Sweet and Sour meatballs

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
(from Lion House Recipes)

Serves 4-6
Meatballs... you can follow this our make your own the way you usually do. It's more about the sauce :)

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 cup quick oats
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Form into about 12 balls, eacha bout 2 inches in diameter. Place in a casserole dish. Cover with sauce (below). Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

Sauce
(I double the sauce)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine ingredients and blend thoroughly. Heat in a small saucepan until combined and sugar is dissolved and pour over meatballs.

Buttermilk Syrup

Buttermilk Syrup

2 cubes butter

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cup sugar

Bring these 3 ingredients to a boil in a large pot. It will bubble up a lot so make sure to use a big enough pot to allow for the bubblage :)

Then add:

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

Man, this stuff is gooood. Judging by the ingredients I am going to say probably not good for you, but it sure tastes good on french toast! TOTALLY worth the calories! You gotta give this one a try :)

Chewy Chocolate Brownies

These were SO YUMMY!!!!! Totally easy and completely hit the spot tonight.

Chewy Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons water
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup good quality cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar for dusting

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

2) Combine granulated sugar, butter and water in large bowl. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread into prepared baking pan.

3) Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars.

Rosemary Chicken

Sorry it has been so long since I contributed! I will try to be better. This is a great crockpot recipe and very healthy too! If anyone has fast, easy crockpot recipes I would love to have them because now that I have three kids I don't have a lot of time to cook!

Rosemary Chicken

vegetable oil

4-6 chicken breast halves

1 cup coarsely chopped carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1/3 cup Italian dressing

1 tsp rosemary

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 can Great Northern white beans (drained and rinsed)

1-2 cups chicken broth

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet and brown chicken slightly. Drain and place chicken, vegetables, and beans in crockpot. Combine dressing, rosemary, salt, and pepper and pour over chicken. Cook on low all day, adding the chicken broth after a few hours when the vegetables start to cook and look dry. Before serving, shred chicken. This may be served as is or over brown rice.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

2 t. olive oil

onion salt

garlic salt (or minced cloves of garlic)

1 lb. chicken boiled and shredded

1 can black beans

1/2 can diced green chilies

1/3 c. salsa

2 T. fresh cilantro

6-7 tortillas

1 1/3 c. monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil and add onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add cooked chicken long enough to let flavor set in. Add black beans, chilies and salsa and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add cilantro. Fill tortillas with mixture and roll. Place in a shallow baking dish and cook for 15 minutes. Top with cheese and put in oven (covered) for another 10 minutes or until cheese melts.

Sloppy Joes with Potato Rolls

I discovered My Kitchen Cafe about a month ago and I can safely say it is one of my favorite food blog. I have tried 5 recipes from there now and loved 4... but the other one the boys loved and that is a miracle!

And speaking of miracles my husband does not like sloppy joes much... he will eat them but he never craves them.... I have tried probably five recipes with no success UNTIL NOW!! He liked these, even took the left overs to lunch. It's yummy and tangy and the ROLLS are what make it... so use them, trust me it's worth it!!!


(Found on My kitchen Cafe)
Sloppy Joes with Potato Rolls

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 ½ pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2/3 cup smoky BBQ sauce (or whatever BBQ sauce is in your fridge)
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
8 to 12 potato rolls

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until it is finely crumbled, the liquid boils off and the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and keep stirring until the meat is coated. Add the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Warm up rolls before serving.

cajun chicken pasta

I got this recipe off Pennies on a Platter and it is very yummy.
I am not a bell pepper fan so I just sliced them big enough to be able to pick them out.

8 ounces rotini pasta
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
2 – 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (or to taste)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
8 oz package sliced mushrooms
1 green onion, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
salt, to taste
2 cloves minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 – 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pasta, then cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Place the chicken and the Cajun seasoning in a plastic bag. Shake to coat. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, saute the chicken until almost tender (5 to 7 minutes).
Add the bell peppers, mushrooms and green onion. Saute and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat.
Add the cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper. Heat through. Add cornstarch until sauce reaches desired thickness. Add the cooked pasta, toss and heat through. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Gourmet Orange French Toast

Gourmet Orange French Toast



Ingredients:
1 large loaf of Kings Hawiian bread or Italian or French bread sliced thick (1/2 to 1" thick)****

5 eggs

½ C milk (can use light cream too)
1/2
 C sugar (or 2/3 c sugar, and 1/3 c brown sugar)

2/3 C orange juice

½ tsp vanilla

¼ tsp each nutmeg and cinnamon

Zest of 1 orange

Combine ingredients in a large bowl, and saturate the slices thoroughly on both sides then immediately put on hot skillet or griddle pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side to get a good crust. Serve with syrup or orange sauce below topped with whipped cream.

Orange sauce:
(Prepare before serving)
½ C butter

½ C sugar

3 oz of orange juice concentrate
Combine and heat until sugar melts, but do not boil. Whisk until it thickens. Serve warm

Southwest Black Bean Soup

I tried this recipe tonight for dinner after finding it in my healthy cooking magazine. It was delicious and very filling. I went with the mild green chilies, but if you want it spicier you could add some hotter green chillies.

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 Tbsp. canola oil
2 cans (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1-1/2 cups cooked instand brown rice (I used regular brown rice.)
6 Tbsp. reduced-fat sour cream (optional to put on top.)

1. In a large nonstick saucepan, saute the pepper, celery and onion in oil until tender. Add the beans, broth, tomatoes, chilies and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, for 30 minutes or until thickened.
2. Divide rice among six soup bowls; top with soup and sour cream.

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

This recipe is great. It has oatmeal and whole wheat flour in it so it's healthier then most pancake recipes and it makes 10 cups of mix which can be frozen or put in the fridge for future use :) The recipe calls for buttermilk, but you can use regular milk. I have tried both. I like the buttermilk better, but I don't always have it. You can mix 1 T. with a 1/2 C of milk to substitute buttermilk when baking, which I have also done and that works too :) Happy cooking!


(Found this one on My Kitchen Cafe Blog)
Oatmeal Pancake Mix

*Makes 10 cups of dry mix

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct (I've never had to add additional oil). Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk will also work), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don't break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side. As a sidenote, buttermilk can be frozen indefinitely for future batches of pancakes, so it's worth keeping it around!

*1 cup of mix will make about 6-7 4-inch pancakes.

Easy Salmon Packets

Prep: 15 min
Bake: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings

2 salmon fillets (4 oz.)
2-1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Place each fillet on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 12 in. square). top with mushrooms, tomato, garlic basil, salt and pepper. Fold foil around salmon and seal tightly. Place on a baking sheet.

2. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Open foil carefully; sprinkle cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. ( from TOH)

Marshmallow Brownies

2 cubes margarine
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla
Mini marshmallows
Chocolate frosting recipe

Mix margarine, eggs, sugar and cocoa together. Add flour and vanilla. Cook in 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Pull out and sprinkle the top with marshmallows. Return to oven for 5 minutes. When cool, ice with chocolate icing.

Chocolate frosting recipe:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
Drizzle a little milk until right consistency
1/4 cup cocoa
Mix all together.

Katy Sampson's recipe

Cranberry Raspberry Punch

1 package (16 oz.) frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed
1 can (12 oz.) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 can (12 oz.) frozen cranberry raspberry concentrate, thawed
2 liters ginger ale, chilled
2 liters club soda, chilled
1 quart raspberry sherbet

Blend strawberries, lemonade concentrate and cranberry raspberry concentrate.
Put in punch bowl. Stir in ginger ale and club soda. Top with scoops of sherbet.

Katy Sampson's recipe

White Chicken Chili

1 whole rotisserie chicken
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 cans of chicken broth
4 oz. can of green chilies
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. Oregano
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cans of white northern beans
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil. Add everything else except chicken and boil 20-30 minutes. Add chicken and cook 10 more minutes. Serve with shredded cheese, tomatoes, avacado, and sour cream. You can also throw all this in a crock pot and let it cook all day.

Katy Sampson's recipe