Asian Meatballs

This recipe turned out awesome. But I added a few changes which are marked in red under My Recipe. Also I changed the way I cooked the meatballs which I explain after I show the ingredients.  

Meatballs:

         Original Recipe                                          My Recipe

2 lbs. ground pork or ground beef  2 tsp. sesame oil  1 cup Panko or breadcrumbs  1/2 tsp. ground ginger  2 eggs  3 tsp. minced garlic  1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions

1 lb Ground Pork 1 lb Ground Turkey 1 Cup Panko Breadcrumbs 1/2 Cup Garlic/Herb Panko          Breadcrumbs 2  Eggs 3  Tsp. Minced Garlic 1/2  Cup Sliced Green Onion 2 Cups Cooked Rice (We use Jasmine Rice in the Rice Cooker)

 Asian Sauce:

2/3 cup hoisin sauce 1/4 cup rice vinegar 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 Tbsp. soy sauce 1 tsp. sesame oil 1 tsp. ground ginger

2/3 cup hoisin sauce 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 Tsp. Minced Garlic 2 Tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce 1 tsp. sesame oil 1 tsp. ground ginger

In a large bowl, mix together meatball ingredients until well-combined. Shape into balls about the size of a golf ball. Add 1 Tsp of Sesame oil to a pan with vegetable oil (enough to lightly cover the bottom of the pan). Add the meatballs and cook until they are almost cooked through. Then add to a baking dish and keep them close together. Keep them close together so when you pour a little of the Asian sauce over the meatballs, the sauce stays together with the meatballs. I used a 8 x 8 x 2 inch square pan instead of 9 x13. I reserved the rest of the sauce to use over the meatballs and rice. I garnished with green onion and sesame seeds.


Original Recipe Link:
Saucy Asian Meatballs

My Green Drink

I love green drinks so I put together these ingredients and I have been using this recipe for years.

4 Celery Stalks

Handful of Spinach

2 Large Carrots

1 Green Pepper

1-2 Apples of your choice. I like Honey Crisp

1/2 of a Beet

1/2 Cucumber (with skin)

 My lil' helper

I stated 1-2 apples because the apples make the drink sweeter. If it’s too bitter with 1 apple then add another. 

Make sure to really wash your fruits and vegetables, especially the spinach and beets. I add the leftover juice pulp to our compost bin.

Breakfast Biscuits

This is my new favorite breakfast recipe!

    Original Recipe:                         My Recipe:

2 tablespoons melted butter One roll refrigerated biscuit dough, 8 count 6 thin slices fresh mozzarella, 1/4-inch thick 1 cup Smithfield cooked, crumbled bacon 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 Tbl. Melted Butter 1 Can Pillsbury Home-style Biscuits. Butter Tastin 4 Italian Sausage Links 8 Thin Slices of Mozzarella Cheese 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese ½ Cup Pepper Jack Cheese (I had to shred) 5 eggs & a little milk ½ Cup sliced green onions 1 Tsp. Minced Garlic 1/4 Tsp. Black Pepper 1/4 Tsp. Garlic Salt Few Shakes of Italian Seasoning

 
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Add 1 Tbl. Butter to a glass pan and put in the oven until butter is melted.
Once butter is melted, take out of oven and arrange biscuits in pan so they are close together. Set aside.
Scramble eggs in a bowl, add pepper, garlic salt, Italian seasoning and some milk (pour for about a 3 sec count). Mix everything together. Add 1 tbl. butter to a pan and minced garlic then add egg mixture.
While eggs are cooking top each biscuit with a slice of mozzarella cheese. 
Once eggs are done, top the biscuits with the scrambled eggs.
I used the same pan I cooked the eggs in to cook the sausage. Once sausage is cooked layer over the eggs.
Add shredded cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese and green onion.
I baked for about 25 minutes or until the middle of the biscuits weren’t doughy.


These are pictures I took of my breakfast. At the bottom of this post is the link to the original recipe.

Biscuit, sliced mozzarella, scrambled eggs.

Finally add sausage, shredded cheese and green onion.







Easy Cheesy Bacon Biscuit Pull-Aparts

Justin’s Hearty Chili

This is a very healthy and filing recipe. It’s one of our favorites because it’s quick to cook but still good for you and tastes awesome!

Meat Ingredients:

1 lb. (approx. 1.25 is ok too.) Ground Turkey

.75 lb.  Italian Sausage or Kielbasa (depends on what we have in the freezer)

1/2  Yellow Onion Diced

1 Tbl. Minced Garlic

1 Green Pepper Diced

In one pan add onions, green pepper and minced garlic to a little olive. Cook until onion and green peppers are soft. Add to a large pot that contains the sauce/bean mix. Then cook the meat in the same pan as the vegetables. Once it’s cooked, add to the sauce/bean mix.

Sauce/Bean Ingredients:

3  15 oz. Cans Tomato Sauce

1  15 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes with Greene Chilies

1 Tsp. Garlic Salt

1 Tsp. Oregano

1/2 Tsp. Basil

1/4 Tsp. Chili Powder

1 Tsp. Italian Seasoning

1 15 oz. Can Kidney Beans (drained & rinsed)

1 15oz. Can Pinto (or northern white) Beans (drained & rinsed)

1 15 oz. Can Black Beans (drained & rinsed)

Add all sauce/bean ingredients in a large saucepan. Add peppers/onion and meat once they are cooked. Mix together and taste to see if it’s to your liking. Add more spices or more tomato sauce/diced tomatoes, beans to your desired taste or texture.

Topping:

Once you have your serving in a bowl, add parmesan cheese,  cheddar cheese, sour cream and diced onions.We also usually eat honey corn bread with this meal.

Momma’s Baked Spicy Pasghetti

This is my spaghetti recipe that I created based off what I would want in spaghetti. I have to say it's a hit with everyone. 

First, get a big handful of Spaghetti noodles (more or less, it’s up to you) and cook to your desired state. Some people like an al dente noodle, some like soggy. I prefer in the middle.

Meat Ingredients:

1 lb. (approx. 1.25 is ok too.) Ground Turkey

.75 lb.  Italian Sausage

3 Sliced Jalapeno’s, Diced. (I use La Victoria’s Nacho Jalapenos sliced)

1/4 Yellow Onion Diced

1 Tbl. Minced garlic

Add Onions, Jalapeno’s, Minced Garlic, and a little Olive Oil to the pan. Brown the onions a tad then add the meats. Cook thoroughly then set aside.

Sauce Ingredients:

2-3   15 oz. Cans Tomato Sauce

1 15 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes with Greene Chilies

1 Tsp. Garlic Salt

1 Tsp. Oregano

1 Tsp. Basil

½ Tsp. Chili Powder

A few shakes of Italian Seasoning

Add all ingredients in a large saucepan. Once it starts to boil add the meat mixture and stir together. Taste to see if it’s to your liking. You can always add more sauce if it’s too spicy or has too much seasoning or add more seasoning if it’s too bland. Once you have the taste to your liking, add the noodles and sauce mixture to a large glass deep dish pan. Add the following toppings.

A handful of each topping:

Mozzarella Cheese, Cheddar Cheese or Mexican Blend, and Parmesan Cheese. Sometimes I add Mizithra Cheese which is my favorite topping at Spaghetti Factory.

Along with the Pasghetti, I bake garlic bread.  For our family of 4 I usually only use half a loaf of sour dough bread or french bread and freeze the rest. 

Garlic Bread Topping: 

Lots of butter, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese (or mexican blend), garlic salt and parmesan cheese. I add enough to cover the entire piece of bread. I love butter, cheese and garlic so I add a lot!

Apple Slaw

I made this today to snack on throughout the day as well as for my lunch. Mckenna (my 2 yr. old actually liked it). This is now one of my favorite "salad" lunches.

     Original Recipe:                                                            My Recipe:

1/2 cup salad dressing (such as Miracle Whip) 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar 2 Tablespoons brown sugar 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 green cabbage, shredded 1 red apple (Braeburn preferred), unpeeled and diced 1 green apple (Granny Smith preferred), unpeeled and diced 1 Tablespoons chopped green onions 1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup Lite Miracle Whip 1 Tbl. granulated sugar 2 Tbl. brown sugar 1 Tbl. apple cider vinegar 1 Tbl  lime juice 1/2 green cabbage, shredded 1 Honey Crisp apple unpeeled and diced 1 Granny Smith unpeeled and diced 1 Tbl. chopped green onions 1 Tsp. ground pepper 1 cup feta cheese

Ingredients highlighted in Red are my changes.

Mix everything together and enjoy! It does taste better once it has been chilled!

Crunchy Apple Slaw

Italian Meatballs

My take on Italian Meatballs. The link to the original recipe is below the picture.
When you view the original recipe you will see an option to make homemade sauce. I was in a hurry so I used Prego Basil/Oregano Sauce from a jar (I rarely do this, I like homemade sauces) and I added diced tomatoes w/diced chilies. I also added about 1/2 tsp. - 1 tsp. of minced garlic, Italian seasoning, pepper, garlic salt and chili powder. When it comes to seasoning, I season to taste. I start out with what the recipe calls for then add more for taste or add my own seasonings to desired taste.

Click on original recipe link below to get their baking instructions. What I did different was I browned the meatballs in a pan with olive oil until they were almost cooked then put them in a glass pan, covered with the sauce then topped it off with parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese. I baked it at 375 for about 20 minutes.

  Meatball Recipe:                        My Changes:

1 lb ground beef (80-85% lean) 1 egg 1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs 2 ½ teaspoons dried mint 2 teaspoons dried oregano ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper

1 lb. Ground Turkey 1 lb. Italian Sausage 1 Cup Italian Breadcrumbs (More if you desire) I did not use mint 1 egg 2 Tsp. Dried Oregano ½ Tsp. Salt ½ Tsp. Pepper 1 Tsp. Italian Seasoning 1 Tbl. Minced Garlic

Ingredients highlighted in red are my changes.

 Original Recipe Link