Gramma Cabaj's Meatballs

This is what home tastes like to me. Every time I come home to Sheboygan, we have one of two things...steak or spaghetti. And with Grandma Cabaj's meatball recipe, I wouldn't have it any other way.  They are simple to make, use ingredients you always have on hand, and are de-licious to eat. 

So here's a short and simple post for meatballs that are 10 times as yummy as the ones you buy in a bag in the freezer section. Don't be a lazy putz...

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4.c water (less/more depending)
• 1 egg
• Dash red pepper flakes
• Dash garlic powder
• Dash Italian seasoning 

Directions:

1. Mix above ingredients in bowl with hands.
2. Roll into 1" to 1-1/2" balls and place in skillet. Brown on medium-high heat - no need to cook through. 
3. Place into pot with spaghetti sauce and simmer for 1 to 1-1/2 hours. *Note: Sometimes I put meatballs in crockpot on low for 5+ hours, turning to high for the last hour. 

PB & Banana Doggie Treats

Dog's need homemade goodies too, right? These little dog treats are incredibly easy to make and can be made with things you probably already have on hand. This recipe was taken from Allrecipes.com.

Ada LOVES peanut butter. So goes crazy for it (much like me). We usually let her lick on a spoonful of the stuff while we clip her toenails. She goes after it like it like a mad dog. Her eyes go wide, her mouth waters, and peanut butter goes flying everywhere. So these peanut butter and banana treats are a real winner.

You also get much more bang for your buck. I usually buy the Bil Jac PBnanas dog treats at Pet Smart when they are on sale for around $3 for a 4 oz. bag. I got all the ingredients at Woodman's yesterday for under $15. And I could make manyyy batches of these with the supply I bought. But like I said, chances are...you probably have most of this on hand - with the exception of maybe the whole wheat flour and wheat germ ($3.50 and $2.50...not bad).

This is also a really great way to use up over-ripe bananas that have been sitting in your freezer far too long. 

This makes a lot of treats, so you may want to consider freezing half of the batch. Your dog will probably want to eat them in a matter of seconds, but portion control is probably better. (That's what I always say...psh!)

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/3 c. peanut butter
• 1/2 c. mashed banana
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c. wheat germ (* Note: If you don't want to use wheat germ, you can probably use oatmeal to get the same nutritional benefits. Quick oats may be best for consistency purposes.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Combine egg, peanut butter, mashed banana, and honey. Mix thoroughly. Add flour and wheat germ.
3. Roll dough to 1/4" on floured surface. Cut into desired shapes or just cut roughly into small pieces and place on cookie sheet. 
4. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

Lemon Poppyseed Biscotti

I love lemon. I love biscotti. And I LOVE this recipe.

I think it came from Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I'm not quite sure what to say about this recipe because it was DELICIOUS pretty easy for a biscotti recipe. Usually biscotti dough is super sticky and hard to work with, but the dough from this recipe was very easy to handle. Unlike my Cranberry Almond Biscotti which turns out more scone-like (but still yummy), this recipe was true to biscotti form - light and crunchy.

If I liked tea, I be this would be very good with a side of hot tea. :)

Ingredients:

Biscotti:

• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 egg  + 1 egg white
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 2 c. poppy seeds
• Melted butter and  coarse sugar for topping

Glaze:

• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. milk

(Note: Add more lemon juice or milk to achieve desired consistency.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using mixer, beat butter on high for 30 seconds. 
3. Add sugar, basking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then add egg, egg white, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. 
4. Add flour and poppy seeds. Mix to combine.
5. Prepare two 7" x 2" logs on parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Allow biscotti to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into slices. Place slices on baking sheet, cut side down, and bake for another 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
8. Let cool and drizzle with glaze.

Dark Chocolate Grasshopper Cake

It's the season of Shamrock Shakes at good old Mickey D's...which tempts me every time a drive past the golden arches. Sigh... Instead, I made some grasshopper cake for Valentine's Day and I do believe it turned out pretty great. At least, that's what my stomach tells me after careful testing.

It's a pretty simple cake that can be made mostly with ingredients you probably already have on hand. Bonus. The problem with this dessert is that it's "refreshing"...which makes you want to have a little "refresher" more than once in a day. Grasshopper Cake for breakfast, grasshopper cake for lunch, and grasshopper cake for dinner. Yeah, it just might happen.

It's also suuuper easy to make. I didn't even need to whip out the Kitchenaid for this one.

Now, my presentation is pretty terrible, but appearance isn't always everything...

Next time, I'd like to make these as cupcakes. Perhaps with a Thin Mint garnish. Yum.

Ingredients: 

The cake:

• 1-3/4 c. flour
• 2 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 1 c. strong black coffee (cooled)
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

The peppermint icing:

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softed
• 2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
• A couple drops of green food coloring

For the glaze:

• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. milk chocolate chips
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. 
3. Add eggs, buttermilk, black coffee, oil, and vanilla.
4. Bake in 9x13 pan for approximately 35 minutes.
5. For icing, mix butter, powdered sugar, milk, peppermint extract, and food coloring until it reaches your desired consistency, adding more powdered sugar or milk as needed.
6. Allow cake to cool before icing.
7. For glaze, combine butter, chocolate chips, and peppermint extract in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at 30 second intervals until smooth and drizzle over the top of the cake.

Zucchini & Greens with Sauteed Veggies

A healthy post, from me? What? This was just an experimentation, but I thought it turned out pretty good, so I wanted to share it. 

So make it and tell me if you like it - or what you'd change. The great thing about it is that you get a HEAPING plate of food for less than 350 calories. YUM!

Ingredients:

• 1 small zucchini
• 1 c. fresh spinach
• 1/4 c. Bush's Black Beans (reduced sodium)
• 1 c. fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 c. green onion, chopped
• A drizzle of olive oil
• Seasonings of choice
• 1/2 avocado, chopped

Top With:

• Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (my favorite!)
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Using a potato peeler, peel the zucchini into "noodle-like" strips until you have approximately 1 cup. Place on plate, topped with spinach and black beans.
2. Heat medium fry pan on medium heat. Drizzle small amount of olive oil in pan. Add mushrooms, pepper, green onion, and seasoning of choice (I used Salt-Free Mrs. Dash Italian Herb and some home-made seasoning salt). Saute until tender and then empty onto zucchini, spinach, and beans.
3. Top with chopped avocado, dressing, and Parmesan cheese.

FUHS-ER Taco Chex Mix

Everyone loves home-made chex mix. This version? Even better. Spicy and flavorful... You'll probably eat far too much in one sitting, BUT you won't regret it...cause it's delicious. 

This recipe came from my Aunt Shelly and it's my brother's favorite. Every Christmas, he gets it as a gift in a huge ice cream pail. And every Christmas, I eat about half of it (whoops). 

This recipe is quick and easy and I promise you, everyone will love it. You'll probably never make the same old regular Chex Mix recipe again. 

Ingredients: 

• 12 tbsp. butter
• (2) pkgs. taco seasoning
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
• 1 box Rice Chex
• 2 c. dry roasted peanuts
• 2 c. Cheez-Its
• 2 c. Oyster crackers

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. In roasting pan, mix Rice Chex, dry roasted peanuts, Cheez-Its, and Oyster crackers.
3. In saucepan, melt butter. Mix in taco seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce.
4. Pour sauce mixture over cereal and cracker mix. Mix carefully with spatula.
5. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour - mixing every 15 minutes.
6. After Chex Mix is through baking, pour onto wax paper and allow to cool completely before storing.

The Perfect Cut-Outs

Sometimes the best Christmas cookies are the simple cut-out sugar cookies that are doused in creamy frosting... You know, those ones that remind you of those cake cookies you buy in the grocery store that have that thick layer of frosting on top? That's what these taste like. I DO think I've found the perfect recipe.

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com...my go to. The reason why these cookies are so great is because the dough is easy to work with when rolling & cutting out and the frosting hardens up just enough so that you can store/present these cookies without them sticking together. Zinger. 

And what's even better...is the fact that these cookies are so soft...and the frosting (though the outside hardens up just enough) is still soft and creamy. 

So...make these suckers...cause they are good!

Ingredients:

Cookies: 

• 3/4 butter flavored shortening
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt

Frosting:

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 2-1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp. milk
• food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In large bowl, cream together shortening and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. 
3. Add milk and vanilla. 
4. In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix into creamed mixture. 
5. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/4" thick with floured rolling pin. *Note: If necessary, work more flour into the dough to avoid sticking to work surface or rolling pin.
6. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets. 
7. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Remove cookies from baking sheets to cool on wire racks. Cool completely before frosting. 
8. In small bowl, beat butter, almond extract, and powdered sugar until smooth. 
9. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until frosting reaches desired consistency. 
10. Frost and decorate cooled cookies. Allow cookies to harden on cookie sheets or waxed paper.