Meatballs

This recipe goes with the Marina Sauce below, or any other kind of sauce that would be good with ground beef. These are delicious meatballs!!! Also Very easy to make and great to double for freezing leftovers! I've found that I don't even have to roll them! I just drop them by table spoon onto the baking sheet, form them a little, toss them in the oven and wallah! Delish!

1 lb. ground beef

3/4 bread crumbs

2 eggs

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. salt

1-2 tsp. italian seasonings

1-2 tsp. chopped parsley

pepper to taste

*I add garlic sometimes, sometimes I don't.

Combine all ingredients except beef. Then mix in beef by hand. Don't over mix. Form into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place in casserole dish. Bake naked or cover in sauce. Bake 350 degrees about 30 min.

Marinara Sauce

NO these are not MY pictures!! Why would I stand there and take pictures of the food when I could be eating it??? But this is pretty close to what it looks like ;)

This is an excellent recipe I got from my friend! It is rich and delicious! It's not bitter like some tomato sauces. It's easy to make and goes wonderfully on Spaghetti and Meatballs, Chicken Parmesan, dips, etc. It also freezes very well!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olove oil

1 sm. omion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 carrot peeled and grated

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 (32 oz.) cam crushed tomatoes

1 dried bay leaf

Directions:

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high flame. Add the onions and garlic and saute until onions are translucent, 10 min. Add celery, carrots, S&P. Saute until all vegetables are soft 10 min. Add tomatoes and bay leaf and simmer uncovered over low heat until sauce thickens and your house smells wonderful, 1 hr. Remove bay leaf, season with more S&P to taste.

Clean Brown Rice and Bean Love!

So there's this "Clean" Brown rice and Bean dish that my mom made a few months ago, and I wanted the recipe so I called my mom and asked if I could get the recipe from her. She could hardly remember it!!! And she couldn't find the recipe anywhere!!! :( So she told me, I think there's this in there and that and I think I did this. etc. etc. Poo! Like that'll work, I thought!! So disappointedly, I wasn't going to make it! But then I thought, Hey wait! I am a decently skilled cook, with exceptional seasoning abilities (in common dishes ;)! So I decided to give it a shot and if it failed, oh well.

Oh my goodness! YUM!!!! YUM! YUM! YUM!!! I was making it for a potluck and everyone loved it and wanted the recipe! I had to tell them, sorry, there isn't one.... Mwaahahaha! But I at least wanted to write down the ingredients so that I could make it again! So here it is. MMMM!!! So good!! And good for you! :)

In Olive Oil saute:

red onion

green and red bell pepper

garlic (a good amount. let's taste it!)

adobo pepper and some sauce

salt and pepper

smoked paprika

anything else in your vast spice cupboard that looks like it might make it promising!! :)

Add:

can diced tomatoes

agave necter

balsamic vinegar

Then add:

black beans (or whatever kind you want. you can even mix different types)

cooked brown rice

top with cotija cheese.

Oh yum, yum, yum!!!

It's awesome hot, it's even good cold!

Southwest Chicken Soup

I am so excited to have this recipe!! They serve it at the cafeteria in the Temple here, and I want to get it every time! It's sooo good!! So tonight I asked if they would give out the recipe AND THEY DID!!! YAY!!! It is a recipe for a very LARGE portion, say like a cafeteria... ;) But it freezes well. Here it is!!

8 Cups Chicken, in bite size pieces (I'm sure you can get away with 8, I think it needs more! I would do at least 10 if not 12)

1 whole head of Celery, chopped (even the leaves at the end :)

1 Onion, chopped

5 cups Water (will just cover ingredients)

Cook in 3 gallon Crockpot until chicken is just done. Try not to overcook. Drain and reserve liquid.

Add:

#10 can of tomato sauce, black beans(rinsed & drained), and diced/chopped tomatoes

6 cups Frozen Corn

7 cups Chicken Broth or Strained, reserved Broth.

In Separate bowl combine:

2 cups Brown Sugar

1/3 cup dried Onion

5 Tbls. Taco Seasoning

3Tbls. Dried Basil

2 Tbls. Dried Parsley

1&1/2 Tbls. Oregano

1&1/2 Tbls. Cumin

1 Tbls. Chicken boullion/base

2 tsp.Dried Garlic granules

1 tsp. Season Salt

1 tsp. Black Pepper

Add dry ingredients all at once and stir. Simmer, not boil, until corn and chicken are hot. This keeps very well in a crockpot, reheated or frozen! Excellent served with corn chips, corn bread, or crackers.

IHOP Country Griddle Cakes

(Only MINE are chocolate)

These are Yummy! (Why else would I put them on here?? :) We love them most with Chocolate Cream of Wheat!! Mmmmm Chocolate for Breakfast mmmm!!!

(Cream of Wheat Pancakes)
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup instant Cream of Wheat cereal ( I use the chocolate kind! :)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1& 1/2 cups butter milk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients. Mix at high speed of electric mixer until smooth. Pour onto hot, buttered skillet and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side or until brown.

Party Pork Chops

I don't like Pork Chops! But these are worth eating! If you like Pork Chops, you will love these! And the Onions are sweet and wonderful!!! Very easy!

6 Pork Chops
2 Tbl. Flour
2 Tbl. Oil1
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Mix Flour, Salt, and Pepper (add more seasonings if desired). Dredge Chops in flour and brown on both sides in hot oil. Place in Baking dish or crock pot (my preferred). Place onions on top.Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over meat and onions and bake for 40 min. @ 350 or in crock pot till done.
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Rasberry Jam
1/2 Cup Hot Water
1/8 tsp. Dry Mustard
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
3 large Onions cut into half inch slices

Chocolate Fantasy Bars

I first encountered these when we went on a picnic with some friends of ours (the Stephensons) and she made this for dessert. I saw them and I thought, Oh. Brownies. I guess I'll have one. After my first of twenty servings, I began to wonder, what are these wonderful little morsels?!?! She's shown me up AGAIN!!! I had to get the recipe, and low and behold they are SOOOO easy!!! You can switch the cake mix up with different flavors too! Thanks Mel! For being an ever present reminder that I'm not the Greatest cook in the world!! ;)

Ingredients
1 pkg. chocolate cake mix (2 layer)
1/3 C. vegetable oil
1egg
1 C. chopped nuts
1 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Dash salt
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With mixer on medium speed, beat cake mix, oil and egg in large bowl until crumbly. Stir in nuts. Set aside 1 c. of crumb mixture. Firmly press remaining mixture on bottom of a greased 9x13 baking pan. In small sauce pan, melt chips with condensed milk, vanilla and salt. Pour evenly over prepared crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture evenly over top. Bake at 25-30 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool; cut into bars. Drizzle with tube decorating icing if desired. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

IHOP Harvest Grain and Nut Pancakes

These are wonderful!!! They are healthy! I love that they are whole grain and wonderful!!! We all love them, even the children! You can make the nuts as large or fine as you like. I let the batter sit for a few minutes for the oatmeal to soak up a little moisture and thicken the batter.

Time 10 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
¾ C. Oats
¾ C. whole-wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ½ C. buttermilk
¼ C. vegetable oil
1 egg
¼ C. sugar
3 T. fine chopped blanched almonds
3 T. chopped walnuts
How to make it
Lightly oil a skillet or griddle, and preheat it to medium heat. Grind the oats in a blender or food processor until fine, like flour. Combine ground oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl combine buttermilk, oil, egg and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients, add nuts and mix well with mixer. Ladle 1/3 cup of the batter onto the hot skillet and cook the pancakes for 2 to 4 minutes per side or until brown.