Meatballs

I think this is my son Jonah's favorite thing that I make hands down. Whether we have meatballs and gravy or spaghetti and meatballs it doesn't matter, he eats them like it's his last meal. I always make a big batch of these because they freeze and reheat very well for those nights that I don't feel like fussing in the kitchen.

What you need:

1 lb ground beef ( I always get 93% lean)

1 lb ground turkey (your family will never know the difference)

1 small onion

2 stocks celery

2 eggs

2/3 cup bread crumbs ( I use panko, they are Japanese bread crumbs and have a great texture)

2 tbsp ketchup

salt and pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley

To make Italian meatballs also add:

1/4 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

What to do:

In a food processor, chop the celery and onion very fine. Since the celery and onion are not cooked they are mixed into the meat, you really want the vegetables to be small pieces so you don't bite down on a piece of raw onion. After you do that, put the celery and onion into a large bowl.

Add the eggs, ketchup, bread crumbs, salt and pepper and mix together well. This part does not look appetizing at all but trust me it pays off in the end.

Add both meats to the wet mixture and combine until everything is just mixed together. DO NOT over mix, that will result in tough meatballs. I always use my hands to mix, they are your greatest tool!

Finally add the parsley and roll into balls. Out of this batch I got 25 meatballs, you can make them smaller or larger whatever you like. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Strawberry Almond Chicken Salad

When I was at the grocery store recently I did my normal shopping. A lot of produce, meat and dairy. They also had rotisserie chicken on sale again, so I always get a couple to divide up to have the meat in the freezer. When it was supper time I gave my boys each a leg off the chicken with some veggies and yogurt. I was trying to decide what to do for myself...I came up with this and it was one of the best salads that I've made at home.

What you need:

1/2 cup romaine lettuce

1/2 cup red leaf lettuce (frankly any lettuce you have would work, I always get romaine)

1/4 cup strawberries

1/4 cup diced apple

tbsp slivered almonds

1/2 cup shredded chicken

2 tbsp strawberry balsamic vinaigrette (I had this on hand, I am going to try and make my own next time...)

 ENJOY!

*This is a serving for one, of course you could make a larger portion if you are making this for a crowd!

Beef Stew

This recipe is a perfect go to meal. The veggies and meat can be put into a large freezer bag and put into the freezer for an easy week night supper in the crockpot or you can put everything right into a large dutch oven and put it in the oven for a lazy weekend meal. However you do it, it is slow cooked perfection!

What you will need.

2 lbs of beef stew meat (you can buy the already cubed kind or you could get a roast and cut it yourself)

8-medium carrots

1/2 stock celery

1-medium onion

2-cloves garlic

6-medium red potatoes

3 cups beef stock (I used the boxed stock this time because I had it in the pantry)

4 tbsp butter

4 tbsp flour

salt and pepper

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen corn

What to do:

Chop carrots, onion, celery, garlic, potatoes and put into a large crock-pot and season with salt and pepper.

 Season the meat and combine it with the veggies in the crockpot. 

Take 2 of the cups of beef stock and pour over everything in the crock-pot. Turn on low and cook between 6 and 8 hours (until meat and veggie are very tender). You could also have it on high and it would take about 4 hours. When everything is finished cooking turn the crock-pot down to low.

In a large pan melt the butter and mix in the flour to make a rue (the thickener) cook the butter and flour mixture for a minute or two to cook out the flour taste.

Take all the liquid out the crock-pot and stir into the rue in the pan. Whisk everything together and add the remaining cup of beef stock until it becomes the consistency of gravy.

Add gravy back into the crock-pot with the meat and veggies and add the peas and corn.

It only needs to cook for a few more minutes, just until the corn and peas are thawed and cooked through. Serve with a nice hearty bread and ENJOY!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This recipe I am very happy with. After searching on Pinterest for dinner ideas, I came upon many different broccoli cheese soup recipes. I wasn't particularly happy with any one of them, but they all had some good elements. Some used too much milk/cream which I thought would be too rich, some used only stock which I thought wouldn't be rich enough. I think I came up with a pretty good combination and a great soup. Being a cheese based soup I also though that it wouldn't work as well being reheated. I was wrong, the last time I made it I kept it in the fridge and it lasted a good couple days (it would have lasted longer but it was so good we just ate it). Thursday was the perfect day to make a big batch.

What you will need:

2-broccoli crowns

3-celery stocks

3-carrots

1-small onion

1-clove garlic

32 oz chicken stock (this time I didn't use my homemade stock, I used a boxed stock that I had in my pantry. 32 oz is an entire box) 

3 cups sharp Cheddar cheese (you could use any kind you like)

4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

1-can evaporated milk 

salt/pepper

What you do:

 Chop up all veggies, set aside the broccoli. In a large stock pot melt butter and cook celery, carrots, onion, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook veggies until tender.

 Add the flour and coat the veggies, (this is what will make the soup thick) cook for just a couple minutes. 

 

Add the stock and evaporated milk, cook until it becomes thick and season again with salt and pepper. (If you salt and pepper every layer of what you are making it will taste very well seasoned) At this point I took an immersion blender to smooth everything together. This step is not required but it just makes a smooth soup.

 

 After I blended everything I added the cheese and broccoli and let everything simmer together on the stove top for a few hours. 

 

Chicken, Spinach, and Cheese Taquitos

My kids love anything in a tortilla shell. I thought I would get sneaky and hide some nutritious things inside the tortilla and see how they do. It worked pretty well for the first time around and I will definitely be doing it again. The nice thing about something like this is you can change out ingredients with whatever you have on hand.

What you will need:

1-10 count package of tortillas (I used flour, you could use whatever you like)

1 lb cooked chicken (I used the chicken that I portioned up from the whole chickens I bought and froze)

4oz cream cheese (1/2 of a regular package)

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup Mexican blend cheese

1/2 small onion

1 clove of garlic

2 cups of fresh spinach 

salt and pepper

5 tbsp of butter or cooking oil

What you do:

Put 1 tbsp of the oil or butter in a pan with the onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Add the spinach and salt and pepper and cook until the spinach has wilted down. In a large bowl mix room temperature cream cheese, sour cream, the spinach mixture, chicken, and the Mexican cheese. Spread a thin layer evenly on all tortillas and roll them up tight.

 I put them into a pan and let them sit in the fridge for a few hours so they were able to set, you would not have to do this step.

In a large pan melt the remaining butter or oil and begin browning all the tortillas. Make sure to brown them evenly on all sides, this just takes a few minutes.

 

 Place browned tortillas in a 9x13 casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes on 375 degrees. 

 Serve with your favorite Mexican side dish (rice, beans, chips etc.) I made Spanish rice with green chilies and cheese! ENJOY