Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

Hello all! You'll have to forgive my absence....I've been busy getting ready for baby! She arrived a little early (8 days), much to the delight of her parents and is as cute as ever. The story is on my personal blog, if you are interested.

So...on to the recipe. I love these. They are the perfect thing for dinner or appetizers, for the family or a big party. With Christmas and New Years coming up, it seemed like the perfect time to post this. Did I mention they are totally FAST and EASY????

Baked Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 lb lean ground beef or turkey

2 eggs

1/2 C breadcrumbs

1 clove garlic (more if desired!), chopped

1/4 onion, chopped

1 tsp Italian seasoning (optional...I usually don't add this when using with this sauce...)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all meatball ingredients and form into balls. (I use my cookie scoop - it's like a small ice cream scoop, but you can make them bigger if you prefer...). Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Sweet and Tangy Sauce:

1 C ketchup

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 C water

1/3 C brown sugar

1/4 C Worchestershire sauce

1/4 C white vinegar

Mix together all the ingredients for the sauce. You can then do one of two things: throw the cooked meatballs and sauce into a crock pot. This is how I prefer to do it. The flavors can simmer together for a bit and you can prep ahead of time this way. This is also perfect if you are serving for a party, as you can just keep it plugged in and hot. If you are in a rush however you can just heat the sauce on the stove and serve immediately with the meatballs.

I like to eat this with rice, so if you are doing that make sure you plan ahead and put your rice on to cook probably first, since the meatballs don't take long to make or cook. Also if you don't have breadcrumbs on hand you can 1)Make your own or 2) Substitute. Both are easy fixes. You can make your own by toasting bread and just crushing it up. This is a great way to use stale bread or the end of the bread that no one wants to eat. If you have a good blender that is good for making breadcrumbs. You can also substitute with OATMEAL or crushed crackers, cereal, etc. I actually like to use oatmeal with ground beef in a lot of recipes. Use the quick cooking or rolled oats (not instant). I like it because it doesn't affect the flavor or texture (that I can taste anyway), it extends and bulks up the meat (usually the most expensive part of your meal) for next to nothing and it adds whole grains to you dish.

With that I'll with you Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hope your celebrations are full of joy and good memories!

Kristy

MUD PIE

This is a Thanksgiving tradition in my family.  It is loved by all and many of these pies are made each year.

Mud Pie

1 cup Sugar

1/2 tsp Salt

2/3 cup Flour

1/3 cup Cocoa

2 Eggs

2-1/2 cups Milk

1/4 cup Margarine or Butter

1 tsp vanilla

1-2 cooked pie crust(s)

Whipped Cream (optional)

Chocolate Shavings (optional)

Mix together well the sugar, salt, flour and cocoa.  Beat the eggs until fluffy and stiff.  Add eggs to the mixture  Heat the milk slowly in microwave.  Add 1/2 of the milk to above mixture.  Mix well then add rest of milk.  Cook on low heat, covered, stirring often.  When thickened good (will be lumpy), remove from heat.  Beat with beaters until smooth.  Mix in the margarine and vanilla.  Chill in fridge then add to cooked pie crust.   Top with Whipped Cream and Shaved Chocolate if desired.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Nacho Bake

I loathe Mac N Cheese and Hot Dogs...however this is a meal that I resort to often for daycare because: 1 - it's EASY, no oven, one pan... 2 - it's QUICK... 3 - It's CHEAP.... So yesterday I announced we were going to have this for lunch and I got at least three groans of "yuck!". I don't normally get that response, but I had to agree with them on it! So I turned over the box and found this recipe. It was still fairly easy, quick and cheap. The kids and I both loved it. I actually had Shells and Cheese on hand, instead of Mac N Cheese, but I'm sure either would work great.

Nacho Bake

1 pkg Shells and Cheese

1 lb ground beef

1 pkg Taco Seasoning Mix

3/4 C water

3/4 C sour cream

3/4 C shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 C salsa

1/2 C coursely crushed tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the shells and cheese according to basic directions. While Pasta is cooking, brown meat and drain. Add taco seasoning mix and water to the meat. Simmer 5 minutes.

Stir sour cream into the prepared shells. Spoon half of the shells mixture into medium size casserole dish. Top with a layer of meat, half of the cheese, another layer of shells and another layer of meat. Cover.

Bake 15 minutes. Top with salsa, remaining cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Bake uncovered an additional 5 minutes.

Snickerdoodles

These are my most favorite cookies of all time.  My Grandma Alldredge (my dad's mom), would always make these cookies and have them ready for us when we came for a visit while we were young.  I made these the other day for a cookie exchange we were having in Relief Society and they turned out to be a big hit with everyone and I received plenty of compliments.  So I thought I would share them on the blog.  I hope you enjoy them too! 

Snickerdoodles

Sugar
1/2 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Margarine or Butter, Softened
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2-3/4 Cup Flour
1 Tsp Soda
1/4 Tsp Salt
2 Tsp Cream of Tartar
2 Tsp Cinnamon

Cream 1-1/2 cups sugar, shortening and margarine together in bowl.  Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Combine next 4 ingredients in a seperate bowl.  Stir into creamed mixture.  Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.  Shape into walnut-sized balls.  Mix cinnamon and 2 Tablespoons sugar in small bowl.  Roll cookies in sugar mixture.  Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. 

Wassail (Non-alchoholic)

It's only November and I'm already in the holiday mood. So in celebration of that I've decided to post one of our family Christmas recipes. This is a traditional hot drink....everything about it says "Happy Holidays!" When you are making this your house will smell DIVINE. Just be careful not to let it simmer for too long or you'll end with a soupy syrupy concocotion. I find I sometimes have to water it down a little even after simmer for only an hour or so, but I really don't like mine too strong. You'll have to just experiment a little and find the best mix for you. Good luck!

Wassail

Bring 1 Quart of water and 2 Cups of sugar to a boil.

Add:

2 Quarts of Apple Cider or Juice.

From frozen concentrate and with required water add:

1 6 ounce can of orange juice and 1 6 ounce can of lemonade. (This is a small can. I don't usually see them in this size, so just use the normal size - 12 ounces - and use half of it. You could double the recipe, but that will make a HUGE batch of Wassail).

Also add a few whole cloves and 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks.

Heat to a simmer, but do not boil. Let simmer for an hour or so. Take the cinnamen sticks out after 45 minutes or until you get to your desired spiciness.

This drink is a great substitute for hot chocolate or hot cider if you want something a little different. The recipe does make quite a bit so it's really good for parties, caroling, etc.