Taco Pasta Toss

Oh Rachael Ray, your recipes make for a very content husband. Your meals fit our tastes perfectly. Cancy was excited for another recipe with a bottle of beer in it. I was just excited for another good Rachael Recipe. This Taco Pasta Toss does not disappoint.

Taco Pasta Toss
Salt and pepper
1 pound penne rigate or whole grain penne rigate pasta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 pound ground beef sirloin
1 large onion, chopped
1 large jalapeño chile—halved, seeded if desired and thinly sliced crosswise
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder (about 2 palmfuls)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (about 1/2 palmful)
1 tablespoon ground coriander (about a palmful)
1/4 cup tomato paste
One 12-ounce bottle beer or 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups shredded cheddar, monterey jack or any Mexican semisoft cheese
2 small plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 head iceberg letuce or 1/2 small heart romaine lettuce, chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

While the pasta is working, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add three-quarters of the onion, the jalapeño, garlic, chili powder, coriander and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then stir in the beer.

Add the sauce to the pasta and toss. Spoon into a serving dish, top with the cheese and tent with foil to melt the cheese, about 1 minute. Top with the remaining onion, the tomatoes and lettuce— just like tacos!

Beef Fried Rice

I saw this recipe from Lynn and thought it looked like a great way to use the beef in the freezer as well as the vegetables in the fridge. You could really make this your own and add whatever you need to use up.

I cut the rice in 1/2 when I made this, but left the vegetables and meat the same as the recipe. It came together pretty quickly and was an easy weeknight meal. We’ll definitely be making this again.

Beef Fried Rice
1 pound ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
1 small can of diced water chestnuts, drained (This was not in the original recipe)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (or use a little fresh if you have some)
Salt and pepper to taste
5 cups cooked long grain rice
2 eggs, scrambled
1/3 -1/2 cup soy sauce

In a large skillet, brown beef. Drain all but 2-3 tablespoons fat and add garlic, carrots, celery and onion cook until onions are slightly tender. Then add mushrooms and cook until all vegetables are tender. Add ginger, salt, pepper, rice and eggs; stir until well mixed and eggs are cooked. Add soy sauce and heat through.

Jalapeno Cream Cheese Burger

We have been loving this local show called The Austin Daytripper. On the last episode we saw, he went to Bastrop, TX to a place called the Roadhouse. While he was there, they talked about about one of their burgers, called the Jalapeno Cream Cheese burger. That just sounds intriguing to both of us so we knew we had to come with our own version of that.

Jalapeno Cream Cheese Burger

1 lb ground beef
salt & pepper
Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp butter
2 good sized jalapenos, sliced
cream cheese
hamburger buns

Combine the beef, salt, pepper, & worcestershire sauce. Make 4 patties. Grill until done.

While the burgers are cooking melt butter in a pan and saute jalapenos until soft.

To put burgers together, place burger on bottom bun, spread with cream cheese, place jalapenos on top, and follow with the top bun. Enjoy!!

Cheeseburger Soup

This recipe comes from D*Lightful. It is so weird how much this soup smelled just like a cheeseburger. We made this more out of curiosity but it actually turned out to be pretty good. Be Brave, Try it, You’ll like it. :)


Cheeseburger Soup

1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 cup onion, diced
½ cup carrot, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon cumin
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups 2% milk
2 cups of 2% grated Mexican blend cheese
¼ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 small handful of spring mix lettuce
Salt and pepper to taste


Brown beef in a large pot over medium heat. Cook until the meat begins to brown, then add the onion, carrot, bell pepper and garlic. Saute about 10 minutes.

Stir in the broth and cumin; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10-12 minutes, or until veggies are tender.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook 1-2 minutes, then add the milk, whisking until smooth, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the milk mixture to the soup and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.

Add cheese, ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper, stirring until the cheese is melted. Stir in lettuce at the end and serve.

Paula Deen’s Porcupine Meatballs

I love a little Paula Deen every now and then. This recipe was a good starting point, but I had to make some adjustments along the way. The original recipe has just meat & rice as the meatballs. I added a few things to the meatballs to increase the flavor. The other, big adjustment is the baking time on this recipe. I followed the recipe at first and after an hour, the rice was still crunchy. Keep everything covered and plan on an hour and 1/2 of bake time. Just keep your eye on things... Everyone’s ovens are different.

Paula Deen’s Porcupine Meatballs

1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice, divided
1 teaspoon dried onion
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (14-ounce) can beef broth

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Put the ground beef into a mixing bowl. Measure 1/2 cup of the rice and put it in with the meat.
** Before combining everything I added about 1 Tbsp of worcestershire sauce, 1 Teaspoon of minced garlic, salt & pepper, and about a Tbsp of Italian seasoning. This will give a more flavor to your meatballs **
Mix it all together with your clean hands. Form the mixture into 8 or 9 golf ball-size balls.

In a large casserole dish, add the remaining rice, dried onion, salt, Italian seasoning, diced tomatoes and beef broth. Stir together with the spoon and top with the meatballs.

Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for about 1 hour. The rice in the meatballs will have puffed up all around the meat, and your meatballs will look like little porcupines!

Crockpot Burrito Soup

I usually go to Elly’s site when I’m craving lamb or something else Greek. I stumbled across her Burrito Soup & knew that this was a must-do.This was a really nicely seasoned and easy dish to make. Always on the lookout for crockpot ideas, this would be great for a crowd if you are having people over to watch “the game”. Or if you just want to make a hearty soup and have some tasty leftovers.

Crockpot Burrito Soup

2 tsp. canola oil

1 large onion, diced

1 lb. extra lean ground beef

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

5 cups beef broth

2 Tbsp. aleppo (or any) chili powder)

1 Tbsp. cumin

2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2/3 cup corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup uncooked rice (or, cook rice separately)

Heat a large  heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat and add oil. Cook the onions for a couple minutes before adding the beef. Brown the beef with the onion and drain if necessary. Put  back on the heat and stir in the garlic, just until fragrant.

Pour the beef mixture into the crockpot and then add the tomato sauce, beef broth, spices, corn and black beans. Cook on low for…however long you’re gone.
Increase temp to high and add the rice, just until cooked. Alternatively you can put the cooked rice in bowls and ladle the soup over it.

Garnish with your favorite toppings.

Gorgonzola Filled Meatballs with Bay & Onion Creamy Tomato Gravy

We have tons of ground beef on hand so I am always looking for new ways to use it. This is yet another Rachael Ray recipe that came out a winner. We both really liked this. My recipe shown below is using smaller amounts than Rachael’s original. I cut most everything in 1/2 since it was just the 2 of us and we were stuffed.
I served this with mashed potatoes & roasted green beans. Easy & delicious weeknight dinner.

Gorgonzola Filled Meatballs with Bay & Onion Creamy Tomato Gravy

1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, grated or minced
1 large egg
1 handful grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 handful plain breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons sage leaves, sliced or finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1 fresh bay leaves
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (15 ounces)
1/2 cup cream

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.



Place the meat in a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add in the garlic, egg and egg yolk, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, breadcrumbs and sage. Mix together with the meat and roll into eight large balls and arrange in a baking dish. Coat the balls with 2 tablespoons EVOO. Using the end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation half way into each ball and fill each cavity with some Gorgonzola cheese. Bake until golden and cooked through, 15-20 minutes.



Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO and butter in a saucepot over medium heat. Add the bay leaves and onions and season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes and heat through, stir in the cream, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer to thicken slightly, 8-10 minutes.



Ladle the sauce into shallow bowls and top with big stuffed meatballs and Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Spinach alongside, if desired.

Salisbury Steak... It's not just for TV Dinners

I think Salisbury Steak has a bad reputation. The only time I remember ever hearing about it is on a tv dinner package. This recipe came up on Amy’s blog and I thought I’d reconsider since it looked like something Cancy would like. I’ve gotta’ say, it wasn’t bad. It went perfect with mashed potatoes. Try this, and you’ll end up with a very content husband.

Amy’s Salisbury Steak

1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 cup condensed French onion soup with ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt and black pepper. Shape into 6 oval patties.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties. Pour off excess fat.

In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth. Mix in ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder. Pour over meat in skillet. Cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Grown-Up Hamburger Helper

This is a dish made for Cancy. He went through his fair share of Hamburger Helper before I met him. The Dijon & Colby cheese are what pulled me in. This recipe comes together super easily. I would recommend that you prep your ingredients before you start just to keep things moving along. Although this is originally a Rachael Ray recipe, I followed Shelly’s version because she cut the serving size down.

Grown up Hamburger Helper

2 cups pasta (I used orrichette shaped pasta)

1/2 pound ground beef (To help cut some calories & fat, I used ground turkey)

2 big tablespoons of grated onion

2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 cup of half and half (We used fat free 1/2 & 1/2)

1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 1/4 cup shredded colby jack cheese

Garnish:
chopped dill pickles
diced tomatoes or salsa (We didn't use this)

Boil a pot of water and add the pasta, cook per the box. Don't drain until the rest is ready.

In a large skillet brown the meat. Add the onion and worcestershire then some salt and pepper. When fully cooked, remove to a paper plate and get rid of the grease.

In the same skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for a minute. Whisk in the half and half and the chicken stock. Bring to a bubble and cooke for a few minutes until it thickens up. Stir in the dijon. Add the cheese and keep stirring until all melted into gooey goodness. More salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce skillet along with the meat. Serve with the dill pickles and tomatoes/salsa if you wish.

Rachael Ray’s Salsa Verde Burgers

As most people know, I adore Rachael Ray. Her recipes tend to be a “go-to” of mine when trying to come up meals for the week. These Salsa Verde Burgers were a great reason to grill out.

Rachael Ray’s Salsa Verde Burgers
1 avocado, halved and pitted
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt
1 pound ground turkey thigh meat
1/2 cup salsa verde
4 slices pepper Jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
4 kaiser rolls, split
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
2 small green or red tomatoes, sliced

Scoop the avocado flesh into a small bowl. Add the mayonnaise and garlic and mash with a fork until well combined but chunky. Season with salt and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey and salsa. Divide the mixture to form 4 patties.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the patties for 4 minutes on one side. Flip and top each with a slice of cheese; cover and cook for 4 minutes more.

Spread the avocado aioli on the split side of each roll bottom and cover with 1/4 cup cilantro. Top with a patty and 2 tomato slices; set the roll tops into place.

Asian Meatloaf with sweet/spicy glaze

Brianna posts some of the most delicious Asian dishes on her blog, Oishi. I saw this Asian Meatloaf and knew I had to make it. We served it with Ramen & Edamame for a very tasty, flavorful meal.

Asian Meatloaf with sweet/spicy glaze

For the Meatloaf:
2 TBS. red miso, dissolved in a little water to form a paste, divided
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
4 green onions, white & green parts chopped
1/2 cup chopped shitake mushrooms
a thumbnail-sized piece of ginger, peeled and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS. soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar
a squeeze of honey
1 1/2 tsp. mirin
1 tsp. brown sugar

For the Glaze:
1 TBS. chili paste (such as Sambal Oelek)
squeeze of honey
squeeze of hot chili sauce (such as Sriracha)
1/2 tsp. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a little bowl, combine the red miso and a little water to form a paste. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ground meats, breadcrumbs, egg, green onion, mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and 1 TBS. of the miso paste. Mix with your hands until combined.

In the same little bowl as the remaining miso paste, add the soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, honey, mirin, and brown sugar. Mix well. Spoon this mixture a little at a time into the meat mixture, and use your hands to incorporate it in. Reserve about a spoonful of sauce in the bottom of the bowl to make the glaze.

Shape the meat-mixture into a loaf-shape on a greased baking sheet.

To the bowl with the reserved spoonful of sauce, add the chili paste, honey, hot chili sauce, and brown sugar. Stir to combine. Spoon on top of the meatloaf.
Bake the meatloaf for about 45 minutes or until done. If making a side of roasted asparagus, toss the asparagus on another baking sheet with a drizzle of sesame oil, a sprinkling of chili flakes, and some salt & pepper. Put in the oven for the last 10-12 minutes of baking time.

Chile-Beef Stuffed Zucchini

I found this recipe in the May issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. We loved this recipe!!! What an easy way to get your veggies in and so easy too. The recipe below is 1/2 of the original since it was just the two of us. You can follow the link for the original. You have to try this one out!!



Chile-Beef Stuffed Zucchini

2 Zucchini (halved lengthwise & seeded)

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 pound ground beef

1 tsp cumin

salt & pepper

1 tomato, seeded & chopped

1/2 Cup jarred pickled jalapenos

1 bag of Mexican style shredded cheese.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Arrange the zucchini cut side up in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add 1/2 cup water to the dish, cover with foil and bake until the zucchini begins to soften, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the beef and cumin and cook, breaking the meat up, until just browned, about 4 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes and pickled jalapeños

Uncover the baking dish, pour off the water and season the zucchini with salt. Fill with the beef mixture and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

Easy Pleasing Meatloaf

Every so often I get a Kraft food & family magazine in the mail. I’m not a huge fan of what Sandra Lee would call “Semi-Home-made”, however this recipe came in handy for a quick man pleasing meatloaf.

I made just a few adjustments. Since it’s just the two of us, I just used 1 pound of ground turkey instead of 2 pounds of ground beef. I also only used 1 egg. Adjust the barbecue sauce to get the right texture in your mix. I hope you like it!!



Easy Pleasing Meatloaf

2 lb. lean ground beef

1 pkg.  (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1 cup water

2   eggs, beaten

1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce, divided

Heat oven to 375.

Place meat, stuffing mix, water, eggs, and 1/4 Cup barbecue sauce in a bowl.

Mix just until blended

Shape into a loaf on a 9*13 baking dish

Top with remaining barbecue sauce. Bake for 1 hour or until done.

Paula Deen’s Taco Soup

I love Paula Deen. So last week when I was trying to come up with an easy Sunday meal, I found this crock-pot recipe from Paula Deen. This is also a nice way to help clean out some of the cans in your pantry.  We made this using only 1 lb of ground turkey but other than that, we stuck to the recipe. It was an easy way to have a nice warming dinner and it made tons of leftovers which keep pretty well.

**I'm submitting this recipe to Joelen's Foodie Film's blog event. She has  fabulous website that I would recommend any of you to check out. Joelen's Culinary Adventures is one of my favorite blogs to get inspiration from. And she's always running some cool blog event. This is the first one I've ever participated in though. :)



Paula Deen's Taco Soup

2 pounds ground beef

2 cups diced onions

2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans

1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles

2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles

1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional

1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional

1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix

Corn chips, for serving

Sour cream, for garnish

Grated cheese, for garnish

Chopped green onions, for garnish

Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

Beef & Feta Pasta Bake

I found this recipe in the February issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. I’m a big fan of Feta cheese & this just looked like such an interesting combination of flavors. I halved the recipe & it still ended up making quite a bit so be prepared to share (or just freeze those leftovers).

Beef & Feta Pasta Bake

 

1 pound of Cavatappi Pasta

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Cups of Milk, heated

3/4 pound of Feta Cheese, crumbled

3 Cups of Meat Sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon sugar

 

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in the flour for 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, whisk in the hot milk and cook, whisking, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the feta.

 

In a large bowl, combine the meat sauce, cinnamon, cloves and sugar; stir in half of the pasta. In another large bowl, stir together the feta sauce and the remaining pasta. Transfer the meat-coated pasta to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; top with the feta-coated pasta. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes.

Swedish Meatballs & Egg Noodles

OK… You want to make this. You need to make this.

I saw this Rachael Ray recipe and thought I’d give it a try. It’s a pretty authentic tasting Swedish meatball recipe. It’s such a strange combination with the grape jelly & ginger cookies, but they come together perfectly. You’ll feel like you’re eating your grandma’s home cooking… or like you are at the café in Ikea? Anyway, here is the original recipe. Oh, & since there are so many ingredients, to make it easier on yourself, prep all of your ingredients before you start cooking.

Swedish Meatballs & Egg Noodles

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup beef stock

1 cup chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 pound ground veal

1 egg

2 slices white bread, torn, soaked briefly in about 1/4 cup milk and squeezed of excess liquid

1 teaspoon allspice

5 gingersnap cookies, ground up in the food processor

2 tablespoons currant, lingonberry or grape jelly

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 pound egg noodles

1/2 cup Italian parsley (about 2 handfuls), chopped

2 dill pickles, chopped

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring it up to a boil.

Place a large pan over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the onion to the pan and cook until the onion is tender, 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the pan, stirring to incorporate, and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk the chicken and beef stock into the pan and bring the liquid up to a bubble to thicken it slightly -- it won’t get too thick, you want a thinner gravy for this dish.

Once the liquids come up to a bubble, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, turn the heat down to low and simmer while you prepare the meatballs.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the ground meats, egg, milk-soaked bread and allspice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mix everything up with your hands to evenly combine.

Using a spoon, small ice cream scoop or your hands, portion the meat mixture into walnut-sized balls. As you shape them, drop the meatballs into the pan of simmering gravy. Once all of them are in the pan, increase the heat to medium and simmer the meatballs in the gravy, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

When the meatballs are cooked through, drop the egg noodles into the boiling water and cook to al dente according to package directions.

Stir the ground-up ginger snaps into the gravy with the meatballs, and cook to thicken up, about 1 minute. Stir the 2 tablespoons of the jelly and the sour cream into the gravy and keep warm over low heat until the noodles are done.

Once the noodles are finished cooking, drain them and return them to the pot they were cooked in. Add the remaining two tablespoons butter and parsley to the pot and stir to melt the butter and evenly coat the noodles.

To serve, spoon some noodles into a serving dish and top them off with a scoop of meatballs and gravy. Sprinkle a handful of chopped pickles over the top and serve with your favorite salad alongside.

Bobby’s Goulash

I was a little nervous about making this one since Cancy makes a pretty mean goulash himself. But, he was working late so it gave me a chance to try my hand at goulash. And… He liked it. I think it turned out really well and I was surprised by the recipe. It comes from Paula Deen’s web site, but there’s no butter, no mayo, no Krispy Kreme. J

Now, other than cutting the recipe in half, the only other change I made was swapping out the water for Beef Broth. My recipe shown below is the way I made. You can link to Miss Paula’s original, here.

Bobby’s Goulash

1/2 tablespoon Paula Deen’s House Seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce ( I also added a little Worcestershire)
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water (I used Beef broth)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 tablespoon Paula Deen’s Seasoned Salt
1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked ( I used Gemelli pasta)

In a Dutch Oven, sauté the ground beef over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Brek up the meat while sautéing. Spoon off any grease. Add the onions & garlic to the pot & sauté until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 Cups of Beef Broth, along with the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaves,  soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, House Seasoning, & salt and pepper. Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 15-20 minutes.

Add the small pasta, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves & allow the mixture to sit about 15-20 minutes before serving. Serve with garlic bread & a salad.

 

Sage Meatballs with Gorgonzola Walnut Sauce

So as with most Rachel Ray recipes, this recipe looks like it has about 50 ingredients. Relax, it’s only 19. J I love Rachel but I think her recipes can look a little intimidating due to the long list of ingredients. Well, it’s usually all worth the fuss because her recipes turn out great and if you just try one little thing, it will make it way easier… be your own Sous chef and prep all of your ingredients before you get started. It will make everything move along much smoother. 

Getting back to business… I found this Rachel recipe on foodnetwork.com. Really, the only change I made was making the meatballs from lean ground turkey instead of ground veal.  Cancy & I both thought it turned out pretty good. I hope you like it.

Sage Meatballs with Gorgonzola Walnut Sauce

1 pound gemelli pasta or other short cut pasta

Salt

1 pound ground veal

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

6 to 8 sage leaves, finely chopped, a couple of tablespoons

1/2 cup bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls

1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it

Ground black pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, divided

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup cream

1 cup Gorgonzola, crumbled

3 to 4 cups (1 bunch) arugula or baby spinach, cleaned and trimmed

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Place water on to boil for pasta. When it comes to a boil, salt the water and cook pasta to al dente. Drain.

While pasta is working, place veal in a mixing bowl and add to it the egg, garlic, sage, bread crumbs, cheese, nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil into the bowl, mix and roll small 1-inch balls. Arrange balls in a single layer on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake 8 to 10 minutes in a hot oven until meat is golden and firm.

Toast the walnuts and place them into a food processor. Grind the walnuts and reserve.

In a deep skillet over medium heat melt butter. Whisk flour into butter and cook a minute then whisk in wine and reduce by half. Whisk in stock, when it bubbles and begins to reduce, stir in the cream and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer to thicken the sauce a bit, 2 to 3 minutes, melt in the Gorgonzola and stir in the ground walnuts then season the sauce with pepper, to taste, and maybe a pinch of salt.

Shred the greens into thin strips.

Toss the pasta with the sauce. Serve pasta garnished and topped with a generous mound of greens to mix in as you are eating.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

This recipe comes from our Port Aransas cookbook that we got down in Port A when we got married. We’ve been back a handful of times since then and enjoy it each and every time. I got the cookbook out because I started thinking about Port A again since we started to plan a trip down there at the end of the month with Cody & Carol.

I’ve made this recipe a few times and am going to put it in my own words as the original instructions are a bit all over the place. This is a great Fall type dish and a good way to get some vegetables. We’ve made just a couple of ingredient substitutions, but here is how we like it.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

12 Large Cabbage leaves

1 lb Ground Turkey

1 Beaten Egg

1/4 C Milk

1/4 C finely chopped onion

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp pepper

1 Tsp lemon pepper

1 C Cooked Rice

1 8oz can of Tomato Sauce

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp Worcestershire

Start by browning your ground turkey. Season your ground turkey as it browns with garlic salt & lemon pepper. When this is done, drain and set aside.

Start water boiling in a large pot for your cabbage. The easiest way that I’ve found to get the leaves off is to submerge the whole head of cabbage for a couple of minutes and pull it out, taking as many leaves off as you can easily. Submerge again until you can pull a few more off. You want to keep the leaves as in tact as possible. Do this until you have about 12 whole leaves.

In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, milk, onion, spices, & rice. Mix well. Take about 1/4 C of this mix and put into the center of a leaf. Fold in the sides, then fold up the bottom until it looks like a little burrito. Place them seam side down in the Crockpot until you have gone through your leaves or ran out of stuffing.

In another bowl, combine the tomato sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, & Worcestershire. Pour this over your little cabbage burritos and put the lid on the Crockpot. Cook these in the Crockpot on low for about 6 hours.

 

 

Taco Bake

This recipe comes was inspired by a recipe I found on Lovestoeat.  I made some changes to use what we had on hand. The picture doesn’t do this meal any justice. I’m posting it, but please know it tastes much better than it looks.

Taco Bake

1 lb. ground turkey
1 package taco seasoning
1 can RoTel
8 oz. small pasta
4 oz cream cheese (softened in microwave)
1/4 c. sour cream
8 oz. shredded queso fresco

Brown ground turkey, drain. Add taco seasoning and RoTel. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream in separate bowl.

Spray bottom of 8 x 8 pan with Pam. Put pasta in bottom of pan. Spread cream cheese mixture over pasta. (This is kind of hard to do. Just dollop spoonfuls of the mixture about an inch apart and spread the best you can.) Spoon ground beef mixture over this. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes. Cool about 15 - 20 minutes before serving.