Sausage Kale Soup

I just got this recipe from my friend Amy. I don't know where she got it from, but I think it's at least a version of the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden. I've never had it there, but when Amy makes it, it's really yummy. Don't be afraid of the kale. It won't hurt you. I'll be making this soon so that I can eat some and freeze some. I'm taking some liberties with the directions to turn it into a one pot meal. The fewer dirty dishes around here, the better. Thanks, Amy!

Sausage Kale Soup

2 bunches of washed kale, stemmed and chopped

2 lbs italian sausage (casings removed if you buy it in the casings), as mild or spicey as you like

4 medium red potatoes, chopped

8 ounces chicken broth

1 quart half & half

1/2 chopped onion

3 crushed garlic cloves

In your soup pot, cook sausage, stirring to break it up, until browned. Drain and set aside. Don't wipe out the pot. Use the remaining oil from the sausage to saute the onions and garlic. When they are cooked, add the chicken broth, half and half, and potatoes. Cook til potatoes are fork tender. Add back in the drained sausage. Add the kale, and cook until it's done. (You could also add the kale to the sausage to get it wilted before adding to the soup.) Serve warm. If you want to freeze it, let it cool, double bag it in a freezer bag, and pop in the freezer.

Sad, Sad

It seems I abandonded the idea of a food blog here, but I really didn't. I've just been a slacker, so for all of you who have asked me about it, I'll update soon. I've had a few recipes sent to me that I need to post, so look often, and you may see something you like. Also, send me your recipes. That was the whole point here. Remember? My taking the credit for your yummy food. . . .

April's Salad

I forgot all about this salad until recently. One day I had it and remembered how much I liked it. My sister April makes it all the time, so I'm calling it hers, though I have no idea where it came from. Super easy and yummy. Everything is eyeballed, so I'm just giving you a list of ingredients and some general instrustions.

Bowtie Pasta, cooked
Romaine Lettuce (or a Caesar Salad kit if you want to cheat), washed and torn to bite size
Chicken, grilled or fried and cut into bite-sized pieces
Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing - I like Newman's Own
Grated Parmesan
Croutons - optional

Toss everything together and enjoy. This is best fresh as the lettuce will wilt under the dressing after a while, and the noodles and croutons will get kind of soggy as they soak it up. I like the salad cold and the chicken warm, but eat it however you want. I promise you'll like it.

I Wouldn't Have to Do This IF

I know you're reading this. You're telling me that you're reading it, but you're not sending me any recipes, so I have to find them for myself. I did this so that I could steal YOUR recipes, remember? So, since I've got nothing new to tell you about, I'm going to share a recipe you'd really like if you tried. I know some of you already know about these, but it's worth sharing anyway. There are some "official" recipes out there somewhere, but I'm just telling you how I do it. Play around with it to get it how you like it. If you tell me you tried it and it tasted like spinach I will eat my hat. And I don't even own a hat. That's how sure I am. Give it a go sometime soon. Your body will thank you.

Spinach Smoothies - No, this is serious. They are not gross.

1-2 big handfuls of baby spinach leaves
1-2 bananas, fresh or frozen
Frozen Fruit, to taste. I use strawberries, peaches, mixed berries, melon, grapes, etc...You can buy a mixed bag and use whatever is in it or buy individual bags of whatever you like. Or freeze your own. Add as much as you like, and if you don't want your smoothie to be green (like if you were going to sneak the spinach in on your husband and kids, because they will not taste it if you don't tell them), definitely buy a bag of frozen mixed berries. They are so intensely colored that they turn the entire concoction purple. They'll never know! Also, use fresh fruit if you really want to, but I like to use at least one part frozen so that it's really cold. I guess you could always add ice, but I never do.
Optionally - Yogurt, Tofu, or Wheat Germ - I like to use silken tofu because it blends in easily without changing the taste, and we don't eat lots of protein here, so I like to sneak it in where I can. That said, I've recently stated to just sprinkle in some wheat germ because it's got the protein without the price tag of tofu. I'll use yogurt if I have some plain in the fridge, but it doesn't do much for me to be honest. And the flavored kind had too much sugar for my taste.
Optionally - a slice of fresh lemon or lime - this really perks up the flavors, but you may find some unblended chunks from time to time, so leave it out if that would bother you. My kids hate that!

Ok, so that's what you use. I always put the spinach on the bottom with enough water to get things going. You can use apple juice or whatever you have if you need a little sweetener. I sometimes squeeze an orange into the blender with the water. Like I said, just play around and do what sounds good to you. Pile the rest of the fruit on top and start blending. I was amazed how well the spinach blended right up. You are not going to feel it or have fibrous pieces in your mouth at all. You will see some green specks if you're looking for them, and the smoothie will be green if you use light-colored fruit. If you're having a hard time getting this all blended up, add more water/juice. You may have to stop the blender and give things a little stir also.

I promise this will be worth your while. My kids and husband even agree that these taste good, but I have to tell you the biggest cynic was me. When I first heard about these, I thought it was the grossest thing I could imagine. Then I just kept hearing about it, and I thought I'd try it just to see how bad they were. Now we have them at least once a week (I have them more often when I'm home alone since it's so easy). It's a good way to pack in several of those 5 servings a day.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
Oh, and send me some recipes already!

Only Slightly Deceptive This Time

I'm trying another Deceptively Delicious recipe tonight. This one is not so far out there, just adding carrot puree to turkey meatloaf. No biggie, but it has no egg, so I wonder how it'll turn out. I'll let you know. Here's the recipe:

Meatloaf - serves 8

1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (I don't keep these, so I just make toast, crumble it, and add some Italian seasoning)
1/2 skim milk
2 T olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 lb lean ground turkey
1/2 grated parmesan
1/2 cup carrot puree
1/4 ketchup
1 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 cup bottled tomato sauce
4 slices turkey bacon (I find turkey bacon to be an abomination, but we're giving it a shot here!)

Preheat oven to 350, and coat a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray (I also never keep this, so I just crisco the pan like I would if I were baking a cake.)

In a large bowl, soak breadcrumbs in milk.

Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add onions, stirring occasionally for 7-10 minutes. Add celery and cook another 3-4 minutes. Add this mixture to the breadcrumb/milk bowl. Also add turkey, parmesan, carrot puree, ketchup, salt, and pepper. Mix and dump into pan. Spread tomato sauce over, and top with the fake bacon. Bake 45-50 minutes, til center is no longer pink and bacon begins to brown.

It's in the oven, and I'll let you know what I think in the comments. Let me know what you think if you also make it. Happy eating.

Sweet Deception

I'm trying this recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, Deceptively Delicious. It's for brownies, and it has a few unusual ingredients, as you know if you've ever heard of this book. I've been meaning to try out some of her recipes, but I kept forgetting until this week when my friend Amy had some brownies at her house she'd made from this recipe. Hers were pretty good, so I'm hopeful. That said, I pureed my veggies without steaming them first, and I had to make a couple other adjustments to the recipe because I was running low on some things. So, we'll see. I'm giving it to you as it's published. Let me know if you try these or have tried any of the other recipes from the book. I love the idea of sneaking healthy ingredients into food you'd have been making already.

Makes 12 Brownies - Make sure you don't serve these warm if you don't want to taste spinach.

Preheat oven to 350 and coat an 8x8 baking pan with nonstick spray

3 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup carrot puree*
1/2 cup spinach puree*
1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 T trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread
2t pure vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
3/4 cup oat flour or all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over low flame.

Combine melted chocolate, veggie purees, sugar, cocoa powder, margarine, and vanilla; whisk until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes.

Whisk in egg whites. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt with a wooden spoon.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake 35-45 minutes.
Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 brownies.

*To make the purees, steam your veggies, cool, and puree using your food processor or blender. Add water if you need to to get them nice and smooth. If you need more direction, google the cook book and author, and you'll find some more info.

More Brownies - You Be the Judge

Well, I haven't made the other brownies I posted yet, so I can't tell you what I think, but my sister swears by this brownie recipe. I've also not made or had these, so anyone let me know if you decide to give them a try.

1 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c sugar
2/3 c butter
4 Tbsp water
4 c. chocolate chip
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1c chopped nuts, optional

Grease pan. Mix flour, soda, salt and set aside. Melt butter, sugar and water in medium sauce pan. When sugar has melted, remove from heat immediately. Do not boil. Stir in 2 c chocolate chips. The chocolate chips should melt. Beat in eggs with a spoon one at a time. Add vanilla, dry ingredients, and rest of chips. Pour in pan, spread evenly, bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. No not overbake. Should be firm in the middle.

"Book Club" Chicken Salad

I make this a ton, and people always ask for the recipe. It doesn't come from a recipe . . . it's one of those things that just evolved, so I'll tell you what I've done to get it where it is, and you can play with it some more if you want. I tend to be OCD when I make this, and it comes out chopped really fine, almost like a spread sometimes. That's mostly because I want the onion flavor but I really don't want to bite into any onions. When I make it for other people I leave it a little chunkier. This amount will feed a crowd, and you can freeze the leftovers. Hope you like it!

2.5 -3.5 lb bag of frozen chicken breasts or tenders
1 green apple
1 red onion
enough mayo to make it how you want it
lemon pepper seasoning, any kind you want
salt/pepper to taste

Boil the chicken from frozen until its cooked through. Let it cool some and then cut it up with kitchen shears trimming away any sinewy spots as you go. While the chicken is boiling, wash the apple and cut it up into fairly small pieces, depending on your tastes. For this amount of chicken I use about 3/4 of a decent sized apple. Also cut up the onion now. I chop it a little finer than the onion, and I use way less, just about 1/5 of a medium sized one. Stir everything up with some mayo and lemon pepper.
Everything is to taste, so just start with a little and keep adding till its how you like it, remembering that some flavors get stronger as they sit, so I usually make this the day before and then adjust if I need to the day of. I usually have to add extra mayo when I serve it because it will get absorbed somewhat as it sits. Feel free to lower your fat content by using yogurt if you want, but I don't reccommend low fat mayo. Yuck!

Mmmmm...Bacon!

Thanks, Ginger, for the recipe. Let us know if you try it. I may make it this coming week, and then I'll let you know how it goes over here.

Chicken and Bacon Pasta

4 cups penne pasta
12 oz jar of alfredo sauce
peppers in adobe sauce (1-3 peppers depending on how spicey you want the dish)
4 slices of bacon
2 chicken breasts
2 green onions

Boil chicken and slice into bite sized pieces. Cook penne pasta and drain. Cook bacon and chop. Dice peppers finely. Chop green onion.
Place mixture in a 5X5 dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350. You may top with parmesan cheese before baking.
You can also mix everything and freeze for future use.
Enjoy!

New Recipes!

Thanks to my sister-in-law Katie for sending these recipes. We hope you'll enjoy them.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Katie has tried this one, and I think I will this week. I love that all the ingredients are pretty much pantry staples, so all you need to get at the store is chicken.

3-4 large Chicken Breasts
1 tsp pepper
2 eggs beaten
2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup flour

Cube chicken into bite size pieces. In a small bowl, mix garlic salt, pepper and flour. Dip chicken in beaten egg and then in flour mixture. Saute chicken in hot oil, until almost done. Put chicken in 9x13 baking dish.

Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
3 1/2 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs soy sauce

Pour sauce over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for at least 30 minutes or until chicken is done.


Lemongrass and Citrus Poached Salmon

This sounds delicious, but salmon can be kind of a flop with our kids sometimes. I'm sure chicken would work as well. I'll let you know what the "judges" say when we get around to it. I know it'll be a hit with their dad. Wonder if it would be ok to use both the cilantro and lemongrass?

2 1/2 pounds salmon fillet
1 quart chicken stock
1 quart orange juice
2 cups ginger ale
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups chopped lemon grass or cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper

Remove skin from salmon, then cut into desired portions. In a large pot, combine chicken stock, orange juice, ginger ale, onion, garlic and lemon grass or cilantro. Season with salt and white pepper. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to a low boil. Place the salmon in the poaching liquid until flaky and tender, about 5 minutes.

The BEST brownies you will ever have in your life (She says she's not exaggerating, so I think we should give it a shot.)

2 boxes of your favorite brownie mix plus all the ingredients it calls for
2 of the big Symphony chocolate bars (with or without nuts--your preference!) or 5-6 of the smaller check-out stand size bars

Mix brownies according to box and pour half of the batter into a 9X13 pan. Then layer the unwrapped chocolate bars across the top of the brownie batter in the pan. Then pour the rest of the batter on top of the bars and make sure they are covered. Bake according to directions on box.

AND

Last but not least, Katie sends this recipe she is thinking of trying. Please let us know if you beat her to it, or, Katie, you will have to let us know how it goes when you do. Sounds yummy. Incidentally, we had a very good Tofu and Veggie Curry last night. If anyone has any of PF Chang's recipes, or if you know where you can scalp them, please share. I'd love to recreate the meal we had last night at home.

Pumpkin Curry with Lentils and Apples

1 cup red lentils
1 cup brown lentils
8 cups water
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, diced
2 tomatoes, cored and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder, or to taste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups peeled, cubed (1-inch), seeded pumpkin
2 potatoes, unpeeled and chopped2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups packed fresh spinach, chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled, cored and diced

Place the red and brown lentils in a pan with the water and turmeric. Cook over medium-low heat until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, heat the canola oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until tender and transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and garlic; cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Mix in the curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and cloves. Add the cooked lentils, reserved cooking liquid, pumpkin, potatoes, and carrots. Cover, and cook over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Stir in the spinach and apple. Cook until the pumpkin can be easily pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes more. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Happy Eating!

Best Breakfast I've Ever Made

For those of you who live in this area, I've found the perfect recipe for breakfast. It's called Free Breakfast Fridays at ChikFilA for the month of September. That's right, Pleasant Grove and Walnut locations did it last year, and here it is again. See you there!

Pretty Glad She's Still Around

So, I didn't put the old girl out of business, and am I ever glad. She is pretty handy to have around. The Martha Stewart show came on yesterday. I don't usually watch it (I miss the old, curt version of Martha, so I prefer her pre-jail show.), but yesterday she was a re-run, and she was making these cookies. I had tried them before and I loved them, so I decided to share the recipe. If you love citrus or shortbread, these are the cookies for you. They are simple, easy, and have the fabulous, bright flavor of fresh lime. Of course you could use whatever citrus you prefer, and they will be just as good. Next time I'm doubling and freezing half for later. Hope you likes:

Lime Meltaways from Martha Stewart (makes @ 3 dozen)

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice and vanilla, and mix until fluffy.

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.

Divide dough in half. Place each half on an 8-by-12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

My Picky Eater Loves This!

I found this recipe when I was doing freezer meals. I still occasionally make double and freeze one because Kylie loves eating this. You'll notice some freezer instructions, so if you're interested, undercook the noodles, add the cornstarch, and plan ahead. I don't thaw it, just bake straight from frozen. It'll take a little while longer, of course. A couple things about this one . . . the last time I made this, I had been eating very poorly, so I decided to cut back. I used reduced fat sour cream and cream cheese, and though it still got eaten, it was not as yummy. What can I say except that a higher fat content makes me happier. Also, this recipe gives you instructions for building your own red sauce. Usually when I've made this, I skip all that and just use a jarred sauce that I doctor up just a bit. Whatever you prefer. I think you'll really like it.


Sicilian Dinner - serves 8
(I have no idea why it's Sicilian, but I didn't name it, so just go with it!)

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

2 cups elbow macaroni
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, cubed
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preparation:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef and onion in heavy saucepan, stirring to break up ground beef. Add green bell pepper when beef is almost cooked; continue to simmer until beef is done. Drain well. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, and dried Italian seasoning and stir well to blend. Let simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors.

Meanwhile, cook elbow macaroni as directed on package. While macaroni is cooking, combine cream cheese and milk in medium bowl. Cook in microwave on medium power for 2-3 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Remove from microwave and stir with wire whisk until sauce thickens and blends to form a smooth sauce. Drain noodles and add to cream cheese sauce along with sour cream and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; stir to combine.

In 2 quart casserole dish, place all of cream cheese mixture. Top with all of the ground beef mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until casserole is bubbly.

To freeze, add 1 Tbsp. cornstarch to the cream cheese sauce. Prepare casserole as directed, except instead of baking, chill in refrigerator. Wrap well and freeze up to 3 months. To thaw and reheat, thaw casserole overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered, for 25-35 minutes 5 minutes longer until bubbly.

Chicken w/Black Beans and Cream Cheese

I got this recipe from Recipezaar. http://www.recipezaar.com/89204

You can dump everything except the cream cheese into a gallon sized ziploc bag and cook from frozen if you want to do it ahead, but it's just as easy to do it on the fly. These are crockpot directions, but I just do it stove top with a lid, and it doesn't take that long. Throw the cream cheese in the last half hour and stir when it's done.

Ingredients:
4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1(15 1/2ounce)can black beans, drained
1(15ounce)can corn or 1 1/2 c frozen corn
1(15ounce)jar salsa, any kind
1(8ounce)package cream cheese

Take frozen, boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot with beans, corn, and salsa.
Keep in crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked.
Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour.

You can either shred the chicken, cube it, or leave it whole. Serve as filling for soft tacos, over rice, over pasta……..LOTS of possibilities. You could change the types of beans to meet your families taste buds!

Ready, Set, Bloat!

Kerilee mentioned that she had made this one day, so I looked it up, and sure enough, I gained 10 pounds just reading the list of ingredients. Man is it Yummy! I've only made it once, but I think I could think of a few ways to make it a little less guilt inducing the next time around. Maybe less bacon (!), swapping the cream for half and half (I don't know. Sometimes that just doesn't cut it...), and sacrificing a bit of butter. But then again, it was pretty good as written, so why not just grab some Tums and try it? I will say that I don't own a crock pot, so I just cooked the chicken stovetop with the marinade in a dutch oven, and it didn't take anywhere near 6 hours. You could also grill the chicken and cut it into chunks. Or whatever you like. Let me know if you try it and how you do it. Enjoy!

Garlic Chicken Farfalle, from http://www.beckyhiggins.com/ by way of Kerliee

16-oz. Farfalle pasta (bow-tie)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. pepper (or less)
1/2 cup butter
1 lb. bacon, crumbled*
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12-oz) Lawry's Mesquite Marinade with Lime Juice (I have used KC Masterpiece Chipotle with Lime and also KC Masterpiece Mesquite - both equally good)

*Bake the bacon on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for abut 20 minutes.

Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred. Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Oriental Cabbage/Noodle Salad

This recipe is from my friend Jessie. She says it makes quite a lot, so half it if you don't want to feed a crowd. Sounds yummy!

Oriental Salad

1 head of shredded cabbage (I like my cabbage really shredded into thin pieces)
1 bunch chopped scallions
Put cabbage and scallions in bowl first and then add remaining ingredients
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
2 pkgs. Ramen noodles- beef flavored (NOT cooked)... Crush and add the noodles, not the beef flavoring…that is for the dressing. **
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 lb chicken, cooked and diced, (you can omit the chicken, or use more or less, depending on what you want)

**If you are making it for a big group I would go ahead and add the noodles but if you are just making it for the family I would just sprinkle them on your individual plates b/c if you have leftovers and the ramen noodles are in the salad they get soggy overnight and are not good the next day.


Dressing (add at least ½ - 1 hour before serving)

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
½ c. oil
1/3 – ½ cup sugar
beef packets from Ramen noodles
salt and pepper to taste

Okay, I'm not a foodie, but I'd still like to eat.

Once upon a time I imagined I'd put Martha out of business. I'd have a sparkling, tastefully appointed home, perfectly mannered children, and I'd make fabulous meals 3 times a day. There would be no leftovers because noone would be able to get enough of these insanely delicious concoctions. But we'd never get fat. Then I got married, realized I was a slob, not that creative, can't bestow manners I don't have upon my children, and, to be perfectly honest, I'm usually in a cooking slump. I love to cook, in theory. Playing around with new recipes, exotic ingredients, the latest gadgets and the best equipment would be heaven. The problem is many-fold. There's the budget issue to content with. (Sorry, filet mignon, but it'll have to be a long distance romance. ) Then energy, time, space, and reality . . . in no particular order. So, I get stuck cooking the same 3 or 4 things over and over again.
This must happen to lots of us. I know it does, because there are only about a gazillion websites, books, and tv shows devoted to great recipes. Recently I was part of a group of women who would make, freeze, and exchange family sized meals each month. It was so great to have a bank of meals in the freezer, but the group has fizzled. Too much wasted food, picky kids, picky husbands, sick of casseroles, just want to take a break. I totally get it. Yesterday, while speaking to some of the girls who had participated along with several who hadn't, several alternative ideas were proposed to the meal swapping group. One was a recipe swap. I love it, and I'm desperate, so here's what I've decided to do:
I already blog now and again, so I thought I would start a second one just for food. I'll post recipes I'm trying and how they turn out, and I'd love your suggestions too. If you have any recipes you love, are planning to try, want to know if someone else has tried, or if you're looking for a great recipe for something in particular, email me at jessicabedwell@gmail.com and I'll post it to the blog. No rules. Breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, dessert. Anything you please. My hope is that this will be a resource for me (and you, presumably), to help me from getting so bored with my usual handful of recipes, and to keep me from turning to McDonald's for support. In reality, they only have a few recipes too, so that only helps for a night or two. So, here goes . . . I look forward to making all your fabulous recipes and passing them off as my own, so thanks in advance!

So, just to prove this could be mutually beneficial, here's my first "new" recipe. This is something I remember having as a kid, I think. I have a hard time getting my daughter to ingest anything but rice and candy, so I thought if we made meatballs that contain rice, we might have a winner. It's still cooking, so I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes. I ripped this one off my sister's meal group recipe site. Thanks Ginger.


Porcupine Meatballs

1 ½ lbs hamburger
¾ cup uncooked regular rice
¾ cup water
1 med, chopped onion
1 ½ tsp salt
¾ tsp celery salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp pepper

1 large can tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce
1 ½ cup water
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix hamburger, rice, ¾ cup water, onion, salt, celery salt, garlic powder and pepper. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into balls. Place in 9X13 dish.
Mix remaining ingredients, pour over meatballs. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 45min-1 hour. Uncover and cook 15 minutes longer.

I'm taking the liberty of adding that I'm serving these over rice. I don't want to push my luck with this kid tonight.