Weeks 8 and 9

I'm so far behind.
Not for making the meals.
Just posting them.

So I went to WinCo (my new favorite grocery store. Have you seen the bulk section? Love.)
The only way to get the ground meat the price I wanted was to buy an enormous chub.
Like the size of a small toddler.
Jacob loves meat. As in, when I say, "What do you want for dinner?" He says "Meat."

It took about 3 hours to brown all of it. But I did it. And now my freezer is chock full.

In honor of having lots of meat, we made....

Week 8: Meatballs
When making meatballs you must say it in a Eastern European accent. Preferably Ukrainian.

I combined a recipe from The Food Network and from Kraft Foods Magazine.

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground turkey
1 box of stuffing (I prefer chicken
1 1/4 cups water
2 eggs
A dash of salt and pepper
Dash or so of oregano, basil and thyme

Heat oven to 400°. Line cookie sheet with foil.
Spray with cooking spray.
Mix ingredients until blended. Shape into 32 balls, using 1/4 cup for each. (Ice cream scoop works great.)
Place 16 meatballs in each.
Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until done.
Add meatballs to pasta and a delicious sauce.

Note: the recipe actually calls for 2 lb. of beef. I wanted to make it a bit healthier with half beef and half turkey. But if you ever have tried ground turkey before, you know that it has a different texture. So if I did it again, I would do 1/4 turkey and 3/4 ground beef.

I have used a turkey/beef mixture in other meals where the meat isn't in such a big showcase as the meatballs, and I love that you really can't tell.

Rating: 4 out of 5. It would definitely be a 5 with the turkey to beef ratio switch.


Week 9: Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

Image found here.

I adore Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches that my mommy makes. 

So while this isn't a new thing to eat, I was in charge of making it the other day.

1 lb. roast beef from the deli if you want to making it easier. But steak is great if you have it.

1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 carton of mushrooms (like 20?) thinly sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

Swiss cheese slices

Bread/roll of your choice. Kaisers are great.

Sauté onions for about 10 minutes, until soft.
Add in bell peppers and mushrooms until the mushrooms disappear. (they kind of blend in)
Add in garlic and roast beef until warm.
Turn on the oven to broil.
Cut roll in half. Spread with a little mayo.
Put cheese on one side and top with the meat/veggie mixture.
Put in oven until bread is lightly toasted.

Note: the key is to watch the sandwich when it is in the oven. Watch it. Like a hawk.
It will burn the second you turn away.

Rating: 5 out of 5. This sandwich makes my mouth water before, after and during.
Enjoy. And I meant it. You will enjoy it.