Porcupine Meatballs

My kids (and husband) LOVE this quick meal. It is quick and simple and fills the tummy, even on a budget! I used to eat this all the time as a little girl, but it wasn't until I got married that my mother-in-law taught me the art of the pressure cooker. This recipe can be made in the pressure cooker or the oven! I will give you both methods, but remember that the pressure cooker cooks your meal a LOT faster!
Porcupine Meatballs
Ingredients

1 pound ground beef 
½ cup rice, uncooked 
1 T onion, minced 
1 tsp salt 
¼ tsp pepper 
1 can tomato soup (sometimes I use 2 cans, depending how saucy I feel!) 
¾ cup water

Combine meat, rice, onion, salt, and pepper. Form into balls. Mix soup and water in a 4 qt. pressure cooker.  Drop meat balls in pan. Cover and heat until control jiggles (or in my pressure cooker's pressure gauge locks). Then continue to cook 8 minutes.  Cool normally for 5 minutes, and then cool under faucet. It works great doubled too! 

If you don’t have a pressure cooker spray a 9x13 pan and preheat oven to 350*.  Follow directions for the recipe above and instead drop into the pan. Cover with tin foil. Cook for about an hour or until the rice is cooked.

Giada's Minestrone and Navy Bean Soup

Giada's Minestrone and Navy Bean Soup Revamped (6 servings- 7 WWP+)  adapted from Weeknights with Giada
 

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and diced into 1/4 in pieces
1 onion, diced into small pieces
1 celery stalk sliced into pieces
1 pound ground beef (she only used 8 ounces...I guess it would be less points, but she also only had 4 servings!)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 28oz can petite diced tomatoes
4 cups beef broth
1 can navy beans rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
1 cup small noodles (I added this, but can be omitted for one less point)
salt & pepper
Parmesan Cheese

Heat oil in a dutch oven or a large pot over medium heat. Throw in the onion, carrot and the celery with some salt and pepper. Heat vegetables for five minutes stirring frequently. Turn heat to high and add the ground beef and minced garlic. Brown beef with the vegetables for another 5 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Add the tomato paste and incorporate it into the beef mixture. Then add all the other ingredients. Bring these all to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. The last 7 minutes of simmering add the noodles and cook until they are al dente.
Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

I think next time I will add more beef broth and make it 8 servings! Mmmmm...

This is a great cookbook! BUY it!

Fourth of July Wreath

This was a fun project that my sister-in-law made with all of the hand-prints of our family.
What you need:
4th of July themed paper (Red, White & Blue)
scissors
rubber cement
paper for tracing
pencil
circle wreath cut out of cardboard
How it is done:
1. Trace hands of all the member of your family (When you trace you make a pattern you only have to trace wiggly hands once!). Cut out each pattern.
2. Place and trace pattern onto different themed papers. Cut out each hand.
3. Place and glue hands around the cardboard wreath with rubber cement. 
You could do this for any holiday and it is a fun way to let the little ones in on the festivities!

25 minute Pan Fried Potatoes

This is a super simple recipe that I found in a magazine a while back and I use it all the time (especially when I am too lazy to use a mandolin for oven fries or it is too hot to turn on the oven!) It has a great combination of soft and crispy potatoey-ness!
Pan Fried Potatoes
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (Less if you desire)
1 teaspoon of Seasoning of choice. The potatoes above have garlic powder, but you could use season salt, onion powder, smoked paprika, thyme. You can even combine (another one of our favorites is garlic and smoked paprika)...be creative!
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil a large pot of salted water. Add potatoes and boil in salted water for 5 minutes; drain well.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add parboiled potatoes and Saute for 5 minutes without stirring. Stir and cook another 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
Season with desired seasoning combination, salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Makes 4 servings

Easy Farmhouse Chicken Chowder

This recipe was fabulous! I adapted it from a Cooks Country Recipe (again!) and it was a hit at our house! go ahead and wipe the drool off your laptop or computer desk...it is really as delicious as it seems!

Easy Farmhouse Chicken Chowder
adapted from "Farmhouse Chicken Chowder" in the April/May 2011 Cook's Country Magazine

6 slices bacon, chopped
6 scallions, white parts chopped fine and green parts
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thin
1 celery rib, cliced thin
salt & pepper
6 tablespoons flour
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups cooked and shredded chicken breast (I boiled mine first, then shredded it)
1 cup half and half

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Cook scallion whites, carrots, celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt in bacon fat until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in broth and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add chicken and half and half. Simmer for about 2 minutes until the chicken is heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with bacon and scallion greens and serve!

Oven "Fries"

I don't own a frier...and I really don't like French Fries! But I LOVE these fries that are cooked in the oven and seasoned by me! I got this recipe from the Weight Watcher cookbook and I have used it for fries ever since...so not only are they good, they are kind of good for you!
Oven "Fries"
1 1/4 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch strips (I have a mandolin, but I have cut them with a knife before too)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt (kosher is good too!)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
(sometimes I add 1/2 teaspoon garlic, shallot, or onion powder)

Place your baking sheet in the oven and preheat oven to 450*.
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the sugar into a bowl with cold water to cover. Soak 15 minutes; drain and blot dry with a towel or paper towels.
In another large bowl combine oil and paprika (and other desired spices). Toss in the potatoes being sure to cover potatoes in oil and seasonings.
Place the seasoned potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake, turning the potatoes over as they brown (I usually turn them at 20min.,30 min. and 40 min. time), until cooked through (about45 minutes). Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.

Per serving (1/4 of the potatoes): 159 cal, 3 g fat, 3 g fiber, 2 g protein, WW points: 3 (not the new way of calculating though)

Quick Sunday Sauce

What do you do with all of that extra roast from the Lazy Cook's Pot Roast?! You make Quick Sunday Gravy! This sauce was to die for and took that pot roast to another realm!

Easy Sunday Sauce 
adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2011 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground Italian sausage, out of casing (I use sweet, but hot would be yummy too!)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I freeze the rest)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup beef (or chicken) broth
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 cups shredded leftover chuck roast meat
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound of cooked pasta (I prefer penne rigate, or some other tubular pasta)

Heat oil in Dutch oven (or large pot) over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned. Drain.
Cook onions in sausage fat over medium heat until see through. Add tomato paste, garlic, sugar and spices. Cook until tomato paste begins to darken, 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth, scraping up all of the brown bits and simmer until reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, roast, reserved sausage, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until slightly thickened (at least 20 minutes...this is when I start to cook the pasta). Season with salt and pepper and serve over pasta.