Italian Meatball Soup

(By the way... I finally posted the Breakfast Taquitos recipe.  Sorry I forgot I hadn't done that!)

Italian Meatballs
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 C plain bread crumbs
2 TBS fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp parsley
1/4 C dehydrated onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients.  Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray.  Shape the meat into meatballs. (For the soup I do more a bite-size meatball).  Bake for 7-10 min with oven on BROIL or until the meatballs become browned.  (If they are bite-size only cook for 5 min.)  If you are using the meatballs in soup or freezing the meatballs under cook them just a bit.  Cook only until they start to turn brown.

Italian Meatball Soup
1 recipe of Italian Meatballs
1-2 TBS of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 (14 oz cans chicken broth)
1 cup water
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 TBS Italian seasonig
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 C small pasta uncooked
2 C spinach, thinly sliced

Heat the oil and saute onions and garlic until translucent.  Add broth, water, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning.  Heat to boiling.  Gently add the meatballs, carrots, pasta, and spinach.  Reduce heat and simmer.  Cook for 10 min.

TO FREEZE:
Make meatballs and put them in bag.  Saute onions and garlic and add to bag.  Add carrots, tomatoes, broth and spinach.  Freeze

TO SERVE AFTER FREEZING: 

-Thaw soup (I would recommend thawing it inside a pan or bowl just in case it leaks.

-Transfer to a crockpot.

-ADD 1 CUP WATER

-Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high 6-8 hours. (recommended method)

-Can also cook on stove.

-Right before serving cook the pasta on stove until al dente, drain and add to soup.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: 
Serve with homemade breadsticks or french bread.

Crockpot Cranberry Pork Roast

I'll be doing Cranberry Pork Roast for December.  The recipe was posted last year, so if anyone has any questions, let me know.

Jen

PAPER WRAPPED CHICKEN    

(Double the Recipe for 8 people)
3  large whole chicken breasts, boned, skinned, and sliced in small pieces.

Marinate overnight in:
3 tablespoons catsup                                                6 tablespoons salad oil
¼ teaspoon MSG (Accent) *(I didn't use)               3 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon NG heunafun (Chinese Five Spice)     1 teaspoon salt                     
2 teaspoons cornstarch                                            1 tablespoon Hoi Sein Sauce

Put all the marinade ingredients in a jar and mix well.  Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces and stir to coat.  Marinate in glass container (no metal).  Wrap 2 or 3 pieces of chicken in 4-inch squares of foil.  Seal the edges well.  Roast 17-18 minutes at 350̊.  Put foil under the chicken as you roast because the sauce will leak and burn on the pan.

*If you do not want to wrap the chicken in foil, you can cook the chicken in a covered casserole dish for 30 minutes.

We have this for Christmas Eve, served with rice, we also have a meal of appetizers. It is a fun meal with the individually wrapped chicken. It is one of our families favorites. Other appetizers our family likes are sweet and sour meatballs, Scandinavian meat balls, little smokies wrapped in bacon, cheese ball, vegetable tray, shrimp and cocktail sauce.

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Filling:

3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
2 (4 oz.) cans of green chiles, lightly drained
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed
1 can white or black beans, rinsed and drained (you can really use any type of bean you prefer here)

Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup chicken broth
¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 can (7 ounce) green chile enchilada sauce
½ cup sour cream

8 ounces (about 2 cups) Monterey jack cheese, shredded
8 medium (soft taco size) flour tortillas
Handful of chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and green chiles. Mix well. Add the chicken and black beans. Mix to combine. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. As you whisk and the mixture cooks, the flour will get less lumpy around the onions and the mixture will become smooth. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbling and has thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the enchilada sauce and sour cream.

Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Spread about 1/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about ½ cup of the chicken/cream cheese filling. Top with a small handful of shredded cheese, a couple tablespoonfuls for each enchilada. Save at least 1/2 cup cheese for the top of the enchiladas. Roll the tortillas up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling enchiladas until the dish is full (I can easily fit 8 enchiladas in one pan).

Pour the white sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the enchiladas are bubbling, hot and lightly browned. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the top and serve.

Freezer Instructions coming...

BYU - Spinach Salad

Ladies - For December I am thinking of doing the BYU-Idaho Spinach Salad. Thought it could come in handy during the Christmas season.

Cashew Chicken

I just did Cashew Chicken again.  It is already posted, but this time it is already cooked so all you need to do is warm, add nuts and serve over rice.  Enjoy!

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

• 16 Boston Bib or green leaf, or butter lettuce leaves
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger  
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

Directions

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil, and cooked beef; continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!