Super Bowl Saturdays: Party Meatballs

Picture from TasteofHome.com- I forgot to take one in my rush to get to GG

Meatballs are one of my favorite appetizers to have at a party. They're very filling and usually covered in some kind of delicious sauce. And when your guests will most likely be a bunch of young guys, you want appetizers that are heavy and filling. As much as I love chicken salad in phyllo cups, that won't cut it for a bunch of Marines watching the Super Bowl.

This recipe caught my attention because it's just a slight change from the usual meatball sauce that uses grape jelly and Heinz Chili Sauce. The BBQ sauce makes a nice substitute and the grape jelly only gives it a touch of sweetness-there's no overwhelming grape jelly taste.

You can make your own meatballs for this but I would go with the prepackaged ones. They hold together better and it makes it much easier on you.

Party Meatballs

Source: The Country Cook

1 (32 oz) bag frozen meatballs

1 (18 oz) jar grape jelly

1 (18 oz) bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Pour the meatballs, grape jelly, and BBQ sauce into the crock pot and stir until combined. Cook the mixture on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 2-2.5 hours, until completely cooked through, stirring occasionally

When they are cooked through, set the crock pot on "warm" and let guests serve themselves. Just place toothpicks next to the meatballs. Enjoy!

Meatballs with Peppers and Pineapples

Does anyone else feel like Asian food is kind of addicting? I think it's the sauce. The sauce is always delicious and makes me want to eat more rice. Although it's not a traditional Asian recipe by any means, I was definitely addicted to these sauce-covered meatballs.

This was really easy to make but tastes like it took awhile. If you like spice, up the crushed red pepper.

Meatballs with Peppers and Pineapples

Source: The Pioneer Woman

1 1/4 lb ground beef

1/2 onion, diced

1 whole egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, more to taste

1/4 cup All-Purpose flour

canola oil, for frying

2 whole green peppers, seeded and diced roughly

1 1/2 cup fresh pineapple chunks

2 cups beef stock

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 cup sherry or wine vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

salt to taste

crushed red pepper to taste

extra beef stock, if needed

rice, cooked (optional)

Combine ground beef, diced onion, egg, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and crushed red pepper. Mix well with hands until combined. Roll meat mixture into small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze on the pan for 15 minutes to firm.

Mix together beef stock, soy sauce, sherry (or vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch.

Heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Roll meatballs in flour, then fry in two batches until nice and brown, about 2 minutes per batch. Remove meatballs and set aside on a separate plate.

Pour off oil from pan and return pan to medium-high heat. When pan is hot, throw in the chopped green peppers and cook for one minute. Add pineapple to pan and cook for one minute, stirring gently. Pour in stock/soy sauce mixture, then add meatballs. Stir gently to combine and cook for one minute, or until sauce is thickened. Add salt and crushed red peppers to taste.

Serve over cooked rice. Enjoy!

Ragu a la Bolognese

I hope y'all enjoyed all the pumpkin recipes! I had a lot of fun looking for recipes to try and trying out all the ones I picked. I'm still enjoying some pumpkin snickerdoodles with my pumpkin spice latte!

There isn't a trace of pumpkin in this recipe but it sure was good. It does take awhile to make so I suggest picking a day where you have lots of time to prepare dinner. It also makes quite a lot of spaghetti sauce so you may want to think about freezing half and saving it for later.

Ragu a la Bolognese

Source: Christine's Kitchen Chronicles

1 lb ground beef

1 pound italian sausage

7 oz bacon or pancetta, sliced

1 ;arge onion, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

28 oz can diced tomatoes

2.5 tbsp tomato paste

2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp pepper

3.5 cps beef broth

2.5 tbsp fresh basil chopped

pinch of dried basil

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, melt butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for 4 minutes. Add the vegetables and garlic and cook an additional 5 minutes. Crumble the ground meats into the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, until browned.

Pour in milk and nutmeg. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, broth, basil, bay leaves, pepper, and salt. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

After sauce has rested for a little while, skim the grease off the top of the sauce. Adjust seasonings as needed and serve over hot pasta. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Week: Dinner in a Pumpkin

When you're married to someone in the military, you learn lots of stuff. You learn nothing is ever set in stone until it's already happened. You learn to hurry up and then wait. You learn a whole lotta TLA's and FLA's (that's three letter acronyms and four/five letter acronyms). You learn ranks and other military things. But one of the most important things you learn is that friends can be just like family.

It's an important lesson when you're over 2000 miles from home and your close family members. So you take your friendly family (family friends?) and make the best of being far from home. You make new traditions. Like going to the pumpkin patch when it's 80º outside. Here's a few pictures from the pumpkin patch before you get your next pumpkin recipe!

Clockwise from top left: Some of the best people I know out here and the group that came with us to the pumpkin patch (look closely-the lady tried to crop Stout out from the bottom). Stout feeding goats at the pumpkin farm. The guys get a little crazy when thy are all together-plus DADT was repealed so there's nothing holding them back (kidding). Neil and his bestie, Stout.

Left: Our roomie, Michael, and his girlfriend, Whitney. They are kinda the cutest couple I know. Right: Me, the hubs, and his awkward picture takingness :)

Left: Neil, Jar, and Stout showing off their human totem poll skills and their uber-closeness. Right: Karisa (who gifted me with the pumpkin butter and joined us for a pumpkin dinner) and her husband, Ivan.

The pumpkin patch was almost as awesome as the people we went with. It was Neil and I's second time going to Bates Nut Farm and we were glad to have everyone along with us. While we were there, Karisa suggested doing dinner in a pumpkin so we made a date. On Friday, she and her hubby came over and we wowed the guys with our pumpkin presentation skills.

That's right, dinner was served inside the pumpkin! The pumpkin became the bowl/cooking receptacle and what made it even better was that you could scrape some of the pumpkin off the side and enjoy it with your dinner.

I'm not a mushroom person but this was delicious. You could do all types off things inside these pumpkin bowls (pumpkin chile, anyone?) but I definitely suggest following the recipe below.

Dinner in a Pumpkin

Source: The Mother Huddle

4 small pumpkins or 1 medium pumpkin (use 4 if you want everyone to have their own individual pumpkin bowl)

1.5 lbs ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

2 tbsp oil

1/2 cup celery, chopped

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 can sliced mushrooms

1 small can cream of chicken soup

1-1/2 cups cooked rice

1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained

Preheat oven to 350º. Wash the outer surface of the pumpkins thoroughly. Cut a circle in the top, just like if you were going to carve the pumpkin. Remember to slant the knife so that the lid doesn't fall straight through. Clean out all of the seeds and stringy pulp. Rinse well and set aside.

Heat the oil in a sauce pan. Add ground beef and cook until brown, drain. Add onion and celery and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Once, the vegetables are done, add the brown sugar, soy sauce, cream of chicken soup, mushrooms, cooked rice, and water chestnuts. Mix well.

Place the cleaned pumpkins on a cookie sheet. Scoop the mixture into the pumpkin and place the pumpkin top back on. Put the pumpkins into the oven and cook for 1-2 hours. Check after an hour. The cooking time will vary according to size of the pumpkin. Our little ones took just over an hour. You will know it is done when the pumpkin is tender and the mixture is bubbling all the way through.

Serve warm. Enjoy!

Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika

I don't know what it is about me but I have a hard time finding a recipe and sticking to it. We have a favorite stew recipe from my Taste of Home Cookbook but I'm always looking for a better one, although I've yet to find one.

This Pioneer Woman Recipe intrigued me because of the two ingredients listed in the title. It's similar to our favorite TOH one with just a few minor changes. The hubs really liked the additional flavor and I did as well. I'm still not 100% sold but if you are in need of comfort food on a cold night, this is your recipe.

Beef Stew with Beer and Paprika

Source: The Pioneer Woman

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

2 lbs stew meat

1 whole medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

12 oz can of beer

4 cups beef stock

2 cups water

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

1.5 tsp sugar

4 whole carrots, washed, unpeeled, and roughly sliced

4 whole new potatoes, quartered

minced parsley, optional

Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown mean in two batches, setting on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half and set aside.

Add diced onion to the pot. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add garlic to pot and cook for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1.5-2 hours. If the liquid reduces too much, add additional water as needed.

Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. If stew gets dry, add1 cup of hot water at a time to replenish liquid. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Sprinkle with minced parsley, if desired. Enjoy!

Chili Nachos

Have you ever shared a plate of nachos with someone? Inevitably, as you get near the bottom of the nachos, you spot the one nacho that is overloaded with cheese and just as you are reaching for it, the other person grabs it first. This happens all the time with Neil and I whenever we share food. I usually shoot him a dirty look and then try and scrape some cheese off the side to enjoy with my last chip. If you look at the photo below, you'll realize that nacho platers could save us married folks some dirty looks by just using a simple layering method!

All they have to do is put a layer of chips, a layer of cheese (or this delicious chili mixture), and then repeat. Then you won't be stuck with all of the leftover chips at the bottom and no cheese to enjoy them with. Does this happen to anyone else?

Anyways, these were delicious. Not an every day meal kind of thing but fun if you are watching the football game or just want a dinner that doesn't feel like dinner.

Chili Nachos

Source: The Piggly-Wiggly

1 lb ground sirloin

salt and pepper

1 small onion, diced

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 (8-0unce) can tomato sauce

1 sack of yellow corn tortilla chips

10 oz shredded yellow cheddar cheese

sour cream, optional garnish

salsa, optional garnish

2 scallions, chopped, optional garnish

Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Brown the beef and then crumble with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper, then add onions, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and cumin. Cook another 3-5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and simmer 5 more minutes.

Preheat broiler. Arrange corn chips in a single layer in a casserole dish. Top the chips with a layer of chili topping and then a layer of cheese. Repeat layering until you've used all the chili mixture. Melt the top layer of cheese under the broiler until melted and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Garnish with sour cream, salsa, and scallions. Enjoy!

Peppery London Broil

If you ask my husband, he'll tell you that taking me to a fancy steakhouse is a waste of money. Mainly because I eat mine well done with a lot of A-1 steak sauce, which he considers a waste. He on the other hand likes his medium-rare (closer to rare) and considers A-1 an insult to steak. So the fanciest we get with our steak is a night at Outback where I order off the kid's menu and usually have to ask the waitress for a bottle of A-1 sauce cause the little cup she brought me won't cut it.

This was my first time making steak and if you can tell from the picture, I kept mine under the broiler almost double the time that Neil's cooked. We were also unfortunately without A-1 sauce so I had to enjoy the steak plain. And it wasn't too bad. I know that doesn't sound like the best endorsement but coming from me that's like an "A" rating. Neil thought it was delicious and has asked me to add steak to the menu more often!

Peppery London Broil

Source: Taste of Home Cookbook

1 beef flank steak (about 3/4 pound)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

With a fork, poke holes in both sides of the meat. Make a paste with the garlic, seasoned salt, and red pepper flakes; rub over both sides of meat. Place the steak in resealable gallon-size plastic bag. Add Worcestershire sauce and refrigerate for at least four hours.

Remove meat from bag and discard marinade. Broil or grill over hot heat until meat reaches desired doneness, about 4-5 minutes per side. To serve slice thinly across the grain. Enjoy!

Recipe Swap: Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Meatballs

The theme for this recipe swap was "Italian." Considering I'm like 1/8th Sicilian, I was excited. I love love love Italian food, more than Snooki from Jersey Shore loves to tan, and that girl LOVES to tan.

Anyways, I can always use some more pasta recipes and this one is a keeper. I received this one from the Jey of Cooking. I knew it would be good since I've made a few of her recipes before and they have all been delicious.

Updated 8/29: Here is the link for the Italian Recipe Swap Roundup.

Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Meatballs

Source: The Jey of Cooking

Baked Meatballs

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup Panko

1/4 cup Parmesan

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 egg, lightly beaten

splash of milk

splash of Worcestershire

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425º. Combine ingredients and mix by hand. Form into balls and place on a lightly oiled, foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-25 minutes, until browned and cooked through.

Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Meatballs

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 jar pasta sauce

1 box rigatoni, cooked al dente

16 oz bag of baby spinach, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 container ricotta

1/4 cup Parmesan

1 container baby mozzarella balls, halved

Baked Meatballs (see above recipe)

1 pinch Nutmeg

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350º. Warm olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add sauce and cook and additional 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine spinach, parsley, ricotta, parmesan, and nutmeg. Add pasta, meatballs, and sauce and mix to combine. Reserve some sauce for serving.

Transfer to baking dish and top with mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until browned, about 5 minutes.

Baked Shells with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Meat Sauce

I thought I had blogged this one a long time ago but when I found these pictures while cleaning out my iPhoto I realized I hadn't! The first time I made this recipe, I substituted the mini shells with stuffed shells-Neil's a big fan of food he can eat with his hands. This time, since it was just for me, I made it easier on myself by just using the mini shells.

Baked Shells with Pesto, Mozzarella, and Meat Sauce

Recipe Source: Cooking This and That

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1.25 lbs ground beef

28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

2 tsp salt

3/4 cup pesto

1 pound pasta shells

2 cups shredded mozzarella

6 tbsp grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400º. Coat a 15 x 10 baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain if needed.Add the tomatoes and salt to the pan and simmer until most of the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in pesto.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with sauce. Put half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish. Top with 1 cup of mozzarella and 3 tablespoons of Parmesan. Repeat with the remaining pasta mixture and cheese.

Bake until bubbling and slightly brown on top, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Weeknight Bolognese

I can never have enough pasta recipes. There are so many variations of each type of pasta dish and I love trying them all out. This bolognese comes from Annie's blog and was a nice switch from our usual bolognese. The wine taste is very prominent so make sure you pick one you like!

Weeknight Bolognese

Source: Annie's Eats

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb lean ground sirloin, or turkey

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1.25 cups dry red wine, divided

1 28 0z can crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp kosher salt

1.5 tsp ground black pepper

1 lb dried pasta, such as shells

pinch of ground nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground meat into the pan. Cook until no longer pink and starting to brown, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the wine to the pan and stir, scraping any browned bits from the pan. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, finish the sauce, Stir in the nutmeg, basil, cream, and remaining wine. Simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. When the pasta is cooked and trained, top with the sauce and add grated Parmesan, if desired.

The first time we had guests over for dinner was a few weeks after we had gotten married and moved into our apartment. Some friends of the hubs from work had helped us so we invited them over to thank them.

I, of course, being Mrs. Newly Married Wifey wanted to impress and also thought making them a home cooked meal was better than taking them out to dinner. So I came up with a menu: toasted ravioli for an appetizer, 3 cheese bread and caesar salad for sides, spaghetti and meatballs for the main course, and angel food cake with whipped cream and fruit for dessert. The ravioli, bread, and spaghetti and meatballs all came from Joelen's Blog.

I obviously overestimated my cooking/timing skills and didn't realize that I had planned two big things that required a lot of work and frying as well as making my own spaghetti sauce and fancying up the bread. I should have just stuck with spaghetti and meatballs, bought some bread and served it with plain butter, and done a pre-maid appetizer. Hindsight would be so much more useful if it was foresight.

Anyways, the meal came together and everyone enjoyed it. The hubs learned a little more about me and how stressed I could (and often do) get and still loved me for it. But I put off making this meal, even though it was delicious, for more than a year! We had this the other night and it was just as delicious and much less stressful since I didn't attempt to overdo it!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Source: What's Cookin, Chicago

2 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces

1/2 cup whole milk

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 lb 'meatloaf mix' or 1/2 lb each ground beef and ground pork

1-1.5 cups canola oil for frying

1 lb spaghetti, cooked

Your favorite sauce or the one in Joelen's Blog

Place the milk and torn bread in a bowl and mash them together with a fork until smooth. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the meat, pasta, and sauce, and mash together to combine. Add the ground meats and kneed the mixture by hand until well combined.

Form the meatballs, using your hands, into 2-inch diameter circles. Place your meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Chill them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and you can even make them up to a day in advance.

Heat the oil in a skillet or saute pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add the meatballs to the pan in a single layer to fry. Turn them to brown on all sides until fully cooked. Place the browned meatballs onto a paper lined plate to soak up any oil and set aside.

Serve over pasta with sauce and enjoy!

Green Chile Cheeseburgers

I was browsing through the recipes on Taste of Home Cooking, who hosts the roundups, and found this one under Easy Weeknight Meals roundup. She modified the original Bobby Flay recipe to make an easy dinner that is definitely a winner. We loved this burger and will be making it again!

2 lbs ground chuck

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

8 thin slices of provolone

4 hamburger buns, toasted

2 cans green chiles

Mayo, optional

Romaine lettuce leaves, optional

4 thick slices tomatoes, optional

Heat grill to high. Form meat into 4 burgers and season each burger on both sides with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Grill until charred on both sides and cooked to desired doneness.

Divide the cans of green chiles onto the burgers. Place 2 slices of cheese on each burger, close the grill lid or tent with foil, and cook until the cheese has just melted and chiles are warmed, about 1 minute. Place burgers on buns and top with mayo, lettuce, and tomato, if desired. Enjoy!

Inside-Out Cheesy Cheeseburgers

As much as I love cheese, I hate cheeseburgers. I think it's because the cheese only slightly melts and it kind of has a weird rubber consistency. These were a perfect alternative. Having the cheese inside completely melts it and each bite has an added cheesy goodness.

You can use your favorite burger recipe and just stuff the inside with cheese but I just followed this recipe where I got the idea from!

For one burger:

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp seasoned meat tenderizer

1/3 tsp chili powder

2 slices of cheese

Season raw meat with onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, seasoned meat tenderizer, and chili powder. Separate the meat into two equal parts and make into patties.

Make a well in the center of one patty and tear one slice of cheese into eight pieces. Pile pieces of cheese into the well and fit the other patty over the cheese patty. Shape the patties together. Cook burger until done. Enjoy!

Rachel Ray's Cheeseburger Chili Mac and Cheese

I'm not a huge tv person but whenever I need something in the background while I'm cleaning or doing homework I usually turn on the Food channel. It makes very good background noise and I know as long as I catch the last 5 minutes I won't have missed any huge plot twists. Rachel Ray is one of my favorite cooks to watch. I found this recipe while searching for a dessert I had seen on one of her shows (don't ask how I got from dessert to cheeseburger chili mac and cheese). The combination sounded like a interesting one and I had to out it on our weekly meal list.

This was delicious. You could taste the separate chili and cheeseburger tastes and they went great together. Recipe is from Rachel Ray.

2 tbsp EVOO

1.5 pounds ground sirloin

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp chili powder

salt and ground black pepper

1/2 cup ketchu

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1-2 cups beef stock (use more if you want it more liquidy)

pound elbow macaroni

1.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat broiler and bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Place a pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the ground sirloin and cook until brown, about 6 minutes. Add the onion and chili powder to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is tender, 5 minutes. Add the ketchup, mustard, tomato sauce, and beef stock to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium-low heat until thickened, about 5 mintues.

While the chili is simmering, add the pasta to your salted boiling water. Cook to al dente, drain, and return to pot. Add the chili to the pasta pot and mix well.

Transfer everything to a casserole dish and top with the shredded cheese. Place the casserole under the broiler to melt the cheese. Enjoy!

Blue Ribbon Chili

I've posted before about hubby's deep dislike of beans and my love for them. I was craving chili- real chili with beans- so I added it to our menu and kept quiet about the beans. My husband exhibited 5-year old tendencies during this meal and ate around every single bean and dumped them in the trash can, all while giving me a slightly nasty look. He can be so cute sometimes.

Even though hubby wasn't a fan, I loved it. This is a perfect chili recipe and we'll definitely be making it again. Recipe from And a Cookie for Dessert.

2 lbs ground beef

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 ts garlic salt

2.5 cups tomato sauce

8 oz salsa

4 tbsp (1 packet) chili seasoning mix

15 oz can light red kidney beans

15 oz can dark red kidney beans

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine the ground beef and onion and saute for 10 minutes, until beef is browned and onion is tender. Drain.

Add the beef mixture along with the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Casserole

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Like I mentioned yesterday, my V-Day will be spent in class and then with some delicious Outback Steakhouse take out and 2 hours of quality time (hopefully) with my husband before he passes out.

This is actually a recipe we had a few weeks ago but since today isn't a crock pot meal I pulled this one out of the archives. It was my first time making spaghetti in the crock pot where I didn't cook the noodles first. I was worried it would be crunchy and not fully cooked, and part of it was. I made the mistake of not spreading the sauce to the edges and covering the noodles and while the center portions of the casserole were delicious and perfectly cooked, the outsides that weren't covered with sauce were still a tad bit crunchy. As long as you don't make the mistake of throwing it together quickly and not using your brain, like me :0, you should be just fine! Recipe from Reservations Not Required.

1.5 lbs lean ground beef

1 medium onion chopped

1 26 oz jar of pasta sauce

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

12 oz can of evaporated milk

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp pepper

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into pieces

3 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (the recipe recommends sharp but I used a mild cheese and it was fine)

grated parmesan cheese

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet, until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain meet and return to skillet. Stir pasta sauce into the beef mixture.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 8 minutes until the mixture has thickened and is bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and pepper.

Spoon one-third of the meat mixture into a lightly greased slow cook. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar cheese over white sauce. Repeat layers once. Spread remaining meat mixture over cheese (make sure all sides of the spaghetti are covered). Top with remaining 1 cup cheddar cheese.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!

With that I'll leave you with this quote and a non-smiling picture of Lucy who really does love her heart bandana.

"Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all."

100th post! and Spicy Chipotle Shredded Beef

I love the taste of chipotle peppers. I prefer the smokiness of the peppers over the overt spiciness of other peppers. Plus it's a crock pot meal which makes it even better. I didn't shred the beef but hubby thinks this would make a delicious alternative to barbeque beef sandwiches or as a delicious way to spice up your taco meat. Recipe from Angela's Kitchen.

1.5 lb pot roast

1 onion peeled and quarterd

1 small can of green chiles

7 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I used less but choose the amount based on your preferences)

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

5-6 garlic cloves, minced

3 tsp ground cumin

3 tsp oregano

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp chili pepper

1 cup water

2 tsp salt

3 tsp ground pepper

Liberally salt and pepper the roast and place in the crock pot. Sprinkle the roast with chili pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano and cumin. Chop all the veggies and crush the chipotle peppers. Place into crock pot. Add the water and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Enjoy!

Spicy Potato Soup

With all the hours I'm taking this semester I've decided to start making freezer meals. That way, if I ever have a busy week with lots of tests, or just get tired of doing it all, I have a go-to meal in our fridge and we don't have to go out and get fast food for dinner. We do that quite a bit even with all the meal planning I do so one of our goals for 2011 is to cut out the fast food visits. This made quite a bit as a single batch so I was able to get two freezer meals out of the second batch.

This reminded me of something that I couldn't quite place. Maybe it's shepherd's pie because of the meat and potatoes. Regardless, of what it reminded me of, it was delicious. I upped the spiciness a bit and it was a great ending to a long day. Recipe from Cooking This and That.

1 lb ground beef

4 cups cubed peeled potatoes (1/2 inch cubes) or 4 cups hash browns, defrosted (I used hash browns)

1 small onion, chopped

24 oz tomato sauce

4 cups water

2 tsp salt

1.5 tsp pepper

1/2 to 1 tsp hot pepper sauce

In a dutch oven or large kettle, brown ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the potatoes, onion, and tomato sauce. Stir in the water, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for an hour or until potatoes are tender and the soup has thickened. Make sure to stir occasionally. Serve with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Mexican Casserole

One of the best things about this dish was that I was able to make Neil and I our own personalized sides. I love beans but Neil won't touch them so I put beans on my side. Neil loves tomatoes but something about the texture of them grosses me out so the tomatoes only went on Neil's side. It was delicious and I've said it before, you can never go wrong with a casserole! Recipe is from Christine's Kitchen Chronicles.

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 packet taco seasoning

2 cups salsa

16 oz can chili beans, drained

3 cups tortilla chips, crushed

2 cups sour cream

1 (2 oz) can sliced black olives, drained (optional)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350º. In a large skillet over medium-high heat cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain grease and return meat to pan. Stir in taco seasoning and salsa, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.

Spread crushed tortilla chips in a dish and then spoon beef mixture over chips. Spread sour cream over the beef. Pour chili beans on top. Sprinkle olives, onion, green pepper, and tomato over the beans. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Enjoy!