Meatballs

1 lb Hamburger
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp grated cheese
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 bread crumbs (more if mix is to wet)
1 egg

Mix together the above ingredients in a large bowl.
Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with vegetable oil
and put 2 -3 tbsp of butter pieces on top of oil. Add the meatballs.
I use a 1/8 measuring cup to keep all the meatballs approx the same size.
Bake on 400 degrees for 15 mins uncovered. Makes 16 -18 meatballs.

Stuffed Shells

1 pkg Jumbo Shells & 1 bottle of tomato sauce or if you want to make your own see easy recipe below.

Pasta Cooking Instructions: Cooked Shells in boiling water until El Dente (not cooked all the way through).Then pour into a strainer and run under cold water, this will help stop the cooking process. The Shells will continue to cook in the oven later.

Filling Ingredients & Instructions:

Lrg Container of Ricotta cheese
1 pkg Frozen Spinach defrosted & strained of water
1 Egg
Optional: 1 tsp minced garlic or 1 tsp of garlic salt

In a large bowl combine the above ingredients. Stuff the shells.
Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with sauce. (This will make more
than a casserole dish so you may need 2 or 3. I usually freeze some too.)
Place the stuffed shells on top of sauce and then add more sauce on top. Cover dish and bake
on 375 degrees for 30 mins or until the sauce starts to bubble.

Easy Tomato Sauce Recipe:

1 Med. Onion diced
1 Med. green Pepper diced
1 tbsp minced garlic

Cook the Onion and pepper with a little olive oil then add the garlic at the end.
Then add the following ingredients and bring to a boil. Then turn to Med - Low
for 30 mins. Finally turn down to Low and simmer for 4-5 hours. The longer you simmer
the thicker the sauce will be.

2 Lrg cans of Crushed tomatoes
1 Lrg can of diced tomatoes (drain watery liquid out in sink)
1 Lrg can of tomato sauce
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp basil
1 tsp salt
1/8 cup sugar (keep tasting and adding more if needed, this will sweetin it up)

Remember to take bay leaves out before serving.

Mom's 7 Layered Mexican Dip

Here is another great recipe to take to a gathering or to have at home for the holidays. This is also another recipe of my Mom's.

What you need:

10.5 oz can of refried beans
3 Avacado's diced
1 tbsp lemon juice
sprinkle of garlic salt
3 tbsp sour cream
3 tbsp mayo
1 pkg of dry taco mix
tomatoes diced
green onions diced
black olived sliced
Shredded Cheddar cheese


In a round casserole dish layer the ingredients.
1)Start with the refried beans (1st layer).
2)Then the Avacado's - add the lemon juice on top (2nd layer).
3) Mix together the garlic salt, sour cream & mayo and add it (3rd layer).
4) Then add the chopped tomatoes (4th layer).
5) Then add the chopped green onions (5th layer).
6) Then the black olives (6th layer).
7) Add the cheese on top (7th layer).

Serve with tortilla chips.

I know some of my friends have had this before... please comment. Did you like it? Anything you would change? Opinions always accepted. Thanks.

Chutney Cheese Ball

With the holidays approaching I wanted to share some of my favorite dishes. This one is great to bring to someone's house or have at your house when you host gatherings. The credit for this delicious recipe goes to my Mom, she is a wonderful cook and taught me the basics while growing up.

What you need:

16 oz cream cheese, room temp.

1/2 c. chutney

1/4 c finely chopped scallions

1 med clove garlic, minced

1/2 c . shredded colby cheese

1/2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese

Salt & pepper

1 c. coursely chopped pecans (optional)

In a med. bowl , combine the first 4 ingredients. Stir until well blended. Add the colby and jack cheeses. Sitr and season with salt and pepper. Form into a ball and roll in pecans. Makes 2 balls. Serve with crackers.

Chocolate Covered PB Crackers

Crackers (Ritz or other similar brand)
Peanut Butter
Chocolate Morsels
Candy Corn (for Halloween) or sprinkles
Wax Paper

1) Spread peanut butter between two crackers. Continue making the sandwiches until you get to the desired amount you would like to make.
2) Then melt the chocolate over the stove top.

What I usually do is put 1-2 inches of water on the bottom of a large sauce pan and turn on medium heat, then pour a bag of chocolate morsels into a medium glass bowl and put the bowl in the sauce pan. This way the chocolate will melt and not burn.

3) Dip the peanut butter and cracker sandwiches in the chocolate. (I use a fork and a spoon).
Add the candy corn or sprinkles before the chocolate hardens.
4) Place the sandwiches on wax paper to harden.

These are unbelievable!

Minestrone Noodle Soup

2 quarts chicken broth
1 can of black beans
1 small red pepper
3-4 medium carrots
1/4 cup of fresh rosemary
3 cloves of fresh garlic
1 Tablespoon of tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups elbow pasta
2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
Romano grated cheese (optional)

Serves:6


Preparation: Cut the fresh rosemary leaves into small pieces. Peel the garlic away from the outer shell and cut into thin slices. Place into a small bowl. Chop pepper and carrots into bite size pieces and set aside.

Cooking Instructions: In a large cooking pot, set the heat on medium and saute the olive oil and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds and then add the chicken broth. Let the liquid come to a rolling simmer and add the carrots & peppers. Cook until carrots are almost done then add black beans and juice from the can. Add the tomato paste, salt and pepper. Continue to cook on medium-low for 8 minutes. In a separate large cooking pot, boil water with a sprinkle of salt. Cook the elbow noodles as instructed on the box and drain. Add the cooked pasta to the broth and taste. Add salt and pepper if necessary.



Serve hot and sprinkle with rosemary. Grated cheese is optional.



During the Fall & Winter I make different types of soup each week. Sometimes I will make enough to freeze and will just pull them out on a day that I don't feel like cooking or for a quick lunch. Make a soup bowl out of it, pour in a mug and sip it or dip saltines in it. Everyone has their own favorite way to eat soup! How do you eat your soup? Share it in comments if you would like!

Ham Pinwheels

deli ham (any kind)
cream cheese
Scallions

1) Roll out ham and place 1-2 tablespoon of cream cheese in the center.



2) Cut a scallion equal to the with of the ham & place it on the cream cheese.



3) Roll it.



4) Place in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
5) Cut the ham into wheels. ( I don't have a picture of the finished product!!! I will upload it as soon as I make these again!)

This is great to bring to a family, friend or company gathering such as a cookout, football game viewing or holiday party. Or you can just make it for your family! Serve with a variety of olives, cheese, crackers and wine.

Roasted Corn Polenta

Corn 2-3 fresh cobs
Quick cook polenta
Chicken or vegetable broth
Scallions, chopped
Olive oil

1) Add olive oil to a pan and roast the corn until slightly browned, add scallions and cook
until transluscent. Set aside.
2) In a sauce pan add broth and polenta (according to box & how many servings you want).
3) Add the corn and scallions into the polenta and stir.

Optional: Butter or parmesian cheese.

This is a great side for the Mexican Meatloaf.

Dill Chicken Soup

1 lbs of Chicken breast (bone in)
3 stalks of celery (leaves included)
3 large carrots
1 large spanish onion
2 boxes of low sodium Chicken broth
1/8 wine (any type)
1 cup elbow noodles or gnocci's
1 tbsp dill (dry or fresh)

pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Cooked chicken in oven on 225 degrees for 2 hours (until cooked through).
It's important to slowly cook the chicken and not dry it out at a high temp.

1) In a large sauce pan add olive oil and onions. Cook onions until soft.
2) Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.
In the meantime cut up the celery and carrots.
3) Add the vegetables to the broth and turn down to medium low.
4) Add the wine and the noodles. Cover and cook for about 20 mins or until noodles are cooked.

Once chicken is cooked through turn the oven on broil and let chicken cook for 2 mins just enough to make the skin cripsy (this is what I usually do for my hubby, otherwise I would just throw the skin out).

5) Peel the skin off and cut the chicken into pieces. Add to the soup.
6) Turn the soup down to low, for 15 mins.
7) Add Dill, salt and pepper and serve.

Make a soup bowl out of bread! Or just serve it with a grilled cheese & tomato. This is a hearty but healthy soup. Substitute the noodles with rice, barley, wheatberry, lentils or just have the soup alone.

Slow Cooked Maple BBQ Ribs

2 lbs of boneless ribs

2 c of BBQ Sauce

1/4 c maple syrup

1/2 sm onion

2 tbsp garlic

3 tbsp Flour

3 tbsp Butter

1/4 c chicken stock

1) Place ribs in crockpot and turn on low.

2) In a bowl mix together BBQ and Syrup.

3) Chop up onion and add.

4) Add Garlic

Let cook 3 hours on low.

5) In a frying pan melt butter, turn down to low, then add the flour, whisk until well blended.

Then slowly add the chicken stock. Add this to the Ribs. This is a thickening agent.

6) Scoop out 2 cups of the sauce from the crockpot and blend together in a blender or the Magic Bullet. Add this back to the ribs. This also will help thicken the sauce.

Cook on low for another hour. Serves 3-4 people.

This is a great recipe to have with rice, polenta or mashed potatoes. I enjoy having this with Slow oven roasted rosemary potatoes, zuchinni and scallions with BBQ Sauce. The recipe is below.

3 large potatoes

1 medium zuchinni

3 scallions

a Sprinkle of garlic salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (takes approx 1 hour 30 mins)

1)In a casserole dish add 3 tbsp of olive oil.

2) peel and quarter the potatoes and slice the zuchini into 1/2 inch slices.

3) rough chop the scallions.

4) Add the veggies and scallions to the casserole dish & sprinkle garlic salt over them, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

5) When the timer goes off, carefully move the vegetables around on the casserole dish.

6) Put back in the oven uncovered for 20 mins.

7) Add the rosemary to the vegetables. and put back in the oven for 5 mins.

8) Scoop a cup of the BBQ sauce from the ribs and pour over the vegatables.

9) Put back in the oven uncovered for 2 min on Broil.

Your done!

I know that was a lot of steps but it is SO worth it. In a bowl, I add the veggies and then put the ribs on top (add some more sauce). DELISH!

No Rush Beef Stew

1.5 lb roast (tied or not) or 1.5 lbs of steak tips
1 small can of beef broth
1 small can of cream of celery soup
1 pkg of onion soup mix
3 cups Carrots chopped into pieces
1 pkg of Mushrooms
10 baby potatoes halved
1/4 c steak sauce



1) Put roast in the crockpot and pour a can of beef broth over it.
2) Pour a can of celery soup over.
3) Add carrots, baby potatoes and mushrooms on top and along the sides.
4) Add soup mix and then the steak sauce. do not mix.

Cover for 3 hours on high or 5 hours on low.

The broth will create a steam which will cook the carrots, potatoes and mushrooms. The flavors from the different soups and from the roast tie together nicely and create a delicious meal. This is a great meal to have on a rainy day! This is delicious in a bread bowl.

Jani's Homemade Tomato Sauce

Makes approx 6 servings

Serving size: 1/2 cup

6 large tomatoes
1tbsp of tomato paste (equals about 3-4 squirts)
1 green pepper diced up
1 small onion diced up
1 tbsp of crushed garlic
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp of flat leaf parsley
pepper & salt
1 tbsp of sugar

**Optional: replace the fresh tomatoes with 1 32 oz of crushed peeled tomatoes, 1 small can of diced tomatoes, and 1 small can of tomato sauce. This may yield a larger amount of sauce.

1) Boil tomatoes with the skin on. Skip this step if you are using canned tomatoes.

2) Let tomatoes cool enough so you can peel off the skin. Again skip if you are using canned tomatoes.

3) In a sauce pan add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add diced up onions.

4) Once the onions are transluscent add the garlic (do not add garlic too early or it will burn and taste bitter).

5) Dice up the tomatoes into small pieces (discard stem & leaves ) and add to the sauce pan.

6)Add diced up peppers to sauce pan.

7) Bring to a boil. Once sauce comes to a boil turn down to low and simmer.

8) Add the sugar. Salt and pepper to taste.

9) Add the dry herbs. If fresh herbs wait until sauce is ready to be served to add.

**It's best if you let simmer all day or at least 3-4 hours. The longer the sauce simmers the thicker it will get. Stir occasionally.

Dress it up!

I love to add chicken to my sauce instead of hamburger. I cook up the chicken first until it is cooked through then will chop it up into pieces and add to the sauce. it's delicious.

For vegetarians, you can add strips of carrots to the sauce by using a peeler, this makes the sauce more sweet!

Freeze it!

I sometimes double this recipe and freeze it.

Mexican Style Meatloaf

Cooking spray

1/2 lb lean ground beef

1/2 lb lean ground turkey breast

2 large Egg whites

2 oz cornbread stuffing dry mix (about 1 cup)

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, diced

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

8 oz canned enchilada sauce

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray.



• Combine all ingredients, except for half of the enchilada sauce. set remaining sauce aside.



• Spoon meatloaf mixture into pan.



• Bake for 60 mins.



• Spoon remaining sauce over meatloaf and cook an additional 5 mins.

It's important to use a broiler pan, which is a loaf pan that has holes on the bottom, so the greese can drip out.

Pair this dish with roasted corn polenta (see recipe).

History on Chiles

Chili peppers were discovered in the Caribbean by Columbus, who appended the word "pepper" because of their fiery similarity to the black peppercorns he was familiar with (There is no relationship between the two plants). The first chiles were brought to Spain in 1493 by a physician by the name of Diego Alvarez Chanca, who was on Columbus' second voyage to the West Indies. From there, chiles spread quickly to India, China, and Japan. They were first grown in the monastery gardens of Spain and Portugal as botanical curiosities, but the monks experimented with their culinary potentions and later discovered their pungency offereance and inexpensive subsitute for black peppercorns. Peppercorns were so costly, sometimes they were used as legal currency in some countries.

*data gathered from http://www.thenibble.com/

1-2-3 Pulled Chicken with Rice

1 lbs boneless chicken breast
1 small onion (sliced)
1 8 oz jar of salsa
Rice
Crockpot

1) place chicken breast in crockpot.
2) Add onion
3) Add salsa

Let cook 3-4 hours on low. Prepare rice as directed on package. Once chicken is cooked you will be able to pull the chicken apart with a fork. Serve chicken over rice.

GOT LEFTOVERS?

This is one dish that I don't mind having leftovers of. What I do is take the leftover chicken and add sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and place the mixture in a tortilla. Use a toothpick to hold the sandwich together. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or drizzle a little olive oil and spread around on pan, place sandwiches on sheet. Bake on 350 for 15 mins or until heated through. There you go - 2 meals in one shot!

Roasted Rosemary Baby Potatoes & Carrots

Serves: 3-4 people
Level: Easy
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Temp: 375 degrees


It is comforting to know that we are cooking healthy for our families as well as ourselves.This recipe takes a little bit of time but is well worth the end result. These delicious vegetables are tossed in olive oil then sprinkled with Rosemary.

6-7 potatoes cut into wedges
5 large carrots chopped into pieces
4-5 Sprigs of Rosemary
1/4 cup of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

1). Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2).Place potatoes and chopped carrot pieces on a baking sheet.
3). Drizzle with Olive Oil.
4). Remove the Rosemary leaves from the stem and rough chop.
5). Cover with Aluminum foil.

Bake for 20 mins on 375 degrees then toss veggies around on pan. Up the temp to 400 degree's and cook another 20 mins. Again toss them around on pan, sprinkle vegetables evenly with the rosemary & put back in the oven on 400 degrees for another 17 mins. Uncover and put in oven on broil for 3 mins (this will create a nice brown color).

Interesting Facts on Rosemary:

• Rosemary is a member of the mint family & is also related to basil, oregano and marjoram.


• Rosemary have small, gray-green leaves that look similar to small pine needles and have a bittersweet, lemony, slightly piney flavor.


• Rosemary is versatile, it can be used in both savory and sweet recipes.


• Rosemary is ranked high on the list of cancer-prevention and reduction foods.

A Little History on Rosemary:

• Rosemary has been used as culinary and medicinal herb by the Ancient Greeks and Romans as far back as 500 b.c.. This is still commonly used as a medicinal herb today.


• Older Europeans loved Rosemary and believed that it improved memory.


• Many would place sprigs of Rosemary under their pillows to ward off evil and nightmares.


• Often the wood that comes from the stems of the Rosemary plant was used to make musical instruments.

Today wreaths are made of rosemary as a symbol of remembrance.

Slow Cooked BBQ Pork Loin

Serves: Approx. 3-4 people
Level: Easy
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 4-5 hours in slow cooker

Temp: Low

This is a simple and flavorful dish. Just follow the directions below, then continue on with your plans for the day! Don't be surprised if you find yourself going back for seconds, it's that good.

1 lb Pork Tenderloin

1 bottle of BBQ sauce (or see recipe below for homemade)

1 small onion (red or white, I used a combo of both in the picture)

salt & pepper

1). Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper on both sides. Then place in the crockpot.

2). Dice up the onion and add to the crockpot.

3) Pour half the bottle of BBQ sauce on top ( or see BBQ sauce recipes below).
**Optional: Add 2 tbps of honey.

Let cook for 3 hours, then add the rest of the BBQ sauce. Then cook another 1-2 hours.
I suggest taking the tenderloin out of the crockpot, spooning the onions/sauce over it, then letting it sit for a 5-7 mins before cutting into it. This way all the wonderful flavor from the juices doesn't escape. You can either serve it by cutting it into pieces or by pulling it apart with a fork (pulled pork). This makes a delicious sandwich on Portuguese Pops or other types of hard bread. I suggest pairing this with Roasted Rosemary Baby Potatoes.

Original BBQ Sauce

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar, preferably cider or wine vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp yellow mustard

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp garlic powder, or more

1 tbsp canola or or other mild vegetable oil

**For a kick add 3/4 cup of chili sauce

• Mix all ingredients together and simmer for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
• When covered, it will keep in the refridgerator for several weeks.

Sweet Curry Chicken Salad

1 lb Cooked Chicken (bone in or boneless)
1/2 Red Onion
Green Olives
1/2 c Red bell pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayo (can also substitute with 3 wedges of soft laughing cow cheese)
1 tbps Sweet Curry seasoning (I recommend Penzey's)
1 tbsp butter & 1 tsp of olive oil

1) Cut the onion and pepper into small piece (almost minced).
2) melt butter in a frying pan then add olive oil.
3) Add in the onion and pepper. Cook until onion is transluscent and peppers are no longer firm. Remove and put in a small bowl to cool.
4) Cut up chicken into small pieces and add in the sour cream and mayo (or Laughing Cow).
5) Add the onion and pepper.
6) Chop olives up and add (I normally will cut each olive into four pieces)
7) Add in the Sweet Curry seasoning and stir.

Optional: Salt and Pepper. Shredded Cheddar Cheese. Raisins, grapes or apple piece.

This chicken salad is great on portuguese pops, italian breads or just your everyday sliced bread. Make a chicken melt or just toast up the bread and add a slice of your favorite cheese. Add it to a salad- pasta or green.
Bon Appetit!