Sweet and Savory Barbecued Meatballs

 

This is one of the best barbecued meatball recipes I have come across. The meatballs are moist and flavorful and the Barbecue sauce is sweet and tangy. We usually double our sauce, but I don't always double the brown sugar. I go by taste and if it needs more sweetness, I add until it is right for us. That also goes for the rest of the seasonings.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 c. oatmeal  or bread crumbs, plain or Italian style
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. liquid smoke
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. red pepper (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

BBQ Sauce

1/2 to 3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. ketchup or BBQ sauce or use half and half of each
1 Tbs. molasses
1 onion, chopped fine
1 Tbs. vinegar
1 Tbs. Worcestershire
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 to 2 tsp. liquid smoke

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a  shallow baking pan with cooking oil or line the pan with foil and spray that for easier cleanup. 

In a small bowl, combine the oatmeal or bread crumbs and egg together.  Let sit for several minutes so the bread can soak up the liquid.

Lightly combine ground beef, bread crumbs soaked in the egg and evaporated milk, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, red pepper, garlic, onion, and Parmesan cheese. It is important not to over mix, or your meatballs will be tough. 

Shape the meat into 30, 1-inch meatballs. Space the meatballs about 1 inch apart in the pan. Place the meatballs on a greased rack, if you have one, in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until done. The internal temperature should read at least 160° and the middle of the meatball should not be pink. Drain off excess grease.

As the meatballs are baking, prepare the barbecue sauce.  In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, ketchup or barbecue sauce, molasses, onion, vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic powder and liquid smoke. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 2 minutes stirring frequently.

To finish up the meatballs, you can put the meatballs in a slow cooker or simmer them on the stove top. To finish in the slow cooker, pour the sauce over the top and cook on low for about 4 hours. Or, place the meatballs in a large saucepan. Pour the sauce over the top and simmer on low heat until done. Stir occasionally. The heat needs to be low, otherwise the sugar will burn and your sauce will not be good.

Spicy Rub Seasoning for Meats And Vegetables

It is so easy to put together your own spice blends.  If you want to save some money, use the ingredients of your choice, then putting together your own spice blend is a great way to achieve just that.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. onion powder
1 Tbs. cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. thyme
1 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. pepper
2 Tbs. garlic powder
2 1/2 Tbs. paprika

Directions

In a small jar that has a tight-fitting lid, combine onion powder, cayenne pepper, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika.  

Put on the lid and shake the jar to combine the spices. 

To use, run some spice rub onto both sides of the piece of meat. This spice rub is great on chicken, fish, beef or pork.  You can also sprinkle it over vegetables to give them some flavor. 

Preheat the grill or, if cooking on the stove top, heat up the skillet. Add a tablespoon of oil in the skillet or lightly oil the grill grate on the grill. 

Cook the meat, turning, so both sides cook evenly, until the chicken juices run clear, or the other cuts of meat and fish are done.

 Hamburger and Wild Rice

For those days when you don't want to cook, or you don't have time to cook, this recipe is one of the best.  Using only 4 ingredients and some spices, you'll have a great meal prepared in no time. For the best flavor, use 2 different boxes of the long grain and wild rice. We used a cheap generic brand, and Rice-a-Roni.

Ingredients

2 boxes long grain and wild rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder
Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning

Directions

In a heavy cast iron skillet, cook the ground beef and onion until the meat is done, and the onion is tender.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Drain off excess grease.

Combine the 2 boxes of long grain and wild rice together and seasoning packets in a small pot. Pour in the amount of water directed on both of the packages. Cook according to the longest cooking time directions, or until done. We just put ours on the stove and brought it to a boil without covering the pot. Then we turned the heat down to a simmer and continued to cook it until the rice was tender. We stirred it a couple of times when the rice was about done cooking as it was sticking on the bottom of the pot.

Stir in 1 can cream of mushroom soup into the long grain and wild rice. Add some pepper and Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning to taste

You can either combine the long grain wild rice and ground beef together. Or you can grab a bowl and put a spoonful of ground beef and then a spoonful of the rice and mix it in your bowl.

Quick and Easy Pepper Steak

This is a quick and easy recipe to make when you don't want to spend a lot of time cooking in the kitchen. You can switch out the vegetables to suit your family's tastes.  Try adding carrots, broccoli, sugar snap peas, baby corn, or water chestnuts. We usually don't drain our canned vegetables. We add the water to the mixture for extra sauce.  I am one that likes more sauce especially when it is going over rice. You may need to add some extra cornstarch to make it thicker.

Also, you don't have to use round steak. We choose whichever is the cheapest at our store and use that. Round steak used to be the cheapest, but if you watch sales, you can get other steaks at a cheaper price. 

A handy tip to remember is to cut your meat while it is still partially frozen. This makes it so much easier.  And easier yet is to ask the butcher if they will cut it in thin strips for you.  Many places will do that if you ask, usually at no extra charge.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. oil
1 lb. round steak, sliced thinly into strips or whichever is the cheapest
1/4 c.. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs. sugar
Dash of pepper
1 medium onion, cut thinly into half rings
2 sweet peppers, cut into thin slices
1 1/2 c. beef broth or stock
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables or stir fry vegetables
2 to 3 c. cooked rice

Directions

In a large skillet with a lid or a dutch oven, heat oil. Sauté the meat strips until meat is browned. 

In a bowl, combine Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, and a dash of pepper. Taste the sauce to see if it needs more sugar, Worcestershire or soy sauce. We like ours a bit on the sweeter side so we put in 3 tablespoons of sugar. Pour the sauce into the skillet over the meat. 

Add onion, and peppers to the skillet. Stir and then cover. Simmer 60 to 90 minutes or until the meat is tender. 

Stir in the frozen vegetables. 

Mix cornstarch and beef stock together. Pour into meat and vegetable mixture. Cook and stir until sauce thickens.

Serve over rice.

 Banana Cheesecake

We love cheesecake and bananas are one of our favorite fruits. combine the two together and you have a fantastic dessert. It is very easy to make, so don't let the lengthy directions fool you into thinking it is not. The hardest part of this recipe is in waiting for it to cool and set up so you can have a slice. 

Ingredients

Crust

1 stick butter, melted
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg yolk
3/4 c. flour
1/3 c. ripe banana, mashed
1 tsp. vanilla

Filling

3 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
3 ripe bananas
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. heavy cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray or butter the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. 

In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk.

Stir in flour, salt, banana and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

Put the batter in the pan, spreading out to cover the bottom. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or just until it is set. Cool.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.  Be sure to scrap the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. 

Reduce mixer speed to medium low.  Slowly add pieces of banana into the cream cheese, mixing well after each addition, so they are fully incorporated into the cream cheese. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, occasionally. Slowly turn the mixer to medium high speed and beat for 2 minutes.

Reduce mixer speed to medium low.  Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

 Set the mixer to low. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

 Stir in vanilla.

 Pour the mixture over the baked and cooled crust. 

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until 2 inches of the edges are puffed. The center should wobble slightly when the pan is gently shaken. 

Turn the oven off, but do not remove the cheesecake. Prop the door open about 6 inches and leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 30 to 60 minutes. 

 Remove the banana cheesecake from the oven and place on a wire rack to finish cooling. Place in the refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours. 

Cut and serve with whipped cream.

 

Caprese Chicken Breasts

This chicken recipe is great any time of the year, but it is especially flavorful when you have garden fresh tomatoes and basil.  

Marinating the chicken is optional, but it will give your chicken a great flavor.

Ingredients

2/3 c. Italian salad dressing
2 tsp. chicken seasoning
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
4 boneless chicken breasts, with the skin removed
Salt and pepper
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. butter
1 tomato cut into 1/4-inch slices
8 oz. mozzarella sliced into 1/4 inch slices, or shredded
1/4 c. fresh basil 

Directions

Combine Italian salad dressing, chicken seasoning and Italian seasoning in a large resealable bag or a bowl.  Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.  Remove chicken when ready to cook and drain off marinade.  

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper if desired.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Carefully add chicken to the skillet. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until the bottom of the chicken turns golden brown. This takes about 10 minutes.

Turn the chicken over. Place a slice of tomato on each chicken, then Mozzarella. 

Season the top of the cheese with salt and pepper.

Cover the skillet with a lid. Cook until the chicken is done, and the cheese is melted. Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken. The internal temperature of the chicken should read 165°  for it to be safe to eat. This will take at least 10 minutes more cooking time.

Top each chicken with fresh basil before serving.

Applesauce Apple Crisp

This is an easy recipe to make and serve.  It does use a bit more cinnamon than most, but if you don't like that much cinnamon in your apple crisp, cut the amount down in half, or leave it out.  It is recommended that you use an apple that stays crisp during baking, like Granny Smith, Ida Red, or Macintosh. However, use the apples that you like best, have on hand or are on sale.

Ingredients

8 apples peeled and chopped or sliced very thin
4 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. raisins
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
4 tsp. cinnamon, divided
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
3/4 c. old fashioned oats
3/4 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. cold butter or margarine

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray a 2-quart casserole dish or a 9-inch pan.

In a bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. Add, raisins, brown sugar, walnuts, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and nutmeg.  Place the mixture in the prepared dish or pan.

Spread the applesauce over the top.

In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and brown sugar.  With a pastry blender or two table knives held together, cut in butter or margarine until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. 

Sprinkle the mixture over the applesauce.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Cool slightly and serve with ice cream, whipped cream or even caramel sauce.