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recipes

Food

Quick Meatballs Gravy and Potatoes

Turns out, I still know how to cook. Who would have thought?

I made a promise to Andy that we’d start planning out our meals for the week. So I had us schedule out pasta dishes, chicken with veggies, and even a taco night. Well, when it came time for me to make the meatloaf I had planned all week on making, I took the ground beef out of the fridge, only to find it was still frozen.

I scrambled, searched through the cabinets looking for an alternative. I couldn’t swap it for another day, those had frozen pieces to the meals as well.

So I boiled some potatoes, threw some broccoli into some boiling water. Then I went through the freezer and fridge and found some frozen meatballs. Ok, I can work with this. The only issue was making gravy. I didn’t have any drippings to work with, so I lucked out with some beef bouillon cubes.

Andy loved it so much, that he’s asking me to make it again. Wahoo! That’s a win for last minute meals that were basically a throw in the pan and hope for the best!

Easy Meatballs and Gravy Recipe

Gravy Recipe
2 cups of water
3 beef bouillon cubes
2 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoon margarine
pepper
garlic powder

In a large saucepan, add water and bouillon cubes. Heat on medium-high heat until cubes have dissolved. In another heated pan, add margarine and flour. Stir to combine and cook until flour was thickened, creating a roux. Slowly add beef broth mixture you just created. Stirring to combine.

Add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and 1/2 tablespoon of black pepper to gravy. Continue cooking and stirring until gravy as thickened to your desired consistency. I usually let mine boil a bit while stirring to quicken the process.

Add frozen meatballs to gravy and cook for another 8-10 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through. Top over mashed potatoes, and serve with a side of steamed broccoli.

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Food

Ham and Spuds

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When I was little, I remember making ham steaks with maple syrup. It sweetened up the meat and was perfect with eggs at breakfast. Add pancakes and you’re basically set for a food comma. Now that I’m older (and watching what I eat), I’d love to have ham smothered in maple syrup, but I know better. So I did the next best thing, I cut out the syrup (ok, maybe that wasn’t the best part) and bought a ham steak… and a potato… and tossed in some butter. Hmmm the butter may be just as bad as the syrup…

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Might have ended up with something completely different than those maple syrup ham steaks with eggs, but it’s keeping me thinking that maybe I’ll reevaluate that in the near future.

So in the end, I heated the potato in the microwave for 5 minutes (or until it was soft enough to break it down with a fork). In a saucepan heated one tablespoon of butter with 2 ounces of diced ham steak. Added a dash of ground black pepper and a dash of garlic salt and cook until ham is browned. Fold into mashed red potato and enjoy. Might want to add a half a tablespoon of butter if it’s dry.

Enjoy!

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Food, Savory

Bacon Wrapped Cheddar Jalapeños

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The way to a man’s heart, is through bacon. That, I am sure of. Particularly bacon wrapped cheddar jalapeños. Nothing more attractive than that, right?

Bacon Wrapped Cheddar Jalapeños

Gather:
1 8 oz container of low fat cream cheese
1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper

6 jalapenos, cut in half and deseeded
6 pieces of bacon

Set oven to low broil. Cook back strips for five to seven minutes, until bacon is heated and has lost some fat. Cut bacon strips in half and set aside.

In a bowl mix cream cheese, cheddar, and spices. Spoon mixture into the halved jalapenos. Wrap each jalapeno with a strip of bacon. Spear with a toothpick so that the bacon stays on. Place on a cookie sheet and bake on the lowest rack for 20 minutes or until bacon is crispy and jalapenos have been roasted.

Let cool and enjoy.

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