Waikiki Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
2/3 cup cracker crumbs
1/3 cup minced onion
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 cup milk
Sauce:
3 T cornstarch
1 (13oz) can pineapple tidbits, save syrup for sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1/3 cup chopped green peppers
3/4 cup sliced carrots/parboiled
1/2 cup sliced celery parboiled

Mix meatball ingredients throughly.  Shape mixture by rounded tablespoons into balls.  Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes
Mix cornstarch and sugar.  Stir in reserved pineapple syrup, vinegar, and soy sauce until smooth.  Pour into skillet.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil and stir 1 minute with chopped green pepper.  Add meatballs, pineablle tidbits and parboiled carrots and celery heat through.  Serve over cooked rice.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb Extra Lean Ground Beef
1 Cup Onion, diced
14 1/2 oz can Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
2 cups Green and/or Red Bell Peppers
15 oz can Tomato Sauce
3 cups Beef Broth
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup cooked rice

Directions:
Brown the beef with your onion in a skillet over medium heat.  Drain the beef and onions and place in your slow cooker.    Add the Rotel (juice and all) and the rest of the ingredients.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (4oz) cream cheese
1/3 cup green salsa (optional)
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2  tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I like chicken cooked in the crock pot with salsa and taco seasoning)
1 cup grated cheese
about 20 flour 6 inch tortillas

Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees.   Lightly coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
Heat cream cheese in microwave for 20 seconds.  Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder.  Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions.  Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

Place 2-3 Tbsp of chicken mixture on tortilla.  Roll it up as tight as you can.  Place seam side down on baking sheet.  Lay all the filled tortillas on a baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other.  Spray tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:
3 eggs lightly beaten
4 cups of chicken stock
1 Tbsp of cornstarch
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 tsp white pepper
3/4 cup of mushrooms, chopped

Directions:

Reserve 1/2 cup of chicken stock and mix with cornstarch until dissolved.

Place the chicken stock, ginger, soy sauce, green onions, mushrooms, and white pepper in a pot and bring to a boil.  Ad the cornstarch and stock mixture and stir.  Reduce heat to a simmer.

Slowly pour in the beaten eggs while stirring the soup.  The egg will spread out into ribbons.  Turn off the heat and garnish with a few more chopped green onions.  Serve immediately. 

Ben's Super Secret Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:
6 Tbsp  chopped onion
4 Tbsp butter
6 cups of pumpkin or squash
3 cups water
4 cubes of chicken bullion
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 pkgs of cream cheese
Optional: Super Secret (gives soup a sweet and spicy flavor)Add:
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup agave syrup

Directions:

Saute onions and butter.  Add all other ingredients except cream cheese.  Remove from heat and add cream cheese (do not cook the cream cheese).  Blend everything in a food processor or blender.  Serve.

Sweet Potato Burritos

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Ingredients
•1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•1 onion, chopped
•4 cloves garlic, minced
•6 cups canned kidney beans, drained
•2 cups water
•2.5(ish) tablespoons chili powder
•2 teaspoons ground cumin
•4 teaspoons prepared mustard
•1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
•3 tablespoons soy sauce
•4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
•12 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
•8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm (it's going to seem really watery). Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce. Mix in mashed sweet potatoes.
3.Divide bean and sweet potato mixture evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.
4.Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

Balsamic Chicken

I found this recipe on Melissa's bargain blog. I love all things balsamic and I love food cooked in the slow cooker because it makes dinner time so much less stressful. Everyone in my family loved this chicken. This will definitely become a regular at our house.

Ingredients:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Halves – approx. 1.5 to 2 lbs.
½ C. Olive Oil
½ – 1 C. Balsamic Vinegar – depending on how tangy you like the recipe
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
3-4 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
2 t. crushed dry oregano

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in Crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and serve chicken and sauce over rice or angel hair pasta. The consistency and taste of the sauce is sweet and tangy like an Italian barbeque sauce.

Hawaiian Haystacks

We recently had these at a church activity. Super easy to make and tasty too. It's easy to customize to everyone's taste with the different toppings you can put on top. My favorite toppings are the chow mein noodles, green onions, cheese, and pineapple. Yum.

Ingredients:1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sliced mushrooms
6 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into pieces

Directions:Melt butter in large saucepan. Add flour and salt and stir. Add milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms and chicken. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Serves 8.

Serve over sticky, white rice with the following toppings:

grated cheddar cheese
chopped celery
chowmein noodles
pineapple tidbits
chopped tomatoes
coconut
toasted sliced almonds
chopped green onions
soy sauce

Hawaiian Chicken Bowl

I found this recipe on On my Menu (and stole her picture too :) It was a hit at my house. It was one of those rare meals that everyone loved. Surprisingly they even all tried it with the ranch and loved the ranch dressing on top. Besides tasting good, I loved that it was soo simple to make and put together.

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple

1 bottle (16 oz) barbecue sauce

4-6 cups rice, cooked

Steamed broccoli

Ranch dressing

Directions:

Place meat in 3 1/2-5 quart slow cooker. Combine pineapple and barbecue sauce and pour over meat. Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Layer in bowls: rice, chicken, broccoli, and a little ranch dressing. Makes 4-6 servings.

Beef Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1 leftover pot roast, chopped up into bite size pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 potatoes, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
2 carrots, sliced
3/4 cup frozen peas
2 packages brown gravy mix
2 cups water
1/2 tsp marjorum
1/2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 9 inch pie crusts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. Place chopped up vegetables (onion, celery, potatoes, carrots) into frying pan with oil. Cook until onion is translucent. Add 2 brown gravy mixes, 2 cups of water, and frozen peas. Cover and let simmer until potatoes and carrots are cooked through. Add the chopped up pot roast. Add marjorum, thyme, salt and pepper and mix through. Let simmer until everything is heated through (won't take long). Place pie crust in pie pan. Add in the pot pie filling and top with pie crust. Follow directions for pie crust but I cooked this for 20 minutes at 425

Meatballs

My next door neighbor is in incredible shape. I could only dream of looking like her. So when she tells me something I listen. For instance when I found out she eats the egg rolls Wal-mart sells, you better bet I went out and bought them for myself. So when I ran a half marathon recently she gave me advice on what to eat to prepare for the race. She gave me a bean salad to eat 2 days before and these meatballs to eat the afternoon before the race. She said they would both give me so much energy--and I think they did. I got the recipe from her so I can make them for myself. It may be my new ritual for long distance races.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs lean (93/7) ground beef
3-4 stalks celery chopped up fine
1 small yellow onion, chopped up fine
bundle of parsley chopped up
4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
1.5 cups wheat germ

Directions:
Put the first 4 ingredients in a big bowl. Add the eggs, salt, pepper, and wheat germ and mash it all together. Place water in a big pot and bring to a boil. Make meatballs and add them to the water to boil. Boil for about 40 minutes until done. Boiling the meatballs draws all of the fat away from the meatball so they are healthier.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:
3 cups Mashed potatoes
1 14oz can green beans or frozen green beans
1 chopped onion
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1/4 tsp thyme
1 clove garlic
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Directions:
Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet. Drain the grease. Add the can of mushroom soup, thyme and garlic. Pour into 9 inch casserole dish. Place drained green beans on top of the meat mixture. Place the mashed potatoes on top of the green beans. Bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

Meal in a Pumpkin

My mother-in-law introduced me to this recipe many years ago. It is a fun one to make for Halloween. We have had this every year since the kiddoes were very small. I personally love it.

Ingredients:

1 10" pumpkin

1 onion, chopped

2 T oil

1 1/2-2lbs ground beef

2 T soy sauce

2 T brown sugar

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 8oz can water chestnuts, drained

1 4 oz can mushrooms, drained (I like fresh)

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

Directions:

Saute onion in oil, add meat and brown. Drain and add all ingredients but the rice, water chesnuts and mushrooms. Simmer 10 minutes. Add rice, water chestnuts and mushrooms. PUt in cleaned out pumpkin. Bake at 350 for 1-1 1/2 hours with lid on. You'll know it's done when the pumpkin is soft.

Zuppa Tuscana

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup ground Italian sausage

2 medium potatoes cut in half lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch slices

3/4 cup diced onions

6 slices bacon

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 cups Kale leaf, cut into half and then sliced

2 T chicken base

1 qt water

1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Cook ground sausage in skillet until done. In separate saucepan, cook bacon and onions. When bacon is crisp remove bacon. Leaving onion. Add garlic to onion and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken base, water, and potatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Add crumbled bacon, sausage, kale, and cream. Simmer for 4 minutes.

Quiche Lorraine

This is a recipe from my mother-in-law. It made a fantastic dinner and the leftovers made a fantastic breakfast.

Ingredients:

pastry for a 9 inch one crust pie
8 slices bacon, crisply crumbled
1 cup shredded swiss cheese (I don't like swiss so I used cheddar)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
4 large eggs
2 cups whipping cream or half and half
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne


Directions:

Prepare pastry for a 9 inch one-crust pie. Sprinkle bacon, cheese, and onion in pastry lined pie dish. Beat eggs slightly, add remaining ingredients. Pour into pie dish. Bake for 15 minutes at 425. Reduce oven temperature to 300 and bake 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup celery
1/4 cup onion
1 tsp butter
6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken (I used 1 can chicken)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp marjorum
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp parsley
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/4 cups egg noodles
1/2 cup frozen peas

Directions:
In a large saucepan saute carrot, celery and onion in butter until tender. Add broth, chicken and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add noodles and frozen peas; cook for 10 minutes or until tender.

Mexican Chicken with Jalapeno popper sauce

This recipe came along just in time for my bumper crop of jalapenos. I found it on On my menu, where I find all kinds of great recipes. I was excited to try this one out and it lived up to all my expectations. Shane told me he wanted me to make it again. The next day I had more sauce and no more chicken but I was craving the sauce. So for breakfast I made myself an open faced scrambled egg sandwich with the sauce on top. It was soo good. I still have some sauce left and I can't wait to have the same breakfast tomorrow.

Ingredients:
3 Chicken Breasts
A Sprinkle of Cumin per Breast
A Sprinkle of Chili Powder per Breast
A Sprinkle of Salt per Breast
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
3 Jalapenos, Seeded and Chopped
8 Oz. of Cream Cheese
2 Cups of Chicken Broth
3 Slices of Bacon
3/4 Cup of Shredded Cheddar or Colby Jack
1 Tbsp of Fresh Cilantro, chopped + more for garnish

Directions:
Fry bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towel-lined plate.
Sprinkle chicken with seasonings (I mixed 1 tsp of the cumin, chili, and salt together and then sprinkled that on the chicken) while the bacon crisps. Add the chicken to the hot bacon fat in the skillet. Cook chicken, turning every few minutes, until juices run clear and no longer pink. Remove from skillet and keep warm.
Add chopped jalapenos to the skillet and cook for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds to a minute more, until fragrant.
Add chicken broth, deglazing pan. Bring to a boil.
Add cream cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Add in shredded cheese and bacon, stirring until the cheese in melted. Turn off heat and stir in cilantro.
Serve chicken on a bed of Mexican or Taco rice (I made cilantro lime rice) and topped with sauce. Garnish with additional cilantro if desired.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (you could use chicken too)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small can chopped green chiles

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 pint sour cream

shredded cheese

corn tortillas

1 T oil

Directions:

Brown ground beef. I cooked my onions with the beef but I think my mother in law just uses raw onion. Place chicken soup, chopped chiles, and sour cream in a saucepan and heat to boiling point. Meanwhile, place tortilla one at a time in hot oil, let fry just until hot, place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. On tortilla add sauce, cheese, onions, and meat. Roll tortillas and place in 9x13 baking pan. Pour leftover sauce over rolled tortillas, sprinkle with cheese. Place in 350 oven to heat through and cheese to melt.

Italian Saute

This is a recipe I've had for a long time. I used to make it quite frequently but Shane started complaining about all of my spinach recipes. I'm a big fan of spinach, the rest of my family--not so much. It was nice pulling this recipe out of retirement. I liked it as much as I remembered and no one complained about the spinach.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I put in a lot more than that)
1 0z can tomato sauce
2 T parsley flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 10oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions:
In large skillet cook ground beef and drain off extra fat. Add onion and mushrooms and continue to cook until moisture is absorbed. Add tomato sauce, parsley flakes, garlic powder, basil, oregano, and seasoned salt. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Combine spinach and cottage cheese. Sprinkle 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese over meat mixture. Spoon cottage cheese mixture evenly over meat. Spread remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Cover skillet and simmer 15 min. Serve.

Chicken Tettrazzini

This is a recipe I've been making for years. It's a simple meal to put together that most everyone in my family will eat. The one that won't eat it is vegetarian so she doesn't reallt count.

Ingredients:
2 T butter
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1 26oz can cream of chicken soup
1 1/4 cup milk
3 cups cubed cooked chicken (I just used one can, we aren't big meat eaters here)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 tsp pepper
4 cups hot cooked spaghetti (8oz)

Directions:
In skillet over medium heat, in hot butter, cook mushrooms and onion until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. In bowl, combine soup, milk, chicken, cheese, parsley, pepper, and mushroom mixture. Add spaghetti; toss to coat. Spoon into 3 qt. Oblong baking dish. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Stir. Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.