Meatball Beds

My kids made up the name but they're basically just small calzones with meatballs inside.  Again, sorry for the crappy picture.



Ingredients:
Grand Biscuits or homemade dough
Cooked Meatballs
Mozz Cheese
Butter
Italian Seasoning
Spaghetti Sauce for dipping

Cut each biscuit in half length wise and place cut up meatballs and mozzarella cheese inside.  Close and press sides together.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle Italian Seasoning on top.  Bake according to package directions or about 350 for 8-10 min or until golden brown.

Warm spaghetti sauce for dipping.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Ingredients:
Green Peppers
Red Peppers
Pineapple
Meatballs - fresh or frozen

Ingredients for the Sauce:
1/2 cup Pineapple Juice
1/2 cup Vinegar
5 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Ketchup
1/2 Tbsp. Salt

Mix well and add to either a crock pot or a sauce pan with other ingredients. Be sure not to overcook meatballs and veggies as they will become mushy. If you're using a crock pot, cook on low for about 3 hours.

Prepare Minute Rice as directed on box.

Lasagna

This is the recipe that my mom uses. Sorry the picture isn't great.
I've never made it since it's full of lactose. But since we've been married, my husband has been able to handle more and more. When we were first married, the lactaid pills wouldn't work for him, but since he's doing better I thought we should give it another go. So I made lasagna, he took his pills and THEY WORKED! I have never been so excited in my life. Okay that's an exaggeration. But I was really excited.

1 lb Hamburger
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
2 small cans of Tomato Sauce
Lasagna Noodles
1 pkg. Cream Cheese
1 Egg
16 oz (1 lb) Mozzarella
1 carton (16 oz) Cottage Cheese
1 small Onion - chopped (optional)
1 clove Garlic - minced

Brown the hamburger.
If you're not using the "no prep" noodles, then follow the directions on the package.
When the hamburger is browned, drain the grease. Combine with spaghetti and tomato sauce, onion, and garlic.
Combine cream cheese, egg, about 10 oz of mozzarella, and cottage cheese. Mix well.
Layer in a 9 x 13 pan starting with the sauce, noodles, cheese mixture and repeat. Top with the rest of the mozzarella.
Cook at 350 for 40 minutes.

Pot Roast

When I make this, it's usually for Sunday dinner. But it sounded soo yummy I couldn't wait.

1 Boneless Beef Chuck Roast
1 package of Lipton's French Onion Soup Mix
1/4 Cup Water
Salt & Pepper to taste
Carrots
Potatoes (I use red)
Celery

Put the roast in your crock pot. Add the water and then French Onion Soup Mix. Add the salt and pepper. Cook on low for about 6 hours. About 3 hours before it's done, wash, cut, and add the vegetables. I used to add them at the beginning but then they get too soft. I also like to put them under the roast so they soak up all of the flavor.

Cubed Steaks

This was my favorite thing that my Grandma Jardine made. I did change a few things but it's basically the same.
And I find this funny, but I never make mashed potatoes and gravy. My family doesn't really dig 'em. So I called my sister, Suzie to see what's the best way to do the gravy. She said her mother-in-law adds Cream of Mushroom Soup to hers and she loves it. She was right, it was awesome! My hubby who is not a fan of gravy loved it. Thanks Suz!

Cubed Steaks:
4 Cubed Steaks
Flour
Egg Wash
Italian Bread Crumbs or crushed cracker crumbs
Vegetable Oil

I like to put the flour, egg wash, and bread crumbs in 3 separate pie tins. Put the vegetable oil in a frying pan and get very hot. While that's heating, cover the cubed steaks in flour, then the egg wash, then the italian bread or cracker crumbs. Brown in the hot oil on both sides. Then place in baking dish. Put in a 350 degree oven and let it finish cooking.

Mashed Potatoes:
4 medium size Russett Potatoes
1/4 Cup Milk
2 Tbsp. Butter

Now you'll make the mashed potatoes. Peel, wash, and cut up the potatoes. Put in a pan with water covering them. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn to low, and set timer for 15 minutes. (Start the gravy) Drain water. Now, you can either use a hand mixer or I use my Kitchen Aid. Add about 1/4 cup of milk and about 2 tbsp. of butter. Make sure there are no lumps. Unless of course you like it lumpy. I like mine thicker, too so I don't add much milk.  If you like them a little thinner, add more milk.

Gravy:
Drippings from browning the cubed steaks
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup Flour
1 1/2 Cups Milk
Salt & Pepper to taste

While the potatoes are cooking on the stove, start making the gravy.
Wisk the flour and milk together in a separate bowl. Add all ingredients to the drippings in the frying pan that you used to brown the steaks. Wisk well, and let warm.

I didn't show it in the picture because it's not very pretty but I love the gravy on the cubed steak. Super yummy.

Potato Casserole (AKA Shephard's Pie)

Don't run, yet! Give it a chance. I know how people react when they hear certain words. Shephard's Pie, Meatloaf, Casserole, Poison, it's never a good thing. But here's what I say, give it a chance. Not the poison, still run from that. Anyway, I used to be one of those people. Growing up, those words were not in my vocabulary. But now, I welcome them. Sometimes. :)

Ok, I didn't spread the butter out very well on the potatoes and it's a little overcooked, but I swear it's only because I'm a good Mom. I decided to take advantage of this awesome weather (I live in Arizona) and take my kids to the park a lot lately. Which is why I haven't been posting as much. Anyway, I got dinner in the oven and took the kids to the park while it cooked. And no, I didn't leave it completely unattended. My husband was home, but I didn't ask him to keep an eye on it. We stayed later than I planned on, of course, but dinner still tasted great, the top layer of potatoes were just a little crisp.

The bottom layer.

This is my mom's recipe and I LOVE it. Give it a chance, don't shy away until you've tasted it and decided for yourself.

1 lb Hamburger
1 Can Kitchen Cut Green Beans - drained
1 Can Tomato Soup - not sauce, soup
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 Large or 4-5 Medium Russet Potatoes
2 Tbsp. Butter (or Margarine in my case)
Paprika

Mashed Potatoes: Peel potatoes, wash and cut. Put in a pan with water an inch above the potatoes. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to medium low and set timer for 15 minutes. Drain water and mash. Add a little butter or margarine and a little milk or lactose free milk :)  Mash a little more.

Hamburger Mixture: While the potatoes are cooking, brown hamburger. Remove grease. Add beans, tomato soup, and salt and pepper. About 1/2 Tbsp of each. Place hamburger mixture in baking dish. Then add potatoes. Place pieces of butter or margarine on top of the potatoes and then sprinkle with Paprika to your liking. Cook on 350 for about a half an hour until it's completely warmed through.

I really hope you make and enjoy this. It's definitely one of my favorites.

Meatball Subs

I've never had a meatball sub, but the idea came to me today and it sounded pretty good. I was pleasantly surprised and this will definitely be coming back.

Hoagie Buns
Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 Cup Olive Oil

Meatballs:
1 lb Hamburger
1 Egg
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
2 Tbsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 Tbsp. Garlic Salt

Put all ingredients for meatballs in a bowl and mix well. Form into 1 x 1 inch balls. Place olive oil on a 9 x 13 baking sheet and put the meatballs on that. Cook at 350 for 20 minutes.

Warm spaghetti sauce in a pan, do not add meatballs.  Many recipes that I read said to do that, which I did but some of the grease from the meatballs thinned the sauce and made it runny.

Cut hoagie buns almost all the way through and put face up on a 9 x 13 baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Cover both sides of the hoagie bun with mozzarella cheese. Broil in the oven until cheese is melted.

Place meatballs and sauce on hoagie buns. To make it easier to eat, you can cut the meatballs in half and lay flat side down.

Spaghetti & Meatballs

My boys wouldn't eat a meatball sub so they opted for Spaghetti & Meatballs. Sorry it's not the best picture, the steam kept getting in the way.

Navajo Tacos

Fry Bread:
1 batch of my Mom's Homemade Roll dough
Vegetable Oil

Filling:
1 lb Hamburger
1/2 Cup Ketchup
1 Tbsp. Mustard
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 can Tomatoes
1 can Pinto Beans - drained
2 tsp. Garlic Salt

Topppings:
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream
Guacamole

Make roll dough recipe.
About 20 minutes before the dough is finished, start browning the hamburger. Remove grease and add all ingredients except the garlic salt. Cover and let simmer for about 20 mintues. Then add garlic salt.

Fill frying pan about 1 inch tall with vegetable oil and get it hot. Then fry the bread one at a time unless your pan is big enough. Place on paper towels and pat dry. When finished, place the filling and whatever toppings you would like on top of the fry bread.

An easier way to do this (and probably what I'll do from now on just for the sake of time and effort) is to use cans of chili instead of making your own filling. It was pretty good, though!

BBQs (A.K.A. Sloppy Joes)

Not the best picture, sorry. We were in a hurry to eat and the bun looks like it's already had a bite taken out of it. It hasn't.

I grew up with these being called BBQs. Which I think was smart. If my mom had tried to serve me a Sloppy Joe, she would have been turned down and it would have been fast. I still don't like calling them Sloppy Joes. It reminds me of the lunch lady on Billy Madison. To get my little boy to eat these, we call them Krabby Patties. For those Spongebob fans, you know what that is. Although that's a Cheeseburger and this clearly isn't. We call Cheeseburgers Krabby Patties, too.

1 lb Hamburger
1 can Chicken Gumbo Soup
1/2 cup Ketchup
1 Tbsp Mustard
Hamburger Buns

Brown hamburger and drain fat. Add other ingredients (minus the hambuger buns), stir, and heat through for about 5 minutes. Dish onto hamburger buns and enjoy!