Meatball Sub

 Serves: 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Using the leftover mini-meatloaves from the night before, they were a breeze. I opted to make a homemade marinara sauce because I didn't have any jarred stuff on hand. I'm glad I did! Best sandwich!

What It Takes:
1T Olive Oil
1 Sweet Onion, Diced
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Can (28oz) Diced Tomato, Stewed Tomato or Whole Tomatoes, undrained*
1 Can (8 oz) Tomato Sauce
1 T Tomato Paste
3 t Italian Seasoning
1/4 t Red Pepper Flakes
1 t sugar
salt and pepper to taste
6 Left Over Mini Meatloaves
2 Sub/Hoagie Rolls
1 C Shredded Mozzarella

How To Do It:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until opaque, stirring often. Add garlic and let them cook together for one minute. Stir Constant to keep from burning.

Add all the tomato products and seasonings. Allow to come to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Add the mini meatloaves and simmer with lid on over low heat for 45 minutes. Taste the sauce to make sure it is to your liking. Add any additional seasoning that you feel necessary.

Toast rolls under the broiler until lightly toasted. Sprinkle 1/2 C cheese (more or less depending on how cheesy you like it) on the both sides of the rolls and place back under the broiler until cheese is starting to melt. Cut meatloaves in half and arrange on one side of the roll. Spoon on extra sauce and top with other half of roll.

*When using stewed tomatoes or whole tomatoes, break up the tomatoes into smaller pieces so there are small chunks. If you would like for your sauce to be a smooth texture, then using an immersion blender blend the sauce to your desired consistency. 

Turkey Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce

Serves: 30 1" meatballs

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

These were some pretty yummy meatballs! It was like a mini Thanksgiving dinner but without hours of work. I think next time I would make my cornbread dressing and make it even more authentic.


 What it takes:
1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp thyme, sage, rosemary or Italian season
1 c cranberry sauce (jelly or whole)
1/4 c cider vinegar
1/4 c orange juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp Dijon mustard

How to do it:

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine meat, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper, and seasoning of your choice.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

Shape into 1" balls (I used a the small scoop from Pampered Chef but a melon baller or just plain ol' eye balling it should do the trick). Place on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes or no longer pink in the center.

While meatballs are cooking, simmer the rest of the ingredients over medium heat for 10 minutes or until thick. When meatballs come out of the oven, place the meatballs in the cranberry sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

I served mine with some mashed potatoes and broccoli but I think my cornbread dressing would have been even better. I'll post my dressing recipe tomorrow but it won't have a picture with it.

Huevos Rancheros

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

I came up with this last night while rummaging through my cabinets and fridge. It turned out to be mighty tasty. So much so that I made it this morning for my breakfast!

What it takes:
 4 eggs
1/2  a medium onion, chopped
2-3 tbsp pickled jalapeno, chopped
1 can black beans, drained
2/3 cup salsa, divided
1/2 cup cheese, divided
2-4 corn tortillas
1 tbsp + 1 tsp oil

How to do it:

Preheat oven to 250 to keep tortillas warm.

In small sauce pan, heat 1 tsp oil. Add chopped onions and cook until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add the jalapenos and beans and stir to combine. Let cook over medium-low heat until ready to use.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium skillet. When drop of water sizzles in oil, place one tortilla in the oil to brown, about 2 min. per side. Repeat with remaining tortillas and place on heated oven rack to keep warm and crisp.

In the same skillet the tortillas were prepared in, cook the eggs the way you like them. I make ours over-medium but traditionally they would be cooked sunny side up. When eggs are almost done, put salsa in the pan with the eggs to warm the salsa.

Assemble the huevos rancheros by placing a tortilla on the plate and topping with bean mixture. Either top the beans with cheese or another tortilla. If you placed another tortilla, place cheese on top of the tortilla. Place two eggs on top with half the salsa. Top with a sprinkle of more cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

*If I would have had an avacado on hand, those would have made this dish even better! I squeezed 1/8 of a lime on mine and I really enjoyed the extra freshness it added.*

Cheesy Chicken and Vegetable Skillet

Serves:  8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

I used the stuff I had in the fridge and freezer to come up with dinner last night. It was good but it would have been even better if I would have had jalapenos on hand.





 What it takes:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (or whatever you have on hand)
3 baking potatoes, cubed (red skin or yellow potatoes would work great as well... you may need more)
1 yellow pepper
1 orange pepper (or whatever colors you have)
1 cup broccoli
4 oz grated cheese (I used Colby)
1 Tablespoon oil (vegetable, olive or whatever you prefer)
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes for seasoning
* jalapeno (fresh or pickled in the jar)

How to do it:

Place potatoes in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Cook until soft (10-15 minutes).

Season cubed chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and place chicken in a single layer. You may need to cook in batches. Cook the chicken for 3-5 minutes per side until cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add oil to pan and then add the onions, peppers and broccoli. Cook until veggies are starting to get soft (5-6 minutes).

Drain the potatoes and add them to the skillet with the rest of the vegetables. Allow the potatoes to brown a little. Season mixture with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Add the chicken back in a cook for 1 minute. Lower heat to medium-low and top with cheese. Cover skillet and let the cheese melt.

*If you chose to add in some jalapenos, I would add them in with the rest of the veggies. I think having that extra kick (if you like that sort of thing) would have made this dish dynamite!

Sauerbraten (German Roast)

Serves: 8   



Prep Time:  15 minutes + 3-4 days in the
                   refrigerator

Cook Time: 4 hours in the oven or
                   6-8 hours in crock pot

After finding a red cabbage/apple mix at Aldi (a grocery store), I decided to make an entire German meal. I will show you what all I made over the next couple of days.


First up is the Sauerbraten (thanks Alton Brown).

What it Takes:

2 c water
1 c cider vinegar
1 c red wine vinegar
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper (I used 1 teaspoon whole black pepper corns)
2 bay leaves
6 cloves (I used 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves)
12 juniper berries
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 3-5lb roast (I used chuck)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 c sugar
18-20 gingersnaps, crushed

How to do it:

In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the water, vinegars, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper berries and mustard seed. Cover and boil. Lower heat to a simmer for 10 minutes. Cool until able to dip finger in and not burn the finger.

Pat the roast dry and rub with oil. Season roast with some salt and pepper. Sear meat on all sides in a skillet over high heat (2-3 minutes per side).

Place roast in a glass bowl and pour over the cooled marinade. Cover and place in fridge for 3-4 days. If roast is not fully submerged in the marinade, turn roast once per day.

After 3-4 days, mix 1/3 c sugar in with the marinade and roast. Then, either place roast and marinade in a dutch oven and bake at 325 for 4 hours or place in a crock pot set to low for 6-8 hours.

After roast has cooked, remove roast and keep it warm by placing foil over the roast on a cutting board. Strain the liquid into a sauce pan and boil over medium-high heat. Whisk in the crushed gingersnaps and cook until thickened. If your gravy seems lumpy, strain the gravy through a sieve to remove the lumps.

I suggest you go get a roast tonight and start the marinading process. This is hands down, one of the best roasts I have had. The flavor is AMAZING and the gravy has the perfect balance of sweet and savory. I will post the potatoes tomorrow.

Pork Chops with Sauteed Apples and Onions

 Serves 4

 Prep Time:  10 Minutes

Cooking Time:  30 minutes

What it takes:

4 pork chops (whatever suites your fancy!)
1 apple, thinly sliced (I used gala)
1 red onion, sliced
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder and garlic powder for seasoning the pork chops. This is to taste. If you are not a fan of spice, leave out the cayenne.

How to do it:

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced apples and onions. Then add the vinegar and brown sugar. Once the mixture starts to sizzle, reduce heat to medium so the mixture does not burn. Cook this mixture over medium to medium-low heat for 30 minutes. The apples and onions will caramelize and be sweet.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the pan with Pam olive oil cooking spray. Season pork shops on both sides with seasoning. Place in pan and cook for 5-7 minutes (per side) depending on thickness. My pork chops were on the thin side and only took ~10 minutes to cook.

If pork chops are done cooking before the apples and onions, place in a heated oven (250-300) on a foil lined cookie sheet to keep them warm. When apples are done cooking, place pork chops on a serving platter and place the onion and apple mixture over the top of each of the pork chops.