Mexican Meatballs

I am a huge fan of this recipe. If you follow it completely, you get delicious meatballs, but it's also really easy to change and edit to your taste. I went on a meatball making binge after making these. Each batch was different than the last, and we loved them all!

Ingredients
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 gloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried or 2 tbsp. fresh oregano
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 lb. lean ground turkey
8 oz. uncooked or cooked smoked chorizo sausage, finely chopped (I made my own chorizo by flavoring plain sausage. Will share that recipe later.)
2 tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Spray 9x13 with cooking spray. Mix together in large bowl the eggs, bread crumbs, cilantro, garlic, oregano, 1 1/2 tsp. of the chili powder, salt and cumin. Add the ground turkey and chorizo sausage; mix well. With damp hands or a small ice cream scoop (I used my hands) form into 24 to 30 meatballs. Combine oil and remaining 1/2 tsp. chili powder, brush over meatballs. Bake meatballs 22 to 25 minutes or until cooked through (165 degrees). With slotted spoon, remove meatballs to a serving bowl.

We ate with rice. They were awesome. If you make the meatballs as uniform in size as possible, they cook more evenly. I have to say, I love baking meatballs. I have always hated cooking them on the stovetop. Anytime I find a meatball recipe, I make them and cook them to this recipes directions. Love baking meatballs! Then you can even make them earlier in the day and refrigerate til it's time to bake.

Enchiladas v 2.0

So I've been revamping a bunch of old recipes. Just little tweaks here and there really. But I'm super excited about how it's coming out. This is one of the first ones I did and they still taste great! This is such a classic recipe. Here's the original. Now, I did roll these ones. You can check out the pic at the end. So, here's the revamped version.

Ingredients
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
½ cup wheat flour
2 tbsp chili powder
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
4 cups hot water
2 beef bouillon
1 pound ground turkey
1 can kidney or black beans
½ pound grated cheddar cheese
10 flour tortillas

Combine first six ingredients. Add water. Stir (use a bouncer or whip). Add bouillon and cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Cook the ground beef while you are making the sauce. Drain and put in a bowl. Add the grated cheese to the ground beef, saving some to go on top. Dip tortillas in the sauce to soften, place on a plate and put a spoonful of the cheese/beef mixture near one side, spreading it out. Roll up and place in a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour remaining sauce over the rolled enchiladas. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes and put the saved cheese on top. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted.

The beans add an surprising amount of spice to the enchiladas. They have quite a bit more kick than the normal recipe. And I just thought of another addition I'll do next time. Flaxseed. Look at me getting all healthy and sneaky. :)

Taco Chili

We found this one online and really liked it. I think it's a pretty mild chili (a bit more kid friendly) but it's really flavorful!

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey or beef (I think we used beef, but I'd totally use turkey)

1/4 cup chopped onion (I probably used at least half an onion)

2-3 cloves minced garlic (again, you can totally sneak in more if you want)

1 1/2 cups celery, chopped

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 small can green chiles

1 15 oz. can stewed or diced tomatoes (You can use 2 cans)

4-16 oz. cans of beans (mix and match. We used kidney and black. And we might not've used 4, but less. Can't remember. You don't need to drain or rinse most. But I would drain and rinse black beans.)

1 pckg taco seasoning

1 pckg ranch dressing mix

2 tsp cumin

16 oz. bag frozen corn

1/2 cup water optional

Brown turkey (or beef), adding onions, garlic, and celery about halfway through. One by one, add the remaining ingredients. Do not drain anything, just dump. The 1/2 cup water is optional. It makes it more soupy and with the addition of more canned tomaotes or even one more can of beans, it's really not needed. Heat through. Simmer for awhile if you'd like.

This recipe is really open. You can use more beans or less. I think we used less because it was looking a little too beany for me. If it's not soupy enough, you can add the extra diced tomatoes, or just water. It's really versatile, and the flavors are great.

Chili Upgrade

So we were making our normal chili but really wanted to make it a bit tastier, give it a little upgrade. So we combined it with the recipe for our white chicken chili and came up with something pretty yummy. It was kind of an on the fly recipe change, so bear with me. But I can still remember the gist of how we changed it. I know we started out with the original recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green sweet pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (Can't go wrong with more garlic either)
1 15-oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (may use dried beans)
1 14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2-3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil, crushed
1/2 cup flax seed

Then we added some bits from the white chicken chili.
1 can of kernel corn

1 (4oz) cans diced green chiles
1 tbs ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

I want to say that was most of the additions.

Brown meat, chop veggies, toss it all in a crockpot and cook on high for 4-5 hours. You can saute your veggies before hand if you want to, as well.

Sloppy Joes

Another D.D. recipe. I was very pleased with this recipe. The last few I wasn't ecstatic about. This one, I thought, was great. It tasted like sloppy joes, made good leftovers, and was overall a great meal.

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/2 cup butternut squash or red pepper puree (I used squash. You can use any variation of the purees listed. Or even 1 cup of one. Just so you still have the called for amount. It doesn't matter which combinations you use.)
raw, finely chopped carrots (optional) (I put these in)
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
8 hamburger or hot dog buns (We had large sandwich type buns. We buttered and toasted them.)

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Add the onion, celery, and garlic, and cook until the onion starts to soften (not brown), 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the vegetable purees, raw chopped carrot (if using), beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about one-half, 15 to 20 minutes.

My kids don't really get the joy of sloppy joes. I guess they're not old enough yet. I remember loving them as a kid. If yours enjoy the sweet messiness of a sloppy joe, this is a great recipe to use, and it's packed full of good stuff!

Italian Meatloaf

Here is another D.D. recipe. I was curious about it since it has bacon on top. I thought that was a cool touch. It was a very different type of meatloaf, but it was alright. I think I prefer my regular meatloaf, but it was a nice deviation.

Ingredients
1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs (I only had plain ones, so I added some italian seasonings to mine.)
1/2 cup nonfat milk
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup carrot puree
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup bottled tomato sauce
4 slices turkey bacon

Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in milk. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the celery and cook 3 to 4 minutes longer. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the breadcrumbs. Add the turkey, Parmesan, carrot puree, ketchup, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Turn the mixture into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Spread tomato sauce over the meatloaf and lay the strips of bacon on top. Bake until the center of the meatloaf is no longer pink and the bacon begins to brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Cut into slices and serve.

I think I probably could've cooked mine longer. Whenever I make turkey meatloaf, it always has to cook longer than the directions indicate. And even though this recipe is already taking into account that it's turkey, not beef, I think it still could've cooked longer. It pretty much fell apart when I took it out of the pan. It was cooked thoroughly, and wasn't pink, but I think it could've crisped up a bit. It also had a lot of juice, which kept it from getting crisper and firm. The overall taste was good though. And I think bacon on top is a nice twist.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

This is another Deceptively Delicious recipe. I really enjoyed it because it is different than what I'm used to. This says a lot. I grew up with spaghetti and meatballs every Sunday. I'm spoiled and can't stand canned sauce from the store. I only like my mom's homemade sauce. But I've been itching to try other homemade sauces. (I still hate canned stuff.) So this was refreshing to have something different.

Ingredients
1/2 lb. ground turkey
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup butternut squash puree
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 plus 1/8 tsp black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 26-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes with their juice, pureed in a blender
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup carrot puree (optional) (I totally used it)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 bay lead (again, don't have any, so I used my crushed bay leaves)
1 lb. spaghetti or angel hair pasta

In a large bowl, mix the turkey, breadcrumbs, butternut squash puree, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper until well combined. Shape the mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place on a sheet of waxed paper or aluminum foil.

Coat a large nonstick skillet (this would take a mighty deep skillet. I'd just use a pot, or you have to dump your meatballs in the pot when you have to add everything else) with cooking spray and set it over high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the olive oil and then the meatballs and brown for 4 to 5 minutes, turning occasionally. Add the pureed tomatoes, water, carrot puree (if using), garlic powder, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center. Remove the bay leaf.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook your pasta. Drain and serve with sauce.

A fun variation to what I'm accustomed to. Worth a try. (It's packed with veggies, so it's pretty darn good for you too.)

Meatball Soup

Thanks to Deceptively Delicious for this one.  It was different, and I wanted to try it. It was pretty good. I wasn't really into the leftovers, and this recipe serves 10 (If I had known that I would've halved it.) Now you know. And if I'm remembering correctly, I accidentally doubled both my purees. That would've altered the taste a bit. It still tasted good mind you. So I bet if I hadn't doubled that, the taste would've been even better.

Ingredients
3 oz. whole-wheat pasta shapes (I used elbow macaroni)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice
1/4 cup carrot puree
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups beef or chicken broth
3 slices whole wheat bread, cubed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup sweet potato puree
1/4 cup nonfat milk
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 lb. ground turkey

Cook the pasta. Drain and set aside.

Coat a large pot with cooking spray and set it ove rmedium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil and then the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Puree the tomatoes and their juice with the carrot puree in a blender, then add to the pot along with 1/2 tsp salt. Add the broth, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the bread in a large bowl. Add the egg, sweet potato puree, milk, Parmesan, 1 tsp salt, the pepper, and paprika, and let soak until the bread is very soft. Stir to break up the bread, add the ground turkey, and mix until smooth. Form into mini-meatballs 1/2 inch in diameter. Add the meatballs to the pot. Simmer, covered, until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the pasta. Serve with sprinkled parmesan cheese.

Excuse the bright redness of the picture. Hers always come out like that with my camera. I think it might be the carrot puree somehow. I don't know. It's not really this color. And the strange white parts in my bowl are parmesan cheese. It looks weird, sorry. Like I said, I accidentally doubled my purees, so I think the flavor would've been even better. Definitely worth a try. It's a fun one.

Turkey Chili

This is a deceptively delicious recipe. It turned out pretty good. It was a very mild chili, which for our kids is good, since they're not crazy about spicy.

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 lb. ground turkey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder, or to taste
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sweet paprika (I don't have that. I used regular paprika)
1/8 tsp pepper
1 15-oz. can chopped tomatoes
1 26-oz. can chicken broth
1/2 cup red pepper puree
1/2 cup carrot puree (I didn't have red pepper puree, so I used 1 cup carrot puree. Her recipes are all designed to do that. You can use them as listed, or just use the whole amount in one puree.)
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Coat the bottom of a large pot with cooking spray and set it over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle the turkey with the garlic, chili powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. Add the turkey to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is no longe rpnk, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes. Add the broth, red pepper puree, carrot puree, cornmeal, and flaxseed meal, and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, 15 to 20 minutes, or until the flavors have blended. Stir in the beans and cook a little longer, just to heat them through.

As I said, it's like a beginner's chili (not for making, but for eating.) Joseph definitely preferred it, I think, to our normal, more flavorful chilis. And ours had a full cup of carrot puree in it. It was mild, but good.

Turkey

Yes, the turkey. I made my first turkey.  I got the recipe from Alton Brown on Foodnetwork.com. It turned out awesome. A total success for a first time turkey. It was pretty darn juicy and tender and had a nice flavor. And for once, I preferred the light meat over the dark meat. Unprecedented.

Ingredients
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

2 to 3 days before roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:
Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

We did the first 30 minutes in the oven and then moved it to a roaster for the rest of the time. It took like 1 1/2 hours, or so. I don't remember exactly, but it cooked a lot faster than the intended time. And ours was like a 20 lb. bird. All in all, a good turkey, and a very successful recipe. I'd totally do it again.

Crispy Deli Wraps

These came out so good! They were awesome! Also an appetizer. I was pretty excited for these guys and rightfully so. I'm glad I doubled the recipe. I could've tripled it and maybe had some leftover. They were great.

Ingredients
1 box (9 oz) frozen spinach
2 cups Bugles corn snacks (I'm sure other corn chips would do, I imagine. I did use Bugles.)
1/4 cup butter, melted
16 thin slices cooked ham or turkey (I used both)
4 sticks mozzarella string cheese
1 can crescent rolls

Dipping Sauce
1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing (I used mayo)
1/3 cup Dijon mustard (mine was just plain jain mustard)
1/3 cup honey

Heat oven to 375. Remove spinach from container; place in colander. Rinse with warm water until thawed; drain well. Squeeze spinach dry with paper towel; divide evenly into 4 portions. Set aside. Meanwhile, place corn snacks in plastic bac; seal. Crush with rolling pin until crushed fine. Pour into shallow dish or plate. In another shallow dish or pie plate, place melted butter; set aside. Unroll dough; separate into 4 rectangles. Press each into 6x4 rectangle; firmly pressing perforations to seal. (I didn't make mine any particular size, but just used the rectangle in whatever size it came out as.) Arrange ham or turkey in 4 stacks. Top each stack with 1 portion of spinach, spreading spinach evenly over ham. Place 1 stick of cheese on one short side of spinach-topped ham. Roll up each stack. Place 1 filled ham roll on one long side of each dough rectangle. Fold sides of dough up over ham and roll to opposite long side; press edge and ends to seal and completely cover ham roll. Roll each in butter, then in crushed corn snacks to coat. Place seam side down on cookie sheet. Bake 20-28 minutes or until deep golden brown. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix all sauce ingredients with wire whisk. Serve warm wraps with the sauce for dipping.

These came out great. One of the eaters even let me know that they do not like spinach, but enjoyed them. After reading the directions thoroughly, I realize I constructed mine wrong. I would be sure to follow the instructions. It will just turn out the best possible way. Ours still tasted great, but the construction could've been easier if I'd followed the instructions. So read them well and then enjoy, because they're really yummy!

Fireside Chili

I made this for our ward chili/bake off. It was something I found from a magazine and it sounded exotic, so I went all out. In the end, I didn't really care for it. It's a specialty chili, I like to call it. It's got a real distinct and unique flavor. I think you either love it or hate it. I was missing one ingredient, but not a crucial one to flavor I don't think. Anyway, it's got a very smoked flavor. So if you like smoked, you'll probably love it. It also has a cumin polenta that goes with it. I forgot to try the polenta with the chili so I can't vouch for it. But I do imagine it's a good addition to the strong flavored chili, so I'll add it at the end anyhow. The picture is deceiving. With the flash from my camera, it came out very bright. This was a dark chili, not bright red. Be not deceived. And I put this in the Mexican label because it has fresh jalapenos and dried chile peppers. To me, that's in the realm of Mexican food. Oh, and despite me saying I didn't really like it, we brought the giant pot home almost empty. So it was getting eaten, no doubt. Which made me feel good, even though I didn't win the cook off.

Ingredients
1 recipe Chili Seasoning Puree (I'll list it further down)
1 1/2 lb. ground beef chuck (which I learned is just plain old ground beef. Why do they make this so hard?)
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 tbsp. smoked paprika (I think this gives it a majority of the smoky flavor. Smoked paprika is very, very strong.)
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground cloves (This I didn't have. But it's such a small amount, I'm hoping it didn't ruin my chili not having it.)
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, cut up (I'd make the pieces about 1 inch or so)
1 1/2 cups water
1 14 oz. can beef broth
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1-2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (optional) (This is one of the things that drew me to this recipe)
1 1/2 cups dried plums or raisins, chopped (chopping dried plums is somewhat tedious. I'd do it before when you're not feeling rushed.)
Cumin Polenta (optional)

Prepare Chili Seasoning Puree. (listed below) In 6 quart dutch oven cook beef, onion, and celery until meat is browned, stirring as needed. Drain fat. Stir in Chili Puree, paprika, coriander, crushed red pepper, and cloves. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in undrained tomatoes, water, beef broth, and tomato paste. Brign to boiling, reduce heat. Add chocolate and plums. Simmer, covered, 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve with Cumin Polenta.

Chili Seasoning Puree
2 dried chile peppers (There are tons of different types [from different regions] so just pick one.)

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

3/4 cup beef broth
5 pitted plums

Place chile peppers in a bowl. Add boiling water to cover. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain; remove stems and seeds. To remove seeds, cut off stem end. Cut a slit down one side and scrape out seeds with a spoon. In food processor or blender combine drained chile peppers, jalapeno pepper, broth, and dried plums. Cover and process or blend until smooth.

Cumin Polenta

2 14 oz. cans reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tsp ground cumin

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup whole milk (I do think using skim or otherwise will change the quality. I used skim cause it's all we have.)

1 tbsp butter

In large heavy saucepan combine broth and cumin; bring to boiling. Reduce heat; gradually whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir until thick, about 6-8 minutes. Whisk in milk and butter, Season with salt and pepper. I was told by a friend that you should always stir the polenta in one direction only. It doesn't matter which direction, but you don't stir both directions or do figure eights in the polenta. Just pick a direction and stir it that way. She heard that from a reliable cooking source, so try it.

Cabbage Rolls in Creamy Bacon Sauce

So the title of this one sounds pretty good (if you're not afraid of cabbage.) However, I will warn you that the picture for this one looks really un-appetizing. Well, it looks just plain gross. BUT don't be afraid! It's mostly my own fault that it doesn't look as beautiful as the one in the book. I'll explain later. So don't be scared away because of my bad picture (and not so great camera. The fuzziness of the picture really isn't helping this one any.) For the record, these did taste good. They weren't spectacular or anything, but a nice recipe for using up my cabbage (which I just hate to waste, but have a hard time using.)

Ingredients

1 large head cabbage, core removed* Read note below
1 lb beef (extra-lean) (I only had turkey, but it worked great)
1/3 cup uncooked instant white rice
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 cup beef broth
½ tsp caraway seed
½ cup milk
½ cup sour cream
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
¼ cup cooked bacon pieces (I just used bacon bits, but fresher, larger chunks of bacon would've been really nice.)

Fill 5-6 quart Dutch oven half full of water. Heat to boiling. Place whole cabbage in water, core side down. Cover; cook 2 to 3 minutes, turning over once, or until leaves can be removed from head. With slotted spoon remove cabbage from water. With tongs, carefully remove 6 leaves from head. Save remaining head of cabbage for later use. Shave or trim part of the thick rib from each lead. Return leaves to water; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until wilted. In medium bowl, mix ground beef, uncooked rice, 1/3 cup milk, the egg, Worcestershire sauce, ¼ tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the ground beef mixture on thick end of each cabbage leaf. Roll up, tucking sides in. Place filled cabbage leaves in 12-inch skillet, seam side down. Add broth and caraway seed. Cover; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 25-30 minutes or until thermometer inserted in center of ground beef mixture reads 160. With slotted spoon, place cabbage rolls on serving platter; cover to keep warm. In small bowl, mix milk, sour cream, flour, remaining ¼ tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper with wire whisk. Pour into skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Serve sauce over cabbage rolls; sprinkle with bacon.

*My biggest issue with this recipe was my cabbage. I didn't have a new head, but an older one that only had the smaller, whiter leaves from the center. So that made the rolls pretty transparent, making them look pretty weird. The leaves were also much smaller, so I had to use multiple leaves to wrap up each one. This meant that I only had enough leaves for 3 instead of 6 like the recipe calls for. So that's mainly the reason for my weird looking rolls. Had I had the larger green leaves from the outer cabbage, the rolls would have looked much friendlier.

The biggest issue with the actual taste was the caraway seeds. It might've been because I still cooked them in enough broth and caraway seeds for 6 but only have 3. So the caraway seeds were quite strong, especially if you bite into one. Kinda minty. Aaron's happened to have a lot of caraway seeds from the broth, so he didn't love the minty flavor.

Crescent Burritos

These came out great. We made them bigger than the original recipe because we were worried they'd be too small. I think they would've been okay. They turned out gigantic. Anyways, it's a great recipe no matter what size you make them. (I doubled this recipe because otherwise it doesn't make very many. They're kind of small, so you'll want more than one. But if you wanted to you could half it.)

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef (You could easily use turkey.)
½ onion, chopped
1 pckg taco seasoning
1 cup water
1 can refried beans (I like black beans. I think they're a bit better for you than refried beans. Just drain them first and smash them up a bit.)
4 cans crescent rolls
1 cup salsa
8 slices American cheese
1 cup sour cream
½ cup sliced olives

Heat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix and water. Reduce heat to medium; cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until water has evaporated. Remove from heat; stir in beans. Separate dough into 16 triangles. (4 per can) Firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon about 2 tbsp beef mixture and 1 tbsp of salsa onto each rectangle; spread across one half of rectangle. Fold rectangle in half and pinch edges to seal. Place on cookie sheet. Bake 18 to 23 minutes or until golden brown. Top each burrito with cheese; bake 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve garnished with sour cream and olives.

This is half a burrito. They were huge. Really. When you're making them, don't worry if you think they'll certainly explode while they're cooking. And don't worry if they look really small. (if you do the original 1/2 lb version.) When they cook, they expand and the crescent roll seals off all the areas where you think it'll leak. That was my experience anyway. And I didn't bother putting them back in the oven to melt the cheese. It melted just fine when they were fresh from the oven.

Enchiladas

A twist on an old favorite. This is a family FAVE! My mom's enchiladas have now made many a missionary happy in Montana as well. This recipe is pretty versatile. I usually make it with ground turkey. It's meant for beef, and can be easily converted to using chicken. Killer delicious! This version is not rolled enchiladas, but an enchilada casserole. You definitely have to make the original enchiladas to truly appreciate it. But, when you make it frequently, it's nice to do it casserole style because it takes less time. Here's the original recipe:

Ingredients

1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
½ cup flour
2 tbsp chili powder
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
4 cups hot water
2 beef bouillon (use chicken bouillon if making with chicken)
1 pound ground beef (or turkey or chicken)
½ pound grated cheddar cheese
10 flour tortillas (When I make them into rolled enchiladas, I tend to only get 8. I think it's because I fill mine pretty full)

Combine first six ingredients. Add water. Stir (use a bouncer or whip). Add bouillon and cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken. Cook the ground beef while you are making the sauce. Drain and put in a bowl. Add the grated cheese to the ground beef, saving some to go on top. Dip tortillas in the sauce to soften, place on a plate and put a spoonful of the cheese/beef mixture near one side, spreading it out. Roll up and place in a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour remaining sauce over the rolled enchiladas. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes and put the saved cheese on top. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted. (I used to forget and always put the cheese ontop before I put it in the oven. Now I just do it before because it's easier to remember. It still works out fine.)

To make this a casserole:
Cut up your tortillas. I just use a pizza cutter and make then into small chunks. Then you layer your ingredients. Start with tortillas, then add meat/cheese. Then douse with sauce. Then repeat. This last time, I ended with a layer of tortillas. Just make sure they all have sauce on them before you bake. If any tortilla strips on top don't get sauce, they'll get dark and crispy.

I didn't add this to the kid friendly section because when Joseph was younger he'd never eat it. He did this time, however.

Lasagna

So I'm pretty sure this was my first lasagna. I was getting a bit ambitious I think. But it worked out! I will tell you I was afraid to take the first bite. I thought for sure it wasn't going to work out. But it did! Woohoo! This was originally Mom's recipe, but I changed it a bit.

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef cooked (I'm sure turkey would sub great in here)
4-8 oz. mushrooms (I used a 4 oz. can. If you wanted to beef it up two cans would work well.)
3 cans diced tomatoes (could use seasoned ones and skip the seasonings.)
¼ cup flax seed (honestly, I forgot them. But just now realized it would go in just fine.)
1 tbsp basil leaves
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
8 oz. lasagna noodles (oven-ready)
parmesan cheese

In a 2-quart saucepan heat oil; add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. While sauce is simmering, in a bowl combine ricotta, egg, and mozzarella cheese with parsley; set aside. In bottom of a 8x13” baking pan, spread a thin layer of meat sauce; top with alternating layers of cooked lasagna noodles, cheese mixture and meat sauce, ending with a layer of meat sauce. Douse with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand 15 minutes before serving.


When you hit the stage of adding tomatoes, etc. I'd put it in a soup pot. My saucepans aren't big enough anyhow. I would use as much noodle on each layer. You'll probably have to break them a bit. Since I used the oven ready noodles, they're stiff. Putting a layer of cheese mix on that is kinda hard. But I basically tried to spread it on the noodles like putting it on a cracker. It worked alright. I wasn't able to spread it too well, but I'm sure the heat helped it to spread when it was cooking. Make sure no noodles are exposed on that last layer. That's why it's important to end with a meat layer. Then I just doused the top with parmesan cheese. You can put as little or as much as you like. I liked it. It added a crunchy and flavorful crusty top to the lasagna. I didn't use all the lasagna noodles in mine. I probably could have if I had broken some of the pieces up. At first, I thought it had too much basil because I could really smell it. But once we were eating it, it was great. The taste wasn't at all overwhelming. I think it just has a strong scent. But the flavors balanced very nicely.
 

I didn't put this under kid friendly, however Joseph ate it without a complaint once it was cooled down. Maybe most kids are cool with lasagna. I didn't know that.

Breakfast Sausage

I found this one in a Pillsbury Cookbook my mom lent me. It's made with ground turkey, which is what drew me to it. I was originally suspiscious, just because it doesn't sound like it would work, but this is an awesome recipe. I didn't post it under kid friendly, because I don't know how most kids handle sausage, but when I made it this time, Joseph ate it without a single word (which is a very good thing.)

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp rubbed sage
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp vegetable oil
In a large bowl, combine the turkey, salt, sage, thyme, nutmeg and cayenne. Shape into eight patties, In a large skillet, cook patties in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Drain on paper towels. May also be made as ground sausage.

 

I made mine as ground sausage. It's a bit easier. But I do plan on doing this again, but making them into patties and pre-freezing. I think it should work. It'll be fun. If you do plan on making patties though, I would use wax paper to shape the patties. Ground turkey is especially sticky and your hands will be a mess if you just try to shape them with your bare hands. Good luck!

Chili!

So here's your standard crock pot chili! I've been making crock pot meals on Sundays with our church starting at 1 this year and choir practice right after, there's not time for elaborate cooking when we get home. This came out great. Like I said, it's a standard chili, but there's nothing wrong with that. It's refreshing every now and then.

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green sweet pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (Can't go wrong with more garlic either)
1 15-oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (may use dried beans)
1 14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2-3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil, crushed
1/2 cup flax seed

In a large saucepan, cook ground beef, onion, sweet pepper, and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender; drain fat. Stir in kidney beans, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, basil and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes. -OR-
Cook ground beef, chopped onions, chopped green sweet pepper, and minced garlic. Drain fat. Combine in crock pot beef mixture; kidney beans, rinsed and drained; tomato sauce; diced tomatoes, undrained; chili powder; dried basil, crushed; and black pepper. Cover; cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hours.

I made a few alterations to the recipe. It's a bit bulkier than the original (from Better Homes and Gardens.) I also used dried beans. I measured out two cups and then cooked them. This of course equaled more than 15 ounces of beans when they were cooked. However, with the added meat (it was originally 12 oz.) it's not super beany or anything.

We like to top our chili with cheese (cheddar or swiss) and/or saltines. Generally speaking, we also eat it with corn bread (coming next!)

Stroganoff

A family classic. It's just mom's recipe. I never liked it with mushrooms growing up, but I've since gotten over my phobia of most vegetables. I think I even used more that it usually calls for, because they were in my fridge already opened. For some reason, it tasted a tad bit bland last night, but we're not sure why. I wasn't exactly measuring out the seasonings, but I tend to use more than recipes call for that way. Despite it not being too flavorful, we still enjoyed it, and on average the stroganoff tastes fantastic!

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef (I have used ground turkey)
1 tbsp onion powder (I used chopped onions, since they were already chopped up in my fridge. Probably about 1/4 cup or so)
¼ cup margarine
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 4-oz can mushrooms
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream

Melt margarine over medium heat, add onion powder. Add meat and brown. Add flour, salt, garlic, pepper, and mushrooms. Cook 5 minutes. Add soup, simmer uncovered 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Heat through. Serve with rice (or egg noodles.) If you don’t have lean ground beef, you can leave out the margarine. If you have 7% fat or less, you need the margarine to make the sauce.

Mom, maybe you can answer the question of why it uses cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom?

Hamburgers

We had hamburgers a few weeks ago before I really started blogging here. At the time, we had more meat than we needed, so I decided to pre-shape some of them and freeze them for another time. That was what we ate a few nights ago. However, I neglected to get a picture of the patties all neatly frozen, nor did I take one before I had already bitten into my hamburger. So excuse the partially eaten hamburger picture. I took it, so I just had to use it. Anyhow, this had two stages.

Stage 1: Making the patties

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef or turkey (we use turkey all the time)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
liberal dousing (maybe a tbsp) of Alpine Touch (an all-purpose seasoner with garlic, salt, onion and pepper.)

You can season it in a multitude of ways. I've used worchestershire sauce, and tons of different combinations. What is listed above is our generic hamburger recipe. In the burgers shown above, I even added some grated cheddar cheese, instead of slicing it and adding it later on. It was a success, I'd say.

For shaping this burgers, this is the format. Choose how big you want them to be. Quarter pounders is quite big, but sometimes it's just the right size. With the recipe above, you can make 4 larger burgers, or you can make anywhere from 5-7 smaller burgers. Just realize that if you don't get them real skinny they will plump up when cooking and that can make them seem smaller in comparison to the bun. I used two sheets of wax paper. Put the amount of meat you want to use between the two and shape. (The wax paper keeps your hands from getting really sticky and gross) Keep in mind if you choose to use turkey, that the meat will be significantly more sticky and soft. After shaping, you may immediately grill, or freeze for later use.

Stage 2: Cooking or freezing

If freezing shape the patties, then stack them with a piece of wax paper between each patty. Make sure the wax paper is large enough to separate the meat patties from touching. Then place the stack of patties in a bag and plop in the freezer until you want to cook them! Upon removing them, you may have to pry them apart with a butter knife. However, the wax paper comes off really easily. Then plop right on a hot grill. They don't take too long to cook. I found that the pre-frozen patties tended to hold their shape better and make better patties. When you don't freeze them, they puff up while cooking, which makes them smaller in comparison to the buns. It's a technicality, but I liked them better that way. In freezing them, you can also make more than one batch at a time, so you have some on hand at the last minute.