onion (finely diced)
Green pepper (finely diced, seeds removed)
2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese
Seasoned Salt, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Bring water, with 1/2 chicken stock to a boil for spaghetti noodles.
• Cook spaghetti noodles until al dente. Do not overcook.
• While noodles are cooking, start pulling the chicken off the bones. You should get around 2 cups. If there are large pieces, break up into bite sized pieces.
• When spaghetti noodles are cooked, drain and place in a large bowl.
• Combine noodles with the cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, onion, green pepper, and 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese. Add the seasoned salt, cayenne pepper (if you want a little kick), salt and pepper - all to taste. Stir.
• Add about 1 cup of chicken stock. You want it to be stirrable, but not soupy. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated.
• Place the mixture in a casserole dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until bubbly. If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil.

If you are wanting to freeze this dish, cover and put in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you're ready to bake it, just thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and bake in the oven at 350 for 30-45 minutes. Or, it can be placed in the refrigerator for up to two days, and baked the same way.

I hope you guys enjoy this dish as much as my family does!!

Foodie Friday! - Ground Beef Stroganoff

Ground Beef Stroganoff

from The Country Cook

 I'll be the first to admit, I was nervous when I started making this dish. I don't like mushrooms at all, but my husband loves them! I figured it was at least worth a shot. Turns out - it is delicious!! The toughest food critic out there (Miss KoKo) even asked for seconds! That's when I knew it was a success! So - here's the recipe:
 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1/2 yellow onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 teaspoon garlic, minced (about 1-2 cloves)
2-3 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup sour cream
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
Handful of mushrooms, (about 8 oz.)roughly chopped (optional)
3 tbsp. flour
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Egg Noodles, cooked according to package directions

Directions:

·         Bring a pot of water to boil and begin to cook egg noodles according to package directions.

·         In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown ground beef until thoroughly cooked. I like to leave chunks of ground beef and not break it up too small.

·         Drain ground beef to remove excess grease from pan.

·         Put pan back on stove (setting aside the ground beef), add 2-3 tbsp butter and also the chopped onions and mushrooms (if using). Saute the onions and mushrooms, over medium heat, until onions are soft and then add garlic.

·         Only cook for another 1-2 minutes so garlic doesn't burn.

·         Add flour to pan, stir and let it absorb butter. Now add beef broth and whisk vigorously to remove any lumps, turning the heat up to high, bringing it to a boil for 2-3 minutes until you see it thicken slightly.

·         Bring temperature down to medium and whisk in sour cream and cream of mushroom soup. Stir until mixture is thoroughly incorporated.

·         Add salt & pepper. Keep tasting mixture until it is seasoned the way you like. I probably use a good teaspoon and half or more of salt and pepper (and sometimes a bit of garlic powder, for good measure). If it gets too thick on you, just add a tad more beef broth.

·         Add ground beef back to mixture until reheated.

·         Serve over hot egg noodles.

I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine does! 

No excuses!

Whoa! I've been M.I.A. for a long time now - almost a month and a half! Things have been a little crazy around here. I thought when we moved to this small(er) town we would be less busy. That certainly has not been the case. Hopefully one of these days things will slow down a bit.

Meanwhile, to help me out a little bit, I decided to give 5 Dinners-in-1 Hour a shot! What can it hurt, right? I have been pretty good at sitting down every Sunday and making a menu for the week, but this way - all the work will be done for me! I'm super excited about it!

How it works:

Michelle (the creator of 5 Meals) has created a plan to cook all 5 dinners for the week in just ONE hour. This is perfect for any family on the go! All the menu plans have family friendly meals that feed 4-6 people and no, they are not all casseroles.

The meals are fresh, not frozen. They keep in your refrigerator until ready to heat and eat!

You could spend one hour on a Saturday or Sunday preparing 5 meals for your busy week!!





Not only does the fact that you can make 5 dinners in one hour sound incredible, but nothing is better than coming home from work and having your dinner already prepared before you run off to that kiddo's sporting event or music lesson. It saves money on eating out and causes so much less stress in trying to find time to feed your family on a busy work/school night! This is such music to this mom's ears I tell you!!!

PLUS - right now you can get 20% off! Subscribe here and use the coupon code "NEW12" to get 20% off subscriptions. Could it get any better?!

You can find all the rest of the details right here on Michelle's blog.

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