Meatballs

Chris usually makes the spaghetti for us, so I decided to "take advantage" of the fact that he is away by making homemade meatballs for spaghetti. We'll see if there's any left for him when he gets home... :)

Ingredients

(makes approx. 25 meatballs)

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup milk

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1 egg

Directions

Mix all ingredients.

Shape into approx. 1-inch meatballs.

Place in ungreased rectangular pan.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until light brown.

Served with spaghetti noodles and homemade sauce. Yum!

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins!

It's FALL and I love, love, love cooking anything with pumpkins! Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, roasting pumpkin seeds.... I love it all!

:-)

Stuffed (Poblano) Peppers

Recipe from Real Simple

You'll Need...

3/4 cup long-grain white rice

4 poblano chili peppers (or green bell peppers, if you prefer not as spicy of a dish)

1.5 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

15-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

4oz. crumbled goat cheese

To Do...

1. Cook rice according to directions.

2. Adjust oven rack to highest position and heat broiler.

3. Cut peppers in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard seeds. Place skin-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil until skin is blackened, 2-3 minutes. Let cool.

4. In a large bowl, combine the corn, beans, cooked rice, oil, 1 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.

5. Using a paring knife, peel the peppers and discard the skins.

6. Spoon the rice mixture into the pepper halves and sprinkle with the cheese.

Pizza Bites

We made these pizza bites to go along with linguine & meat sauce. Yum! They are very fun and easy to make as an appetizer or for a potluck.

Ingredients

makes 48 bites

2 (13.8 oz) cans Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 48 cubes

48 slices (3oz) of pepperoni (well, we used 2 slices in each bite instead of just 1)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

3 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1 jar of pizza sauce, heated

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2) Spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray.

3) Remove dough from both cans. Unroll dough, pressing out rectangle (one on each cookie sheet). Cut each rectangle into 24 squares.

4) Top each square with 1 cheese cube and 1-2 pepperoni.

5) Wrap dough around filling to completely cover, firmly press edges to seal. Place seam side down.

6) In a small bowl, mix oil, seasoning, and parmesan cheese. Drizzle over pizza bites.

7) Bake until golden brown. The recipe said 16-22 minutes... ours took only 10 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce. 

Chili

Fall weather can only mean one thing:

It's time to make CHILI!

My chili recipe is one that I have pieced together and changed around a variety of times. But now that Chris has had his hand in making it - having one of the strongest stomachs for spicy foods that I know - he says he loves it, so I can officially say this is THE recipe we'll be sticking with! This recipe makes a BIG batch but chili is great to freeze for later and save for lunches.

Ingredients

2 lbs lean ground beef

1.5 cups chopped onion

olive oil

4 cloves minced garlic

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup "Just My Taste" jalepeno marinade/ sauce (or you could use chiles.. something spicy!)

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)

15 oz chili beans - we used 1 small can of kidney beans and 1 small can of black beans (drained & rinsed)

1.5 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp pepper

tabasco sauce, to taste

Directions

Over medium heat, brown ground beef and onion with olive oil.

Add garlic and pepper and continue to cook for about 2 minutes.

Add jalepenos, tomatoes, beans, and spices.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Simmer covered for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Top with cheddar cheese :)

Sloppy Joes & Oven Fries

Sloppy Joes

1 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

3/4 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon steak sauce

1/2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon pepper

hamburger buns

In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper. Drain off the liquids. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Oven Fries

Cut 2-3 potatoes into slices. Put into large bowl. Toss with approx. 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons Old Bay, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well. Spread evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, turning once.

Pumpkin Muffins

Words can not explain how much I loooove these muffins!!! Thank you, FoodNetwork.com (+some Dad alterations)!

Ingredients

Cooking spray

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk (add another 1/4 cup if needed, can use plain yogurt instead)

1/4 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, and eggs. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk in flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined - don't stir too much!

Mix in the pumpkin seeds.

Pour the batter into the muffin pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

(I obviously need one of these: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/muffin-pan-sponge)