Mexican Meatball Soup

Mexican Meatball Soup

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup salsa
1-2 Tbsp water
1.5 lbs meatloaf mix (ground chuck + ground pork)
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped chunky
1/2 small red onion, chopped chunky
1 packet taco seasoning mix
6 oz can tomato paste
1 carton beef broth
2 cups water (or more if needed)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can vacuum packed whole kernel corn
1/2 cup long grain rice

Combine crushed tortilla chips, Worcestrshire sauce, salsa, and 1-2 Tbsp water in a large bowl.  Allow to soak for about 5 minutes. 

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat.

Add the meat, salt, peppr, chili powder and cumin to the tortilla chip mixture and mix well.  Form into meatballs (about 18-20) and brown in the oil on all sides.  You'll have to do this in 2 batches because you don't want to crowd the meatballs.  Remove them to a plate and set aside.  It's OK if the meatballs aren't totally cooked through yet. 

Add the bell pepper and onions to the remaining oil (should only be a tablespoon or so if you used good lean meat - if not then drain of the excess oil!) and cook until the onions are translucent, scraping up the browned bits in the bottom of the pan.  Add about 1 cup water, the taco seasoning mix and the tomato paste and stir until well combined.  Stir in the beef broth and then add the meatballs gently back to the pot.  Gently stir in just enough water to cover the meatballs.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

Add black beans, stir and simmer another 10 minutes. Add the corn and rice and simmer about 20 minutes or until the rice is done, stirring occasionally. 

Serve in bowls with diced avocado, crumbled queso fresco and a bit of chopped cilantro to garnish.  This soup is awesome!  We all loved it and I will be making this again!

This soup was inspired by a picture I saw on Pinterest of a similar soup which I would love to try one day.  I had to make this heartier version or my husband would have accused me of starving him to death because the original recipe only had meatballs in broth.  Personally, I would love this with just the meatballs and broth. 

Texas Sheet Cake

Texas Sheet Cake

CAKE

2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup brewed coffee

FROSTING

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 (16 ounce) box powdered sugar

1 cup finely chopped toasted nuts (pecans or walnuts)

 

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 18 x 13 inch sheet pan.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.

In a small to medium sauce pan, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder and coffee; increase heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the melted butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add the egg mixture and stir until all the ingredients are completely combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and rap on the counter a few times to distribute evenly. Bake the cake for 18-20 minutes or until cake tests done. Remove from the oven and frost immediately.

For the frosting:

 Start the frosting about 5 minutes before the cake is ready to come out of the oven. In a medium to large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder until combined. Add the buttermilk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir until all of the ingredients are completely incorporated. Fold the toasted nuts into the frosting and immediately pour over the warm cake. Use an offset to help gently spread a thin layer over the entire surface.

Cool frosted cake on a wire rack for 1 hour, then moved to the refrigerator, preferably overnight. Serve cold or at room temperature.

 

I found this recipe on-line and remembered a similar cake from years ago that was delicious!  This one, however, was not.  Very disappointing.  It was just bland.  Probably the most pitiful excuse of a chocolate cake I've ever baked. 

Slow Cooked Italian Beef

Slow Cooked Italian Beef

4 lb beef roast (I used a sirloin tip)
1 packet Italian dressing mix
12 oz jar mild banana pepper rings
1 cup low sodium beef broth

Put all ingredients in the slow cooker, cook on high for 2 hours, reduce to low for 6-8 hours. 

Buttermilk Pancakes

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk (plus extra if needed)
2 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat lightly buttered griddle.

Mix flour, salt, soda, and sugar.  Add the egg, buttermilk and melted butter; stir until all ingredients are combined but still lumpy.  The batter should be thick and puffy looking.

Drop 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle, spreading a bit with the cup to make round pancakes  Cook until lightly browned on both sides, 1-2 minutes per side.

These are EXCELLENT pancakes and I will definitely be making these again and again!  This recipe made 9 pancakes.

Turkey & Muenster Sandwich

Turkey & Muenster Sandwiches

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dried, crumbled thyme
1/2 tsp dehydrated minced onions
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
4 slices Pepperidge Farms Oatmeal Bread
8 slices Boar's Head Maple Glazed Honey Coat Cured Turkey
4 slices Muenster Cheese
1 ripe tomato, sliced thin
Romaine lettuce, shredded

Combine the mayonnaise, thyme, onions and mustard and mix well.  Cover and chill for an hour of so.  Spread the mayonnaise mixture on both sides of the bread slices.  Layer turkey, muenster cheese, tomato slices and the shredded romaine on 2 slices bread and cover with the remaining slices.  Cut in half and serve immediately.

Yummy!

Million Dollar Spaghetti

Million Dollar Spaghetti

1 lb ground beef
1/4 lb ground pork
Garlic Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp fennel seed
24 oz jar spaghetti sauce (I used Barilla Marinara)
Drizzle of honey
8 oz cream cheese (I used about 6 oz of the reduced fat variety)
1/4 cup sour cream (I used lite sour cream)
1/2 lb Cottage Cheese (I used about 6 oz Ricotta)
1 stick butter (I only used half a stick)
8 oz noodles, pre-cooked until al dente and drained (I used 16 oz Spaghetti)
Bag of shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350^ F.

Brown and crumble the meats in a large skillet with garlic salt, pepper, basil, oregano and fennel.  Drain and add the spaghetti sauce and honey.  Simmer about 15 minutes. 

Combine the cream cheese, sour cream and cottage (or Ricotta) cheese until well mixed.

Slice the butter into pats and place in a 9x13" pan or casserole dish.  Add half the spaghetti noodles and spread the cheese mixture evenly over that.  Top with remaining noodles (the original recipe say to add the rest of the butter at this point) and then the sauce.  Bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove from oven and top with the shredded Cheddar.  Bake for another 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let sit about 15 minutes before cutting.

This was absolutely delicious and I'll most assuredly make it again!

 Adapted from a recipe at http://ashleykaitlin.blogspot.com/2011/01/million-dollar-spaghetti.html

Crunchy Onion Cheeseburgers

Crunchy Onion Cheeseburgers

1 lb ground chuck
1 small can French's French Fried Onions
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste
4 slices American cheese
Hamburger Buns, split and toasted
Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, Catsup, Mustard, Mayonnaise (whatever you like)

Combine the ground chuck, 1/2 can crushed fried onions, Worcestershire, garlic salt and pepper. Lightly mix and form into 4 patties.  Cook in a hot iron skillet that has been lightly rubbed with butter (or olive oil, or whatever you like) until brown and done to your taste.  Top with cheese and let melt.  Serve on buns with the remaining fried onions and whatever toppings you prefer. 

These were really good!  Would be awesome on the grill!  Adapted from the recipe at Frenchs.com