Comfort Meatballs

Comfort Meatballs

Ingredients:

FOR MEATBALLS

1-½ pound Ground Beef

¾ cups Oats

1 cup Milk

3 Tablespoons Very Finely Minced Onion

1-½ teaspoon Salt

Plenty Of Ground Black Pepper, to taste

FOR COOKING MEATBALLS

1 cup All-Purpose Flour

Canola Oil

FOR SAUCE

1 cup Ketchup

2 Tablespoons Sugar

3 Tablespoons Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire

4-6 Tablespoons Onion (I used 6)

1 dash Tabasco



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes. (I refrigerated for a few hours)

After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.

Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.

Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

I am making rice and steamed broccoli to go with it.

Overwhelmed

I apologize for the lack of postings......We have been in survival mode around here! I had surgery on my foot on Thursday and then on Saturday my sweet friend Judi lost her husband, so I haven't cooked much and I haven't felt like posting what I have cooked. Maybe next week I can function!

Hope you all enjoy and value your time this Thanksgiving with your friends and family. I know I will. We are not promised another minute on this earth........that was made perfectly clear to me on Saturday. I will say that I am so grateful to have so many wonderful friends and to live in a community full of people who truly care about one another. The support that has been given to Judi and her family is overwhelming.

Love and Hugs!!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

We had a busy day planned on Saturday so I put this in the crock pot. We really liked it!!



Chicken Tortilla Soup
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

14 ounces canned diced tomatoes, fire-roasted if available

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

6 corn tortillas, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced

1 large ripe avocado, diced

6 ounces crumbled fresh cheese, such as feta

2 cups tortilla chips, crumbled for garnish

2 limes, cut into wedges

Directions

1.Place chicken in slow cooker. Top with next 10 ingredients (tomatoes through chicken broth).

2.Cover and cook on low 4 to 6 hours.

3.Carefully remove the chicken and, when cool enough to handle, shred using two forks.

4.Place the shredded chicken back into the stoneware and add the cilantro.

5.Ladle the soup into bowls and top with avocado, cheese, and crumbled tortilla chips. Squeeze the juice of a lime wedge over the top of each serving.

Crockpot Chicken Caccitore

I made this for friend's who recently had a baby. I hope they liked it......it was the first time I made it!! For us I made sausage, peirogies and baked beans.

Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients:


6 chicken breasts, boneless (sliced in half)

olive oil

1 cup yellow onion, coarsely chopped

32 ounces tomato sauce, jarred

2 teaspoons dried oregano, (crushed)

2 teaspoons dried thyme, (crushed)

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

6 ounces sliced mushrooms, canned

1/4 cup dry red wine, (optional)

1 cup green pepper, coarsely chopped

Directions

1.Coat bottom of a skillet with olive oil, heat on stovetop set to medium heat, and brown chicken.

2.Drain and add chicken to stoneware.

3.Combine all other ingredients with chicken.

4.Place stoneware in slow cooker heating base, cover, and cook on Low for 5-7 hours or on High for 2-3 hours.

Taquitos

Monday I made Creamy Chicken Taquitos, rice and refried black beans.

CREAMY CHICKEN TAQUITOS

1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese (I used half a block (so 4 oz) of 1/3 fat cheese)

1/4 cup green salsa

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. granulated garlic (I wasn't sure what this was so I used garlic powder)

3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp. sliced green onions

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used 1 can)

1 cup grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas

kosher salt

cooking spray



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

2. Warm the cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine, and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

*You can prepare up to this step ahead of time; just refrigerate!

3. Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. Place 2-3 Tbsp. of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges, and then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Spray the tops of the tortillas lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

4. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

The Weekend

What a great weekend it was the weather was perfect!! I love Fall!!

Friday night Mike, Emily and I went out to dinner. Blake went to the movies, dinner and mall with his friend Lauren. It made me a little nervous but I met Lauren's mother and she was with them so I let him go. He had a  great time. We had given him $30.00 so when we picked him up I asked if he had any change and he said "I was supposed to have change?" He spent every dime which was fine, we just thought it was so funny!! Then Saturday night we went to Vanessa's 2nd Annual Wine Tasting Party......it was also turned in to Nate's 40th Surprise Party so I didn't have to cook Saturday night either. The kids went to Nanny's for the night and she brought them home at 3 on Sunday, so it was a nice break yesterday! Although I did actually start missing them about 1:00.  Last night I grilled steaks for Mike and the kids and Tuna Steak for me.....I had never had it before but I loved it. I marinated the Tuna in lime juice, olive oil and garlic for about 30 minutes then grilled it. I made fresh green beans and roasted small red potatoes to go with it.

Taco Soup and Jalapeno Bread

Went to Celebrations at our church Second Baptist with friends this morning and I'm going to Ladies Night at Ace Hardware tonight with friends, so I put Taco Soup in the crockpot today!! I am also making a recipe I found from Taste of Home for Jalapeno Bread.....it's in the oven now and really smells good....I'll add a picture when it's done.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

-1 can chili beans (15 oz)

-1 lb. hamburger

-1 chopped onion

-1 can tomato soup (8 oz)

-1 can water (8 oz)

-1 can whole stewed tomatoes (28 oz)

-1 can kidney beans (15 oz)

-1 can green chilies (4 oz)

-1 can whole kernel corn

-1 package taco seasoning

*brown sugar (I don't add, I did the first time I made it but don't really like the sweetness)

-Toppings: crushed tortilla chips, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, green onions, avocado.



Directions:

-Brown hamburger and onion and drain fat.

-Combine all ingredients and simmer at least 2 hours or cook in crockpot.

*Add brown sugar to taste.

Jalapeno Bread
2 loaves (1pound each) frozen bread dough, thawed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 egg lightly beaten
1 can 3 1/2 ounces whole jalepenos, chopped
2 TBS. taco seasoning
1 jar (2 ounces) sliced pimientos, drained
1 1/2 tsp. vinegar

Cut bread into 1 inch pieces. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to mix well. Spoon into 2 greased 8X4 inch Loaf pans. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes then remove and let cool on wire rack.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday I made Hamburger Steaks, mashed potatoes, brown gravy and corn......nothing fancy!

Wednesday night I didn't have to cook. Mike was nominated to be a deacon at our church and the ordination ceremony was last night.....we were at the Woodway campus from 5:15 until about 9:00. I am so proud of him for accepting and committing to serving our church and our community!! The ceremony was very touching. They gave us each a pocket pack of tissues if that tells you anything. Jo Beth spoke to the wives during the ceremony and reminded us of our duties to our husbands.....it was really good!! So glad to have a husband who desires to do the right thing and has a true love for our God, we are far from perfect and mess up daily but so thankful that we are forgiven!!!

Spaghetti Casserole

Trying a new recipe tonight in the crockpot. Got this recipe from a friends blog!


Spaghetti Casserole



Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 med onion, chopped

1 (26 oz) jar tomato and basil pasta sauce
1/4 c butter

1/4 c all purpose flour
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk (I used 2%)

1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 t pepper

8 oz uncooked spaghetti, broken into pieces
3 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese



Directions:

-Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain and return to skillet.

-Stir pasta sauce into beef mixture.

-Melt butter in a saucepan over med-low heat; whisk in flour/cornstarch until smooth. Cook 1 min, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk; cook over med heat, whisking constantly, 8 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. -Remove from heat, and stir in Parmesan cheese and pepper.

-Spoon 1/3 of meat mixture into a lightly greased slow cooker. Spread 1/2 of broken noodles over meat mixture; pour 1/2 of white sauce over noodles, and sprinkle with 1 c cheddar cheese.

-Repeat layers once (1/3 meat, rest of noodles, rest of white sauce, 1 c cheese). Spread remaining meat mixture over cheese. Top with remaining 1 c cheddar cheese.

-Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

The Weekend

Wow!! What a BUSY but fun weekend, we were on the go all weekend long! Friday night we had hamburgers. We had the premade turkey burgers from HEB. The cranberry gorgonzola burgers are SOOOOO good!  Saturday we had a crazy busy day......Soccer Game, Emily's team won 1-0 and then Blake's football game, they won 40-0!! After that we had the Seven Meadows Fall Festival, our Sunday School class was in charge of the cake walk, it was a BEAUTIFUL day and there was a great turnout. So after all the activity I didn't feel like cooking and I forgot to take anything out to thaw so Mike, Emily and I went to La Finca, Blake went out to lunch with a friend after the football game so he wasn't hungry because they had eaten late, so he stayed home. Then Sunday we had Church, then a Birthday Party then  went to a Halloween Party where we had hot dogs for dinner, then trick or treated with friends then came back to our neighborhood and trick or treated here......I am tired!! Anyways it was fun and I didn't have to cook for 2 days!