Swedish Meatballs

inspiration: all-recipe's.com
prep: 30 minutes
cook: 1 hour
serves: 8-10


Description: If your lucky to be near an IKEA store you can always stock up on their famous Swedish meatballs. If you're not near a store than you'll have to make them yourself. They are worth the effort and freeze really well!

 Ingredients:
2 slices day-old white bread, crumbled1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon butter
1 small onion, minced
2/3 pound ground beef
1/3 pound finely ground pork
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed
2 cups beef broth, or as needed
1/2 (8 ounce) container sour cream
 1 large bag of egg noodles, cooked and rinsed. 


Directions:

1. Place the bread crumbs into a small bowl, and mix in the cream. Allow to stand until crumbs absorb the cream, about 10 minutes. 
2. While the bread is soaking, melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion until it turns light brown, about 10 minutes. 
3. Place onion into a mixing bowl; mix with the ground beef, ground pork, egg, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. 
4. Lightly mix in the bread crumbs and cream to the meat mixture.
5. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Pinch off about 1 1/2 tablespoon of the meat mixture per meatball, and form into balls.( or use a small ice cream scoop) 
6.  Place the meatballs into the skillet, and cook just until the outsides are brown, about 5 minutes, turning the meatballs often. Insides of the meatballs will still be pink. 
7. Place browned meatballs into a baking dish, pour in chicken broth, and cover with foil.
8. Bake at 350 until the meatballs are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove meatballs to a serving dish.
9. To make brown gravy, pour pan drippings into a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the pan drippings until smooth, and gradually whisk in enough beef broth to total about 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Bring the gravy to a simmer, whisking constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. 
10. Just before serving, whisk in the sour cream. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. 
11. Pour the cooked and drained egg noodles into a large serving dish. Put the meatballs on top and pour the gravy over the whole dish.

Polenta Cakes with Sausage Sauce

Inspiration: worst cooks in America
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Serves: 4

Description: I altered this recipe significantly from the original dish. I have never been good at making polenta and don't have the right equipment to make my own sausage. So...this dish became weeknight friendly and was super yummy. A+ Anne Burrell!



Ingredients:
1 package of favorite Italian sausage (sweet, spicy, etc)
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
1/2 fennel bulb, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 garlic clove
Kosher salt
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
olive oil
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups tomato puree
2 packages of pre-made polenta (comes in tubes) j
Grated Parmigiano


 Directions:
1. In a food processor, puree the onions, fennel, celery, and garlic until it becomes a coarse paste. Season with salt and give a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.

2. Saute sausage in a large skillet until browned. Remove and set aside.

3. Add the pureed veggies to the large skillet. Cook the veggies until they start to brown, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add the white wine and reduce by half.
6. Toss in the cooked sausage and the tomato puree.
7. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.

8. Remove the polenta from the packaging and cut in disks.
9.  Coat a nonstick saute pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat.
10. Once the pan is hot and starting to smoke just a little, add the polenta shapes. Cook the polenta on both sides and finish by sprinkling with the Parmigiano.

11. Transfer a few polenta cakes to a plate and top with the sausage sauce.
12. Sprinkle with more grated Parmigiano.

Pizza Pasta

Inspiration: my fitness pal
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6-8 hours
Makes: Serves 6

Description: This was a fun dish and came out really well. The kids thought they were getting "pizza," but they were also eating mushrooms and peppers. This recipe can be adapted to any favorite pizza toppings.

Ingredients
8 oz. Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 3/4 cups tomato sauce
1/2 can of sliced olives
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
3 cups cooked egg noodles
1 package of mini pepperoni (if use regular size cut in half)
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese


Cooking Instructions
1. In a large skillet, sprayed with olive oil cooking spray, brown meat, onion and green pepper.
2. Stir in mushrooms, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and pepperoni. 
4. Add cooked noodles to a serving bowl.
5. Add the meat mixture to the serving bowl.
6.Sprinkle cheeses on.
7.Mix  to combine and serve. 

Crock Pot Pork Sandwiches

Inspiration: my fitness pal

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 1/2 hours
Makes: 3 lbs meat


Description: Stick to your rib sandwiches was on my mind and I came across this recipe. It's simple, easy, and satisfying. If you can't find ribs without the bone, just buy the ones on the bones and take them out at the end. My son loves sandwiches and wanted all the leftovers saved for his lunches. 

Ingredients
1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
3 pounds boneless pork ribs or pork butt
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbecue sauce

Directions

1. Pour can of beef broth into slow cooker, and add boneless pork ribs.
2. Cook on high heat for 4 hours, or until meat shreds easily. Remove meat, and shred with two forks.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Transfer the shredded pork to a Dutch oven or iron skillet, and stir in barbecue sauce.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Tips and Tricks
For a little spicier pulled pork use Stubb's barbecue sauce.
If you want a smoker flavor, add 1 tsp of liquid smoke.

Ham and Hashbrown Casserole

inspiration: allrecipes.com
Prep: 10 minutes
cook: 45 minutes
Serves: 8-10

Description: This is a great recipe to have on hand. It serves ALOT, easy to make, and very versatile. If you just want a "cracker barrel" type casserole, omit the ham. If you want to attempt to make this dish healthy, add peppers and mushrooms. Best of all, make it ahead of time and pop it in the oven when you wake up.

Ingredients:
1 (32 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes
8 ounces cooked, diced ham
2  cans condensed cream of potato soup
1  container sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, mix hash browns, ham, cream of potato soup, sour cream, and Cheddar cheese. Spread evenly into prepared dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
3. Bake 45 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly brown. Serve immediately.

Tips and Tricks:
This can be done the night before and refrigerated.

Lasagna Cups

Inspiration: myfitnesspal recipe index
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Serves: 12 muffin cups

Inspiration: I was browsing the recipe section of my fitness pal (food tracker) and someone had posted this meal. I thought it would be fun for the kids and I to make. It was a big hit last night and the kids did most of the work! These are much lower in carbs than traditional lasagna and still tasted fantastic.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of favorite lasagna meat (ground turkey, ground chicken, ground beef, sausage, etc)
1 cup of spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 part skim ricotta cheese
S&P
1/2 cup of Parmesan
24 wonton wrappers
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Brown meat in a large skillet over medium high heat. Drain if necessary.
2. Add spaghetti sauce to meat and stir to combine.
3. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, S&P, Parmesan and stir to combine.
4. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray, and arrange a wonton wrapper in each cup.
5. Take half the ricotta mixture and divide it among the 12 cups.
6. Top with half of the meat sauce, and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.
7. Place another wonton wrapper over the cheese and repeat the layers.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15  minutes until the cheese is melten and the wrappers are golden.
9. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Stuffed Meatballs

Inspiration: Robert Irvine
Prep: 2 hours
Cook: 30 minutes
Serves: makes around 50 meat balls

Description:  These originally had marinara and spaghetti as the stuffing, but I was thinking mozzarella as the surprise in the middle. They didn't disappoint. I like how this makes a TON of meatballs and they froze and reheated really well!

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground pork
1 pound of ground veal
1 pound of ground beef
S&P
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tsp chopped thyme
4 tsp chopped basil
6 cups of bread crumbs
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup of milk
1 log of fresh mozzarella, chopped into squares
1/2 cup of Parmesan

Directions:
1. In a ridiculously large bowl combine the pork, veal and beef and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
2. Mix in the garlic, parsley, thyme, basil, Parmesan and bread crumbs until well combined.
3. When thoroughly mixed, slowly add the beaten eggs and mix well.Add in the milk and again mix.
4. Let rest, covered in the fridge for 1 hour.
5. Remove the meat from the fridge and form into 2 ounce portions. Flatten the meatball and add a small square of mozzarella. Wrap the meat around the filling to form and enclosed meatball. Repeat until all the meat has been used.
6. Return the meatballs to the fridge for another hour and allow to rest.
7. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat and begin to fry the meatballs until brown on all sides. Transfer into a oven proof dish and bake at 350 for another 15 minutes.

8. Serve with spaghetti and sauce if desired. There good appetizers if served hot.

Nutrition:

calories per meatball-146

Carbs-11

Fat-7

Protein-9

Sugar-2

Fiber-1

Tips and Tricks:
To reheat the meatballs allow them to thaw, put them in the oven at 350 for another 10 minutes and you'll never know they were frozen.

Balsamic Pork Loin

allrecipes.com
serves 8
a little over
an hour


                                                 

2 tablespoons steak seasoning rub

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey

2 pounds boneless pork loin roast

           

1. Dissolve steak seasoning in balsamic vinegar, then stir in olive oil. Place pork into a resealable plastic bag and pour marinade over top. Squeeze out air and seal bag; marinate 2 hours to overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Place pork into a glass baking dish along with marinade.
4. Bake in preheated oven, basting occasionally until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, about 1 hour. 
5. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Dijon Herb Pork Chops

skinnytaste.com
serves 3
takes about 30 min



                                           

1tsp butter
4 pork chops (bone in or boneless)
1/2 tsp salt
ground pepper
3 tbs chopped onion
3/4 cup of chicken stock
1 tbs Dijon mustard
2 tbs of chopped herbs (fresh if you can)

1. In a large frying pan heat the butter.
2. Season the pork chop with salt and pepper
3. Saute pork chop for around 7 minutes each side (for bone in), remove when nicely browned.
4. Saute the onions in the same pan until transparent
5. Add the chicken stock and deglaze pan, boil until stock reduce to 1/2 cup
6.Stir in the mustard, herbs, and pepper.
7. Lay out the pork chops on platter and pour sauce over them and serve.

Bolognese Sauce

inspiration: Beginning Cooking Series
prep: 15 minutes
cook: 1 1/2 hours
serves: 5 cups of sauce



Description: This is one of the 5 mother sauces we learned in cooking class. It's a hearty slow cooked sauce that is warm and comforting. The only negative is smelling the sauce bubble away on the stove and not being able to dive in for 2 hours. Serve it over your favorite pasta and you've got a rib sticking meal!

                                             

Ingredients:
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter
1 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, chopped fine
1/2 lb ground chuck
1/2 lb ground pork
1 cup of milk
pinch of nutmeg
1 cup dry white wine
32 ounce whole tomatoes including juice
1 tbs tomato paste


Directions:
1. Heat oil and butter over high heat until foam subsides.
2. Saute onion, carrots, and celery about 2 minutes.
3. Add beef and pork and cook until no longer pink
4. Season with S&P
5. Add milk and nutmeg. Stir until most milk is evaporated, about 10 minutes.
add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is evaporated another 10 minutes
6. Blend, puree, or smash can of tomatoes and stir into sauce (I dump the can in and smash with a spoon)
7. Cook sauce at a bare simmer, 1-1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally. Season to taste Serve with penne, rigatoni, fusilli, or orecchiette pasta.

Country Sausage Stuffing

Paula Deen
10+
1 1/2 hours


                                            

2 loaves oven dried white bread (pepperidge farm)
2 c cooked white rice
1 sleeve crushed saltines
1 lb jimmy dean sausage
2 c chopped celery
1 large onion chopped
7 c chicken stock
S&P
1 tsp sage leaves
1 tbs poultry seasoning
3 eggs beaten
1/4 stick butter, melted

1. Crumble dried bread into an extra large bowl, add rice and saltines.
2. Cook sausage until no longer pink. Add celery, onion, and saute until transparent 10 min.
3. Pour over bread and rice mixture.
4. Add stock and mix well. Add seasonings mix again.
5. Add eggs and butter, mix well.
6. Pour stuffing into greased pan and bake until golden brown. 350 45-60 minutes.

Hoisin and Mango Chutney pork chops

beginning cooking series
less than an hour
4 pork chops off bone

                                              

4 pork chops
S&P flour
1 tbs oil
1/4 c shallots
1 c chicken stock
1/2 c hoisin sauce
1/2 mango chutney (apricot preserve works too)

1. Lightly flour chops, put them in a hot pan until nicely browned, Remove.
2. Add shallots and saute until fragrant
3. Pour in chicken stock and deglaze well. (scrape off the bits on the bottom)
4. Add chutney and hoisin until slightly thickened, simmer
5. Return pork chops to pan to finish cooking.

*if your grilling as in the picture, use the ingredients as a marinade and then grill.
* will work with chicken also