#2,814: Classic Beef Chili

One thing my mom is known for is her chili recipe.  It's loaded with beans and is just the right amount of spicy.  This is NOT my mom's recipe, so I'm sure my sister is totally going to hate this.  However, being one who likes to try new recipes, I figured I'd give this one a try.  I have to admit, I really do like this chili.  I love that it has two different kinds of beans.  I especially love it served over elbow noodles, with some melted cheddar cheese, and some oyster crackers like my mom always served hers.  As with most chili's this is definitely better the longer it sits and you let the flavors meld.  You kind of get a little bit of the beer flavor in this, but it's super mild.  If you don't want to add beer, just use more chicken broth.  

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion
8 garlic cloves, minced
3 pounds ground chuck
1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
1/3 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 (15-oz.) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-oz.) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (12-oz.) bottle beer

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ground chuck, and cook, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain beef mixture well, and return to Dutch oven.

Add tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, thyme, and oregano, and cook, stirring often, 2 minutes.

Increase heat to high. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, and beer, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

#2,811: (GF) Beef and Corn Noodle Bake

This recipe had the one ingredient in it that my boys (big boy and little boy) do not particularly enjoy...corn (although they hate peas way more).  I however, could eat corn probably every day and not get tired of it.  Even as I look at the photo above, I can barely see the corn and I used way less in the recipe because I knew they'd complain.  But the little one (6 yrs) saw one piece on his plate and immediately scowled.  The big one (41 yrs) managed to pick every little kernel out.  I swear if he just would have eaten it all mixed up he wouldn't have even tasted it.

Regardless  the girls and I loved this dish and were happy to go back for seconds (one of us may have gone back for thirds, but I won't rat anyone out!).  I made these with gluten free noodles and no one in the group could tell the difference.  I also wanted to give them more veggies (heck I was pushing my luck with the corn anyways!), so I added half a can of petite diced tomatoes, and then pureed the second half and threw that in there as well.  Mmmm....I might have to make this again this week!

2 pounds ground beef (I only used 1 lb. 2 lb seemed like a lot!) 

1 cup chopped onion

12 oz. can kernel corn, drained

20 – 24 oz. tomato soup – this can be creamy tomato soup that is gluten free or gluten free condensed tomato soup (I used a 14 oz can and then added another can of water)

1 Tbsp. ketchup

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups cooked gluten free noodles (I used Tinkyada shells)

1 1/4 cups grated cheddar cheese
I also added: minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and dried basil.  

  

Brown the ground beef until no longer pink, adding the onion about halfway through cooking time. Put cooked meat mixture, corn, soup, ketchup, and seasoning in a bowl and mix.

Cook noodles (al dente). Drain. Mix into the other ingredients. Pour casserole into a baking dish and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, covered. Uncover for the last 10 minutes of cooking.  

#2,787: Shepard's Pie

Do you know how hard it is to take a picture of Shepard's pie?!  Okay, maybe I just am that bad at taking pictures but nothing I took did this recipe justice!  So...there's just no photo.  I loved this recipe, but the boys in this house were not as big of fans because it had peas in it (gasp!).  Which is funny because peas were not in the original recipe, but I thought it needed it.  

Although you could totally make any homemade or store bought mashed potatoes with this recipe, I used steam and mash potatoes from Ore Ida which was super easy to make and you just add milk, butter, and seasoning to it.  So simple.  I also used gluten free flour to keep this a gluten free recipe, but you could obviously use all-purpose flour in place as well.  

1 lb. ground lean turkey (I used ground beef)

3 carrots, washed and chopped

3 celery stalks, washed and sliced
I also added about 1/3 c of frozen peas

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1 Tbsp. gluten-free all purpose flour

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp fresh sage

1 cup chicken broth

Steam n’ Mash Russet Potatoes by Ore Ida

salt and pepper to taste

rice milk (I used skim)

Cook the ground turkey and onion in a large pan over medium heat with 1 Tbsp oil for approx 5 minutes.  Add the carrots and celery and continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink and cooked through.  

Meanwhile, microwave the Steam n’ Mash potatoes for 10 minutes, following direction on the bag and adding butter, milk, salt and pepper after potatoes are cooked.  

When the meat and veggie mixture if done cooking, add the tomato paste, flour, and spices mixing well.  Slowly add the broth while constantly stirring.  Simmer 3-5 minute to thicken.

Empty the turkey and veggie mixture into a casserole dish and top with the prepared mashed potatoes.

Broil for 10-15 minutes, watching carefully so that it doesn’t burn.

If you are making this ahead of time and cooking later, bake COVERED at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, then uncover and continue cooking until heated through (5-10 minutes more if it's not already done).  Broil the last minute or so to brown the potatoes if desired.  

#2,643: Sweet Potato Nachos

I used this recipe as the basis for these Sweet Potato Nachos that I made for lunch for both the kids and I.  Don't let me fool you, their plate did NOT look this good.  I gave them everything in small piles/separately (they just ate sweet potatoes, taco meat, a little shredded cheese, and for some sour cream.  Baby steps!).  This was fabulous!  1 kid only liked it if the sweet potato was covered in taco meat.  1 kid liked it dipped in sour cream.  1 kid cried and spit it out. 

I loved these and think it's an awesome meal!  And have eaten it more than once.  The kids weren't as excited, but I'll keep trying to get them to enjoy sweet potatoes as much as I do!  You could totally adapt this to whatever meat/veggies/toppings you are in the mood for.  

Below is the recipe to make the sweet potato nachos.  I didn't add the directions for the toppings, so just add what you have on hand and/or love!

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch thick slices

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 425 F.  In a bowl, combine the sweet potato slices, olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Mix everything until well combined.

Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, and bake in the oven for 40 minutes, turning once. (I only needed to bake mine for 30 minutes and I was removing pieces as they were finished cooking since they were cooking a bit unevenly).  

When done top with desired toppings.  

#2,642: French Onion Dip Burgers

Don't judge this burger picture by the lack of topping ingredients on it!  I took this picture before one of my kids dove into it.  If this was my ideal burger pictured, it would have had lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, provolone cheese, all on a lightly toasted brioche bun!  :)  But the kids were eating so they could go to the pool, and I was trying to finish up dinner so I could go back to writing a paper!  I was impressed I got a picture of this dinner at all!  (And yes, I even made fresh baked oven fries that night too!)

When my family started eating these you could tell there was something different about this burger.  Usually I make my burgers with onion, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, garlic, and some seasonings, and they are much lighter in color than these.  So when my kids took a look at these burgers, my 9 year old asked if it was a new recipe (do they know me or what?!).  Overall we were pretty happy with these burgers.  I personally thought it was a tad salty, but no one else seemed to think so.  I would definitely make these burgers again...they were certainly easy!  Although most burger recipes are easy!  

I honestly don't know if there was a real recipe for this or not.  I saw a packet of french onion soup mix in my pantry and figured it could be added to some ground beef to make a burger.  I always like to add an egg to give it some moisture and I thought the water would cut down on the seasoning packet powder.  But I thought it was a bit too soft for the grill so I threw in a little bit of breadcrumbs to give it more binding. 

1 packet of french onion soup mix (like this kind...although I used a generic version) (next time I'll probably use 1/2 to 3/4 of a packet to cut down on the saltiness)
1 egg (I used just the yolk)
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 lb ground beef
hamburger buns
desired burger toppings

In a bowl combine the ground beef, french onion dip mix, egg, water, and breadcrumbs.  Mix until just combined.  Preheat your grill over medium heat.  Form into patties and grill to desired done-ness.  Serve on a bun (or not!) with desired burger toppings.  

#2,721: Instant Pot Gluten Free Meatballs

I found this recipe for gluten free meatballs which uses one of my favorite ingredients (corn tortillas!) in it's recipe.  I decided to give these meatballs a try with very low expectations from my family (I really should have more faith in them!).  I also didn't want to bake these and figured there had to be a way to cook them in my Instant Pot so I set out to Google to try and find some ideas on how to make these.  Below you will find the original recipe which gives instructions on how to bake these in the oven.  I'll also add what I did in the instant pot.  We've enjoyed these so much I've actually made these twice already.  Once we ate these as meatball subs and once with spaghetti (ok, I even ate it over ramen  (as you can see in the photo) when we ran out of spaghetti noodles!)...totally negates the gluten free aspect of it, but that's just how we ate them.  I still have some meatballs leftover so I'm going to chop them up and make a skillet lasagna with it tomorrow!   

2 (6-in.) corn tortillas, torn into pieces (I actually used 3 tortillas)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 small shallot, chopped (about 1½ Tbsp.) (I used a yellow onion and used about ¼ of one) 
1 pound 80/20 ground beef
2 tablespoons heavy cream (I used 2% milk)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Jar of spaghetti sauce (only if using the Instant Pot method)

Place tortillas, shallot, and parsley in a food processor; process until fine crumbs form and shallot and parsley are finely chopped, about 1 minute.  Gently stir together tortilla mixture, ground beef, cream, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well blended. Shape mixture into 16 (2-inch) meatballs.  See oven or instant pot instructions for next steps:

Original instructions for the oven:
Preheat broiler to HIGH with oven rack 6 inches from heat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. Place meatballs on prepared baking sheet and broil until cooked through and browned, about 7 minutes.

Instant Pot Instructions:
Pour a little bit of olive oil to the bottom of the Instant Pot.  Layer the meatballs (uncooked) into the bottom of the Instant Pot, stacking them on top of one another if needed.  Pour the entire jar of sauce over the meatballs.  Add another 1 cup of water to the instant pot as well.  Cover and cook on manual high pressure for 7 minutes.  When the Instant Pot is done, let it sit for another 10 minutes, and then release the rest of the pressure. 

The first time I made this, the sauce was perfect.  The second time it was a little watery still, so I just put the Instant Pot on sautee for about 10 minutes (with the lid partially on so it would stop splattering all over the place!) and it thickened up to my liking. 

#2,686: Instant Pot Taco Pasta

Although I thought this recipe sounded wonderful, I wasn't sure if my family (particularly my husband) would agree.  But I figured I'd take a chance and make it anyways (and there was some leftover Texas Roadhouse Pot Roast in the fridge if my husband absolutely hated it!).  Plus it gave me an excuse to try another Instant Pot recipe.  I made the meat mixture ahead of time on the stove when I had some extra free time, and so that I didn't have to spend as much time in the kitchen right at dinner time when it's usually a little crazy.  This would also be a great prep ahead meal for a quick weeknight dinner. 

Anyhow, I figured I was pushing my luck with this recipe but wanted to push it just a bit more, so I added some frozen riced cauliflower into the mix...AND MY FAMILY NEVER KNEW.  Score!!  Actually my kids were more concerned about the corn they could see in this dish.  Babies.  

I was so scared that the noodles wouldn't be cooked but I left it to fate and tried it anyways, and was shocked when the noodles were cooked after only 5 Instant Pot minutes!  

By the way, not only did we enjoy this dish, but it was really good as leftovers too! 

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

2 Tablespoons taco seasoning

1 cup frozen sweet corn

1 - 14.5 oz. can of fired roasted diced tomatoes (I used picante sauce)
I also added about 1/3 cup of frozen riced cauliflower

2 cups chicken broth (I used 2 1/2 cups)

8 ounces small pasta of your choice, uncooked (I used 12 oz of elbow macaroni)

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded 

Optional Garnishes

Freshly chopped cilantro

Freshly chopped green onion

Sour cream

Chopped red onion

Extra cheese

Fresh salsa

Shredded lettuce

Set your Instant Pot to sauté. Add the ground meat and onion and cook until browned, stirring while it cooks. Once it is cooked add in the taco seasoning, frozen corn, fire roasted tomatoes, chicken broth and pasta. Cover and seal the lid. Change the Instant Pot to MANUAL HIGH and set the time to 5 minutes.

When the Instant Pot beeps showing that it is done, do a quick release. Once all of the pressure/steam is please turn off the Instant Pot. Remove the lid keeping the lid pointed away from you and stir the taco pasta together. Add the cheese to the pasta mixture. Cover the Instant Pot (do not seal it) and let the cheese melt for a minute or two. Open your Instant Pot and stir.

Serve the taco pasta in bowls with garnishes.

#2,053: Low Carb Taco Breakfast Bowl

I never ever thought I would like this recipe as much as I did!  It was so simple, definitely low carb, and quite filling.  I just used some leftover taco meat and mixed it with frozen riced cauliflower.  I let it heat up in a skillet, and then added the rest of the ingredients as directed, and eventually just scrambled it all together. This was ready in no time.  I could easily make this before school/work during the week....if I really wanted to.  :) 

The recipe below is for one serving: 

1/4 pound lean ground beef

1/2 tbsp keto taco seasoning (I used low sodium taco seasoning) 

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup cauliflower riced

1 tbsp cilantro chopped

1/2 tsp ghee

1-2 eggs beaten

sea salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and remove any fat that renders as it cooks. Add in your taco seasoning and water. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Push the taco meat over to the side of the skillet and add the riced cauliflower, cilantro, and salt in the open space. Cook the cauliflower for 3 to 4 minutes, then push it to the side to make room for the scrambled egg. If you don't have a large enough skillet, grab a separate pan to scramble the eggs.

Melt ghee and pour in the beaten egg. Whisk the egg and shake the skillet as it cooks to break up the curd. Once the egg scrambles to your liking, mix it in with the rest of the dish. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

#2,049: Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this recipe, but I ended up loving it!  Although I will admit it was a tad bit salty, so make sure to use low sodium chicken broth AND soy sauce (I used coconut aminos which are lighter on the sodium). I loved this.  I only used half a can of the coconut milk so I froze the rest to make this again!  

1 1/2- 2lbs lean ground turkey or ground beef

2 tsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 large orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces about 1 inch 

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce (I used coconut aminos)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/3 cup Stevia-in-the-Raw granulated sweetener (I used 2 packets of stevia)

2 T granulated Monk fruit sweetener (I omitted)

2-3 T Chili Garlic Sauce 

2 tsp. minced ginger 

2 tsp. minced garlic 

1 can coconut milk 

1/2 cup green onions sliced in 1 inch pieces

cooked cauliflower rice (I threw mine in frozen and just cooked it until it was heated through)

In a pan cook the ground beef or turkey and the onions, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. When cooked through, add it to the crockpot.  

Add the sweet potatoes to the crockpot.

Mix together the soy sauce, chicken stock, sweeteners of your choice, Chili Garlic Sauce, minced ginger, and minced garlic and pour over ingredients.  Cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until sweet potatoes are done and starting to fall apart just a little.  

When the sweet potatoes are done, add the riced cauliflower, can of coconut milk and the green onion pieces, turn heat to low, and cook 30 minutes more.  

Garnish with thinly sliced green onions, and crispy noodles if desired.

#2,041: Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup

I made this soup for my neighbor, and selfishly, saved a bowl for myself because the meatballs and noodles were calling my name!  Although I really liked this recipe, it had a bit too much kale in it for my liking.  Also, you add the kale in towards the end, and I think I would have liked it more if I would have added the kale in at the beginning and it had a chance to get even softer.  I would definitely make this recipe again though, it was so good.  And the hardest part was cooking the meatballs ahead of time (I do love when everything gets dumped into the crockpot at one time!).  Also, I made my noodles ahead of time and let them completely cool before adding them in at the end.  I didn't want them to cook in the liquid and continue cooking, and get too soft/mushy. 

8 cups chicken broth

3 large carrots peeled and chopped

1 small onion diced

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 clove garlic minced

salt and pepper to taste

Meatballs:

1 lb lean ground beef

1 egg

1/4 cup onion finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 clove garlic minced

1 slice bread torn into very small pieces (I used a bit of breadcrumbs)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon olive or other cooking oil (if sauteing)

Soup Add-ins

8 ounces endive or escarole trimmed and torn into 1/2 inch strips (I used kale)

1 cup acini di pepe pasta or other small pasta, uncooked

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a slow cooker combine the following: chicken broth, carrots, onion, parsley, oregano, and garlic. Turn on low heat for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.

For the meatballs:

In a medium bowl combine, egg, ground beef, onion, parsley, garlic, bread, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Shape into 1 inch balls.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake meatballs for 15 minutes or until no longer pink and cooked through.  Place the meatballs in slow cooker with chicken broth, vegetables, and seasonings.

20 minutes prior to mealtime, add the pasta and torn endive or escarole to slow cooker. Cover again and cook until pasta and greens are tender. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

#2,014: One Pot Spaghetti (aka United Way Spaghetti)

I came across this recipe in a recent issue of Real Simple magazine, and since my family is a spaghetti loving group, I figured I'd give this recipe a try.  It actually makes so much sauce (or my husband added too little spaghetti!) that I used the leftover sauce to make pizza burgers the next night.  I think I was the biggest fan of this, and still think it could have used a little more seasoning.  I'm thinking next time I'll try 1 can of tomato sauce, and about 1 cup (or more) of spaghetti sauce.   We would definitely eat this again though. 

1 lb ground beef

1/2 onion, diced
2- 16 oz cans of tomato sauce
1 tsp dried basil

dried rosemary

dried oregano
1 1/2 cans (from the tomato sauce) of water
8 oz uncooked spaghetti noodles (I seriously think you can add closer to 12+ oz, but just watch to make sure there is enough water)
Salt, to taste

In a large pot, brown the ground beef and onion.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.  Simmer until the noodles are tender, about 20-25 minutes.  

#2,013: Sweet Potato Stew

I found this recipe in a recent issue of Taste of Home magazine, and I was drawn to it because it pretty much only requires 6 ingredients (plus a few spices), and I happened to already have all of the ingredients on hand (yes I even had small cans of V8 leftover from another recipe!).  I had to change up this recipe though because it basically says to boil the ground beef in the broth and V8 juice, and that was too disgusting for me to even try.  So I browned my meat with onion in a pan, and then threw it all into a pot to finish cooking.  I wasn't sure I was going to love the flavors of this, but I really, really enjoyed eating this!  I would definitely make this again! 

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth (I used 2 cans)

3/4 pound lean ground beef

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup V8 juice

2 teaspoons golden raisins (I used craisins, and probably added at least 1/4 cup)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Pinch cayenne pepper

In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. 

I browned my meat with onion in a pan and skipped this step: Crumble beef into broth. Cover and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add the remaining ingredients; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and potatoes are tender. Yield: 4 servings.

#1,881: Italian Meatball Stuffed Crescent Ring

I totally forgot to take a picture of this once we cut into it!  Grrr I hate when I forget to do that!  Sorry!  Oh well, you'll have to use your imagination for this one, or go to the original website where I found this one.  As you may have read/noticed in my last post, I had several cans of crescent rolls I needed to use up, so I wanted something easy to make with them, but would also be a good (and kid/hubby-friendly) main dish.  Although my family really enjoyed this recipe, it would have been 1000 times better if I had used homemade (cooked) meatballs instead.  I strongly suggest doing that if you have the time!  But I was going for convenience and quick, so I used the frozen ones.  Still good, but not nearly as good as my own homemade meaballs.  :)  Regardless, I would definitely make this again for my family!  

24 (1-inch) frozen cooked Italian-style meatballs, thawed and halved

1 1/2cups marinara sauce

1cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

2cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1tablespoon butter, melted

1tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick cookie sheet). In large bowl, mix meatball halves, 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce and the mozzarella cheese.

(If you are a visual person and want to see how to do this, here is the link with images to the original website) Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 8 rectangles. On ungreased large cookie sheet, arrange rectangles in ring so short sides of rectangles form a 5-inch circle in center. Dough will overlap.

Spoon meatball mixture on the half of each rectangle closest to center of ring (each rectangle should have 6 meatball halves).

Bring each dough rectangle up over filling, tucking dough under bottom layer of dough to secure it. Repeat around ring until entire filling is enclosed (some filling might show a little).

Gently separate dough perforations on top until filling peeks through. Brush tops of dough with melted butter, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until dough is golden brown and thoroughly baked. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into serving slices. Just before serving, in small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining 1 cup marinara sauce uncovered on Medium-High (70%) 1 to 2 minutes or until hot.

#1,880: Lasagna Crescent Roll Ups

Somehow I stumbled across this recipe not too long ago and I figured it would be the perfect (easy!) recipe to use up some crescent rolls I had in my fridge.  In fact, I had everything on hand except the ground turkey, so I used bulk pork sausage instead.  My family LOVED these roll ups and I will definitely make these again.  They enjoyed them so much, I almost had to tell my 10 year old to stop ooh-ing and aah-ing over them!  :)

If you aren't sure how to roll these up based on the directions, just go to the original Pillsbury website where it shows pictures.  :)  It really is so simple!

This recipe makes 16 roll-ups.  

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb lean ground turkey (I used bulk pork sausage)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic salt

2 ½ tablespoons tomato paste

2 cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

4 sticks string cheese (each string cheese cut into 4 pieces)

In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook turkey, Italian seasoning, garlic salt and tomato paste in skillet 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until turkey is no longer pink. Remove from heat.

Heat oven to 350° F. Separate each can of dough into 8 triangles. Top each with 2 heaping teaspoons turkey mixture, covering two-thirds of the dough. Leave space on all edges. Place a quarter of a cheese stick on widest end of each triangle. Fold outer corners in over cheese, then roll up, ending at tip.

Bake 15 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet immediately; serve. Serve with marinara sauce, if desired.

#1,871: Meatball Bombs

I am becoming the queen of easy meals.  Maybe it's because I'm getting lazier as I get older, or maybe it's because I'm choosing to have time to myself and/or with my family rather than spending tons of time in the kitchen.  Regardless of the reason, I'm looking for ways to get dinner on the table as fast as possible.  I found this super easy recipe for these meatball bombs, and resorted to frozen meatballs...my family didn't notice and/or didn't care.  So take the shortcut and just use frozen, pre-cooked meatballs!

1 can (12 oz) Pillsbury Homestyle refrigerated biscuits
8 cooked Italian-style meatballs (if using frozen, let thaw completely)
1 cup marinara/pasta sauce
1 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella or Italian blend)

I omitted these ingredients to make it easier on me (this would have been super good, but my family was ok without it)

4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

Using your hands, flatten each biscuit into a 4 inch round.

This step was super messy so I gave up on the sauce and just filled eat dough with meat and cheese.  I served the marinara sauce on the side for my family to dip their meatball bombs in.  Place 1 meatball and 2 tablespoons marinara in center of each dough round. Top with 2 tablespoons of cheese.

Wrap dough around meatball and cheese, pressing edges to seal. Place seam side down, leaving room for spreading on prepared baking sheet. Continue until all biscuits have been completed.

I skipped this step: In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, garlic, Italian seasoning and salt. Evenly spoon on top of each biscuit.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm!

#1,866: Puffy Tacos (Puff Pastry Tacos)

It is no surprise that we eat a lot of taco meat in this family.  We all enjoy it, it's easy to make, and I can have it on hand and in the freezer for quick meals.  Plus we can use the taco meat in so many different ways.  So when I came across this recipe to use it with puff pastry I was all too eager to try it.  Only 1 kid on my family didn't enjoy these (she's the weird one LOL), but everyone else not only gobbled these up, they wanted to eat the leftovers for dinner the next day.  (I don't have to cook one night...uh, ok!).  

1 lb ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 package taco seasoning
1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained (I omitted for my family)
2/3 cup water
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (17.3-oz) package puff pastry, thawed

Preheat oven to 400. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain. Add taco seasoning, diced tomatoes and green chiles and water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Unfold pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 9 squares.

Arrange taco meat down diagonal center of the pastry squares. Sprinkle with some of the shredded cheddar cheese. Fold two opposite corners of each square over the filling and press edges to seal.  (Mine would not stay sealed so I dipped my finger in water and moistened one edge.  Then I pressed that edge into the opposite side of the pastry sheet and it sealed better…some still opened but stayed together much better than the ones I did not use water on).  Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

#1,863: Crockpot Italian Meatballs

When I asked my kids this week what they wanted on our dinner menu they said meatball subs.  Since it is such an easy recipe to throw together (and reheat during the week!), I decided to oblige and make it for them.  I found this recipe for Italian Meatballs that I could make in the crockpot (my favorite way to cook since it's less messy/easy clean up).  These are so good.  They are super moist and tender....I had to stop myself from eating too many of these so there would still be plenty leftover for our dinner this week! 

2 large eggs

½ cup breadcrumbs, fresh or dried

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

¼ cup minced fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

32 oz lean (90% or leaner) ground beef (I stupidly/accidentally only used ONE lb of ground turkey...it still turned out ok though)

Spaghetti Sauce, Homemade or Jarred

Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the breadcrumbs, ½ cup onion, cheese, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.

Next add the beef and with your fingertips lightly mix the ingredients until just combined but try not to over mix or compact the meat. Using ⅛ cup for each (I just eyeballed it to be about a golfball size or smaller), make the meatballs compressing them just enough to form a ball and place in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover with sauce and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.  (Mine were done at 6 hours)

#1,849: Oven Baked Tacos

As you can see from my photo above, I ran out of cheddar cheese so I had to substitute mozzarella.  Thankfully my husband isn't the biggest cheddar cheese fan, so he didn't care in the least!  This is a very simple recipe and my family doesn't like refried beans that much, so I only added a little bit.  I also added some picante sauce instead of the tomato sauce to give it more flavor.  My family loved these tacos!  The only downside is that the shells get soft/mushy if you try to save the leftovers, so I would suggest only making as much as you truly think you will eat.  

1 lb ground beef, lean (I used ground turkey)
1 packet taco seasoning
6 ounces tomato sauce (I used picante sauce)
20 1⁄2 ounces refried beans (I used about 1/4 of the can)
shredded cheddar cheese
12 small flour tortillas (make sure to get taco size shells!)

Optional toppings: 

diced tomato, diced onion, sour cream, salsa, shredded lettuce, red onion, cilantro, black olives, etc. 

Brown ground beef and drain.  Add taco seasoning, refried beans and tomato sauce. I also added about 1/3 cup of water.  It needed it!  Heat until blended.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a glass 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.   Spoon taco filling into taco shells and stack them side by side in pan.  When shells are filled, top each with shredded cheese.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes, watching so they do not brown too much.

Top with remaining ingredients, if desired.

#1,845: Papa Burger

I came across this recipe in a recent issue of Taste of Home.  It's a pretty regular occurance in my house, that if I have ground turkey in the fridge and I don't know what else to make, to throw together some turkey burgers for our dinner.  It's simple, it's quick, and everyone in my family enjoys it.  When I saw this recipe, it looked good and different enough to want to try, but not so different that my family wouldn't want to try it.  I did not add the additional topping since my family doesn't like anything on their burgers besides catsup and cheese (most of them).  The burgers were moist, and really good, and although my family enjoyed it, they all said they would prefer a regular burger next time/instead.  I think it was the flavoring of the liquid smoke that turned them off.  BUT it was still a really good burger and I might make it for them every once in a while.

1 pound ground beef or ground buffalo

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 slice whole wheat or white bread, broken into small pieces

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon liquid smoke

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hamburger or steak seasoning

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 onion hamburger buns, split

Optional toppings: 

4 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves

1/3 cup prepared Thousand Island salad dressing

4 slices red onion

1 large heirloom tomato, sliced

Combine first nine ingredients; mix lightly. Shape into four 3/4-in.-thick patties. Press patties into flour to lightly coat both sides.

In a large nonstick skillet (I grilled ours instead), cook burgers over medium heat until a thermometer reads 160°, about 4-5 minutes per side. 

Layer bun bottoms with lettuce, burgers, salad dressing and onion and tomato slices. Replace bun tops. Yield: 4 servings.