Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

A Facebook friend shared a recipe for unstuffed cabbage rolls a few weeks back. I did a quick screenshot of the recipe on my phone and then forgot about it. We were running low on cash this week so I had a light bulb moment and remembered this recipe. I wanted to link to the original recipe poster, but even though I stalked my friend's page like a private investigator, I couldn't find her original post. A quick search on Pinterest reveals a plethora of unstuffed cabbage roll recipes as well. I even found one that can be canned and a special little place in my heart warmed.

Every one in the family actually loved it! Even the littlest member. I knew I'd have to share it. I look forward to next year when I can grow all the ingredients myself!

Ingredients:
     1.5 to 2 pounds of lean ground beef or ground pork
     1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
     1 large onion, chopped
     1 green bell pepper, chopped
     1 clove of garlic, minced
     1 small cabbage, chopped
     (2) 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
     (1) 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
     1/2 cup of water
     1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
     1 teaspoon of sea salt

In a stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef (or pork), bell pepper, and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink and the onions and peppers are tender.

Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, pepper, and salt. Bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender. Eat and enjoy!

That's it! The most work is chopping the veggies. I used two pounds of ground pork in ours because it was less expensive than the beef. I had to purchase the pork, onion, cabbage, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. My total was only $7.99. Guesstimating on the ingredients I already had, six people ate for less than $10. Plus I had leftovers.

Repost: Tacos a la Pasta sans Tortillas

I was looking back through my archives and I came across this recipe.  I can't believe I haven't made this since last year!  It was so easy and so yummy!  I decided to revive it and give it a repost!

This is a yummy recipe that I stumbled across in an old handwritten cookbook. I am always looking for recipes with few ingredients and quick cook times.  This is one of those recipes.

Most families love tacos for their ease of cooking and eating, but sometimes they can be pretty messy.  This recipe helps keep the mess to a minimum, tastes great, and can be adjusted so easy for any families likes or dislikes!

Add these to your grocery list:
1 (16 oz.) package of medium pasta shells
1 lb. of ground beef (or turkey)
1 (26 oz.) jar of spaghetti sauce
1 envelope of taco seasoning
1 (8 oz.) carton spreadable chive and onion cream cheese (I used Philadelphia Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme)
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese (or more to taste and I think we used the "Mexican" blend, but again you can change it up and use any blend of shredded cheese)

Get started:
Preheat oven to 350F.

Cook the pasta per package instructions.  Once that is started, cook beef (or turkey) in large skillet until no longer pink; drain.

Stir in the spaghetti sauce and taco seasoning.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and sour cream; set aside.

Drain the pasta; stir in beef mixture.  Transfer to a greased 13" x 9" baking dish.  Spread the cream cheese/sour cream mix on top then sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Yields 8-10 servings.  Total time:  45 mins.

Super Simple Pot Roast

Generally, pot roast is pretty simple to begin with, but I found this recipe that has only five ingredients and tastes amazing!

Ingredients:

-Any size beef roast sized to fit your crock pot (or in my case, I used my Clay Cooker)

-1/2 cup of warm water

and...

a package of brown gravy mix, ranch dressing mix, and Italian dressing mix.  I grabbed the zesty Italian, but regular will be fine.

Place the roast in the crock pot.  

In a separate bowl, mix together all dry ingredients then rub them on the roast.  Add 1/2 cup of warm water.

Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove from crock, let it rest, then EAT IT!

So good.  So simple.  I found that adding a bit of the juice from cooking made it even better.  The next day I threw some in a tortilla with banana peppers and Monterey Jack cheese.  Mmm... mmm...  Just writing this post, I'm getting hungry.  Might need to make a run to the grocery!

Tasty Tuesday! Mandy's Meat Pies

Most of you probably don't know that several years ago I worked at Wal-Mart for five whole years.  I didn't have to check out groceries.  I had the pleasure of working the jewelry department counter for all of those years.  I took a few things away from that job.  Knowledge about Wal-Mart that I'd rather not have, realization that the time I spent there wasn't the best years in my life (that's a post for another day when I have the guts to be more open) that was in no way Wal-Mart's fault, but my own, and the best jewelry department girls that Wal-Mart has ever seen as friends.

Annie, Missy, Mandy, Christy, Ashley, Tabitha, and Mary were some of the funniest and most interesting people I've met in my life.  There were a few duds in our day... April, Amy, LaVitra..., but we survived them.  Sort of!  We had the best Christmas parties.  Every year Mandy brought her meat pies.  Scrumptious meaty pie-y goodness.  Mmmm....

I had almost forgotten about them until a few days ago when I was going through an old recipe box of mine.  I found the recipe!  I was so excited!  Probably more excited than I should have been about finding a folded up piece of old paper.  I can't wait to share this with y'all!

Mandy's Meat Pies

Ingredients:

3 cans of flaky biscuits
1 pound ground beef
2 cups raisins
2-3 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 cup olives, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 egg
Meat tenderizer



Do it up:
Preheat oven to 375F.

Cook the beef and drain. Season with meat tenderizer.

Add onions and garlic.

Cook until onions are soft, then add teriyaki sauce, ketchup, olives, and raisins.  Mix well and cook to heat; stirring occasionally.

Roll out individual biscuits until flat.

Spoon meat mix onto dough.

Wet edges slightly, fold, and press with fork to seal.

Stab top of pastry with fork so air can escape and brush tops with beaten egg.

Bake in oven at 375F until golden brown.  Enjoy!

A few notes:
-- I only used two cans of 8 ct. Great Value brand biscuits.  Recipe is easily adjusts to feed more or less people.
-- Teriyaki sauce matters.  I forgot it and they didn't taste the same.

Tacos a la Pasta sans Tortillas

This is a yummy recipe that I stumbled across in an old handwritten cookbook. I am always looking for recipes with few ingredients and quick cook times.  This is one of those recipes.

Most families love tacos for their ease of cooking and eating, but sometimes they can be pretty messy.  This recipe helps keep the mess to a minimum, tastes great, and can be adjusted so easy for any families likes or dislikes!

Add these to your grocery list:

1 (16 oz.) package of medium pasta shells
1 lb. of ground beef (or turkey)
1 (26 oz.) jar of spaghetti sauce
1 envelope of taco seasoning
1 (8 oz.) carton spreadable chive and onion cream cheese (I used Philadelphia Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme)
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese (or more to taste and I think we used the "Mexican" blend, but again you can change it up and use any blend of shredded cheese)

Get started:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cook the pasta per package instructions.  Once that is started, cook beef (or turkey) in large skillet until no longer pink; drain.

Stir in the spaghetti sauce and taco seasoning.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and sour cream; set aside.

Drain the pasta; stir in beef mixture.  Transfer to a greased 13" x 9" baking dish.  Spread the cream cheese/sour cream mix on top then sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Yields 8-10 servings.  Total time:  45 mins.

Natural + Organic = HOT DOG!

I know what you are thinking.  The same thing I was thinking when I was contacted about giving Applegate Farms hot dogs a try.  I was skeptical.

Like most people, we enjoy grilling.  Burgers and  brats are staple items on our grill.  We don't often purchase hot dogs.  Admittedly, I try not to think about what's actually in them.  'Cause we all know what's really going on inside that hot dog package.

We've been making a real effort to eat better meat.  I've been purchasing locally and humanely raised meats from our local farmer's market.  When I read up on Applegate I was looking forward to trying their product.

Their animals are raised on an all vegetarian diets with no animal by-products, never given antibiotics or growth hormones.  They are humanely raised and allowed to roam the fields of over three hundred small family farms.  Applegate uses minimal processing and use celery and sea salts to preserve their products, never nitrates or nitrites.  The Natural Uncured Beef Hot Dogs are gluten, casein, and dairy free plus are low in carbohydrates.  One dog only has 2 grams of saturated fat!

You have to try these hot dogs!  Their flavor is something I can almost not describe.  No processed greasy feeling while eating these dogs.  The texture was great.  The ingredients list is small and has completely pronounceable words in it.  No added junk.

• Beef
• Water
• Sea Salt
• Paprika
• Dehydrated Onion
• Spices (Black pepper, Coriander, Mace, and Nutmeg)
• Nutmeg Oil
• Celery Powder

That's it and wow... can you really taste it!  I'm so excited to have found a hot dog that tastes excellent and I can feel confident in feeding my children.  

Aren't sure if Applegate products are sold in your area?  Click here for their store locator.  In addition to hot dogs, Applegate also has bacon, sausage, cold cuts, and cheeses!

*I was given a sample of this product for review.  All opinions are my own.

Shredded Beef Tacos

Print it here!

This recipe comes from My Kitchen Addiction.  We've heard such good things about the Chipotle Mexican Grill, but the closest one to us is an hour away.  When I found this recipe I knew I was going to have to give it a try.

Here's what I used:

• 2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
• appx. 2 lbs boneless chuck roast
• 1 tsp mild chili seasoning
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• a pinch of sage
• 1 cup of beef bouillon
• 1 tbls tomato paste
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (forgot to mince it! Oops!)
• 1 tbls onion soup mix
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• flour tortillas
• For toppings: monterrey jack cheese, lettuce, sour cream, etc., etc.

Some of the ingredients have been adapted from those in the original recipe.  

And here's how I cooked it:

Add olive oil to a skillet and heat it over medium high heat.  Or in my case slightly below medium high.

Mix the dry spices (chili seasoning, paprika, sage) --MKA recipe calls for cumin, not sage, but I was out-- and rub it on the roast.  The original recipe says make sure to rub spice on all sides, but I ran out of spices so I just made sure to coat the top and bottom well.  

Sear the beef on all sides then remove from skillet to slow cooker (or stock pot), though I would suggest using the slow cooker.

Leave the skillet on the heat, add beef bouillon to remove all the bits of burned on goodness from the bottom of the skillet.  Add the tomato paste and the minced (remember I forgot to do the mincing...) chipotle --which I found in the ethnic food section at Wal-Mart-- and whisk it all together.  Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and let it thicken up.

Dice up that onion (again... I forgot to get an onion so I used some onion soup mix...), mince up that garlic and put on them on the roast.  Pour the sauce over the roast, cover and cook for 6-8 hours.

Since I used a stock pot instead of a slow cooker, mine wasn't as tender as I would have liked.  After shredding, I added in some of the sauce from the stock pot.  Add beef to tortillas, join them with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

These were a huge hit in our house.  Surprisingly even the kids were impressed!  I think because I forgot to mince that pepper, it made the roast less spicy.  It still had the flavor, but not a lot of heat.  This was so easy to make and so yummy, we will definitely be making them again!

A Week's Worth

I discovered something wonderful this weekend. I can go to the grocery store and spend less that $100 for a week's worth of groceries for my family of 4. It's amazing, ain't it? You can do it to.

Start with this grocery list:

• 2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 2.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
• 2 boxes of stuffing mix
• 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 bottle of ranch dressing
• 1 bunch of broccoli
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 large head of Romaine lettuce
• 1 pkg. of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 pkg. of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 pkg. of taco seasoning mix
• 1 pkg. of tortilla chips
• 1 box of instant rice
• 1 rising crust pizza

Monday:
QUICK TACO SALAD

Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 cup chopped onions (about 1 medium)
- 1 pkt. taco seasoning mix
- 1/4 cup water
- 10 cups torn lettuce (about 1 head)
- 1 & 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 2 medium)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups tortilla chips, coarsely crushed
- 1/4 cup ranch dressing

BROWN meat in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat; drain. Return meat to skillet. Add onions; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally.

ADD taco seasoning mix and water; mix well. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 3 min.

DIVIDE lettuce among four plates. Top evenly with meat mixture, tomatoes, cheese and tortilla chips. Drizzle with dressing.

Prep: 30 mins. Ready In: 30 mins. Serves: 4

Tuesday:
MOZZARELLA CHICKEN & RICE SKILLET

- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1lb.)
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 soup can milk or water
- 2 cups fresh or frozen and thawed broccoli florets
- 1 & 1/2 cups instant rice, uncooked
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

HEAT oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 min on each side or until cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet; cover to keep warm.

ADD soup and milk to skillet; mix well. Bring to boil. Stir in broccoli and rive; top with chicken. Cover. Reduce heat to low.

COOK 5 min.; sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

Prep: 5 min. Ready In: 30 min. Serves: 4

Wednesday:
BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN BAKE

- 1 can diced tomatoes, un-drained
- 1 pkg. stuffing mix for chicken
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 & 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tsp. dried basil leaves
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

PREHEAT oven to 400 degrees F. Place tomatoes in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, water and garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside.

PLACE chicken in a 13 X 9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with the basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mixture.

BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Prep: 10 min. Ready In: 40 min. Serves: 6

Thursday:
JUMBO MEATBALLS

- 1 pkg. stuffing mix for chicken
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 egg
- 1/4 ranch dressing
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup ketchup

PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F. Combine stuffing mix, water, egg and dressing until moistened. Add meat and cheese; mix well. Shape into eight 2-inch meatballs.

PLACE on greased baking sheet; spread with ketchup.

BAKE 30 min. or until cooked through.

Prep: 10 min. Ready In: 40 min. Serves: 4

Friday:
PIZZA!!!!
**Pantry staples are not included in this shopping list. The following ingredients should also be on hand: oil, onions, milk, eggs, ketchup, garlic, dried basil leaves.

These recipes and the idea behind it can be found at KraftFoods.com. Click on the BudgetWi$e tab. Then click 1 Bag, 5 Dinners. This "bag" is Chicken & Beef Bag #3.

Obviously, these are only dinner recipes, but I was able to get all the things I needed for these meals plus groceries for breakfast and for my lunches for $99.47.

I DO shop for my groceries at Wal-Mart.
I DON'T buy all name brand items.
I DON'T clip coupons all day on Sunday. I have found that even with coupons, buying the store brand items saves more money. However, I did find a $0.75 coupon for that bag cereal at maltomeal.com and I signed up at BettyCrocker.com and got access to monthly coupons there as well that I can print at home and take to the store. The two coupons I used this week were not questioned and the cashier just scanned them and went on.

I would suggest that buying the store brand is not always a great idea. I usually buy brand name olive oil and things like that, but you can save A LOT of money buying store brand foods. I was very proud of myself for spending less than $100 because I usually spend, on average, around $150.

I hope this may help someone spend less at the grocery store. At least give someone a good recipe for dinner this week.

And remember to stop by the Kraft Foods website for more 1 Bag, 5 Dinner ideas!

Top O' The Morning!

So I thought I was more Irish than I apparently am. I have Irish on both sides of the family though. My dad told me not too long ago that my sis-in-law, Heidi, was doing a little research here and there and found out some things. Like some German-ness. My mom and I had discussed some of our heritage before, but then she too said that some relatives had changed their name upon getting to the United States. Just like many families did when immigrating. Those family members had also been of German decent. Apparently you can just call me Tom Hagen. There is also some Scottish and Welsh in there as well.

But I love being Irish. My favorite color is even GREEN! Since it's St. Patrick's Day I thought I'd share a time honored recipe for the holiday. Corned beef and cabbage. Except I'll make it an easy to do recipe for families...

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

Place in crock pot in order:

3 carrots, cut in 3 inch pieces
3-4 lb. corned beef brisket (I buy this all the time @ Wal-Mart)
2-3 med. onions, quartered
1-2 c. water
1/2 sm. cabbage, cut in wedges

Add cabbage to liquid, pushing down to moisten, after 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high. Cover and cook 10-12 hours on low, 5-6 hours on high.

To prepare more cabbage, cook separately in skillet. Remove 1 cup of broth from crock pot during last hour of cooking. Pour over cabbage wedges in skillet. Cover and cook 20-30 minutes.

So go be Irish today! Let out your inner Leprechaun!

Recipe of the Week

Usually I post recipes from my various cookbooks. Don't worry cookbook people, I always either link to where people can buy your cookbook and/or I tell what cookbook it came from so as not to mess with all your copyrightedness. Look Ma, I made up a word! Just call me George.

Anyway, this week I am going to post what is ever popular in my house. Mama's Lasagna.

Baby, it's cold outside and we all need to be using our ovens for the extra heat they can provide and the yummy lasagna that may or may not yield you some leftovers.

Here we go...

Shiny's Lasagna via Mama's Recipe

• 1 box lasagna noodles
• 6 cloves of garlic (peeled & diced) or 3 Tb garlic powder
• 2 Tb oregano
• 1 teaspoon fennel
• 1 lb. mozzarella cheese
• 2 cans mushrooms
• 1 lg. onion
• 1 lb. Italian sausage
• 2 jars spaghetti sauce
• 2 Tb basil
• 1 lg. container ricotta or cottage cheese
• 3 lb. ground beef
• 2 cups Parmesan cheese

Of course, you can always adjust ingredients to your flavor liking.

Noodles - Cook as directed, drain in cold water and lay individually on paper or cloth towels. Let cool.

Meat - Brown in skillet, drain.

Italian sausage - Peel off skin and brown in skillet, drain.

Sauce - Put in large pan on medium heat. Add garlic, onion, mushrooms (if using fresh mushrooms, saute them first in butter), then add oregano, basil, fennel, and meat. Let sauce simmer for 1 hour, turn off let cool.

1. Cover bottom of pan with thin layer of sauce.
2. Place single layer of noodles down.
3. Spread 1 and a half cups sauce over noodles.
4. Spread 3/4 cup ricotta or cottage cheese over sauce.
5. Spread 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese over that.
6. Sprinkle 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese over mozzarella.
7. Repeat steps 2-6.
8. End with 1/2 to 3/4 cups sauce spattered over all. Then sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 and a half hours. Let cool for 30 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!


By the way, it's 3 degrees outside. Just so ya know....

Recipe of the Week

Spiced Chili

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) stewed tomatoes, cut up
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried majoram
Shredded cheddar cheese, optional

1) Ina large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

2) Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Stri in the beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes, water and seasonings.

3) Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Discard bay leaves. Garnish with cheese if desired.

Yield: 12 servings (about 3 quarts).

NUTRITION FACTS: 1 cup equals 236 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 38 mg cholesteron, 1,240 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 18 g protein.

--Stovetop Spiced Chili: If you like to make the chili on the stovetop, use a Dutch oven instead of a skillet to cook the beef, onion and garlic. Add the beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes, water and seasonings to the Dtch oven. Bring to aboil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Discard bay leaves.

Recipe of the Week

15-Minute Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
12 ounce boneless beef round steak
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1- 8 ounce pkg. fresh mushrooms, quartered, or one 2 1/2 ounce jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1- 8 ounce container dairy sour cream onion dip
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
--Hot cooked wide noodles or rice
--Snipped fresh parsley or chives (optional)

1) Trim fat from meat. Cut meat diagonally across grain into 1/4 inch wide strips. In a large skillet, brown meat in hot oil. Remove meat from skillet. (If necessary, add additional oil.) Add the fresh mushrooms, if using, and cook until tender.

2) Return meat to skillet. Add the canned mushrooms, if using. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream dip and flour. Stir into mixture in skillet. Stir in milk and pepper. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Serve over hot cooked noodles or rice. If desired, sprinkle with snipped fresh parsley or chives.

Makes 5 servings.

**Try not to over cook, it will lose the flavor. I found this out the hard way.**

NUTRITION FACTS: 364 cal., 18 g tatal fat (8 g sat. fat), 80 mg chol., 398 mg soduim, 29 g carb., 2g fiber, 23 g pro.

Lower Fat 15-Minute Beef Stroganoff: Prepare as directed, except substitute light dairy sour cream dip for the dairy sour cream dip.