Mom's Candied Steak & Porcupine Meatballs

Candied Steak

1 1/2 lbs round steak cut into 1"x3" pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tbs worcestershire sauce
1 cup of water

Season your meat. I use a steak rub, you can use whatever you normally use on steak. If you don't have a normal, use salt and pepper. Brown steak pieces in approx 1 tbs of... I use olive oil, but you can use shortening or veggy oil. Mix ketchup, water, worsestershire and sugar. Pour over steak and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. Here's the tought part for me... don't let the liquid cook away. Add water if necessary. Serve over your choice of carbs. I prefer rice, but potatoes, pasta would also work. Enjoy!

Porcupine Meatballs

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1/4 cup milk or water
2 tbs chopped onion
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
Dash of oregano

sauce
8 oz can tomatoe sauce
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

Mix beef rice, milk, onion and seasonings. Form into 8 balls (I don't like them this big, so we make like 20 meatballs with this amount.) Fry meatballs in shortening, olive oil, whatever until brown, but not crusty. Mix sauce in bowl and pour over meatballs and cover. (I like lots of sauce, so I multiply the sauce by 3. I also really like it made with Hunts garlic, basil and oregano sauce.) Simmer for 45 minutes on low.

Brownies

Oh my goodness girls, you have to try these!!!

1 12-ounce bag chocolate chips (use the kind you prefer)
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate chips. Stir constantly and remove from heat when chips are fully melted. In the same pot, blend in the sugar. Then add eggs, blending fully one at a time. Add flour and beat until air bubbles form in the batter. Pour into a greased 9 X 13-inch pan (this recipe works great doubled and poured into a large 11 X 17-inch rimmed baking sheet). Bake for 20 minutes. Turn heat down to 325 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I'm not a coffee drinker, but I thought that you guys might like this, so if you try it, let me know! This was done in a crockpot.

--2 cups milk (I used 1%)
--2 T canned pumpkin
--2 T white sugar
--2 T vanilla (not a typo. it asks for tablespoons)
--1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
--1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee
--garnish with whipped cream

The Directions.
Put it all in a crockpot (as small as a 1.5 qt) whisk together and leave for a couple of hours.

Sizzler Malibu Chicken and Cheese Toast

You ask, and you get more than you ask for. :) If you've been to Sizzler and have had this, it tastes pretty similar.

Malibu Chicken-
If you like to be labor intensive, pound out chicken breasts to about a 1/4" thick. Dunk in eggs and coat with bread crumbs, corn flakes, or whatever makes your favorite breading (my mom has one that uses ranch dressing mix that tastes great with this).
If you are lazy like me, you buy a box of breast chicken patties by Tyson, Banquet, or Costco and cook in oven according to directions.
At the end of cooking, put a couple of pieces of deli sliced ham on top with a slice of swiss or mozzarella cheese and cook at couple of minutes until the cheese is melted and the ham is warm. I actually like to turn on my broiler for this. If you want to be really fancy, place a slice of pineapple on top of the ham, under the cheese.

Cheese Toast-
Take 6 slices of Texas Toast bread (or any regular slice of bread you have). Combine a 1/2 stick butter, softened at room temperature, 2 tsp of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese. Spread mixture kind of thickly on the bread. Preheat a griddle. Place buttered/cheese side down on the griddle and cook until brown. Remove and serve.

There you have it, a dinner done the lazy way, takes 20 minutes from start to finish.

This week for dinner...

I was going to post my menu earlier, but here it is anyway.

Spaghetti
Pork Chops
Omelets
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Undecided night
Malibu Chicken

Spaghetti alla Ceci

This is what we had for dinner last night. It's a Rachael Ray recipe and it was really fast and yummy!

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
Salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), 3 turns of the pan
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can, chick peas (14 ounces), drained
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme, eyeball it
Pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
1 can, crushed tomatoes (14 ounces)
Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
Grated Parmiginao Reggiano, to pass at table

Preparation:
Boil water for pasta, salt it, and cook spaghetti to al dente.
While spaghetti cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic. Place chick peas in food processor and pulse grind them to a fine chop. Add chick peas to garlic and season them with thyme, salt and pepper then sauté them for 3-4 minutes. Add wine or broth and cook down 30 seconds or so then stir in tomatoes and adjust seasoning. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Top with parsley and grated cheese.

Tortilla Casserole

This is one of my family's favorites! It's kind of like enchiladas, but it's a little easier to make. :)

1 pkg. Tortillas
1# cooked, cubed chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa (I use pace picante sauce)
1 small can diced green chilis (optional)
Lots of shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, or mexican blend......)

Mix all ingredients except for tortillas and cheese.

Cut the tortillas into approximately 1x2" strips. (I actually just tear them into small pieces.

In a tall casserole dish, layer the tortillas on the bottom, followed by a layer of the chicken/soup mix, and then a layer of cheese. Repeat 3 layers.

Cover and bake for about 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Pumpkin Pancakes

These were just too good not to share....

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

DIRECTIONS
In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Crock-Pot Tortilla Soup

My friend Marcy made this for our get together last weekend and it was awesome so I thought I would pass along her recipe!

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed (you can put in cooked or uncooked)
2 cups whole kernel corn
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 14.5 oz. cans chicken broth
1 - 10.75 oz. tomato puree
1 - 10 oz. diced tomatoes and chilies
1 t salt
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/8 t red pepper
1/8 t black pepper
1 bay leaf
Cover + cook 5-6 hours on high for uncooked chicken, 3-4 hours high if chicken is already cooked. Discard bay leaf and serve with cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips.

Just a thought...this one would be good to double and eat half and freeze half for a meal later. :)

Apple Crisp

OK, so this isn't what we are having for dinner tonight (I'm spoiled, someone else made dinner for us tonight), it was last week, but I'm a visual person and like pictures, so I thought I would post this.