Mini Meatball Sandwiches

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

Ingredients you will need: 

1 pound Ground Chuck Or Ground Beef

1/2 cup Panko Or Other Bread Crumbs

1 clove Garlic, Minced

1/2 teaspoon Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/2 cup Milk

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 whole Medium Onion, Diced

1 jar (large) Marinara Sauce

12 whole Dinner Rolls (or Slider Rolls)

4 slices Provolone Cheese, Cut Into Four Wedges Each

To Make:

Mix meat with bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and milk. Knead together with hands. 

Roll into heaping tablespoon-sized rolls.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 

Add onions and cook for one minute. 

Add meatballs between the onions and brown for one minute. (You might have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your skillet.)

Pour in jar of marinara; shake pan gently to mix. 

Put on lid and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

When ready to serve, cut each dinner roll in half. 

Place a wedge of Provolone on the top and bottom of each roll. 

Spoon a meatball with the sauce onto the bottom bun; top with the top bun.

Serve immediately!

Source: Pioneer Woman

Avocado,mozzarella, tomato grilled cheese

I do not have a ton of "sandwich" recipes in my arsenal, mostly because I am so picky, but this one is a fantastic sandwich. 

I am a new avocado lover, so this is just perfect.

The flavors combine just perfectly.

Try it yourself!

You will need:

Bread of choice

1 avocado, sliced

2 pieces of mozzarella cheese slices

1 tomato, sliced

evoo

salt

butter

To Make:

Heat a small skillet over medium heat.

Butter one side of 2 slices of whatever bread you like. Place one slice butter side down in the pan.

Top with sliced avocado, mozzarella cheese slices and a couple slices of tomato.

Drizzle with a little bit evoo and sprinkle with salt. 

Top the remaining piece of bread, butter side up.

Cook until bread is golden brown (2-3 minutes), then flip and brown the other side. 

Serve!

Recipe Source: http://www.navywifecook.com

Summer Stir Fry

Summer Stir Fry

This recipe is a winner winner!

It combines fresh corn, zucchini, tomatoes, and chicken in a delicious glazed stir fry.

This is one of my new favorite recipes. Serve with a crusty bread and you got yourself a great dinner!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp evoo

4 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks OR 12 whole jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left on

2 whole zucchini, diced up

2 ears corn, kernels sliced off

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

salt and fresh pepper

chopped fresh herbs- optional, any you like

To Make:

Heat 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp evoo in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic. When oil/butter is hot, add shrimp or chicken breast (cut up into bite size pieces) add cook until done. Shrimp will take about 3 minutes, chicken will be done when it is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of 170 F. Remove to a plate. Do NOT clean skillet.

Add the rest of the butter and oil and heat over medium heat.

Add zucchini slices in a single layer and cook for one minute, tossing once.

Scoot the zucchini to the edges of the pan, then add corn kernels to the middle of the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add grape tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and toss around, then add the chicken or shrimp. Cook for an additional 30 seconds, then remove from heat. 

Add chopped herbs over top.

Serve on a big platter.

Recipe Source: Pioneer Woman

Quote Friday

The children of God can defeat the adversary,

for we have fought him before.

Rosemary Rolls

Hold on to your socks!

These are going to be your next favorite thing!

I am obsessed with these and have made them 4 times already!

You will need: 

frozen, unbaked dinner rolls

melted butter

fresh rosemary

coarse sea salt

To Make:

Spray a small iron skillet or round baking tray with cooking spray or coat with olive oil. Place frozen rolls in the skillet, leaving plenty of space to rise.

Cover and allow to rise for several hours.

After rising, brush rolls with melted butter.

Sprinkle on chopped rosemary. Brush with additional butter and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Bake according to roll package directions (usually 400 F for 15-20 minuets) until rolls are deep golden brown on top. 

Serve them up!

Recipe Source: Pioneer Woman

Worth it Lasagna

This recipe does entail a lot of ingredients, but I have to say that I made it for family and it has quite the taste. It is really different, I have never imagined cooking a lasagna with raisins in it, but the flavors all mix well together!

This is a great recipe for a big get together, make a fresh green salad to go with, and it will be a hit!

Worth It Lasagna

This recipe is for 2 casseroles, you can make one and freeze one or just halve the recipe.

2 jars (26 oz each) meatless spaghetti sauce

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained

½ cup burgundy wine

2 Tbsp brown sugar

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 pounds Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed

¾ cup raisins

2 tsp italian seasoning

1 ½ pounds sliced fresh mushrooms

1 medium onion, chopped

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cartons (15 oz) ricotta cheese

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 packages (24 oz each) frozen cheese ravioli, thawed

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

18 slices provolone cheese, cut in half

6 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

5 large tomatoes, sliced

In dutch oven, bring first 5 ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring often.

In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until done and drain. 
Stir in raisins and Italian seasoning; add to sauce. 
In same skillet, sauté mushrooms and onions until moisture is gone. 
Stir into sauce.

In large bowl, combine eggs, ricotta, spinach, and grated parmesan cheese; set aside.

In two greased 13x9 dishes, layer with 1 1/3 cup sauce, half package of ravioli, 1 1/3 cup sauce, ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese, six half slices of provolone cheese, 1 cup Monterey jack cheese and 2 ½ cups spinach mixture.

Top each with 6 half slices of provolone cheese,
 1 cup Monterey jack cheese, 1 1/3 cup sauce, remaining ravioli and sauce, 
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese, six half slices provolone cheese, 
sliced tomatoes and remaining Monterey jack cheese. (Dish will be full).

Cover and bake at 375 F for 45 minutes. 
Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes more.

Quote Friday

Being a Mom- 

the hardest job you'll ever love.

Favorite Quotes

Quote Friday

Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.

-Judy Garland

Quote Friday

The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.

Baked Ziti with Summer Veggies

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

I have a newfound love for zucchini, squash, and various summer veggies.

Summer is on its way out over here, but I wanted to share this recipe with you.

It is really tasty and all the flavors come together well.

Ingredients:

·        4 ounces uncooked ziti
·        1 tablespoon olive oil
·        2 cups chopped yellow squash
·        1 cup chopped zucchini
·        1/2 cup chopped onion
·        2 cups chopped tomato
·        2 garlic cloves, minced
·        1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
·        2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
·        2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
·        3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
·        1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
·        1/4 cup (2 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
·        1 large egg, lightly beaten
·        Cooking spray

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; saute 5 minutes.

Add tomato and garlic; saute 3 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper.

Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8 inch square glass or baking dish coated with cooking spray. 

Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Recipe Source: rantingchef.com

Fish Tacos

My husband LOVES fish tacos, so when I saw this recipe for them, I knew that it was a must.

I really liked the crunch from the cabbage and the flavor from the adobo sauce.

I didn't have mahi mahi on hand, so I just used what I had, and that was perch. Feel free to use any fish you have or can easily get. Also, the adobo sauce can be found at either a latin market or the international aisle at your local grocery store.

For the tacos:

1 1/2 pounds mahi mahi, cut into 12 equal parts

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 tsp ground cumin and 2 ground tsp coriander, mixed together

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

12 corn tortillas

chipotle adobo sauce

For the cilantro cabbage:

1 avocado, diced large

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

juice of 1 lime

1/3 cup shredded cabbage

1 tsp salt

What to do:

Preheat grill to med-high.

Season both sides of fish with salt, pepper, and cumin-coriander mix. Lightly oil each piece and cook for 3 minutes each side.

Remove the fish and let rest for at least 2 minutes.

While the fish is on the grill, you can prepare taco toppings. In a medium bowl, combine avocado, cilantro, lime juice, cabbage, and salt. Toss well.

To warm the tortillas, place them directly on the medium flame of a gas stove or heat in a nonstick pan. 

Fill each tortilla with 1 piece of fish, a tsp of chipotle adobo aioli and equal portions of the cilantro cabbage. 

Source: The Busy Mom's Cookbook by Antonia Lofaso

Circus Party

If anyone is having a Circus themed party, then here are some ideas from the party I threw my son.

This is the cake that I had ordered.

Various bakeries in town wanted to charge me $100+ for this design, but I found a lady that was willing to do it for a fraction of the price AND she was smart enough to make the top of the cake out of rice krispies, and then just decorated it with fondant.

We had some veggies out and I love the idea of putting the dip right into a red pepper.

I also ordered plastic clear milk jugs and then let the guests fill them up with lemonade!

Here is what the snack table looked like.

Fresh fruit, cupcakes, cookies, popcorn, & peanuts. 

I cut up straws and added marshmallows to the sides to create, 

Strong Man Dumbbells!

Peanuts of course for a circus party!

Popcorn as well!

and that is the decor that I put up. Just twist various colors of streamers and put up some colorful balloons on top!