Meatball Chili

Company coming this week?  Get ready to feed the crowds!  A friend made this for Lance's farewell and it was YUM-E!


In crockpot add:
3 cans chili (any flavor)
1 lrg can baked beans
1 can corn (drained)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 onion chopped (cooked in microwave for 4 minutes with 1 T butter and seasonings to taste such as garlic powder, salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash, chili powder)  Add to crockpot.
Meatballs - as many as you like! (Frozen meatballs you can buy just about anywhere.  Precook in microwave and drain excess fat before you add to crockpot)
3 T brown sugar
1 T yellow mustard
Any other seasonings to taste that you love!  Stir all together and cook all day on low or a few hours on high.
Garnish with cheese, sour cream, green onion, bacon, or whatever else you love!!!

Pumpkin Pie

It's Thanksgiving time!!!  Baking season has officially begun and will continue in this house well into Nicki's birthday in January.  Oh...then our missionary comes home the first of March, so I guess we'll continue it nearly into Spring!!!  I can't remember where I got this recipe, but it's the best one I've found yet.

1 lrg can pumpkin
4 eggs
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp all spice
1 can evaporated milk
1 can regular milk

Mix pumpkin and eggs.  Add both sugars gradually.  Add spices.  Pour in liquids and mix well.  Bake at 415 for 15 min - then turn oven down to 350 and bake 40 - 50 minutes. Or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Pumpkin Bread

Watch out....you'll want to eat the entire thing!  And this makes your kitchen smell like heaven!!!

1 1/3 c vegetable oil
5 eggs
1 - 16 oz can pumpkin
2 c flour
2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
2 - 3 oz pkgs instant vanilla pudding
1 c chopped nuts (optional)
1 c chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 2 large 9x5 loaf pans.  Set aside.  Mix oil, eggs, and pumpkin in mixing bowl and beat well.  In another bowl sift together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda.  Add to pumpkin mixture and mix till well blended.  Stir in pudding mix (and nuts and/or chocolate chips if you like).  Pour into prepared loaf pans.  Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.    Makes 2 loaves

World's Greatest Pie Crust!

It's impossible to mess this recipe up!  You'll be turning out bakery-like pies in no time!

1/2 C flour
2/3 C shortening (I use butter flavor)
3/4 tsp salt

Put all ingredients in bowl and mix lightly until crumbly.  Add 3 T cool water and mix with fingers until well incorporated.

Makes 1 pie shell

Lemon Roasted Chicken

This is another dinner thrown together in a "pinch" that actually ended up being one of our family's favorites.  It's easy, it's delicious, and good any time of year.

4 - 6 chicken leg quarters (or 1 whole cut chicken)
2 - 3 lemons (cut into wedges)
garlic salt
oregano
pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.  Place chicken pieces in glass baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with oregano, garlic salt, and pepper.   Squeeze lemon wedges over chicken.  Don't discard those used lemon wedges; place them around chicken pieces.  Bake for approximately 1 hour or until chicken is a nice golden brown on top.

Pizza Bites

1 loaf french bread (or bruschetta works great too)
1/4 c butter, softened
pepperoni or canadian bacon
mozzarella cheese, shredded
parmesan cheese, shredded
Italian seasoning

Red Sauce: (from Jamie Cooks It Up)
1 - 14.5 oz can Italian stewed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 t sugar
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
pinch red pepper flakes

Put all sauce ingredients into blender or food processor and blend until smooth. 
Cut french bread into 1 1/2 in thick slices
Spread butter on one side of each slice and place on cookie sheet
Cover with a bit of red sauce, mozzarella, meat, parmesan
Sprinkle with Italian seasoning

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until the bottoms are golden and the tops or bubbly.

Creamy Tomato Basil Parmesan

Okay...so I was having this REALLY busy day (car registration, Halloween costume making, goodies for teachers, 5th grade class party, pictures for the senior girl's volley ball team....you getting the picture so far???) and I get a text from my little sister on the way home.  Well, I just HAD to call her back...you know!  So we're gabbing on my way home, I walk in the door and discover it's nearly 5:00.  UGH!  Dinner time!  What to do for dinner????!!!  So with little sis on the phone I start frantically (yes, really, FRANTICALLY) throwing things into a pot.  And I'm laughing in between swapping stories and joking that my dinner better turn out really great!!  Well......it did!!!!!!!  Not too bad for throwing it together.  Add a few pizza bites on the side and it was a dinner fit for a family of five (that's how many we had home anyways).....FABULOUS!!!

1 can diced tomatoes - pureed in blender
1/2 c heavy cream (it was leftover in the fridge.  You can also use 1 can evaporated milk)
3 c milk (apprx....till you get the consistency you prefer)
1 T dried basil (or more if you prefer)
1 tsp garlic salt
Parmesan cheese to taste

Just heat and serve!  Easy!!!  And they loved it!!!