stromboli

Matt loves stromboli. He gets excited when I tell him that's what we are having for dinner. This recipe is great, you can use frozen (thawed) bread dough or just whip up a batch of your own!

Strombolli
1 loaf frozen bread dough
2 eggs, seperated
1 TBSP parmesean cheese
1 TBSP parsley
1/2 TBSP garlic powder(I'll press a few cloves of garlic)
1 TBSP oregano
1/2 TBSP pepper
approximately 2 TBSP olive
1/2 lb cooked Italian sausage OR pepperoni
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced (I use 2 small cans)
Oil frozen bread dough and defrost 3-4 hours, per package instructions. Roll out with hands to 1/4 inch thickness. Mix egg yolks, seasonings and spread on dough. Top with meat, mushrooms, and cheese. Roll lengthwise & shape into a horseshoe shape. Place seam side down on a cookie sheet. Brush with egg whites. Bake at 350' for 30 minutes. Slice into 1" pieces. Serve with hot pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce.

enchilada casserole

I love the recipe included with this for homemade enchilada sauce. I don't know how many times I have wanted to make enchiladas and had everything on hand except the sauce. This is such an easy way to make the sauce. It tastes better than the canned stuff too. You should give this recipe a try, it's delicious!

first make a batch of enchilada sauce...

1 can 8 oz. tomato sauce
3 cans water
2 T. taco seasonings
2 T. corn starch
Stir and bring to a boil, cook about 5 minutes to thicken...

1 lb. hamburger
1/2 chopped onion (or dried onion flakes)
1 clove garlic, pressed
4 c. pinto beans (or black beans)
1 can sliced olives
1 can diced green chilis
1 package taco seasoning
1/3 c. water
flour tortillas (or corn)
shredded cheddar cheese

Cook hamburger meat add everything but tortillas and cheese...
spray inside of crockpot with non stick spray. Lay three tortillas in bottom, pour ench. sauce, then meat mixture, then cheese, then add another layer of tortillas, sauce, meat & cheese add remaining sauce over the top. Serve with tortilla chips and sour cream.

Visit Sandra's blog for more slow cooker recipes!

taco meatloaf

This is a delicious version of meatloaf! I loved it the first time I tried it, as did my entire family. It gives the meatloaf a great new flavor and texture. Give it a try!

• 1 egg
  
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
• 1/3 cup salsa
  
• 2 to 4 tablespoons taco seasoning
  
• 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
  
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
  
• Optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, sliced ripe olives

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Pat into the bottom of a 3-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Top with sour cream, salsa, cheese, lettuce and olives if desired.

spaghetti meal from Betty Gardner~

Here is an entire meal to serve to your family. Spaghetti is always a pleaser, especially for the kids! Thanks Betty for emailing this meal. You should give it a try!


Meaty Spaghetti:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 medium onions, chopped
2 pounds lean ground beef
3 (16 ounce) cans whole tomatoes
3 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
3 of the 6 ounce cans full of water
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf (remove before serving)
2 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked and drained
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy kettle, sauté garlic, parsley and onion until tender, but not browned. Add ground beef; cook over high heat, stirring to break up meat as it browns. Crush tomatoes in a blender or with a potato masher. Add to Dutch oven with tomato paste, water, sugar, salt, oregano, basil, pepper and bay leaf. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes. Taste and correct seasonings, adding salt, pepper or more sugar if needed.

Serve over cooked spaghetti, topped with grated Parmesan or Romano.

(This makes a lot of sauce, but it freezes well.)

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Herbed Corn on the Cob:
6-12 Mini Corn on the Cob
4 tablespoons of fresh Thyme
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) Real Melted Butter

Place cleaned corn on the cob into a large pot. Cover with cold water. Omit salt from boiling process (it tends to toughen the corn). Bring just to a boil and then let the ears stand in boiling water a few minutes. Mix melted butter, salt, and thyme together in a serving dish. Lay corn onto serving dish and roll to coat with butter mixture. Serve immediately.

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Cheese & Rosemary Breadsticks:
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup grated Gruyere
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 (11-ounce) container refrigerated breadstick dough (or make your own!)
Finely ground sea salt, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with silicone baking sheets or parchment paper. In a food processor, chop the Parmesan, Gruyere and rosemary together until coarsely chopped. Set the cheese mixture aside. Separate the dough strips. Using a pizza cutter or a large sharp knife, cut each dough strip in half lengthwise to form thin strips. Working with dough strip at a time, coat each strip with the cheese mixture, pressing very gently. Twist each cheese covered dough strip and place onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with the salt, if you wish. Bake until the breadsticks are golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the warm breadsticks to a basket and serve.

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Fresh Lemonade:
6 lg. thin skinned lemons
About 8 c. water
1 c. (8 oz.) sugar
10-12 Maraschino cherries
2 tablespoons Cherry Juice

Roll the lemons on a hard surface to loosen the juice. Cut them in half and squeeze out the juice. Strain it into a large pitcher. Boil 1/2 cup of the water then add sugar. Stir until all sugar is dissolved. Add the mixture (called simple syrup) to the pitcher and also add the remaining cold water. Taste, and adjust the sugar or water. You may also need more lemon juice, it all depends on your individual taste buds. Add the cherries and juice for an extra special treat!

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe:
1 cups butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1 cup sugar
2.5 cups blended oatmeal
12 oz. chocolate chips
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla

Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes about 5 dozen cookies. I divide the dough in half and bake one half and freeze the other for later!

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crock pot meatloaf

This has become my favorite way to make meatloaf. It is just so easy to put it in the crockpot and leave it. It comes out so delicious and moist. The best part is your home will smell yummy all day long. You should try it!!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds ground beef

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup italian breadcrumbs or crushed crackers

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 small onion (diced)

1/4 cup water

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into a meatloaf shape that will fit into your crock pot. Cut a strip of foil and place under the meatloaf in crock pot. Cut it long enough to cover the bottom and sides of meatloaf. Place meat loaf in crock pot and top with an additional 2 tablespoons ketchup & chili sauce. Cover and cook on low for approximately 8 hours or high for four hours.

Note: This was delicious! everyone really enjoyed it.

Michelle'sTaquitos

I make these weekly! The kids love them. Matt takes them in his lunch a lot of days because they are quick and easy to eat on the run! I have played around with ingredients many times and they always come out tasting great. Give them a try!

INGREDIENTS:
1. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for brushing on the taquitos
2. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
3. 1 clove garlic, minced
4. 3/4 pound lean ground beef
5. 1 cup salsa, plus more for dipping
6. 2 teaspoons chili powder
7. 1/2 teaspoon salt
8. 1/4 teaspoon pepper
9. 10 (6-inch) flour tortillas
10. 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack
Sour cream

1. Heat the oven to 400°. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook them for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the beef and use a wooden spoon or a spatula to break it up while it cooks, until it is no longer red, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the salsa, the chili powder, and the salt and pepper. Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
2. Place the tortillas on a plate and cover them with damp paper towels. Microwave them until warm and pliable, about 45 seconds. Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup of the beef mixture, spreading it to an inch from the edges. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the beef.
3. Roll up the tortillas and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet with the seam sides down. Brush the taquitos lightly with vegetable oil, then bake them until the filling is heated through and the tortillas are lightly browned, about 8 to 12 minutes. Serve them hot with sour cream and/or salsa. Serves 4 to 6.

Just a word of advice: if you're like me and accidentally use 8-inch tortillas, instead of 6-inch, you'll need more than 1/4 cup of meat mixture to put on the tortillas (I used about 1/2 cup). You'll also need more cheese - 1/2 cup just doesn't cut it! And one more thing...in using the bigger tortillas your taquitos won't come out looking nice and thin like the picture above; they'll come out fatter, looking more like a burrito, but still good anyway!