Meatballs

I have gone to two different gatherings lately where I was asked to bring food. The first was my friend Cari's birthday! We had a surprise party for her... AND we pulled it off! She was definitely surprised! I had wanted to make Cranberry Meatballs... but for the life of me couldn't find which of my MANY cookbooks had the original recipe :( So I searched around on the internet and found a grape jelly meatball recipe that sounded interesting. I made it and was not disappointed! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of these meatballs before my family inhaled what wasn't eaten at the party.... but here's the recipe anyway!

3 C chili sauce

2 C grape jelly

1 T dijon mustard

Mix all together and pour over precooked meatballs. Crock pot on high 4 hours

I just used frozen meatballs from Costco. This recipe adequately covered 5 lbs of meatballs. Had I had enough room in my crockpot for the whole 6 lb bag of meatballs, with room to stir, I would have used the whole bag. I heated the meatballs in the microwave for this occasion, since I was running behind on my party prep... but you could easily pour it over the frozen meatballs and cook on high for 4 hours to get them warmed through.

So my next occasion was our Quilt Guild service day. Every February, instead of our regular meeting, we do service projects. Today we sewed burp cloths and receiving blankets for the Women, Infants, Children organization, and pillowcases for The Quilts of Valor project. We sew for several hours, have a potluck lunch and sew some more! I was REALLY craving my Cranberry meatballs, and then the lightbulb went off! Since it has been a favorite recipe of mine for a while, I thought maybe I had put it in the Cookbook Emma's school put together a few years back as a fundraiser.... sure enough there it was! So easy... I couldn't believe I couldn't remember the ingredients! I mixed the sauce ingredients in a Ziplock bag, picked up some meatballs on the way to the Guild and threw it together in a flash when I got there.

Cranberry Meatballs

2 cans whole berry cranberry sauce

1 can tomato soup (undiluted)

1 T dijon mustard

Mix sauce ingredients and pour over precooked meatballs. Crockpot on high for 4 hours. Sauce adequately covers 4 lbs of meatballs.

Unstuffed Cabbage

My mother's parents are of Polish descent {yes that makes me part Pollock ;-)} My mom learned very early on how to cook. Grandma didn't much enjoy cooking, and it was either cook (for a family of 7) or clean up (after same family of 7!) Mom loved to cook (and still does) She is the BEST cook I know! I strive to be half as good as her. One dish I remember fondly having on occasion is Guampki. These are basically cabbage leaves, stuffed with a meat mixture and cooked in a tomato based sauce. To make them even more divine, salt pork is rendered and the crispy bits are sprinkled on each serving. MMMMmmmmm! I came across this Unstuffed Cabbage recipe recently at My Tasty Treasures ***{warning this food blog is for mature audiences only. If you get offended easily or talks of a sexual nature embarrass you... choose not to follow this link. I happen to think she is a great cook and can overlook her naughtiness in order to access her wonderful recipes. (k, so in reality I'm laughing my head off most of the time) }***

Back to the recipe! I was intrigued by the concept of this dish. My family LOVED it! I loved how easy it is, and that it only used one pot. We did still top ours with some ketchup and I didn't think about using salt pork until after the fact. I do believe next time I make this dish... I will buy the salt pork! (Bacon could be substituted, if you are not familiar with or don't want to use salt pork.) Since I still have an abundance of wild game, I used a pound of ground deer and a pound of ground beef. The deer was undetectable in this dish. I hope you enjoy my slightly tweaked version of this recipe!

Cool Kitchen Gadget: I LOVE using the Pampered Chef mix n chop tool for breaking down hamburger. After my burger was put in the colander to drain off the grease, I put my stewed tomatoes in the stockpot and used the tool to break up the tomatoes as well!
Unstuffed Cabbage

2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans Italian diced tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 1/4 C water
1 T dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small head cabbage, shredded

Brown the ground beef, onion and garlic in a stockpot. Drain the grease and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then simmer covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Easy Skillet Chili

This dish is super easy and only requires one pot. When I cook rice, I like to do it in my rice cooker. I always make extra (it freezes well). I never have luck cooking rice in casseroles. Inevitably, the rice is underdone and everything else is turning to mush. Nathan loves porcupine meatballs, and the rice was NEVER done in the time it was supposed to be. That dish is what has converted me to using cooked rice in any recipe that calls for the rice to cook with the dish. Nathan isn't a big rice eater, so this dish adds some rice in our diet without being so pronounced. I used half ground deer in this recipe and you could not detect it at all. Another recipe to use to hide gamey flavors from the littles! It may not look like much, but it is hearty, satisfying and there are NO complaints from anyone when eating this. BTW... if you wanted to keep it a tad on the healthier side, you could omit the cheese, or just sprinkle a bit on the top. It will still taste yummy!

Easy Skillet Chili

2lb ground beef
1 large bell pepper
1 med onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T Chili powder
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp salt
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, undrained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, undrained
2 (15 oz) cans corn, drained
1 (6 oz) can olives, sliced
2 C cooked rice
2 C V8 juice
2 C grated cheddar cheese

Brown hamburger with onion, bell pepper and garlic. Drain any grease and return back to pot and add remaining ingredients. Warm through and serve!

BBQ Lil Smokies

Happy New Year's everyone! May you be wiser, healthier, love greater, and be more prosperous in 2010! For New Year's Eve, I wanted to make simple, but satisfying appetizers. I had spent all day cleaning, I didn't want to mess up all my work with elaborate dishes! This recipe was brought to my New Year's Eve party a couple of years ago and has now become a favorite of my family's. Super simple... there really isn't a recipe for it! Take a package of Lil Smokies (or two or three or.....) and top with your favorite BBQ sauce. Squirt on as much or as little as you like. I used three (14 oz) packages of Smokies and about 12 oz of BBQ sauce. This can be kept warm in a crock pot or on the lowest setting on your stove. My husband has been known to make a lunch out of a whole package of these!

Beef Stew

This is a hearty and delicious stew. We typically get 1 wild game per year (last year we had 3!). This is my favorite dish to use with wild game because with all the flavors, you cannot detect any "game" flavor. I typically double this recipe and for a family of 5 will easily serve 2 meals with a tad left over. I like my sauce more "stew-y than soup-y, so I only add juice from one can of vegetables (looking to see which one has less sodium). If you like it a little thinner, go with both cans. I know some people may not like cooking with alcohol. With as long as this is simmered, all the alcohol gets cooked out. It just adds a dimension to the flavor. If you don't have the bourbon, you could probably substitute it with red wine, and if you'd rather not use any alcohol at all, it IS totally optional. My husband does not drink, but he cannot tell it is in this dish. Russets or red potatoes can be used interchangeably. We like to use the reds. Whichever you choose, please DO leave the skin on. This is a hearty recipe, besides most if the nutrition in the potato is in the skin! Feel free to add more potatoes, I never measure the amount, just keep tossing them in until it looks good! Each time you stir the pot after you have added the potatoes, just remember to poke the potatoes back into the liquid so they get cooked!

2 T olive oil, more as needed

3 lbs beef (or wild game!) cut in 1" cubes

Montreal Steak Seasoning (or salt, pepper, garlic powder) to taste

1 bell pepper, diced

1 medium onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1/2 C bourbon, optional

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

3 C beef stock

1 can corn

1 can green beans

2 C diced potatoes

Cube the meat and season liberally. Brown the meat in the oil in a large stockpot, in several batches as necessary. Add more oil to pan for subsequent batches if necessary. When browned, remove meat with a slotted spoon, leaving drippings behind. Toss in bell pepper, onion and celery and saute until slightly tender. Stir in bourbon (if using) and add the meat, tomatoes and beef stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 2 hours. Add in corn, green beans and potatoes and cook, stirring periodically until the potatoes are tender (20-30 minutes)