Meatballs

This recipe came from my aunt Brenda. Dewayne loves these. I used to make them often when we lived in Tennessee, but today is the first time I have made them in years. They taste similar to meatloaf. I halved the recipe, going by the recipe you will have double what is in the pics.

Ingredients for Meatballs
*2lb. ground beef
*2 T. onion, finely chopped
*1/4c. cracker crumbs
*1 1/2 tsp. salt
*3 T. A-1 steak sauce

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Shape into small balls. Bake on 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Take out and pour off any juice.

Ingredients for Sauce:
*1 t. onions, finely chopped
*2c. ketchup
*2 T. brown sugar
*1 T. oil
*1 T. mustard

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and pour over meat balls. Bake about 35 more minutes on 350 degrees.

Rolled out and ready for the oven.

Fresh out of the oven.


Ready to eat.

Mashed Potato Salad

This is another recipe from my mom. It is different from most potato salads. Instead of having cubed potatoes, the potatoes are mashed. I love this potato salad. When she fixes it for the whole family, we consume the whole pot.

Ingredients:
*5 lg. potatoes, peeled & cubed
*1 sm. onion, diced
*4 boiled eggs, boiled & peeled
*3 T. sweet pickle relish
*1 tsp. prepared mustard
*1 T. dill pickle juice
*1/2 tsp. black pepper
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1 c. mayonnaise (preferrably Kraft)

Directions:
*Cook potatoes in water until tender and drain. Add onions, eggs, relish, mustard, dill pickle juice, black pepper, salt and mayonnaise. Mash all ingredients together with potato masher until well blended. If too dry add more mayonnaise.

Mom's Coleslaw

This is the coleslaw mom has made for as long as I can remember. I am not a big coleslaw fan, therefore I can't tell you if it is good or not. Everyone else seems to love it.

Ingredients:
*1 med. cabbage head, shredded
*3 carrots, peeled & grated
*1c. mayonnaise
*1/4c. cream
*sugar, sweeten to taste

Directions:
*Toss cabbage and carrots together.
*In a seperate bowl, mix mayonnaise, cream and sugar; whip with a whisk until well blended and smooth. Add mixture to carrots and cabbage.
*Mix thoroughly. Keep refrigerated until serving.

Homemade Vegetable Soup

When Dewayne and I first got married I really didn't care for Vegetable Soup. He loved how his mom fixed it, so we called and got the recipe. I have been fixing it the same since and I now love it too. I think my mom-in-law only uses corn and potatoes in hers. I add more vegetables and you can add or leave out whatever you like. If you add more vegetables, you may want to add more tomato soup and water. You could also use prepared fresh vegetables instead of canned. I have made big batches of this soup, put it in quart jars while it is still extremely hot, put jar lids and rings on. The lids seal and when we needed something quick, I just open a jar and heat it up. The longest I kept mine was a couple of months.

Ingredients:

*1 lb. ground beef

*4 (10.75 oz.) cans condensed tomato soup

*4 cans water (use the empty soup cans)

*1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

*1 (15.25 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained

*1 (15.5 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

* (14.5 oz. ) can sliced carrots, drained

*2 (14.5 oz.) cans green beans , drained (I use 1 qt. home canned green beans)

*1/2 small onion, chopped

*1 tsp. salt

*1 tsp. pepper

*3 lg. potatoes (diced to whatever size you prefer)

Directions:

*Fry the ground beef and drain. You can fry the onion with your ground beef, cook it with you potatoes or just put in with the soup, whichever you prefer. I usually fry mine with the ground beef, but forgot today, so I just chopped the onion, cried like a baby and sauteed it in a pan by itself in enough butter to cover pan (if you sautee by itself, stir until it is finished or it will burn) and threw it in the pot.

*Add the tomato soup and water to a large pot and stir to combine. Add all your vegetables except for the potatoes. You can leave out the kidney beans until the end too, but I just throw mine in, in the beginning. Add the salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

*Start heat on medium to medium high. When the soup starts to boil turn down to simmer and let cook 1 to 2 hours. You can let it cook longer if you have the time. The longer it simmers, the better it is. The pot I am cooking today has been on close to 3 hours. Make sure to stir often, to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pot.

*About 30 minutes before soup is ready to serve, cook your potatoes in water close to the desired tenderness, drain and add to soup. Cook for 20 or 30 minutes longer, making sure your potatoes don't get too soft.

A CUTE & TRUE STORY ABOUT VEGETABLE SOUP:

Dewayne likes to eat peanut butter sandwiches with his vegatable soup. We used to spend alot of time with my mammaw and we got her on the vegetable soup kick. Dewayne told her to try the peanut butter sandwiches with the soup next time she had soup. It went a few weeks and we were visiting, she told us that she tried putting the peanut butter in her soup. She had thought we said to put the peanut butter in her bowl of soup. She said it was pretty good (her pretty good, was not too good). I can't imagine what it tasted like and don't plan to find out.

Sausage Pancake Egg Sandwich

I saw this recipe on Paula's Party. I love McGriddles from McDonald's and thought I would try this. I didn't go through all the hard work like Paula Deen though. Dewayne would only eat these if he was starving so I only fixed one. I fixed me a couple of pancakes out of Bisquick, fried one piece of sausage, crumbled it and mixed it in with one beaten egg. I scrambled the egg and assembled the sandwich as listed below. It was really good and way too much for one person. I plan on fixing this again.

Ingredients

Pancakes:
*2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
*Pinch salt
*2 cups milk
*2 eggs
*1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus oil for skillet
*Butter, for skillet

For the scrambled eggs:
*8 eggs
*House Seasoning, to taste, recipe follows
*2 tablespoons butter
*4 crumbled cooked sausage patties

For assembly:
*American cheese slices
*Butter
*Maple syrup

Directions
*Heat a nonstick griddle to medium heat while you prepare the pancake batter. Combine flour and salt. Mix milk, eggs, oil together and add to flour mixture.
*Butter your skillet and then add 1/4 cup of oil to the skillet which keeps butter from burning. Ladle about 1/4 cup of the batter, for each pancake, onto the skillet. The bottoms of the pancakes should brown in roughly 2 to 4 minutes. Flip to finish cooking the other side. Cook until lightly golden brown.
*Reserve pancakes in a preheated 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

For the scrambled eggs:
*Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute.
*Crack eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk them until the whites and the yolks are
combined. Season with House Seasoning. Add butter to the skillet and allow to melt. Add the eggs and reduce heat to medium-low. Add sausage. Stir frequently until soft small curds have developed. The more you stir the more the creamier the eggs will be. Remove from heat.

For assembly:
*Place slice of American cheese on top of pancake, top with scrambled eggs. Top scrambled eggs with another slice of cheese and place another pancake on top. Add a dab of butter and smother with maple syrup.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
*Mix ingredients together and place in a shaker near the stove. Use in place of salt and pepper for all your cooking needs.

*This recipe came from Paula Deen.

Poultry Salad

This is the best stuff ever. My great grandma Odie gave this recipe to my mom over 30 years ago. Mom usually fixes this when she has turkey or chicken and dumplings.

Ingredients:
*2 lg. lettuce heads
*1 lg. onion
*cooked chicken or turkey
*1c. chicken or turkey broth
*mayonnaise
*salt & pepper

Directions:
Cut up lettuce heads and onion. Tear desired amount of turkey or chicken into strips. Mix 1 c. chicken or turkey broth (can use broth from turkey or chicken) with desired amount of mayonnaise. Don't use too much of the broth/mayonnaise mixture, this will make the salad soggy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over salad and mix thoroughly. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Cuisinart Griddler

I wanted one of these for years and mom got me one this past Christmas. I absolutely love it. You can use it as a grill, griddle or a panini press. It has knobs to adjust heat and select what you are using it for. It comes with plates for grilling and flat plates. The plates are removable and dishwasher safe, which makes for easy cleaning. The top folds down flat or closes. The top is also adjustable for larger items, making getting what you are fixing evenly cooked and makes fixing larger sandwiches easier. I can fix complete meals at one time. I have fixed burgers, sandwiches, eggs, bacon, pancakes, chicken, pork chops and bacon. It is a little pricey, costing a little more than $100 at Belk, but if you are looking for something similar to this, it is definitely worth the money in my opinion.

Cheddar Biscuits

These are similar to Red Lobster's biscuits. They are soooo good and quick & easy.

Ingredients:
*2c. Bisquick
*2/3c. milk
*1/2c. grated Cheddar cheese
*1/4c. butter, melted
*1/4tsp. Garlic salt

Directions:
Combine Bisquick, milk, cheese. Dough will be sticky. Spoon into 12 well greased muffin tins. Combine the butter & garlic salt and spread over raw batter. Bake about 10 to 15 minutes at 450 degrees until nicely browned.

Before going in the oven.

Fresh out off the oven.

Served with dinner.

The Best French Toast in the World...

Dewayne and I both loved this French Toast. I plan on making this one of our regular breakfast dishes.

Ingredients:
*4 eggs
*2/3 c. milk (I used whipping cream)
*1/3 c. flour
*1/3 c. sugar
*1/2 tsp. vanilla
*1/4 tsp. salt
*1/8 tsp. cinnamon
*6 slices Texas toast thick bread
*3 T. butter
*powdered sugar
*butter
*syrup

Directions:
1. Mix together the eggs, milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt and cinnamon.
2. Heat a large skillet or griddle.
3. When the skillet is hot, add 1 tablespoon of butter.
4. If the butter smokes, your pan is too hot; turn down the heat.
5. Dip each slice of bread into the batter for 30 seconds on each side.
6. Let some of the batter drip off, then put in skillet.
7. Cook each slice 1 1/2 – 2 minutes per side until each side is golden brown.
8. Add more butter, if necessary, to cook all of the slices.
9. To serve, put on plate, dust with powdered sugar. Serve with butter and hot syrup.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

YUMMY!!! Easy and great reheated. We ate the whole pan in one day.

Ingredients...
*1 tbsp butter or margarine
*1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, drained
*1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, cut up and softened
*2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast
*8 (8″) flour tortillas
*2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
*1 pint whipping cream

Directions…
*Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9×13 baking dish with Pam. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add rotel and saute 1 min. Stir in cream cheese and chicken and cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in a lightly greased 9×13 baking dish.
*Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese, and drizzle with whipping cream.
*Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. Take off foil and cook for another 15 mins, or until top is golden brown.

*This recipe came from Kevin & Amanda's recipes, she has lots of wonderful recipes and her site is great.

Potato Hash with Baked Eggs

I saw this on the Food Network and it looked so good I had to try it. I didn't use onion or Oregano, because Dewayne probably would not have ate it. I didn't have any cheese at the time either, but the dish turned out great. I did bake mine a bit too long, because the eggs didn't look done, I should have just stuck to the suggested time. Tasted yummy and was very hearty.
Ingredients

*4 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
*1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
*Salt and freshly ground pepper
*1/2 cup chopped onion
*8 eggs
*2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
*6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

*Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil until about 3/4's of the way done, about 4 minutes. Drain well and spread out on a baking sheet to cool.
*Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat. When hot, add the olive oil, and then add the potatoes in a single layer. Lower the heat to medium and cook, tossing occasionally, until the potatoes are crusty and browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the onion and cook until the onions brown slightly, about 2 minutes
*Off the heat, make 8 small evenly-spaced wells in the hash and pour a small bit of olive oil in each well. Break an egg into each well. Sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper. Scatter the oregano and the cheese over the hash.
*Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the eggs are cooked to your taste, about 5 minutes for firm whites and soft yolks. Serve immediately.

*This recipe came from Michael Chiarello.

Cream Cheese & Pecan Stuffed Berries

My sweet neighbor Lois brought these to me, they looked beautiful and were sinfully delicious.
*She added orange zest to her cream cheese mixutre and drizzled melted chocolate on top of hers, instead of using the pecans.

Ingredients
*20 whole large strawberries, hulled
*8 ounces cream cheese, softened
*1/4 cup confectioners' powdered sugar
*1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
*2/3 cup chopped pecans

Directions
*Cut a thin slice from the bottom of each strawberry so the berries stand upright. Place berries, cut side down, on a serving platter. Carefully cut the berries into 4 wedges, cutting almost to, but not through, the bottoms with a criss-cross cut. Fan wedges just slightly, taking care not to break them. Set aside.
*In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until combined but still stiff. Using a teaspoon or pastry bag with decorative tip, fill the strawberries with the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the stuffed strawberries. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
*This recipe is from Paula Deen .

Yummy Easy Muffins (Cupcakes)

Mom told me about these and I finally got around to trying them. They are super easy, extremely moist and sooooo good. I was actually shocked when I tried them, they taste like really good chocolate cupcakes.

1 box Devil's Food cake mix ( I just used chocolate)
1 (15 oz.) can of pumpkin

Blend together well with a mixer. Batter will be thick and look like cake frosting. Spoon into 12 cup muffin tin sprayed with Pam. (I am sure you could use a mini muffin pan.) Bake for 20 minutes on 400 degrees. I drizzled powdered sugar glaze on top of mine, but they really didn't need it.