Meatballs!

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and changed it just slightly. Really tasty!

1 Pound ground beef (I used half pork and half beef)

-Half teaspoon salt

-1 one small diced (finely) onion

-2 cloves of garlic, minced

-1 1/2 Italian seasoning

-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

-1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

-1/3 c. milk

-1 egg

-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

-1/2 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Mix all together and roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes

Crisp

This is my favorite recipe for crisps. We love it with cherries. 

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, slightly softened 

1 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)

1 cup old-fashioned oats

Press half of the mix at the bottom of a glass pan and then crumble the rest of it on top. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Here is the rest of the recipe that this lady used it with:
Read more at http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/08/creamy-lemon-crumb-squares.html#r69550APjWg54PX2.99

I have since made it with apples and it is wonderful, too! Thinly slice about 7 apples and add 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp. flour, and 1 tsp cinnamon. Mix together and fill crisp. Add top and bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes.

Smothered Burriotos

This is a dinner that we came up with last year and we make it all the time. My idea of comfort food! I make this recipe with the tortillas that you cook yourself (found by the egg section of Walmart) but it is yummy no matter what.

Torrtillas
Enchilada sauce (I like mild. About two small cans)
shredded cheddar cheese
rice (we like this recipe)
beans (we do pinto from a can)
shredded chicken (we use the Cafe Rio recipe.

Take an uncooked tortilla and load with cheese, rice, beans and chicken. Roll up and place in a greased casserole pan. Continue till pan is full. Pour enchilada sauce over burriotos and top with more shredded cheese. Bake in oven on 350 for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Top with chopped lettuce and tomatoes and sour cream.

Pumpkin Dessert

I got this recipe years ago as a sophomore in college from my roommate Sarah Nelson. I have loved it ever since.

1 yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup for topping)
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
Mix above ingredients and pat into 9/13 pan. Mixture will be sticky

1/2 can pumpkin filling (or just one smaller can)
2 eggs
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or you can mix together 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. cloves, and 1/2 tsp. ginger and use in the place of the pumpkin pie spice).

Mix the above ingredients and pour over cake mix.

1 cup cake mix (reserved from earlier)
1/3 cup soft butter
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (but I never do)

Sprinkle above ingredients on top of pumpkin mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes. Serve with Cool whip, whip cream, or ice cream. I have loved it with all of them!

Cafe Rio Dressing

1 package Ranch Dressing (Or three tablespoons)
1 Cup buttermilk (but I usually make it with regular milk and it still tastes great)
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1-2 Tamatillos (I use 2)
1 clove garlic
1/2- 1/3 bunch of chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/2- 1 small jalapeno (with the seeds gone and chopped up)

Blend all together in blender or food processor. Add more milk or mayo to get the consistency you like.

Cafe Rio Chicken

 I found this recipe sometime last year and it has been a favorite ever since. We use it for burritos most of the time but when it is made into a salad with the Cafe Rio sauce it is amazing, too! This recipe is a crock pot recipe but I find that it works great on the stove top if you don't have hours to kill. I found this recipe here.

2 lbs chicken breasts
1/2 a small bottle of zesty Italian dressing
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 pkt ranch dressing mix (mixed with 1/2 cup of water)
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin

Place all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on LOW for about 5 hours or until chicken is done.
Shred with fork and serve in salads, burritos, tacos…etc.

You can also double or triple this to make extras for freezing. Then simply thaw and reheat for a fast and delicious meal.

Diana Kennedy's Well-fried Beans

Here is another Diana Kennedy recipe that knocked our socks off! So yummy!

Diana Kennedy's Well-fried Beans

6 tablespoons lard (1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
3 1/2 to 4 cups of beans with broth (we used 3-4 cans of partially drained pinto beans and it worked great and was much faster than making beans from scratch)

In a very heavy skillet- about 10 inches in diameter -heat the lard and fry the onion, without browning, until soft. Add 1 cup of the beans and their broth and mash well as you cook them; over the high heat. Gradually add the rest of the beans, little by little, mashing them all the time until you have a course puree.

As the puree begins to dry out and sizzle at the edges, it is ready.
Note: beans freeze well  and can always be ready to use; just reheat them. Also, you can use vegetable oil instead of lard. The amount of either lard or oil can also be decreased if you are too nervous.