Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I LOVED these!!! The kids really liked them too and am guessing that they would've asked for more, but I had dessert, so they stopped at one. It wasn't/isn't one of my hubby's favorites, but he did eat it... :) (He would prob want me to mention that he had 2... I will mention that he was hungry, so that's why he had 2!!! :)

It took a little bit of work, not too bad though. I guess it took me longer because I browned the beef, and cooked the rice and tomatoes. Then I took a break to start to make the dessert and then back to make the cabbage rolls, then I had to feed my eating machine, then back to put the cheese on top after they were done baking. :) So to me, it seemed like a little bit of work, but I guess all in all, it really wasn't THAT bad!



Brown the beef and onion together... I added a bit of oregano too...


Drain off all the meat, put back in pan and add can of undrained diced tomatoes, rice, oregano and pepper...
Cover and cook until rice is done and tender... (about 20 minutes, mine actually took about 30 to 35 minutes)



I put the whole head of cabbage in boiling water for a few minutes. ONLY to get the leaves off nice... I had a problem of them tearing...


Line a stone (or a baking dish) with tomato sauce, sugar and oregano mixture...

Now here comes the fun part.... :)






Put some yummy meat/rice mixture on a cabbage leaf, roll it up and place in pan...


I stuffed 8 in a pan, that's what the recipe makes...



Put tomato sauce mixture over the top of the stuffed rolls


Sprinkle cheese on top after cooking it for 35-40 minutes... Let it sit for 2 minutes before serving...



YUMMY!!!!!!!


Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

12 oz ground beef, ground pork, ground sausage
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/3 uncooked long-grain rice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 medium cabbage leaves
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

In a large skillet cook meat and onion until meat is brown, drain and return to pan. Stir in undrained tomatoes, 1/2 cup water, rice and 1/2 teaspoon of the oregano and the pepper. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, trim the vein off the cabbage leaf so that it's even with the leaf. Immerse 4 leaves at a time into boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, or until limp.
Stir in 1/4 cup of cheese into meat mixture. Place about 1/3 cup meat mixture on each leaf and roll up.
For sauce, in a small bowl stir together the tomato sauce, sugar and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oregano. Pour half of the sauce into a baking dish. Arrange cabbage rolls over the sauce in the dish and cover the cabbage rolls with the remaining sauce.
Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese on top, let stand for 2 minutes, then ENJOY!!!!


*I added about 1/4 teaspoon oregano while browning beef and onion, then added another 1/4 teaspoon when I added the rice and diced tomatoes.
I also put the whole head of cabbage in boiling water for a few minutes so I could get a whole leaf off without it tearing.

Easy Taco Dip

This was a HUGE hit for EVERYONE!!!! Not to mention that it was SUPER easy to make! I made it in my crock-pot, but I could see this being made over the stove if you forget to put it in the crock-pot.

This is a dip, so you may want to add more. I used this with tortilla chips, but you could put it in a soft or hard shell. Just add the extra stuff to the top, like sour cream, lettuce, cheese, avocado, etc...


Easy Taco Dip

1 pound hamburger (or turkey)
1 cup frozen corn
3/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup taco sauce
1 can diced green chilies
1 can sliced olives, drained

Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour Cream


Brown the hamburger (or turkey), and drain. Put in crock-pot, and add corn, salsa, taco sauce, green chilies, and olives. Mix it all together and put crock-pot on high for 1 -2 hours or low for 2-3 hours.
Serve with sour cream and cheese over top.
Either put in tortilla shells or with chips.

*I bought a can of black whole olives. I need them for other recipes, and it is MUCH cheaper (out here anyways...) to buy a 8 oz can of whole pitted olives rather than buying a small 4 oz can of chopped or sliced olives.
I added more than 1 cup corn...
Also, if you do this over the stove, do it all the same up til the cooking in crock-pot, I would heat to a boiling, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.

Menus

I HIGHLY recommend making a menu for 2 weeks! Now that isn't an easy task! You may be thinking, what if what I put down for Monday, I don't want to eat, but what I want is Friday's meal? Go for it and then fix Monday's meal for Friday. :)

It's been hard for me to make menus, but let me tell you, when I do I spend LESS at the store and feel like I am not rushed for supper! I have a PLAN and that makes it sooo much easier! :)

It's not always easy for me either because I don't know if my hubby will be home in time for supper, or if he has to spend the nite away. Most nites he doesn't anymore... But it is hard for me to fix a "nice" meal when I know he won't be home to eat it right away.

You may also have kids that need to go here and there. Wednesday's we are NOT home at all to eat supper, we eat it in the van. My little bubby has Karate class at 5:15 - 6:00, then we drive over to the church, sit in the parking lot and eat our yummy "picnic" supper, then go in for church about 6:35. Church starts at 7:00, then we get home and get the kids a glass of milk and then off to bed. Thursday's are also hard because my little jitterbug has gymnastics from 5:00 - 5:45. Those of you that know me, know I like to have supper on the table at 5:30. Kinda hard to have a meal ready by 6:30 when you get home at 6!!! So, that's where the wonderful crock-pot comes in! I usually TRY to have something in there before I put my kiddos to bed for nap and it's ready after gym! There is sooo much you can cook in a crock-pot! I have 2, yes, you read right, TWO!!! Sometimes I wish I had 3!!! :)

Now that we are home, for a good while, I THINK... :) I wrote down a menu and plan on stickin' to it! Try it, you will be surprised at just how much you save at the store! Make sure you have all the things you need and there will be no going to the store for last minute things or meals. It is also healthier. :) I will be posting what I fix (HOPEFULLY) for supper the next day. So what I have planned for tonite, will be on tomorrow's post!

Take some time, go through your cook-books, or here (if there's enough to choose from!) and write out a menu for 2 weeks. I just wrote down all suppers, I didn't do any lunches... You may want to write down all your suppers first, then after you get the hang of it, try writing down all your lunch plans too. Remember, you will probably have leftovers, they make GREAT lunches!

Waffles and Peach Syrup

We had "brinner" last nite! Wanna know what it is? Breakfast for dinner, Brinner! :) Thanks to Scrubs which I stole that from! (gotta love Scrubs!!! :))


I made some waffles and made some peaches to go over the top. I also added some whip cream to the top! The kids LOVED the whip cream part!!! :o)


My camera was pretty much dead while making this, so I only got one pic of the cut up peaches in the pan. Then I charged the battery while making them so I could atleast give you the finished product!!! :)


Peach Syrup

1 can peaches (I used 14 oz, but highly recommend doubling this recipe!)
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

Chop up peaches. In saucepan combine the cut up peaches (juice included), honey and cinnamon. Dissolve cornstarch in water and then add to peaches. Heat on medium heat until thickens. About 4 to 5 minutes.


*I think I added more than 1 teaspoon of cinnamon! :) I will also make sure I double this and maybe take a potato masher to squash some of them to make it a thicker sauce...

Waffles

4 cups baking mix
2 cups milk (you may need about another 1/3 cup)
2 - 3 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

Mix all together. Grease waffle iron and cook! :)


*You can cut this recipe in half, but we ate them all! With the peaches on top, super good!!! Enjoy your Brinner!!!!!

Layered Nachos

Ok, so I am a little late getting this out, but atleast I got it! :) Been a crazy day, trying to get back into the routine of things, go to the store and get some much needed food... And then there's the MOUNTAIN of never ending laundry that needs to be done!

When we got back from home, I had NOTHING in my frig, except these ingredients, taco meat, sour cream, and cheddar cheese. I also had some chips, and then I thought, hmm... Let's make some nachos. The kids LOVE it when I make tacos and have the hard shells, "because it's like eating chips!" :)

I didn't really measure the ingredients, but here's an estimate of it all...

The kids GOBBLED this up!!! :)



I like lining the baking sheet with foil, MUCH easier to clean up!


Next, line the baking sheet with tortilla chips


Next add your choice of meat. I just happened to have taco meat already to go! :)


Next I added a handfull (now mind you, a HEAPING handfull!) of shredded cheddar cheese


...and another layer of taco meat...


...and more cheese! MUST have MORE cheese! I think I added about, oh atleast a cup and a half!


Put in oven until cheese is melted. I put this in a 350d preheat oven for about 10 minutes.


Next I mixed up about 2 cups sour cream, a can of diced green chilies, and some chopped black olives. I then spread it over the melted cheese and put it back in the oven for about 5 minutes. (You could also put this mixture on and then add the shredded cheese)



I cut up some lettuce and then added some salsa. YUMMY!!! :P


Layered Nachos

Bag of tortilla chips
Taco Meat
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Black olives, chopped
Can of green chilies
Salsa
Lettuce

Layer the chips, then the meat, then the cheese, do it again. Put in oven for about 7 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is starting to melt. While cheese is melting, mix 2 cups sour cream with the olives and green chilies. Take the chips out of the oven, add the sour cream mixture to the top, put back in oven for 5 minutes. Serve with salsa and lettuce. Enjoy!!!!!

Taking a Break!!!

I am on vacation until next Monday, so look back next week for recipes!!!
Hope ya'll have a GREAT week!!! :)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to ya'll!!!!

I pray for safe travels if any of you are going to be on the road!

I also pray that ya'll will remember WHY we are celebrating! I know it's so fun to give, bake, host, and travel from on family to the next to celebrate and get and give gifts, but I HOPE you will remember WHY! Don't get to caught up in all the "hype" and don't worry if you didn't get enough for your family, that's not what it is about! It is all about WHO came and WHY He came! What a joy to think! WOW! It TOTALLY blows my mind!
Thank you Jesus!

Merry CHRISTmas to ya'll!!!