Sweet & Sour Meatballs

I made these the other night, and they are soooo soooo good! So much better than frozen meatballs! Enjoy.

Meatballs:
1 lb beef
1/2 cup oats
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Form into balls and place in large 9x13 baking dish (large cookie sheet -jelly roll type with an edge- will work too).

Sauce:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tsp mustard
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
In a saucepan, mix all ingredients together and heat until dissolved and smooth. Pour over meatballs on your baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 min. Serve over rice.

German Pancake w/ Mixed Berry Syrup

Our cousin Alicia told me I had to try this recipe, and we loved it. It's a little different than what you might think of when you think of a German Pancake. It has more of an actual cake texture and yet still has all the flavor of a german pancake. It was delicious and perfect for a special breakfast!

3 eggs
1 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. butter
1 lb. bag frozen mixed berries
1/3 c. maple syrup
powdered syrup for dusting

Preheat oven to 400 degress. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk in baking powder until smooth, then whisk in flour. Let sit at least 10 minutes. Heat an 8 or 10 inch cast iron skillet* in the oven with the butter.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake until the pancake is golden brown, puffed up and set in the center, about 15 minutes.

To make the syrup, heat the berries in a small saucepan with the maple syrup until mixture thickens, but you can still see the berries. Serve warm over a wedge of pancake, dusted with powdered sugar.

*I don't have a cast iron skillet, so I just used an 8x8 glass pan.

Cantaloupe Cooler

Just a warning- this is quite possibly the most refreshing, yummy drink you can have on a hot summer day. It's amazing. :)

1 very ripe cantaloupe cut into chunks
Ice (about 1 1/2 cups+ but eyeball it while blending. It all depends on the size of your cantaloupe)
1 ripe banana, cut into chunks
3 T sugar

In blender, blend up cantaloupe and ice until desired consistency. Add banana and blend. Finally add the sugar and blend again. Serve immediately and enjoy!!

Everyday Cinnamon Rolls

I have been searching for a quick cinnamon roll recipe and finally found it at Our Best Bites. I love that it only needs to raise once, for 30 minutes. I love that the whole thing is done in less than 2 hours. And I love that it just makes 12. It's so perfect!

Dough
1 cup milk
4 Tbs butter, cut into chunks
3 1/4 - 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg

Filling
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened

Icing
1 1/2 C powdered sugar
2 T melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbs milk

Dough: Place 3/4 c. milk and 4 Tbs butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute 30 seconds. Butter should be at least partially melted. Stir and set aside. In a large mixing bowl whisk together 2 C flour, yeast, white sugar, and salt. Add remaining 1/4 c. milk to the milk/butter mixture to cool it down. Add it to the flour mixture along with the egg while the beater is running. Beat until well combined, about 1 minute. (Switch to the dough hook now) Add remaining flour only until dough barely leaves the sides of the bowl. It should be very soft and slightly sticky. Continue to let the dough knead for 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and let rest for about 10 minutes while you make the filling.

Filling: make sure butter is softened well. Mix with brown sugar and cinnamon.

Assembly: Roll dough into a rectangle about 12 x 14 inches. Spread brown sugar mixture (it will be slightly thick, you might have to "crumble" it) over the surface and use your fingers or the back of a spoon to gently spread around. Roll up from the longer side of the rectangle and pinch edges closed. Score the roll into 12 equal pieces and then cut into rolls using dental floss. Place in a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover pan with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. In the mean time, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

When rolls have finished rising bake for 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown. If desired spread with icing while still warm. Makes 12 rolls.

Pioneer Woman's Pizza Crust

I have made LOTS of pizza, and this dough just became my favorite. It was light and yummy. Not too heavy or bready or thick. Soooo perfect!

1 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil

Pour 1 1/2 c. warm water into bowl; sprinkle yeast over and let sit. In your bosch, combine flour and salt. With mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated. Gently stir the yeast into the water and then drizzle it into the flour mixture. Mix until the dough forms a ball. Cover and let sit for 1 to 2 hours. You can also wrap in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Divide dough in half. Lightly drizzle olive oil on pizza pan. Using your hands, stretch dough into desired shape (do not roll). Add sauce and toppings. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

*When I made this, I made one pizza and put the other half of the dough in the fridge. 3 days later, I took the other 1/2 out around 3:00 p.m. By 6:00, it was ready to bake! So easy!

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

I made this last night for a party. It is super good, super rich, and easy! Enjoy!
1 fudge brownie mix (13 x 9 size)
2 packages (10 oz) miniature peanut butter cups
4 cups cold milk
2 large boxes (5.1 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons vanilla
1 large carton (20 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed


Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Cool and cut into 3/4" pieces.

Cut peanut butter cups in half, set aside 1/3 cup for garnish.

In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 min. Let stand for 2 min. until soft-set. Add peanut butter and vanilla and mix well. Fold in 3/4 of the carton of whipped topping.

Place a third of the brownies in trifle bowl. Top with a third of the peanut butter cups. Spoon a third of the pudding mixture over the top. Repeat layers twice more. Cover top with remaining cool whip and garnish with reserved peanut butter cups. Refrigerate until chilled and ready to serve.

Yummy Lasagna

I combined a few recipes for Lasagna and came up with this last night:

It was really, really good. The enchilada sauce gives it a little kick, but the cream cheese balances it out and makes it quite possibly the best lasagna I've ever made.

9 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 lb hamburger, browned (I used 1/2 lb)
1 can tomato soup
1 can mild enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso)
1 carton cottage cheese (16 oz.)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 - 3 cups mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese for top
herbs for topping (I used Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together tomato soup and enchilada sauce. In a separate bowl, mix together cottage cheese and cream cheese.

To assemble: Spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Put 3 noodles down and top with 1/2 the beef, 1/2 the cottage cheese/cream cheese mixture, and 1 c. of mozzarella cheese. Pour some sauce over it. Put 3 more noodles down and repeat (using all the beef, cottage cheese mixture). Pour almost all the sauce over, then top with 3 last noodles. Pour the rest of the sauce over, the remaining mozzarella cheese, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and herbs. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until cheese is golden. Let it sit for at least 15-20 minutes.