Well, that's partially right. However, much to my surprise, meatballs are great in this sauce as well! I'm so glad that I talked to my friend The Home Cook and my sister, both of whose recommendation convinced me to give Swedish Meatballs a try. If you've never made them, I hope you will try them too!

Here is what you'll need:

For the Meatballs:

• 1 lb ground sirloin
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 small onion, finely grated
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

For the Sauce:

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter 
• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 1 1/2  cup beef broth
• Salt and pepper 
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard 
• 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt

• 1/2 lb egg noodles, cooked
• handful of chopped chives

Combine meatball ingredients, with the exception of the olive oil, in a bowl until just mixed. Roll into mini meatballs, a bit smaller than golf balls.

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Fry meatballs until they are browned on each side, about 8-10 minutes. You may need to do this in batches in order to avoid overcrowding the pan. Once meatballs are browned on all sides, remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add the butter and melt. Add flour to melted butter and whisk together into a paste. Add sherry and whisk until smooth. Add beef broth slowly while whisking to make a sauce that coats the back of a spoon. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Turn heat to low and add mustard and yogurt. Stir to combine.

Add meatballs back to the pan and stir so meatballs are coated with sauce and are warmed through. Serve over egg noodles and garnish with chives. Serves 4.

Source: Slightly adapted from Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals as seen on A Taste of Home Cooking

I have 2 stuffed cabbage recipes that I normally make. This one loosely resembles the recipe made by my mother as far back as I can remember. I don't know her measurements (there probably aren't any), nor do I know her exact ingredients, but I do remember piling all the wrapped cabbage and stuffed peppers in a pot, adding potatoes and covering them all with tomatoes. I took that memory and created a recipe around it and this is what I came up with. Enjoy!

Here is what you'll need:

• 7 outer cabbage leaves
• 3 cubanelle peppers

• 1 lb. ground sirloin
• 1 tsp oregano 
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs (or minute rice)
• 1/4 large onion, finely diced

• 1/4 head of cabbage, chopped
• 1 cubanelle pepper, diced
• 8 small potatoes, halved or quartered
• 8 small tomatoes, quartered
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Fill a large pot with water and boil the 7 outer cabbage leaves until they are softened and partially cooked. Drain and set aside.

Hollow out 3 cubanelle peppers by cutting a circle around the stem and emptying out the seeds. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl add ground sirloin, oregano, salt, pepper, egg, Worcestershire, bread crumbs and onion. Combine until just mixed. Divide meat mixture into 10 portions.

Wrap 1 portion of meat mixture inside each of the cabbage leaves as if you were making a burrito. Stuff the remaining portions of meat into each of the cubanelle peppers.

Place wrapped cabbage and stuffed peppers in a large pot. Add chopped cabbage, diced pepper, potatoes, and tomatoes to the pot.

In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, brown sugar and garlic. Mix well and pour over all ingredients in the pot. Cover.

Turn stove to medium/medium-high heat until the liquid begins to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 35-45 minutes, or until meat is cooked through and potatoes are tender. Serves 4-5.

Source: Adventures In My Kitchen Original

Not quite ready, still simmering and reducing

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 portobello mushroom, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste
• 1 lb ground sirloin beef  
• 1/2 cup (maybe a bit more) dry white or red wine (I used white)
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes 
• 1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Source: Slightly adapted from I Was Born to Cook

I think I'm over my dinner rut. Making use of the crockpot helped me out of it, and now the grill is helping me stay out of it. Oh how I love to grill! Not only does the food taste great, it help keep the house cooler and reduces the amount of dishes to wash. Score (especially on that last one)!

So many days when I get home from work I really don't feel like cooking, but I find when I do some prep in the morning it doesn't feel so overwhelming when dinner time comes.  This recipe is a perfect example. And to make it even better, the kebabs magically skewered themselves while I was at work.

Here is what you'll need:

• 2 tsp grainy mustard
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp steak seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds of cubed beef (I used stew meat)
• Cubed vegetables of your choice (we used onions, peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes)

Place all the ingredients in a medium container with a cover. Shake to mix. Open cover and add the meat.
Shake to coat meat.

Place container in the refrigerator to allow the meat to marinate for at least 1 hour (I left there all day while I was at work).

Place meat and vegetables alternately on skewers.*

Place skewers on a preheated grill and cook on high heat until meat is cooked to your liking. Serves 6.

Source: Adventures in my Kitchen original

*I used wooden skewers. I placed the wooden skewers in a dish of water before I left for work so they could soak all day. This prevents them from burning and disintegrating while cooking on the grill.

Inadvertently, this week ended up being a soup/stew week. I'm really excited to end this week with this stew which part of a recipe swap I participated in. I was lucky enough to get this unique Mahogany Beef Stew submitted by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations. After reading the ingredient list I was intrigued by one ingredient, hoisin sauce.  This is a staple in our house, generally used for a grilled steak marinade, but I never thought about using it in beef stew.

As I started cooking I realized the directions said simmer on low 2-3 hours (when will I learn to read all the way through before starting!).  After saying something explicit under my breath, I went back to the original recipe on Epicurious. The instructions didn't appear to take as long to cook, so I opted to follow their method. I didn't end up needing cornstarch for thickening, but you may depending on how thick you want the gravy.

Mary Ellen mentioned serving with mashed potatoes, so I went ahead and served it that way, a first for me. I'm so glad I followed her lead, because the stew gravy was amazing over the potatoes. Even JR said to make sure Mary Ellen knows how much we liked it, so a big shout out goes to Mary Ellen for submitting this recipe!

For more soup and stews from the recipe swap, be sure to check out A Taste of Home Cooking for an upcoming Recipe Swap Round-up of Soups.

Here is what you'll need:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, sliced
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lb stew meat
• 2 tsp flour
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup red wine, divided (I used Malbec)
• 17 oz chopped tomatoes
• 3 oz hoisin sauce
• 3 carrots, cut into rounds
• 1/2 cup beef stock

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, onions, mushrooms and bay leaf. Season with pepper, and saute 8-10 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

Season stew meat with flour, salt, pepper, and red pepper. Heat a medium skillet over high heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and meat. Sear meat on all sides until browned.

Add meat to Dutch oven. Pour 1/4 cup red wine to skillet, simmer and stir to remove brown bits from pan. Pour wine into Dutch oven.

Add 1/4 cup wine, tomatoes and hoisin sauce to Dutch oven. Stir well, cover and turn heat to low. Simmer on low heat 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Add carrots, remaining wine and stock to Dutch oven. Turn to medium and bring to boil. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes until carrots are tender. Simmer uncovered another 15 minutes to thicken. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Source: Epicurious as seen on Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I haven't always been so good about keeping waste to a minimum, and the truth is I still sometimes struggle with it, but more recently I've challenged myself to use the ingredients I have on hand.  I'm pretty proud of the fact that I very rarely throw away food these days!

Remember my Chicken Noodle Soup post? This is one example of where it starts. All the vegetable scraps (ends and peels from the onions and carrots, and root of the celery bunch) go into quart size Ziploc bags in the freezer. When I have about 4 full frozen bags, I get to making stock.

I hope you aren't rolling your eyes thinking I'm a weirdo! This can truly be life changing. I can't remember the last time I bought stock, since I make it now and it's basically free. Think about how often you buy stock. If you follow this method you will never have to buy it again, and you will save yourself and your family from a bunch of sodium and additives.


I don't have a precise recipe, but here is the basic method I use for a 7-quart crockpot:

• Vegetable and Herb Scraps (4 quart size Ziplock bags): carrots, celery, onions, scallions, garlic, leeks, fennel, parsley, thyme
• Other: 2 dried bay leaves, 1 tsp peppercorns 
• For Chicken Stock: chicken carcass
• For Beef Stock: ~2 lbs beef bones (the butcher will give these to you for free)

Place frozen vegetable and herb scraps in crockpot. If making Chicken or Beef Stock, add the bones now too. Add 2 dried bay leaves and 1 tsp black peppercorns. Fill crockpot with water. Cook on low 10 hours.

When crockpot turns off, strain stock through fine mesh colander. Allow to cook for 20-30 minutes.  Divide stock into 1 or 1 1/2 cup portions and freeze.

Makes about ~12-14 cups of stock.

Easy + Identifiable = Magnifico! (JR's description). I had never heard of Pastelon, never mind eaten it, so I took a huge risk here. I wish this was the result everything new I made, but anyhow I'm happy it's true for this dish.

This dish is a total winner in our house, besides magnifico, JR said it's the same (same!) as the traditional dish he's eaten before. I have even taken the risk to serve this to my in-laws. This is a huge deal people, I normally would not think of serving one of my Puerto Rican dishes to the experts!

Here is what you'll need:

• 4 ripe (blackened) yellow plantains, sliced lengthwise in 1/2 inch thick strips
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 lb ground sirloin
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp sofrito (or Goya Recaito)
• 1 Tbsp Manzanilla olives mixed with capers (Alcaparrado)
• 8 oz grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat 2 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add plantains and fry until brown, about 3 minutes. Turn over plantains and continue frying until second side is browned, approximately 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. (Note: I've also done this step in the oven. Drizzle 1 Tbsp oil on baking sheet, lay plantain strips on baking sheet, drizzle with 1 Tbsp oil and roast until browned).

Add remaining oil to the pan. Saute onion and pepper until onion is translucent. Increase heat to high, add ground meat to pan, break up meat with a wooden spoon and add salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink.

Reduce heat to medium. Add tomato sauce, sofrito and olives. Stir to combine and simmer 5 minutes.

Beginning assembly meat pie by placing 1/2 of the plantains in a layer on the bottom of the greased baking dish. Spread 1/2 meat mixture over plantains. Repeat with a layer of plantains and then a layer of meat. Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to set for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serves 4-5.

Source: Puerto Rican Cuisine in America

I've been a terrible blogger the last few months, and it's time I make up for it.  The next few posts are "make-up" posts so to speak.  They've been sitting in my drafts, staring at me to finish them up.

I didn't realize how similar this recipe was to Stuffed Pepper Soup until I was in the middle of cooking.  It's rare that I put such similar recipes on the same week's meal plan.  Now that I think about it, we ate a lot of beef that week which is also rare.  There seemed to be a lot of rarity going on, because JR also suggest we have Sloppy Joes (they were already on the meal plan!) on Garlic Toast. 


Hmm, Garlic Toast.  What a fantastic idea!  JR just brought Sloppy Joes to a whole new level, perfect for enjoying while watching the MLB playoffs (see, I told you the drafts have been sitting a while!).  These would also be perfect for the Super Bowl.

I should note that JR also asked for chunky Sloppy Joes, so my peppers and onions weren't chopped as small as I normally would.  It totally up to you how large or small you chop them.

I hope you'll try these and let me know what you think of serving them on Garlic Toast!

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 1 lbs ground beef sirloin
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp steak seasoning blend, I used McCormick's Montreal Seasoning
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste

• sandwich rolls
• butter
• mayonnaise
• Garlic powder or seasoning (I used Outrageously Garlic)

For the Filling: In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it up with a wooden spoon.

Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning in a small bowl.  Add mixture to meat and stir to combine.  Continue cooking the meat until it is no longer pink and beginning to brown.

Add onion and peppers to the skillet and cook for 1 minute.  Reduce heat to medium, add vinegar and Worcestershire and combine well.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add tomato sauce and paste and combine well.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes.

For the Garlic Toast: While the filling is simmering for the last 5 minutes, spread a thin layer of butter on the rolls, then spread a thin layer of mayonnaise over the butter.  Sprinkle with garlic powder (I used about 1/2 tsp per roll, but this should be adjusted to your taste).  Toast in the toaster oven until browned to your liking.

Serves 6.

Source: Rachael Ray

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 cups water
• 16 ounces tomato sauce
• 28 oz canned plum tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Season ground beef with salt and pepper, add to pot and cook until brown.  Drain excess fat.

Add remaining ingredients to pot, stir and break up tomatoes using a wooden spoon.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes or until peppers are tender.  Serves 4.

Source: Taste of Home

I was a little apprehensive when I got half way cooking and opened the bottle of red wine.  This was a bottle that was gifted to me, and I had no idea what varietal it was since the label is in Russian.  It smelled and tasted a bit sweet, which made me panic, but not for long because I began pouring it in and hoped for the best.  Then I drank a glass of wine.

The good news is, it worked!  Or maybe I just assume it worked because I don't know how the stew is supposed to taste!?  Anyhow, JR commented that it was really good so I'll take that as another sign it worked.

If you've been putting off making this because it seems a little intimidating or time consuming, put those thoughts out of your mind and go ahead and try it.  My only advice would be to save it for a weekend when you have more time.  And be sure to head over to A Taste of Home Cooking for the Recipe Swap Round-up of Soups.

Here is what you'll need:

• 6 slices thick bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces 
• 2 lbs beef cubes/stew meat, cut into 1 inch chunks
• salt and pepper
• 4 carrots, peeled and coined
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and slightly crushed
• 1/2 bottle red wine
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 tsp thyme
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6-8 pearl onions
• 8 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 3 Tbsp all purpose flour 

Preheat oven to 250F.

In a Dutch oven preheated over medium-high heat, add bacon and cook until browned.  Remove from pot and set aside.

Season beef and add a portion to the bacon fat.  Sear meat on all sides, then remove from pot and set aside.  Repeat in batches with remaining meat.

Add carrots and onions to the pot, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.  Add garlic to vegetables, stir and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

Add beef, bacon, wine, tomato paste, beef broth and thyme to the pot.  Stir and bring to a simmer.  Cover pot and place it on the middle rack in the oven.  Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

15 minutes before the pot is ready to come out of the oven, heat butter in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add onions and mushrooms and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes.

Remove pot from oven and place on the stove over medium heat.  Add onion and mushrooms to pot and bring to a boil, reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine flour with a large scoop of liquid from the stew.  Whisk until thickened and well combined.  Add another scoop of liquid to the bowl and whisk until smooth.  Add to the pot of stew and stir until well combined.  Allow the stew to cook another 10-15 minutes until thickened.  Serves 6.

Source: Ina Garten as seen on The Cookaholic Wife

Generally, I make stew in the crockpot.  However, recently I've heard a lot of debate about the crockpot leaving food tasteless.  So I decided to test it out for myself by making this in a Dutch oven.  I'm here to report that this stew was WAY better made on the stovetop, and my husband agreed (he said this was a 10!).  Not only was the flavor sharp, the vegetables were tender, but still intact with nice texture.  

This stew was a great end to a busy, cool weekend.  We paired it with croissants, and an MLB playoff game.  We are both excited that there was plenty leftover for lunch during the week. 

Here is what you'll need:

• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 b beef stew meat cut into 1 in. chunks
• 1/4 cup flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/2 leek, diced
• 1 small stack celery, sliced
• 2 small carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 small parsnip, peeled and sliced
• 1 small purple top turnip, peeled and diced
• 4 red potatoes, diced 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cup beef broth
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 28 oz. canned plum tomatoes, including juice
• 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 bay leaf

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  In a small bowl combine flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Add 1/2 stew meat to the bowl, coating the meat with flour.  Add to Dutch oven, cook until browned on all sides, stirring with a wooden spoon as needed.  Remove meat to a plate and set aside.  Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to Dutch oven, repeat coating and cooking remaining meat.  Remove meat and set aside.

Add remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil to Dutch oven.  Add onion, leek and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly browned.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add carrots, parsnip, turnip, potatoes and garlic, stir and cook until garlic is fragrant.

Add beef broth, bouillon, tomatoes and spices. Stir, break up tomatoes with the spoon and scrape bottom of Dutch oven to release the brown bits.  Add beef, stir, and cover.  Reduce temp to low and cook 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sauce has thickened.  Serves 6.

Source: Adventures in My Kitchen

I'm sure by now you've heard of Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman.  I don't know much about her story, other than she's married to a cowboy, but she's made quite a name for herself.  Recently she premiered in her new cooking show which I haven't seen yet.  Have you?  What did you think of it?

I've only tried one of her recipes, her Italian Drip Beef.  Both times I adapted it for the crockpot and it's worked out beautifully.

We ate this as sandwiches twice and still had leftovers.  I didn't want the leftovers to go to waste but I wasn't interested in having another sandwich or freezing it this time either (we are terrible about eating meals we've frozen).  I ended up sauteing an onion, added the leftover beef with peppers, and then added a packet of brown gravy with 1 cup of water.  I let it come to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes and served it over white rice. 

Here is what you'll need:

• 3-4 lb beef top round roast 
• 1 can beef broth
• 4 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 8 oz. jar of pepperoncini peppers, including juice
• sandwich rolls
• toppings of your choice (we use cheese and/or arugula)

Place all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low 10 hours.  

Remove roast and shred meat.  Add meat back to liquid and combine well.


Serve on rolls with your favorite toppings.  Serves 8-12+ depending on the size of your roast and size of your sandwiches. 


Source: The Pioneer Woman

I decided to keep this a simple meal with an Italian flair and poked around to see what I had on hand to do so.  I ended up with this cheesy meatloaf paired with Panzanella.  This quickly prepared meal not only satisfied JR's meatloaf craving, but it kept me from overheating the kitchen.  And hello, it's full of cheese which automatically makes it delicious!

As I've mentioned in other posts, you can substitute ground turkey here if that is your preference.

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 lbs. ground sirloin
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 oz. Fontina cheese, grated
• 4 basil leaves, chopped
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Add all ingredients, reserving 1 Tbsp olive oil, to a mixing bowl and combine until thoroughly mixed.

Form into 3 small loaves and place on baking sheet.  Drizzle 1 tsp olive oil over each loaf.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Top each loaf with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.  Continue baking 10-15 minutes until cheese is browned and center of meat is cooked through.  Serves 3.

I love Mexican food, but every time I eat it I am reminded that it's not the healthiest and usually lacking vegetables.  That's where the spinach come into play with this dish.  I had it on hand and thought this was a dish I could incorporate it into the filling.  In addition to spinach, I added grape tomatoes.  I also used a lean cut of meat, low fat cottage cheese and minimal amount of shredded cheese.

I'm still unclear about the guidelines surrounding when you can call a recipe your own.  I'd like to go out on a limb here and say that's the case with this one, however, I have made Chicken Enchilada Bake, having referenced a few blogs.  I didn't reference any recipe when it came time to throw this together, I used what I had on hand and went with it.

While it looks like a lot of steps to put together, I use the crockpot to cook the meat while I'm at work.  Once I got home from work the remaining steps came together fairly quickly.

Here is what you'll need: 

For the Meat Filling:

• 3/4 lb top round beef
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes

For the Cheese Filling:

• 8 oz. 1% small curd cottage cheese
• 2 oz. Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
• 2 tsp minced cilantro
• 1 huge handful of spinach, chopped

For the Sauce:

• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 2 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 oz. canned mild green chilis

Remaining ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 9-10 corn tortillas
• 2 oz. canned mild green chiles
• 2 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Place meat filling ingredients in crockpot.  Set to low and cook 8 hours. 

In a small sauce pan add all sauce ingredients and stir together.  Allow to simmer 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Shred meat filling with a fork.  Set aside. 

Combine all cheese filling ingredients together in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Heat a small frying pan over medium heat.  Put 1 corn tortilla in the pan for 30-60 seconds until it becomes pliable.

Remove tortilla from the heat.  Place a forkful of beef filling in middle of tortilla.  Next put a tablespoonful of cheese filling on top of meat.  Roll tortillas to close and place in baking dish.

Repeat above steps with remaining tortillas.

Once all tortillas a filled, pour the sauce over the tortillas in baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining 2 oz. of green chiles and Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Makes 9-10 tortillas.

Meatloaf is not on the top of my favorite foods list.  Not at all.  Actually, I have a long standing joke with my Gram.  When I ask her "what's for dinner?", if she replies, "your favorite", that means meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  I know, I'm not normal.

This meatloaf, however, I will eat.  Probably because I have so much stuff going on in it, it doesn't remind me of traditional meatloaf.  I also use ground turkey which has a different texture and flavor than ground beef.  I'm sure this would work well with ground beef if that's your preference.

Here is what you'll need:

• 20 oz. ground turkey
• 1 small onion, dice
• 1 small green pepper, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup, plus 4 Tbsp, BBQ sauce, separated
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine until thoroughly mixed.

Form into 4 small loaves and place on baking sheet.  Top each loaf with 1 Tbsp BBQ sauce.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until cooked through.  Serves 4.

A few weeks back, JR and I ate lunch at a Moroccan restaurant.  JR had a lamb and potato tagine which he loved and asked me to make at home.  Just before our lunch, we had picked up some veal stew meat at the farmer's market, so I figured I would experiment with that.  The only issue was that this cuisine is new to me.  I was going to need help from my friend Google, but wouldn't you know Caitlin's Cooking and More posted this recipe just a few days later.  While the flavorings in her version are different than what JR had, it was a starting point.

• 2  tsp smoked paprika
• 1  tsp  ground cinnamon
• 3/4  tsp kosher  salt
• 1/2  tsp  ground ginger
• 1/2  tsp crushed red pepper flakes (next time I will only use 1/4 tsp)
• 1/4  tsp  freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb beef top round, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 4  shallots, quartered
• 4  garlic cloves, chopped
• 28 oz. diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3 potatoes, cubed

Add tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Lower heat to medium-low, add potatoes, and bring to a simmer.  Cover and continue to simmer for about 30 min, until potatoes are cooked through.  Serves 4.

Growing up, and until very recently, I always knew stuffed peppers as part of a stuffed cabbage meal.  We'd have stuffed cabbage, stuffed peppers and potatoes in a tomato-y sauce.  While I do have a good go-to stuffed cabbage/stuffed pepper recipe, this is not it.  You see, I don't have time on a weeknight to make such a labor intense meal. 

So recently I decided that stuffed peppers needed to be an easy weeknight meal.  I realized there are endless possibilities and they can be a whole different experience from the combination I mentioned above.  So I set out to create a new version that I'm sharing with you here.

Here is what you need:

• 3 large peppers, I used 2 red and 1 green
• 1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more to drizzle
• 1 lb ground chicken(or any ground meat you choose)
• 2 tsp minced garlic 
• 8 oz. corn
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 15 oz.. can stewed tomatoes
• shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut peppers in half lengthwise, remove stem, seeds and membrane.  Place skin side up on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place in oven and bake until filling is finished, approximately 10 minutes.

Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to nonstick skillet and bring to medium-high heat.  Add chicken and onion, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until chicken is no longer pink.  Add garlic, corn and Worcestershire sauce.  Stir and cook for 2 minutes.  Add stewed tomatoes, stir and allow to heat through.

Remove baking sheet from oven.  Fill pepper halves with meat filling.  Return baking sheet to the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from the oven, and place shredded cheddar cheese on top of peppers.  Return to the oven and allow to melt and/or brown for about 5 minutes.

Serves 3 as a meal, or serves 4-6 when served with a side of rice.

I found it!  I misplaced this recipe and was so bummed out.  But wouldn't you know that I find things when I clean my office. 

I originally found this recipe in Woman's Day back in April 2001.  Oh the days gone by!  I was living with my sister in my condo and barely making it week to week and month to month.  Hence the reason this came out of the Budget Cook section of that month's magazine.  Even today, though my circumstances are much better, I still try to keep the majority of our weeknight meals with a budget in mind.  Plus, this is really easy to put together and is finished within 30 minutes so it really is a perfect weeknight meal all around.

The ingredients may seem like a strange combination, at least it did to me at first, but it works.  Trust me.  It even works if you add WAY too much cinnamon, but I wouldn't know anything about that... And if you're looking for a way to add more vegetables to your diet, or if you think you don't like eggplant, this recipe is perfect!  The eggplant picks up the flavor of the sauce while keeping a nice texture.  This could also easily made vegetarian by omitting the meat and doubling the eggplant.

I served this over whole wheat thin spaghetti, but I would suggest something bulkier like a rigatoni.

Here is the recipe including my adaptations:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 12 oz. lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 3/4 chunks
• 16 oz. tomato sauce 
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1 Tbsp freshly grated lemon peel
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add beef, onion and garlic, and cook, breaking up clumps of meat with a wooden spoon, for 2 to 3 minutes until the meat is no longer pink.

Stir in remaining ingredients and 2/3 cup water.  Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes or until eggplant is very tender.  Serves 4.

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 lb beef, top round, cubed 
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced 
• 1 medium onion, sliced (I forgot to add this, but I normally do and recommend you do)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock, unsalted
• 1/3 cup sherry
• 8 oz. light sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste