MEATBALLS

Today I had a hankering for meatball subs.  Saucy with my favorite marinara and lots of melty cheese.  MMMMMMMM.....unfortunately when I went to the cupboard to get out the seasonings I realized I was totally out of dried Italian Seasoning. ARGH!!!! So I went to my handy dandy New Betty Crocker cookbook and looked for a recipe using the individual seasonings.  I found a list...really....just a list of the herbs used for Italian cooking.  Lucky for me I had 3 of those herbs growing in my planter garden outside the back door.  So I've revamped one of my old meatball recipes using fresh instead of dried herbs.  If you don't have the fresh herbs at hand feel free to substitute 2 TBSP of dried Italian Seasoning in it's place.  Right now half of the meatballs are simmering in the sauce while the other half are cooling to prep for the freezer to be used later. 

MEATBALLS

Makes approx 5 dozen meatballs

Prep: 30 mins

Baking: 30 mins

Additional baking in sauce: minimum 1 hour

3 lbs 80% lean ground beef

3 eggs

1-1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh Basil leaves, chopped

4 sprigs fresh Oregano, chopped (about 1 TBSP)

2 sprigs fresh Rosemary, chopped (about 1 TBSP)

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1 TBSP Garlic powder
1 TBSP Kosher Salt
1 Onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

Mix all ingredients by hand in large bowl until combined.  Using a medium sized scoop, form meatballs and place evenly spaced on a baking pan.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until browned.   Remove from oven and drain off fat.  At this time you can either add them to your favorite marinara sauce and simmer for an hour.  OR you can cool completely and place in freezer bags for later use.



portioned meatballs ready to go into the oven....I got 57!!



Meatballs fresh from the oven

Layering the meatballs in marinara to simmer.

Cooling the rest of the meatballs on a lined rack to get ready for the freezer

here's one on a fork that I am going to eat RIGHT AWAY!!!  YUM!!!

Bierocks (kind of a hot pocket type food)

1 lb ground beef (think I'll add some sausage next time)
1/4 cup chopped white onion (Yes Amy...I used onion)
2 Tbsp veg oil
1 head of cabbage - chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
18 Rhodes Texas size frozen yeast rolls - thawed
Shredded cheese (optional)
1/2 stick melted butter

Preheat oven to 350

Let your rolls thaw or if you have more energy than me you can make homemade rolls. My kitchen is too small and I'm a little lazy so I buy frozen.
Saute your onions in the vegetable oil, when soft add ground beef, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook until meat is browned. Now don't drain the meat yet. While the meat was browning you should have chopped up that head of cabbage. Add the cabbage and the Worcestershire sauce to the meat/onion mix, cover and cook until cabbage is limp....I'd say roughly ten minutes. Taste and add additional seasoning as needed. (I didn't do this and wish I'd added more seasoning.) Now you can drain all the liquid off of your meat/cabbage.

Take one of those Texas size thawed rolls and roll out very thin. Put approximately 1/4 cup of the meat/cabbage mixture in the middle. Sprinkle a little cheese if wanted and then seal up that roll. Place your creation seam side down on a cookie sheet (spray the cookie sheet with some cooking spray first) and start again. When your cookie sheet is full, brush the bierocks with some melted butter or an egg wash. Pop it into your preheated oven and bake 30 minutes. It smells wonderful. I love the smell of bread baking!
When the bierocks are golden brown remove from oven and brush with more butter!!

I've heard that these freeze well and microwave well. I plan on using sauerkraut in my next batch instead of cabbage. I love sauerkraut!

MEXICAN CASSEROLE

MEXICAN CASSEROLE  this recipe was give to me by my lil' bro John, and he got it from our cousin Stephen, who got it from.......you get the pic.  It's a recipe worth sharing!

1 lb Hamburger

½ onion, diced

1 can Ranch Beans with Jalapenos

1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles

1 can cream of chicken soup

12 corn tortillas

2-3 cups grated cheese

Brown hamburger meat with onions, drain fat.  Add beans, rotel and soup.  Tear up 6 tortillas and put on bottom of a sprayed 9x13 pan.  Layer half the meat mixture.  Layer half the cheese.  Tear 6 more tortillas and layer on top of the cheese.  Add remaining meat mixture.  Sprinkle on remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 mins.

ZUCCHINI HAMBURGER BOATS

ZUCCHINI HAMBURGER BOATS

1 1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup diced chile
2 - 10" zucchini
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp salt
shredded cheese of your choice

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and scrape pulp from each half to form a boat (reserve pulp for filling). Leave boats about 1/4" thick. Bake in 350 degree oven while preparing beef mixture. Mix ground beef, salt, onion, chile, and zucchini pulp in large skillet and cook until meat is done. Scoop meat mixture into zucchini boats, bake for 10 minutes then add grated cheese; bake an additional 10 minutes until boats are done and cheese is melted.

CHEDDAR BEEF ENCHILADAS

**We had these for dinner last night and the whole family loved them. I'm not sure exactly how long they took to prepare, but it is a fairly quick cook--no longer than 30 minutes start to finish.**

CHEDDAR BEEF ENCHILADAS
Serves: 6
posted by Sandee

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 c. water
2 c. cooked rice (I used instant brown rice)
1 cans (16 oz.) refried beans
2 c.(8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 jar (16 oz.) salsa
10-12 flour tortillas (8”), warmed
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Directions: In a large skillet, cook the beef; til done, drain. Stir in the taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice. Cook and stir until the liquid is evaporated. Next add the refried beans. Stir altogether. Place the mixture in tortilla and then top with cheese. Place seam down in a baking dish. Combine salsa and soup; pour down the center of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with more cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE #2

Enchilada Casserole
Posted by Sandee

2 packages enchilada sauce mix, prepared (I used can sauce)
Star's Taco meat recipe, prepared (follows)
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 pkg corn tortillas (8)
2 cups Mexican blended cheese

Optionals - Layer with other ingredients:
chili peppers
green bell peppers
olives

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a greased 9 x 13 pan (I used a glass dish), pour in approx 1/2 cup
enchilada sauce, or enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Put in a layer
of tortillas, spreading evenly,cutting to fit, if necessary. (I used 7,
then cut the 8th one in strips and used that on the top of the casserole).
Spread tortillas evenly with refried beans (use all); 1/2 the meat
mixture, 1/2 cheese and 1/2 optionals (I kept out 1/4 cheese to top
casserole after baking).

Spread another layer of tortillas. Pour on top 1/2 of the remaining sauce.
Spread the rest of the meat and cheese; top with remaining sauce.

Bake, covered, 20 minutes, or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Uncover,
sprinkle with reserved cheese and bake 4-5 minutes, until cheese is
melted. Sprinkle with shredded lettuce and tomatoes, if desired.

******************

Star's Taco Meat

2 lbs ground beef ( I used the very low fat kind so I didn't have any fat
to drain out)
1 tsp salt (I probably used a little less, you won't miss it)
2 Tbsp Chili powder (use all of this)
2 Tbsp Paprika (use all of this)
1 tsp Cumin (I probably used two because I found a recipe that said that
cumin was one of the secrets to making the taco flavor so good)
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper


Brown ground beef. If you have a lot of grease in the pan, you'll need to
drain it. If not, proceed. When beef is done, immediately stir in spices
over low heat and stir until blended. Do not add any liquid. Remove from
heat.

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
Posted Sandee

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 c. water
2-3 Tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 c. salsa, divided
10 flour tortillas (8"), cut into 3/4" strips, divided (I used corn tortillas)
1 c. (8 oz.) sour cream
2 cans (15 1/4 oz. each) whole kernel corn, drained
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed (I omitted)
4 c. (16 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in water, chili powder, salt, pepper and garlic powder (and cumin, if using). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Place 1/4 cup salsa each in 2 greased 8" square baking dishes. Layer each dish with a fourth of the tortillas and 1/4 cup salsa.*
Divide meat mixture, sour cream and corn between the two casseroles. Top with remaining tortillas, salsa and cheese.
Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 1 month. Cover and bake second casserole @ 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake as directed above. Yield: 2 casseroles (4-6 servings each).

BEEF TACO BAKE

BEEF TACO BAKE

1 pound ground beef
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 cup thick & chunky salsa or picante sauce
1/2 cup milk
6 flour tortillas (8 inch) or 8 corn tortillas (6 inch) cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef until browned, stirring to separate meat. Pour off fat.

2. Add soup, salsa, milk, tortillas and half the cheese. Spoon into a 2 quart shallow baking dish. Cover.

3. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

BASIC CHILI RECIPE

Basic Chili Recipe

1 lb ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium green pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) beans (kidney, chili, black, you choose), undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

Cook and stir ground beef, onion and green pepper in small dutch oven until beef is brown and onions are tender; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients. Break up tomatoes with fork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occassionally, 20 to 30 minutes.

***I ALWAYS double this recipe....and at the request of Clinton I mostly leave out the beans....sometimes I'll put half the amount in. It is edible in 20-30 minutes....but tastes best if you simmer for at least an hour or two.***

FRITO CHILI PIE

FRITO CHILI PIE            Posted by Sandee

4 lbs. Ground Beef
2 Large Onions
2 (2oz.) pkgs. Williams Chili Seasoning Original
(yes this is double the amount of seasoning!)
2 (15oz.) cans Diced Tomatoes, undrained
1 (15oz.) can Pinto Beans, undrained
1 (15oz.) can Kidney Beans, undrained
Salt to taste
Original size Fritos
Cheddar Cheese, grated
Sour Cream
Green Onions, chopped


Brown the ground beef and onion. Stir in the Chili seasoning packets, tomatoes, beans and salt. Simmer on low until thoroughly heated and bubbly.
Place small handful of Fritos into individual serving bowls. Top the Fritos with chili bean mixture. Garnish the top with sour cream, grated cheese and green onions.

HAMBURGER BARLEY SOUP

Hamburger Barley Soup     Posted by Sandee

1 pound hamburger
5 cups water
32 ounce canned tomatoes, broken up
1 medium onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup Pearl Barley
1/4 cup ketchup
1 beef bouillon cube
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon dry crushed basil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a 3 quart pan, brown meat. Drain off fat. Add water and undrained tomatoes. Put in everything else in order, except the salt and pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce and simmer, covered for 2 hours. When done, season with salt and pepper to taste.

TACO SOUP

Posted by Sandee

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 package taco seasoning
1 package Italian dressing mix
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
4-5 drops Tabasco sauce
2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans pinto beans with jalapenos, rinsed and drained
1 can rotel tomatoes
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 6-oz can tomato paste
2 cans white hominy, drained
2 cans yellow corn, drained
4-6 cups water, more or less as needed

Garnishes:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Fritos or tortilla chips
Sour Cream

Brown ground beef, onion, pepper, and garlic in a large soup pot; drain. Add taco seasoning and Italian dressing packet and mix well. Add remaining ingredients, adjusting the water to obtain desired soup consistency. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheese, chips and any additional garnishes desired.

**Flavor is even better the second day.

MEATBALL STEW

MEATBALL STEW

1 pound ground beef
½ cup dry bread crumbs
¼ cup milk
2 TBSP finely chopped onion
1 tsp salt
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
Seasoning Mix (below)
1 ½ cups water
4 stalks celery, cut into ¼” slices (about 2 cups)
1 can (16 oz) whole tomatoes, undrained
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, undrained

Mix ground beef, bread crumbs, milk, onion, salt, Worcestershire sauce and egg; shape into meatballs of desired size. Cook in lightly oiled Dutch oven over medium heat, turning occasionally, until brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in Seasoning Mix until meatballs are coated. Add water, celery, tomatoes and kidney beans. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional water if necessary.
6 servings.



SEASONING MIX
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons instant minced onion
1 tablespoon instant beef bullion
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground thyme
½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/8 teaspoon marjoram

Combine all ingredients.

Do-ahead Tip: Prepare several packages of Seasoning Mix and store in plastic bag or airtight container in a cool dry place. Use 1 Seasoning Mix package for each recipe of Meatball Stew.

TERIYAKI MARINADE

I like to use this marinade on Chicken Leg Quarters best!  It gives it such a wonderful deep flavor!

Teriyaki Marinade

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Pour over meat and allow to marinade for atleast 30 mintues.  Grill as desired.

RUEBEN SANDWICH

RUEBEN SANDWICH
makes 1 sandwich

2 slices lights seeded Rye bread
2 tsp Thousand Island Salad Dressing
1 slice Swiss cheese (I like to use 2 slices)
3 or 4 slices thinly sliced corned beef
¼ cup sauerkraut (squeeze the juice out so your sandwich doesn’t get soggy)
Softened butter or margarine

Heat non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Generously butter one side of each slice of Rye bread. Put first slice, butter side down on skillet. Spread one tsp of Thousand Island dressing on bread, layer cheese, corned beef and sauerkraut. (When I add a second slice of cheese, I add it on top of the sauerkraut, it seems to help hold it in place). Spread remaining tsp of dressing on remaining unbuttered side of bread, place on top of stack with dressing side down. Grill until each side is golden brown and cheese is melted.

EXTRA EASY LASAGNA

So this is what your lasagna looks like if you don't allow it to set for the prescribed time!!! But even when it's runny it super yummy!!!

EXTRA EASY LASAGNA

1 lb ground beef
3 cups spaghetti sauce (1 jar)
6 dry lasagna noodles
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup water

1) Cook beef until browned. Drain. Add spaghetti sauce. Heat through; stir often.

2) Spray a 2 quart oblong baking dish with cooking spray or oil. Spread 1 ½ cups sauce in bottom of dish. Top with 3 noodles and half of the mozzarella. Repeat. Top with remaining sauce. Slowly pour water around inside edge of dish, cover with foil.

3) Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

APRIL'S MOM'S LASAGNA

April's Mom's Lasagna
Posted by Sandee
Serves 6-8

1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water (or as much as a cup if needed)
5 cups (approximately) shredded mozzarella cheese
1 (8-oz) carton sour cream
1 (8-oz) carton cottage cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Raw lasagna noodles

Brown meat, onion and garlic salt; drain. Add seasonings, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water; simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt/pepper if needed. In a separate bowl, mix cheeses and sour cream. In a 9x13 baking dish, layer meat sauce, noodles, and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer.

MAZZETTI

MAZZETTI

1 jar of favorite prepared spaghetti sauce
8 oz Rotini pasta
2 lbs hamburger meat
2 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Brown hamburger meat and boil noodles according to directions on package. Add butter, salt and pepper to noodles. Mix the spaghetti sauce with the hamburger meat. Pour noodles into a 13x9" casserole dish and put hamburger mix on top. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the hamburger mixture. Heat at 350 degrees in the oven just until the cheese is melted.

FRITO BAKE

Posted by Patrice Hansford

Frito Bake

1 lb hamburger meat
2 cans black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 pkg of chili seasoning
shredded cheese
sour cream
bag of Frito corn chips

Brown hamburger meat, drain and add taco seasoning. Add all can ingredients and heat thoroughly.

Add frito chips to your bowl, top with chili, shredded cheese & sour cream.

This recipe feeds about 6 people.

BEEF TIPS & RICE

Posted by Patrice Hansford

BEEF TIPS & RICE

1 lb of Stew beef
1 can of beef gravy
1 can of mushrooms (drained)
2 cups rice

I like to cut my stew beef into smaller pieces, then add it to the crock pot. Pour in the beef gravy and mushrooms. Set the crock pot on Low and cook for 5 to 6 hours or until beef is cooked through.

Cook your rice according to the instructions on the bag...
IF you have a rice cooker. I like my rice to be only SLIGHTLY sticky so for every 1 cup of rice I add only 1 1/4 cup of water and salt to taste.