Crock Pot Sweet & Sour Meatballs

1 - 9 oz. jar sweet & sour sauce
1/4 C. packed brown sugar
3 T. soy sauce
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. pepper
3 lbs. frozen meatballs
1 medium red bell pepper
1 - 20 oz. can pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained

Place a slow cooker liner in your crock pot (if desired - it makes for really easy clean up!).  Place all ingredients in the crock pot and stir gently. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high 4 to 5 hours.  Serve over rice and enjoy!

Serves 12 (make adjustments as need if you want to make a smaller batch)

Label: Cook from frozen.  You may want to thaw a little just to get the meatballs out of the bag.  Low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.

Gourmet Meatloaf & Rice

32 oz. Meatloaf and 1 C. rice provided for this recipe.

Meatloaf:  Thaw. Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until fully cooked.

Rice: Combine 1 C. rice with 2 C. water in sauce pan.  Add 1 tsp. salt or 1 tsp. chicken bullion to flavor the rice, if desired.  Heat on high until boiling.  Reduce heat and cover.  Simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is cooked tender.  Remove from heat and fluff before serving.

To make meatloaf again, use your favorite meatloaf recipe if you have one.  I am using the freshly made gourmet version from Harmons.  It was on sale and made it cheaper to buy than to make at home!

Hope you enjoy this one!!

Shepherd's Pie

1 lb. ground beef
2 C. hot mashed potatoes
4 oz. cream cheese
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
1 - 16 oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 pkg. beef gravy, prepared according to directions (1 C.)

Brown meat in skillet and then drain.  Mix mashed potatoes, 1/2 C. shredded cheese and garlic until well blended. Combine meat, vegetables and prepared gravy. Spoon in to 9" square baking dish.  Cover with potato mixture and top with remaining shredded cheese.  Bake at 375 for 20-30 min. or until heated through.

Label:  Thaw. Bake at 375 for 30 min. or until heated through.

Super Yummy Spaghetti

1 box spaghetti noodles
1 pound ground beef
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
8 oz. ricotta cheese
4 oz. sour cream
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 t. Garlic Powder
3 T. Italian Seasoning, divided
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Parmesan Cheese, if desired

Cook noodles according to directions on box. Brown ground beef, drain fat, add garlic powder and 2 T. Italian seasoning and jar of spaghetti sauce. Simmer on low to allow flavors to mix together.  In a medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, sour cream and cream cheese together until smooth. Add another 1 T. Italian seasoning and mix in well.

Spray 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Add 1/2 of the noodles and all of the cheese mixture to the dish and mix together. Top with remaining noodles and meat/sauce mixture.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with shredded cheese and Parmesan cheese. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Label: Thaw meal, bake covered in 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Enjoy!

Baked Pasta Freezer Meal Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Box of Pasta Cooked (Any Kind will work)
• ½ Cup of onion, chopped finely
• 2 Cups of Ground Beef Cooked (approx. 1 lb.)
• 2 Jars of Spaghetti Sauce
• 6 Slices Provolone Cheese
• 1 Cup sour cream
• 1 8 oz. Bag of Mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 7-8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray 2 8x8 inch pans with non-stick cooking spray. Layer as follows in each pan: ¼ of the ziti, ¼ of the sauce, 4 slices of Provolone cheese, ½ of sour cream, ¼ of ziti, ¼ mozzarella cheese and ¼ of sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake covered for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

French Bread Pizza

1 loaf sliced French bread (or 2 loaves of Baguettes sliced fairly thin)
1 lb. hamburger
1-2 T. dried onion, depending on how much onion you like
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
Italian Seasoning, to taste (I used approximately 3-4 T.)
1/2 pound grated Mozzarella cheese
1 - 15 oz. jar marinara or pizza sauce

Brown hamburger with onion. Drain off fat.  Add cream of mushroom soup and stir together well. Add Italian Seasoning and mix well again. Placed sliced bread on cookie sheets. Spread meat mixture on the bread, top with Mozzarella cheese and then top that with marinara or pizza sauce. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

To freeze: Make pizzas but do not bake.  Place pizzas on cookie sheets in the freezer and let them freeze.  Transfer to zip-loc freezer bags until ready to eat.

Label:  Place pizzas on cookie sheet, bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes if thawed and for 20 minutes if frozen, or until cheese is melted. ENJOY!!

Stuffed peppers

The basic recipe is here.

To cook, thaw peppers and sauce from frozen. Spoon sauce over peppers and put on cookie sheet or oven-safe tray. Heat oven to 350 degrees and cook for 30-40 minutes.

~Snapp family

Taco Soup

1 lb hamburger
1 can corn, drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed,
1 can chili beans (no meat)
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 package taco seasoning
Water as needed to thin mixture.

Brown & drain meat. Add all beans & corn. Add stewed tomatoes (I blend it up first, but that is just our preference). Add taco seasoning. Add water as needed to get the consistency you like. Simmer for 30-60 minutes. Serve hot & add cheese, chips or any toppings you want.

For dinner group: Thaw, heat, simmer for 20-30 min & serve

**This recipe makes at least 8 healthy servings I am making 6 batches of this instead of 12 because it makes so much**

Meatballs in Cream Sauce
1 - 12 oz. pkg frozen spinach
1 cup water
2 - 10 oz. cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 TB. Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 - 14 oz. can mushroom pieces
1 lb. pasta, cooked
20-24 meatballs
Grated parmesan cheese

Thaw spinach. Pulse in blender with 1 cup water until coarsely chopped.
Add soup, ricotta, vinegar and red pepper. Combine.
Add meatballs and mushrooms. Bring to a simmer for
20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over pasta and
top with parmesan cheese.

Label: Heat and Serve Over Pasta. Top with Parmesan
Cheese.

Best Burger Ever

2 lbs hamburger meat
1 tsp Wildtree Chipotle Lime Rub
1 tsp Wildtree Rancher Steak Rub

Mix in seasonings with meat. Separate meat into patties. Grill or fry in a pan. Top with your favorite burger toppings and enjoy! This is super simple, but quite tasty.

Meatballs & Gravy

1 pound ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 C. unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. Italian seasoning, divided
1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 C. sliced mushrooms
2 T. all-purpose flour
1 14.5 oz. can beef broth (or 1 1/2 C. beef broth)
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Cooked egg noodles

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a rack on a baking sheet and coat with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, garlic salt, 1/2 t. of the Italian seasoning and 1/4 t. of the black pepper.  Form into 30-40 small meatballs about 1 level teaspoon each. Place on prepared rack over baking sheet.  Bake meatballs at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and mushrooms and cook 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.  Sprinkle flour over the mixture, stir and cook 1 minute.  Gradually stir in beef broth until the four is completely incorporated in to the liquid.  Bring to a simmer.  Stir in remaining 1/2 t. Italian seasoning, 1/4 t. pepper and the nutmeg until well blended.

Add meatballs to the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve over egg noodles and enjoy!

Label:  Thaw, heat in large skillet and enjoy!

Burrito Pie

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 (16 ounce) cans refried beans
• 12 (8 inch)  flour tortillas
• 1 (16 ounce) jar red enchilada sauce 
• 12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until onions are translucent (about 5 more minutes). Drain any excess fat, if desired. Mix in the green chile peppers, tomatoes, and enchilada sauce. Stir mixture thoroughly, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

2. While meat mixture simmers, spread a thin layer of refried beans on one side of each tortilla. Set aside.

3. In the bottom of the casserole dish(es), spread a thin layer of the meat mixture. Cover with a layer of tortillas that have been smeared with the refried beans, followed by more meat mixture, and then a layer of cheese. Repeat tortilla with refried beans, meat, and cheese pattern until all the tortillas are used up. Topping off the casserole with a layer of meat mixture and cheese.

Label:  Thaw for 24 hours.   Bake for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is slightly brown and bubbly.

Ranch Burgers

1 1/3 lb. ground beef
1 oz. package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (dry)
1 t. dried minced onion
1 t. onion powder

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Make 4 patties.  BBQ until done.  Top with cheese of your choice while cooking.  Enjoy a tasty burger!

Italian Meatloaf

1/4 cup plus 2 TB. extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp. (about 6 cloves) chopped garlic
2 medium onions, diced
2 red peppers, seeded, small diced
1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
2 TB. chopped parsley
4 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
3 lb. ground beef
2 TB. Worcestershire sauce
2 TB. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Saute garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil for one minute. Add onion and pepper
  and saute until just soft. Let cool.
- Whisk together the basil, parsley and eggs in a small bowl. Add salt
   and pepper.
- Combine Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs in another small bowl.
- Place cooled vegetables in a large bowl. Add ground beef, herb and
  egg mixture, Parmesan cheese and breadcrumb mixture, Worcestershire
  sauce, vinegar, and remaining 2 TB. olive oil.
- Using your hands, gently mix the ingredients until just combined, making
  sure not to over mix.
- Divide meat mixture into 2 or 3 loaves. Pack into oiled loaf pans or form
  into loaves and place in a baking dish. Just before baking, top with the
  marinara, making sure to spread evenly over the top.
  This keeps the meatloaf from drying out.
-Bake for 50 - 60 minutes or until 160 degrees. Remove from oven and let
  rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Label: Thaw, bake in 350 degree oven 50-60 minutes or until 160 degrees. Let rest 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Spaghetti Squash Layered Casserole

I know.....the mind boggles that I, Connie, would do a healthy meal!?!?  I know, huh? I really like it though so I'm making it the most unhealthy way I can. :D

1 Spaghetti Squash
1 container Ricotta Cheese
4 eggs
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
2 lbs Ground Beef (the recipes say ground turkey - I can't be that healthy :D)
1 jar Marinara Sauce (any brand)
Basil
S & P
Season Salt

Cook squash by cutting in half and scooping the seeds out.  Place face down on a pan.  Cook on 350 for 1 hour or until it's soft when squeezed.  Cool. In the meantime, Cook the hamburger with Basil, Season Salt and Salt and Pepper to taste.  Scoop out the "spaghetti" and put into a 9x13 greased pan or 2 of our tins.  Mix Ricotta and eggs together.  Layer on top of spaghetti.  Mix the Marinara Sauce with the meat and layer that on top of the Ricotta mixture.  Put Mozzarella on top.

Thaw completely.  Bake covered for 35-40 minutes at 350.

Sweedish Meatballs & Gravy

1 egg, beaten
2 1/4 C. milk
3/4 C. soft bread crumbs (I use 2 pieces of bread)
1/2 C. finely chopped onion
1/4 C. parsley
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. each ground allspice and ground nutmeg
1/2 lb. ground hamburger
1/2 lb. ground sausage
1 T. butter
2 tsp. instant beef bullion granules
1/8 tsp. pepper
2-3 T. sour cream

In mixing bowl combine egg, 1/4 cup of the milk, bread crumbs, onion, parsley, the 1/4 tsp. pepper and allspice & nutmeg.  Add meat and mix well. Shape into 30 meatballs.  In a large skillet, cook meatballs in butter, half at a time, over medium heat about 10 minutes or until no pink remains, turning to brown evenly.  Remove meatballs from skillet and place on paper towel.  Reserve drippings (2 T. at least).  Add flour, bullion granules and the 1/8 tsp. black pepper in to reserved drippings.  Add remaining milk.  Cook & stir until thickened and bubbly.  Return meatballs to skillet and heat through.  Serve over cooked egg noodles.  Makes 4-6 servings.

Label:
Thaw, reheat and enjoy!

Sloppy Joes

3 lbs ground beef
1 onion
1 green pepper
2 C. shredded carrots
4-5 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 C. ketchup
2 tsp mustard powder
1/3 C. brown sugar
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
5 T tomatoe paste
salt and pepper to taste
Water to reach consistency

12 hamburger buns

Brown ground beef.  Sweat onions with peppers, and carrots.  Mix together.  Add in the rest of the ingredients to the beef mixture.  Cover and heat on low to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve on hamburger buns.

Label: Defrost, re-heat and serve on buns.

Beef Enchiladas

1 lb. hamburger
Cilantro, chopped
1/2 small can chopped olives
1/2 small can chopped green chilis
2 t. dried onion
1 can Enchilada sauce (red or green; hot, medium or mild - whatever you like best!)
Grated cheddar cheese (approx. 2 C.)
12 Corn tortillas

Brown hamburger, drain fat.  Add cilantro (however much you like), olives, chilis, dried onion and a little enchilada sauce to meat and cook together.  Place 2 tortilla in microwave for 25 seconds.  Fill hot tortillas with cheese and meat mixture.  Roll up and place tortillas together in 8x8 casserole dish.  Repeat with rest of tortillas. Cover enchiladas with rest of enchilada sauce and sprinkle cheese on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 min.  Serves 8.

Baked Ziti

1 pound ground beef, cooked & drained
16 oz. package ziti pasta
15 oz. Ricotta cheese
1 pound shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
32 oz. spaghetti sauce
1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook ground beef and drain off fat. Set aside. Cook pasta approx. 8 min. or until al dente. Do NOT overcook pasta! While pasta is cooking, combine Ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese (save 4 oz. for topping), egg and Italian seasoning in large bowl and mix together well. Add cooked ground beef to cheese mixture and mix together. Spray bottom of 9x13 pan with cooking spray then layer dish as follows - spaghetti sauce, ziti pasta, cheese mixture, spaghetti sauce, ziti pasta, cheese mixture. Finish with spaghetti sauce and top with left over Mozzarella cheese and grated Parmesan cheese. Bake 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting. Serve with green salad and garlic bread if desired.

Label: Thaw dish in refrigerator, bake 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting. Serve with green salad and garlic bread if desired.

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 Small Chopped Onion
1 can Chicken Gumbo Soup
1/2 c. Ketchup
1 TB. Mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
Hamburger Buns

Brown ground beef and onion. Drain off any fat. Add soup, ketchup, and worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over hamburger buns.

Label: Thaw, heat and serve.