Meatball Sandwich

Mushroom Marinara Sauce:
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
6 oz of button or cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1 tsp white sugar
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Sauce Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute until tender; add the garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 2 hours.

Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef
7 button mushrooms, diced finely
1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
1/4 cup of Italian style breadcrumbs
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 egg
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp fennel seed, crushed
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp olive oil (for cooking)

Meatball directions:
Put the onions, garlic and mushrooms in a food processor to chop, otherwise chop them as small as you can. Combine all ingredients (except for olive oil) together gently. Form into small meatballs and set aside. Once the meatballs are prepared. Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Cook the meatballs until golden brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and place the cooked meatballs in the mushroom marinara.

Put it together:
Place meatballs with some sauce on hoagie buns. Sprinkle the top with mozzarella and Parmesan. Place in a pan, under the broiler and melt cheese (watch carefully so it doesn't burn). Top with basil and serve. Enjoy!

Notes: Brittany found this recipe on a blog called For the Love of Cooking: here. I more or less copied and pasted the recipe from there. It made enough for probably 6-8 sandwiches, although we ate the leftover meatballs and sauce with spaghetti a couple of days later, so I'm not sure. We liked the sandwich, but I think we will try other meatball recipes before trying this again, as the mushroom marinara wasn't our favorite.

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients
1 med. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 C. beef broth
4 C. chicken broth
1/2 C. tomato juice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 fresh jalapeno, chopped and seeded
3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 C. shredded chicken
Tortilla chips
Top with: sour cream, shredded cheese, tomato, avocado

Directions
1. In 4-qt. pot, saute onion and garlic in oil.
2. Add broths, tomato juice, cumin, chili powder, jalapeno, and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 hour. Add chicken pieces.
4. Pour soup in bowl, add chips and toppings.

Notes: This recipe comes from Brittany's sister, Stephanie, and I think it is delicious. The list of ingredients is long, but it is easy to make. Makes 4-6 servings.

Mexican Goulash

Ingredients
1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup onion
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
3 cups tomato juice
1 1/2 cups uncooked macaroni
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp chili powder

Directions
Add macaroni to boiling water and cook for 7 minutes. Cook the beef, onion, and pepper in cast-iron skillet until meat is brown and vegetables are tender. Drain off fat. Add tomato juice, macaroni, and spices. Simmer until liquid is almost absorbed. Makes 4-6 servings.

Notes: I found this recipe online somewhere three or four years ago, but had never tried it until now. Brittany and I both thought it was a bit lacking in flavor. If I make this again, I might try doubling the spices or adding something else. The recipe I found also had the following line: "Cook in crockpot 2 hours or until completely heated." From the way it was written I couldn't tell, but I think it was meant to be an alternative way to cook it.

Spaghettio Casserole

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Spaghettios

Directions
Brown the ground beef; drain. Stir in soup and Spaghettios. Heat until warm. Serve over mashed potatoes. Makes 4-6 servings.

Notes: This is something my mom used to make when I was younger. I'm not sure if she made up the recipe or found it somewhere. For a while it was my favorite meal, and I even remember requesting it on my birthday one year. Nowadays I don't mind having it once or twice a year, but probably no more than that.

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 pound total)
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup flour
Salt and pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chicken stock or dry white wine
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup brined capers
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Directions
1. Cut the chicken breast halves horizontally, butterflying them open. If the breast pieces you are working with are large, you may want to cut them each into two pieces. If the pieces are still thick after butterflying, put them between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound them with a meat hammer to 1/4-inch thickness.

2. Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan. Rinse the chicken pieces in water. Dredge them thoroughly in the flour mixture, until well coated.

3. Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add half of the chicken pieces. Do not crowd the pan. Brown well on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve to a plate. Cook the other breasts in the same manner, remove from pan. Cover with aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven while you prepare the sauce.

4. Add the chicken stock (or white wine), lemon juice, and capers to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape up the browned bits. Reduce the sauce by half. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Plate the chicken and serve with the sauce poured over the chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

Notes: Serves 4. Brittany found this recipe here, on Simply Recipes. Not my favorite combo of flavors, but the capers and lemony flavor was a nice change. If you are like me and don't know where to get capers, we found them by the pickles.

Beef and Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
1 Anaheim chili, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 lb of lean ground beef
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Corn tortillas

1 can of chili beans

1 - 2 jars of enchilada sauce

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Sour cream

Green onions, diced

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot add the diced onion, chile, and jalapeno. Sauté for 3-4 minutes; add the ground beef and all the seasonings. Cook until beef is done.

Place the tortillas in some wet paper towels and microwave for 60-90 seconds or until soft and pliable. Coat a large baking dish with cooking spray then pour some enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan, making sure to coat evenly.

Place a spoonful of undrained beans on the tortilla followed by a large spoonful of the beef mixture. Roll and place seam side down on the baking sheet. Continue until baking dish is full. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over each enchilada then top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Cover the baking dish with tin foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the tin foil and continue to bake for 5 additional minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. Top the enchiladas with sour cream and green onions.

Notes: Brittany found this recipe here, on a blog called For the Love of Cooking. Our enchiladas fell apart when we took them out of the pan, but they were still very tasty.