Barbequed Meatballs

Rachel won't let it go, so here's a recipe. I tried her cream sauce meatballs and unfortunately I had these to compare to so... I guess you could say "I've had better!"

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 can evaporated milk (5 ounces)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-1/2 lbs grounds beef

Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke, optional
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls; place in a greased baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour over meatballs. Bake 10-12 minutes longer.

I serve it on egg noodles.

Meatballs with Cream Sauce

Yep, it's me again. These were great! And relatively easy.

MEATBALLS:

1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 T. ketchup
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
3 T. flour

CREAM SAUCE:
2 T. butter
3 1/2 T. flour
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
14 oz. can chicken broth (If you want your sauce thicker, cut down the chicken broth to 1 cup)
2/3 cup milk
2 T. minced fresh parsley

In a bowl, combine all of the meatball ingredients EXCEPT the beef and flour. Add beef and mix well. Shape into balls. Roll in flour, shaking off excess. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheet and bake, uncovered, at 400 for 10 minutes. Turn meatballs, bake 8-10 minutes longer or until no longer pink. Meanwhile, for the sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, thyme, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add broth and milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. If using the full can of chicken broth, the sauce doesn't thicken overly much, but it is delicious that way. If you want it slightly thicker, cut down the chicken broth to 1 cup. Drain meatballs on paper towels; transfer to a serving dish. Top with sauce and parsley. Serve over rice or egg noodles (I used egg noodles and loved the result!).

Meat Cupcakes

Sounds gross huh? They actually are pretty good. Matt doesn't like meatloaf so he didn't try them, but Hailey and I enjoyed them. And they make great leftovers for a quick lunch for Hailey. The girl that posted it here, said her kids love them. Try it out...you might be surprised.

This recipe is originally from Kraft Foods. Here's the link to their recipe. It's a mix & match, so you can do various flavors. The barbecue one is our favorite.

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz.) stuffing mix
1 cup water
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 c. barbecue sauce
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375*. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and garlic powder until well blended. Press evenly into 12 medium muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Make an indentation in center of each with back of spoon. Spoon barbecue sauce evenly into indentations. Bake 30 minutes or until meatloaves are cooked through. Top evenly with cheese; continue baking 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

We made this tonight and put it on salad with Guacamole Ranch dressing, cilantro, cheese, olives and tomatoes, soooooo GOOD!!! Tyler said it is pretty stinking close to the real thing, give it a try

CAFE RIO PORK (copycat recipe)
Slow cook your pork roast in a crock pot with garlic and a little water until you can pull it apart. At that point add the following

1 can diced green chilis
1 to 2 cans of medium or hot enchilada sauce (the red stuff), depending on how much pork you use
1 can of either Dr. Pepper or Coke (I used Dr. Pepper)
At least 1 cup of brown sugar but use as much more as you want to get your sweetness
salt to taste.
It is so easy to make too.


Tomatillo Dressing
1 Pkg. Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Mix
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tomatillos
½ to 1 clove garlic minced
½ to 1/3 Bunch Cilantro, chopped
½ tsp. Lime Juice
½ to 1 small Jalapeno (seeds removed) (optional)
Blend all ingredients together in a blender.

Pressed Cuban Burgers

Bobby Flay made this burger on his Throwdown show and it won. But more importantly it looked by far the best of all the burgers they made. I have not tried it, but I am going to so I thought I would post it for all to try. I will let you know as soon as we've made them.


1 pound ground chuck
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup best quality mayonnaise
3 cloves roasted garlic, pureed
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
4 hamburger buns
4 slices thinly sliced smoked ham
8 slices thinly sliced Swiss cheese
2 dill pickles, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices

Form the meat into 4 (1/4-inch thick) burgers. Season the meat with salt and pepper on both sides and cook in a saute pan (or on the grill) over high heat to medium doneness, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Combine the mayonnaise and roasted garlic in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread both sides of each bun with mayonnaise and mustard.

Place a slice of cheese on the bottom portion of each bun, place the burger on top of the cheese, then top the burger with a slice of ham then another slice of cheese then the pickle slices. Place the tops of the bun over the pickles and cook on a sandwich press or wrap the burgers in aluminum foil and cook in a hot skillet over high heat with a heavy skillet placed on top of the burger to press the sandwich. Cook until golden brown and cheese has melted.

Grilled Burgers

I just thought I would pass on a tip for grilling burgers. When mixing the meat prior to making patties, season it with salt and pepper and any other flavors you might like such as A-1 steak sauce, but here it the cool part pour in a Tbs. or 2 of Corn Syrup. It replaces the need for an egg and acts as a binder. It keeps the burgers moist. We did it tonight and they were so good. Anyway, thought I would pass it on.