ham & cheese balls

This recipe will probably be tweaked a bit in the future, but I served them yesterday at a coffee and they were a big hit! So maybe this is it. Inspired by the sausage and cheese balls recipe from Betty Crocker. Because the sausage here is not the same, I wanted to use chopped ham.

ham & cheese balls

1 cup Bisquick mix

1 cup chopped ham

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of milk   

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

dash of cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 350°F. Line jelly roll pan w/ aluminum foil and lightly grease. 

Stir together all ingredients. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Place in pan. 

Bake 20-25 minutes or until brown. Immediately remove from pan. 

Serve with apple jelly, if desired. Would be good with warmed apple jelly! 

Makes about 35 balls.  

I wasn't home this Sunday so I didn't have my usual time to think and plan our meals for the week. I've got ideas, but they're not as concrete as normal. I was hoping that my trip to the grocery store would inspire me with (at least) some on-sale meat. It did not. We ended up not having enchiladas last week, but I'd already bought all the ingredients.

Our suppers:
   Monday -- spinach & black bean Mexican lasagna
   Tuesday -- vegetable soup
   Wednesday -- sloppy joes
   Thursday -- leftovers
   Friday -- pasta (just for my daughter, it's date night!)
   Saturday -- international festival (family-night out)
   Sunday -- roasted chicken

suppers

We're going out of town again this weekend. Everyone got to pick a meal and we're having leftovers to clear out the refrigerator before we leave.

For supper this week:
   Monday -- hot & sour soup, stir-fry veggies
   Tuesday -- meatloaf, mac & cheese, green beans
   Wednesday -- spinach & black bean enchiladas
   Thursday -- leftovers

meatballs

I don't think I'd ever made meatballs until we moved here. So popular here. And tasty. So I've made them a few times. The ones I made Friday night were well-liked by the family. I was inspired by this Rachael Ray recipe, but I changed things a bit.

pork, apple, & cheddar meatballs with noodles


1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 cup grated Norwegian cheese
about 1 cup wasa cracker crumbs
1 pink lady apple, grated
1/2 onion, grated
1/2 cup (or so) chopped parsley
1 egg, beaten
500 grams noodles made with egg (egg noodles not found here)
3 tablespoons butter

I used my food processor to grate the cheese, apple and onion. Then I used it to make the cracker crumbs.

Preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, cheese, cracker crumbs, apple, onion, 3 tablespoons parsley, the egg, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Use soup spoon to measure out meat and shape into approximately 36 meatballs.

Broil the meatballs until golden and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles until al dente. Drain, return to the pot and toss with butter and remaining parsley.

somewhere over the rainbow cupcakes

I made these rainbow cupcakes from Baking Bites today with my daughter. Fun. And it got her totally excited about St. Patrick's Day. 

black beans and rice

This is a really tasty, easy meal. A cousin introduced it to me years ago when I was baby sitting her children.

I've made several variations on this dish ranging from really-easy (I've even made it in my dorm room microwave!) to more-involved-but-still-easy and it's always tasty.

black beans and rice (easiest)
one small package yellow rice, cooked according to package directions
1 or 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jar salsa, your choice
small container sour cream
grated cheddar cheese

Layer yellow rice, black beans and salsa in an 8x8 baking dish. Spread sour cream on top of salsa and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

black beans and rice (not as easy)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 red pepper, chopped
salt
pepper
cumin
chili powder
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken broth

Saute onion and garlic with a bit of olive oil. Add pepper. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. When vegetables are tender, add tomatoes. Simmer.

Bring chicken broth to a boil, add rice, stir, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for a couple of minutes.

Layer rice, black beans, tomato sauce in baking dish (the one I used is a European sized one, slightly bigger than 8x8). Spread sour cream on top of tomatoes and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Or do what you like, using bits from either recipe. Replace chicken broth with vegetable broth or water for a vegetarian meal. At home I like to use low-fat sour cream. They don't do low-fat here. 

back to normal

We were on vacation last week. We ate breakfast and supper at our hotel buffet. Whoa. Lots of good food (not great). Too many choices. Desserts everywhere. Looking forward to some basic, fairly healthy meals this week.

For supper this week:
   Monday -- black beans and rice
   Tuesday -- ravioli with tomato sauce
   Wednesday -- golden bowl
   Thursday -- lentil soup
   Friday -- pork, apple, and cheddar meatballs
   Saturday -- fish sticks, cole slaw, potatoes
   Sunday -- shrimp casserole and salad

I've had lentil soup on my menu for weeks now...and we're finally going to actually eat it. Really. Going to try a new meatball recipe on Friday. Looked interesting to me because of the apples. I've been making my own fish sticks and frozen cod filet was on tilbud (special) today.

suppers

Late again with my meal plan again. This week's suppers:
   Monday -- out
   Tuesday -- Brunswick stew leftovers
   Wednesday -- golden bowl
   Thursday -- pasta
   Friday -- meatballs

We had friends over for supper on Sunday. I made Brunswick stew, cole slaw, and cornbread muffins. Everyone enjoyed the food and the company. I was tired after everyone left though! Last night we took our daughter to a movie and then afterwards went out for a quick supper.

Next week we're going on vacation! Sun and warmth, here we come!