My Mom's Busy-Day Meatloaf

This meatloaf has been my family's favorite, at least my husbands.  And it was a recipe I kept of my mom's that used Kellogg's Corn Flakes (however I've always used crackers instead) so substitute if you wish!

 

Ingred.:

1 egg

1 cup milk

1-2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp catsup

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp celery salt

1/4 cup finely chopped onions

2 cups crackers (1 pkg, crush before removing from pkg) or use 2 cups corn flakes

1 1/2 lbs gr beef

1/4 lb gr pork

 

1. Beat egg, milk, Worcestershire sauce, catsup, salt, celery salt and onions together; add crackers or corn flakes and mix well.

2. Add meat, mixing thoroughly.  Pack lightly into 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

3.  Bake in moderate oven (350*) about 1 hour or until done.  Slice and serve hot.

 

Yield: 8 servings

 



Wine Stew~ Beef Daube Provencal

This is a very yummy, sweet tasting stew that is very easy to prepare. 

 

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingred.:

2lbs. stew beef cut in 2 in. pieces (i use tenderized)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. olive oil

1 bottle (750ml) red wine (i use Reunite Lambrusco)

3 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 can (14.5 oz.) whole plum tomatoes in juice

1 bag (1 lb) peeled baby carrots

2 onions, chopped in lrg pcs

2-4 whole peeled garlic cloves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

 

 1. Sprinkle beef with salt.  In two batches, brown beef over high heat. 6-8 mins.

2. Add wine to stew pot; simmer over medium heat for 10 mins.  Whisk in mustard.

3.  Add beef to pot.  Add tomatoes, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and thyme.  Simmer, coverd 2 hours, until meat is tender.

Serve with fresh hard bread rolls for dipping.

 

Makes 6 servings; 8 cups per serving: 440 cal.  (43% from fat): 20 g. fat

ENJOY!

Snow Ice Cream

Get a big bowl out and scoop up some fresh clean snow!  Wait til after the first snowfall.  Someone told me there is less impurities in the air then???   I scoop mine off our deck.  This picture was from a big blizzard we had in 2011. 

 

 

  

Then I add just a splash of milk (or my mom used milnot, it's extra rich), some vanilla and some sugar to taste.  Add milk til you get the consistency you want.  The snow soaks the milk up quickly so add splashes of milk and stir.  I add the sugar and vanilla to taste.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sweet Garlic Chicken and Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

Sweet Garlic Chicken -

4 Ingredients: Chicken, Garlic, Brown Sugar and Olive Oil.

Saute the Minced Garlic with the Olive Oil until soft, then remove from heat and stir in the Brown Sugar. 
Pour that mix over the Chicken and Bake (uncovered) for 15-20 minutes at 450

 

Easiest PB Fudge EVER
2 cups sugar,
1/2 cup milk (or use half and half)
1 tsp. vanilla,
3/4 cup peanut butter.
Bring sugar and milk to a boil. Boil two and a half minutes. Remove from heat and stir in PB and vanilla





French Grilled Ham and Cheese

I got this recipe from the Rachel Ray show awhile back and it's been one of my family's favorites.

Get ready for some awesomeness! 

Ingredients~
Thick Sliced French Bread  (from bakery is extra nice)
Good quality thin sliced deli ham (I like applewood ham)
Baby swiss cheese
2 T butter
flour
milk
Dijon mustard
salt
pepper
nutmeg

Make Spread~
Melt 2 TBS butter in skillet, add enough flour for a thickening and then a splash of milk, stirring quickly so there are no lumps and you get a smooth consistency.  Add a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper with another pinch of nutmeg.  Then stir in a dollop of Dijon mustard.  Mix well.

Make Grilled Sandwiches~
Butter outsides of french bread slices.  Lay butter side down on grill or skillet and add some spread.  Layer on a small amount of ham ( I use about 3 thin slices) and a piece of baby swiss cheese.  Turn grill or burner on low and grill slowly til outsides are brown and crispy and insides are warm with cheese melted and gooey

Football Chip Beef Cheese Ball

 

 

Make your favorite cheese ball recipe.

I think I found one on a box of cream cheese. 

Shape into a football.  Add some crackers around it.

This recipe had chip beef in it.  So that is what i used to make the football laces. 



Easy, Peasy Shrimp Cocktail

 

Easy Shrimp Cocktail

 

 A super easy dish to serve along side your meal or as an appetizer to hold your guest til dinner time.
Simply use the frozen, tail on, medium to large shrimp.
Thaw under some tap water.
Place around a dessert cup or something similar.  These I believe are sherbet glasses.  They look a little like a cocktail glasses.  Whatever works!
Put your cocktail sauce in the center.  This was also in a jar in the aisle with ketchup.
So pretty and so easy. 
If you are ambitious you could cook your own shrimp and make your own cocktail sauce.

Easiest, fall apart in your mouth, Crock Pot Italian Beef

I'm not going to lie.  This is the best Italian Beef you will have.  It's super easy and it really cheap. 

Ingredients
1 Jar (11 oz) Pepperoncinis
1 Boneless beef chuck roast (3-4 lbs)
1/4 cup water
Italian seasoning mix (I keep this on hand and I make my own) 1 3/4 tsp dried basil, 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 1/2tsp dried oregano, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
if you like onions add one large, sliced and quartered onion
10-12 sub rolls, or preferably hard rolls for dipping in au jus.

Here's the super easy part
Take your chuck roast and cut it in half

Put 1/2 of roast on bottom of crock pot
add your water
sprinkle 1/2 of your Italian seasoning over meat
add other 1/2 of roast on top of last and sprinkle it with remaining seasoning
now if you have the pepperoncinis with stems you can remove stems first or as the Italians say "don't worry about it"
I prefer to buy the sliced pepperoncinis and reserve some for putting on top of sandwich
Just pour your pepperonchini juice with peppers over beef.
Also if you like onions this is where you would top with onion

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours.  Take 2 meat forks and shred the roast up.  Chuck is sometimes fatty so I do have to pick out some of the fat.  Use a strainer spoon to serve on rolls.  We like ours with a little mayo on bottom roll and sometimes a little of the juice for dipping.

This one is a little spicier because of peppers and juice but it is so delish!

 

Melts in your mouth!

Easy Potato, Sausage and French Bean Skillet

Super easy and delish supper.
Ingredients~
9oz skinless polish sausage
8 small potatoes or 4 large
Can of french green beans, drained
1 cup of chicken broth
1 TBS Mrs Dash seasoning original blend
2 TBS minced garlic
2 TBS Olive oil
Cut potatoes into large chunks and slice sausage into 1" pieces, add to skillet with olive oil.  Let cook til a little brown.  Add Mrs Dash and garlic.  Let absorb flavors then add the chicken broth, cover and simmer til potatoes get soft.  Add green beans and cook til hot.  Serve!  

Made Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches

Brown'N Serve round sausage
patties any flavor ($1 a box) 

Pop sausages in the microwave
until thawed

Scramble about 6-8 eggs. (About
another $1)
Add salt and pepper to taste

Seperate english muffins
and lightly toast
(Package of 5
muffins another $1)
Since the sausage patties are
small I used 1 1/2. I used a round
cookie cutter to cut the scrambled
eggs and american cheese
(1/2 pkg of cheese at about
another $1)

Finished Sausage, Egg, Cheese
Muffins

Package in Ziplock.
Store in refrig. til ready to use.
Use within week.
Remove from package,
put on microwave safe plate,
cook on high for 35 seconds
Cooks evenly!

Total Cost for 5 muffin
sandwiches~ $4
and fresh, not frozen.
 

Good Ol' Potato Soup

My mom's recipe for potato soup!

Ingredients~
6 medium sized potatoes
1 medium onion or handful of onion flakes
2 cups chicken broth
1 can Milnot
2 TBS butter
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp celery salt or seed
few grains of cayenne pepper

Directions~
Peel and cube potatoes in medium chunks. 
Boil, then simmer covered until tender.
Drain and mash half of potatoes with
potato masher, this is your potato pulp. 
Add all ingredients to potatoes, stirring
in pulp.  Cook over medium heat til
nice and warm.

Serves 6

I doubled recipe and made a big batch
to share.  Makes a great comfort food. 

Food Creations



Fun easy snowmen and fresh waffles for a week of good breakfasts



mini powdered donuts, candy corn noses and black icing for writing.  enjoyed making these with my grandson.  he did the noses and since the eyes and mouths took a steady hand, I did those! 

waffle mix ~follow directions, spray waffle iron with oil spray (I make my own by putting canola oil in spray bottle), spread oil into all cracks with oil brush.

Pour enough batter to cover bottom of waffle maker, sprinkle some chocolate chips, add more batter if there is room.  don't over fill...big mess

This is how the waffle should look when done.  Mine stuck a little (probably from the homemade no stick spray, doesn't spray as evenly:)  Use fork or spatula to lift off waffle iron.

I make about 6-8 and bag about 3 of them in zip sealed gallon baggies.  They can be warmed in microwave and are more fresh and less expensive than the store bought.  They are large, so one is usually one serving. 
I do this too with pancakes.  I make several at a time, saving to be warmed up by my family for a quick, fresh, easy breakfast!

No Boil Lasagna

2 pounds lean ground chuck cooked.
Mix 1 pint of ricotta cheese with 1 cup of Italian cheese, 1 quarter cup of Parmesan
Spread 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce on bottom of 9x13 pan  Lay 3 Barilla no boil lasagna on top of spaghetti sauce.
Spoon 1/3 of ricotta mixture over the noodles, 1/3 of your meat, another 1/2 jar sauce, then noodles and repeat 2 more times.
Top with remaining mozzarella, cover with foil, then put in oven at 375* for 40 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes till cheese is slightly brown.
Let cool 10 minutes before cutting.
Enjoy.

Cookie in a cup

Been on pinterest and found cake in a cup and loved it!  So this was my husband's idea.  And with only one large cookie you don't end up eating a dozen cookies.  I made 3 cups, one for each family member.  Spray a microwavable cup with non-stick spray, add a large spoonful of cookie dough and put in microwave for 55 seconds.  Awesome!  This was peanut butter cookie dough so I added a little nestle quik on top of each cookie.  Enjoy!

Hold the Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I tried to dress up my shrimp Alfredo by adding sun-dried tomatoes. I love them in recipes at restaurants! Notice the nice color it adds with the broccoli:) I was so proud that I took a pic! Then my family sat down to eat...Roger said "Eww, I don't like these." picking out the sun-dried tomatoes. Erik tried one and made a face. So they piled all theirs on my plate. And being my first experience cooking with sun-dried tomatoes, I had added too many to start. So half into mine, I got a little overwhelmed with them! But still I have to say it was a good combination and I would recommend it to others. So...Here's my recipe. It is quick and easy for harried moms and dads. Try it if you like.

Shrimp Alfredo with Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Ingredients
1 Bag frozen cooked, peeled and cleaned large shrimp (about 40) Thaw and remove tails if on.
1 jar of Alfredo sauce
1/2 lb of whole-wheat pasta
8oz frozen chopped broccoli
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped (revised!)
coarsely ground pepper
Grated Parmesan

Cook pasta according to package directions. In skillet add Alfredo sauce, frozen broccoli, chopped tomatoes, shrimp and pepper to taste and heat. Drain pasta and top with Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan.
Serves 6
Calories: too many!