Ham & Cheese Egg Muffins

So, a friend posted a recipe for these on Facebook. I just had to see how I could make them Tastefully Simple. I had to!

I used the new Himalayan Sea Salt but you could certainly use any of our seasonings; Garlic Pepper Seasoning would be awesome.  

Ingredients:

8 large eggs, beaten

2-3 tbsp milk, I use 1%

Shredded Cheese or cheese of your choice

Ham, bacon or any meat you choose

Himalayan Sea Salt

Beat together eggs and milk. Pour into a greased muffin tin. Add meat (or veggies) to the egg mixture then top with cheese. 

Bake at 350 for approximately 28 minutes or until set and brown on top. 

Cinnamon Melt Coffee Cake

I love the Cinnamon Muffin Melts as they are but you know me, I have to create something different and my family is my guinea pigs....erm....taste testers. X). Below is the resulting recipe. 

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Muffin Melt Mix

1 c. Water

Topping

1/2 c. chopped pecans

2 tbsp flour

Packet 2 of the mix

6 tbsp melted butter

Mix together packet 1 of the mix and the water. Pour into a greased baking dish. M

In a separate bowl mix together all of the topping ingredients except the butter. Sprinkle on top of the batter. Pour the melted butter over the top.

Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes until the center is set. Cool for 15-20 minutes and serve warm.  

Thanksgiving Tip

So, we are doing a ham and a turkey this year. We won't have a turkey carcass to keep but will certainly have an awesome ham bone!  We plan to keep it, place it in a freezer zipper bag and make ham and bean soup with it later. Winning!  Serve beer bread with the ham and beans and you have the perfect meal. (See my earlier recipe for ham and beans). Awesomeness!!

https://www.tastefullysimple.com/shop-our-products/bountiful-beer-bread-mix-value-pack

Chili Cook Off

Well here is my entry in the church chili cook off.  I added a little Fiesta Party Dip Mix and it bumped it up a couple of notches.  If you make the recipe, you should try that. Yum-o! 

I didn't win but anyone that had my chili really liked it and that was a big win in my book. There is always next year!  Congratulations to the 3 winners because it was well deserved. 

Recipe testing

Well, we tested a recipe tonight and it didn't quite work but I learned some things. Am going to retry and hopefully my changes will work better. 

I am so excited that we are entering our Wahoo! Chili in our church's Chili Cookoff tomorrow night. I am excited to see how we do!   I will post our results and the new recipe if it works the second time around. 😃

Fabulous Breakfast Smoothie

So this isn't done with TS products but it is one of my favorites and very good for you. You know, the getting healthy thing and all. You do need a blender, magic bullet or smoothie maker for this recipe. This makes enough for one smoothie. 

Ingredients:

Frozen whole strawberries, not in sauce

Half of a banana 

Half of an individual serving container of low carb or Greek yogurt

A handful of fresh Kale (yes!)

A splash or two of skim milk

Blend until smooth and enjoy.  

(Not the most gorgeous color but it is super yummy)

Freezer Meal Workshops

This is a wildly popular trend on Facebook. Did you know that Tastefully Simple has been doing these for a few years now?  Imagine this......you come home from work, your family says to you "What's for dinner?"  What is your next move?  Do you shrug and say "Beats Me" or do you pull out an already prepared recipe from your freezer?  Imagine having at least 10 of those already prepared meals in your freezer. Sweet!  Right?!  I can help. You can attend one of my fun local workshops (if you are in Indy) or the surrounding area, host one of your own fun workshops or contact me to purchase the kit to be sent right to you. How easy is that?  Are you following me on Facebook?  I post my scheduled workshops that I am hosting on my page. You can find me as Valerie Atwell - Tastefully Simple Independent Consultant.  Like my page and like some of the things on my page so that you can see the updates in your newsfeed. I do have a workshop coming up on October 26. Registration ends on October 15 so you need to hurry if you want to attend that one. Space is limited. Check my event calendar for the next one and register early for a prize. Bring a friend. It is a lot of fun. 

Black Bean Burgers and Seasoned Oven Potatoes

You have seen that we are trying to eat healthy.  That is the inspiration for this recipe.  I did a lot of research on black bean burgers.  I had never made them before.  We had eaten them but had never made them.  I love, love, love to create recipes, so when my husband said, let's make (meaning me) some black bean burgers, I was up for the challenge.  I have made the seasoned oven potatoes for years, so they were the perfect match.  They are a bit lighter too and you could certainly make them with sweet potatoes.  I just had white potatoes in my pantry, so that is what I used.  Just use what you have.

Black  Bean Burgers

Ingredients:
2 cans of whole black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small white or red onion, minced
1 carrot or 5-6 baby potatoes, minced

1 bag of frozen corn
1 tsp Seasoned Salt
1/2 Tbsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 to 3/4 cup plain bread crumbs

Mash the beans until you get a coarse paste.  Add the onions, carrots, seasonings and mix well.  Add the egg mixture and mix again.  Start off with 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs and mix well.  If it appears too sticky add the rest and mix well.  Create patties, you should get 6 out of the batch.  Let rest while you prepare your potatoes.

Seasoned Oven Potatoes

Ingredients:
4-5 potatoes, cut in half and then sliced
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Seasoned Salt

Place sliced potatoes in a bowl, add olive oil and seasoned salt.  Toss to coat and pour out onto cooking sheet making sure they are all flat on the sheet.  Bake at 475 degrees while you are cooking the burgers (about 15-20 minutes), turn at least once during the cooking time.

Cook the burgers on a griddle or grill pan greased with olive oil until browned and firm.  I cooked 4 and then 2 to make sure they all cooked evenly.

Serve with a bun (or not) and your favorite toppings. 

An Ode to The King In Muffins

I have always liked Elvis and you may know or you may not, that he really liked peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Well, this is my tribute to him. 

Ingredients:

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Mix

1/3 cup natural peanut butter

1 1/2 stick of melted butter

1 cup water

1-2 tbsp cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350. Melt the butter in a microwave safe dish. While it is still hot, add the peanut butter and whisk well. Add the water and then the Banana Chocolate Chip Bread mix. Stir until just combined. With a teaspoon, spoon into a mini muffin pan. Line your counter with wax paper and using a sifter or strainer, dust with cocoa powder. 

Bake for 20 minutes and cool on a wire rack. These make a great dessert for the game day, holiday get together or other gathering.  If you are having a large crowd, you better make a double batch. ;)

Split Pea Soup

I love the fall and this is one of my favorite things to take that is warm, filling and pretty good for you.  Your tastebuds will be happy, happy. 

Ingredients:

1 bag of green split peas, rinsed and drained

3 baby carrots, minced

1 stalk of celery, minced

1-2 tbsp Onion Onion

1 tbsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning

1 tsp Seasoned Salt

2-4 turns of a black pepper grinder

1 pkg of ham cubes, rinsed and drained 

8 cups of water

Add all ingredients to a large soup pot. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours or until the peas are soft and the broth is thickened some. For a thicker soup, add a slightly cooled cup of the soup mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Add back to the soup and cook until thickened. Serve with  Bountiful Beer Bread or crackers. 

Uncle Bob's Wahoo! Beans

This recipe was inspired by my Uncle Bob, my dad's brother. He made an awesome spicy bean and sausage soup when we visited them in Texas and my mom replicated the recipe when we got back home. It became a family favorite and now it is a favorite with my family. I had to Tastefully Simple-ize it and below is the result.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of pinto or cranberry beans, soaked overnight and rinsed

1 lb of breakfast sausage or chorizo if you prefer, browned and drained

1 tbsp Onion Onion

2 tbsp Wahoo! Chili Seasoning

1 tbsp Seasoned Salt

1 tbsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning

8 cups of water

Brown the sausage with the Onion Onion. Drain. Add the beans, sausage,seasonings and water to the slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 6 hours then high for 3 hours. This is best to be done on a weekend or a day off. It will totally be with it. Stir the beans occasionally and don't forget the Bountiful Beer Bread or corn bread. 

Wahoo! Chili

As the name of the products suggest it is fantastic to use in any chili recipe. There are so many other uses for it as well from tacos to chicken to fish seasoning.  This versatile product is a must have in your pantry. Stock up though, it is only available for a limited time.

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground meat, we use ground chicken

2 tbsp Onion Onion

3 tbsp Wahoo! Chili Seasoning

1 tbsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning

Cracked black pepper to taste

2 cans of chili hot beans

2 cans of red beans, light or dark

2 cans of black beans

1 6oz can of tomato sauce

1 can of petite diced tomatoes, use just diced tomatoes if you like it chunky 

1 can of vegetable juice cocktail (tomato juice

1 small can of tomato paste

Brown the ground meat with a splash of olive oil and Onion Onion.  Drain if you are using ground beef or pork. Stir in the Wahoo! Chili, Garlic Pepper Seasoning and black pepper. Stir and cook for a minute or two to "bloom" the spices. Add your tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir. Add each type of bean and stir between each type.  Do not drain the beans!  You need that liquid to thicken your chili. This I have learned over the years. Add about 3/4 of the juice. And stir. Cook on medium until boiling, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, turn down to low to medium-low and simmer for about an hour. The chili will thicken some. If you have added too much juice, add about half the can of the tomato paste and stir well to melt it into your chili. 

My husband likes a pasta or macaroni product so halfway through the simmering time, add not quite half a box of pasta.  Stir well. This may make your Hoosier style chili really thick, so add some more of the tomato juice. 

Serve with your choice of toppings and ENJOY!

Incredibly Simple Taco Dip

Made this for a work pitch in. Oh my goodness!!  Of course I had to use Tastefully Simple. Ha!

Ingredients:

2 cans of fat free or Vegetarian Refried Beans

1-2 tablespoons Wahoo Chili Seasoning or Fiesta Party Dip Mix if you like it spicy

1 8oz block of Neufchâtel cream cheese, softened 

1 cup light sour cream

1 tablespoon Garlic Pepper Seasoning

2 green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 pound ground meat of your choice, browned and drained (we use ground chicken)

1 tablespoon Onion Onion

1 8oz package of mexican blend shredded cheese

1 8oz package taco blend shredded cheese, with seasonings
1 jar Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Brown your ground meat with the Onion Onion. Drain if needed and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, sour cream, onions, cilantro and Garlic Pepper Seasoning.  Add beans, Wahoo Chili, and mexican blend cheese. Mix well and pour into greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with Corn and Black Bean Salsa and taco blend cheese. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until the dip is bubbly and the cheese is melted. Garnish if you like and serve warm with tortilla chips. 

Simple Ham and Bean Soup

We found a ham bone in the freezer, score!  Since it is starting to turn cool outside, what a perfect time for some bean soup. Yum!  

Ingredients:

Left over ham bone or ham hocks 

2 pound bag of great northern beans or your favorite, soaked overnight

2 Tbsp. Onion Onion

Cracked black pepper

8 cups water

Place your ham bone in a large slow cooker.

Add Onion Onion

Add your beans

Now your water and cracked pepper.  If you like more garlic use Garlic PepperSeasoning instead of the cracked pepper. 

Set your slow cooker on low and cook 6-8 hours. 

Serve with Bountiful Beer Bread or Bountiful Corn Bread (see Tastefully Simple website for the recipe).  

Light & Simple Hash Brown Casserole

My family is lightening our eating habits, so with the Independence Day holiday and all of the cookouts, I decided our contribution had to be lighter.  I took one of our favorite pitch in dishes, Hashbrown Casserole and put a light and Tastefully Simple spin on it. I live doing that!  Below is the resulting recipe.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
One can of condensed lower sodium cream of mushroom soup
One 2 cup bag of 2% milk fat shredded cheese blend
One tub of light sour cream
1/4 cup diced onion (or Onion Onion, whatever you have)
One tbsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
One bag of frozen shredded hash browns
One cup of bran flakes, crushed
One tbsp light butter or margarine (whatever you have), melted

Preheat your oven to 400°. 

Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine first six ingredients.  Add frozen hash browns a little bit at a time until all incorporated.  Spread in the casserole dish and top with bran flakes.  Drizzle with butter.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly.  Serve warm.  This could totally be made ahead and would be even better if made the day before you bake it.  Soooooo yummy!

Barbeque Tips

I found this on Pinterest and thought I would share for this grilling season.  Happy grilling!

Chipotle Shredded Chicken

I made this for a Cinco de Mayo pitch in at work.  Oh goodness was it yummy and everyone loved it! 

Ingredients:
1 packet of Chipotle Beer Marinade
1 bag of frozen chicken breasts, boneless
1 can of beer, your choice
1 can of water, use the beer can

Add beer, water and Chipotle Beer Marinade to a slow cooker.  I recommend using a liner as this does make a bit of a mess of the sides of your crock.  Add your chicken and toss to coat.  Cover and cook on low 8 hours or overnight which is what I did.  Remove the chicken, shred and remove any icky pieces (technical term, haha). Skim the liquid or strain to remove any of the floaties (also a technical term).  Save stray pieces of chicken.  Combine the shredded chicken and liquid.  Serve in burritos, tacos, nachos, etc.  This made enough for at least 20 people to have a taco or two.  I don't quite know exactly how many servings. 

Easy Chicken Soup

Hubby was feeling under the weather and didn't want canned, condensed soup, so i made him some homemade.  It doesn't require much work and is good on the tummy.

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed small
3 cartons of chicken broth (I used 2 reduced sodium and one regular)
Bag of dried egg noodles

In a soup, stock pot or dutch oven, bring the broth to a boil.  Add chicken cubes and cook until they float.  Once they have floated, add half or so of the noodles.  Add more if you want more.   Cook and stir for approximately 9-10 minutes.  Serve with saltines or oyster crackers.

Serves many!  Freeze what you don't eat now.  Easy weeknight dinner!

Helpful Kitchen Tip

Check out this cool tip:

Fiesta Chicken Layered Enchiladas

This is a recipe in the Tastefully Simple Tonight Collection (item #100816).  I made it as a Serve It Tonight recipe, but you can also freeze this for later.  Also, I didn't have rotisserie chicken, so I cooked 3 breasts the night we had the Chipotle Chicken Fajitas so we had what we needed for this recipe.  Use what you have, be creative.  Think outside the box!

 

So, here is the finished product and you will notice I am not a professional photographer and we eat on paper plates....less dishes!  You get the idea though.  You can find the recipe here. 

Chipotle Chicken Fajitas

There is a recipe on tastefullysimple.com for Chipotle Chicken Fajitas, this is my take on the recipe because I always like to go my own way.  That gets me in trouble sometimes. ;)  I hope you enjoy!
 

Ingredients: 

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut in thin strips

1/2 c. Beer, your choice (I used Rolling Rock) 

3-4 bell peppers in multiple colors, sliced

1 red onion, halved and sliced

Flour tortillas

Toppings of your choice
 

In a freezer bag, pour the beer and marinade mix and shake to mix.  Add chicken and marinate for 30 minutes or so.

 

While the chicken is marinating, slice your peppers and onions as well as any toppings for your fajitas (lettuce, tomato, avocado, cilantro, etc.).

 

After the chicken has marinated, preheat a skillet and add a tablespoon or so of oil.  Carefully add your chicken and discard the leftover marinade.  Stir and cook until cooked through.  I covered the skillet to speed the process.

Add your chicken to tortillas and top as you like.  Makes 4-6 servings.

 

Simple Pork Tenderloins

Kroger had a sale on Pork Loin this week, so we bought 2!  Saved a ton.  We also had the meat counter cut them into 1" slices for us.  As I was breaking them out to freeze for several dinners, we decided we wanted some as breaded tenderloins.  OH my goodness!  So good.  Below is the resulting recipe.

(So, photographer I am not, but doesn't that look scrumptious?)

Ingredients:

6 1" pork tenderloin "chops"

2 cups flour

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup of milk

2 tsp. Seasoned Salt

2-3 cups corn meal or Miracle Maize Corn Bread Mix (use what you have!)

2-3 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil

Take your chops and place them between 2 pieces of wax paper and pound them out to about 1/2 inch thick.  I used my rolling pin for this, but if you have a meat mallet, all the better.  Prepare 3 plates or dishes.  One with plain flour, one with the eggs, milk and 1 tsp. of Seasoned Salt, and one with the cornmeal or cornbread mix and 1 tsp. Seasoned Salt.  Dip each tenderloin in first flour, then egg then cornmeal.  Let rest on a plate or platter.  Repeat until all tenderloins are breaded.  

Heat your skillet on medium and add 1-2 Tbsp. of the oil.  Add a couple of tenderloins at a time and cook until brown on each side.  Then place in a 350 degree oven while you cook the rest.  Add an additional Tbsp. of oil if needed to cook all the tenderloins.  When all of your tenderloins are browned and in the oven, cook them approximately 10 minutes more or until they reach a temperature of 160 degrees.  While they are finishing cooking, make your sides.  I made mashed potatoes and a veggie.  Easy peasy because my family prefers instant mashed taters.  :)  You can make any side you like and can even make Garlic Mashed Taters by adding some Garlic Garlic to your spuds.  YUM, YUM!  

Gluten Free Chicken, Bacon & Artichoke Pizza

This is totally Tastefully Simple's recipe and not mine.  It looked oh so good I just had to share it.  You can find other tips for the recipe on the TS Blog.

Ingredients

• Gluten-Free Pizza Crust & Sauce Mix
• 1 cup very warm water
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 8 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1 lb. cooked, chopped chicken breasts
• 6 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 Roma tomato, chopped           

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. Prepare Crust Mix as directed with water and olive oil. Bake 10 minutes. Combine Sauce Mix with cream cheese; spread over warm crust. Top with remaining ingredients. Bake 15-17 additional minutes or until crust is golden brown. Makes about 6 servings.

 

Very cool tip

Tastefully Simple is all about solutions and ease in cooking.  This tip is sure to help.

Creamy Herb Pasta Salad

I always make too much pasta when we have italian night, so this time I decided to turn my extra pasta into Pasta Salad for the next day.  I can't wait to taste it tomorrow after "marrying" time, but today it tastes phenomenal.

Ingredients:
Leftover pasta (we had about 3/4 of a box of rainbow rotini)
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. (Capful) Spinach & Herb Dip Mix
3 turns of pepper grinder or pepper to taste
Quartered grape tomatoes

Mix the sour cream, mayo and Spinach & Herb Dip Mix.  Add tomatoes.  Let chill for 30 minutes.  Add cooled pasta and mix well.  If the dressing seems dry, add more sour cream and/or mayo.  Serve as a side or add chopped cooked chicken to make it a meal.

Easy Garlic Bread

Oh so easy and totally made with what you have on hand.

Ingredients:
Leftover hamburger/hot dog buns or bread
Approx 1/2 cup softened or margarine
2 Tbsp. Garlic Garlic

Preheat broiler in your oven.  Open buns and separate tops and bottoms.  Mix butter and Garlic Garlic until well blended.  Spread butter mixture on bun halves and place on a baking sheet.  Place on top rack in oven and broil until golden (approx 7 minutes or so).  Watch them closely as they will burn quick after that point.  I am speaking from experience.  The dogs don't like the smoke alarm....

Makes as many as you want to make and can be served with whatever.  Credit for this idea goes to my mom.  I just Tastefully Simpleized it.  :)  Enjoy!

Fantastic Fried Taters

Made this to have with our dinner tonight.  Fabulous!

Ingredients:
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled, halved, sliced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. Canola oil
1 Tbsp. Seasoned Salt
1 tsp. Garlic Pepper Seasoning

Preheat skillet and add oil.  Place potatoes in skillet, gently.  Add seasonings and stir to coat.  Cover and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn potatoes, cover and cook 5 minutes more.  Add onion on top, do not stir.  Cover and cook 5 more minutes.  Stir and cook until potatoes and onions are fork tender.  Serve as a side or add your favorite pre-cooked protein for a complete meal. 

Serving suggestion: tossed salad with Strawberry Champagne Vinaigrette.

Its a perfect job!

Just think, you can make money, make your own hours and go on a cruise in 2015.  Ask me how!

Freezer Meal Workshops

Do you hear this when you get home from work?  "Mom/honey what's for dinner?"  Like most of us, I am sure this phrase is all too familiar to you!

I can help you know what is for dinner!!  We have a party option called Freezer Meal Workshops.  You gather 8-10 friends/family and meet at your house, a friend's house or even my house (if you are local).  The cost of your kit is generally between $50 and $65 depending on the menu that you choose.  This includes shipping and other items that you need for the workshop. 

Email me at kevslilbabe@gmail.com and I would love to share more information about the program and when my next workshop date is. 

Pomegranate Chipotle Meatloaf

I just love this product!  It is smoky, sweet and a little spicy all at the same time.  It is oh so good and the perfect substitute for ketchup!  LOVE!

Ingredients:
2 pounds of ground beef or ground turkey or a combination of both
2 Tbsp of Onion Onion
1-2 tsp Seasoned Salt (to your taste)
3-4 turns of a pepper grinder
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
1 egg
2-3 Tbsp Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce
4 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
3 Tbsp water

Mix all ingredients together, but don't overmix.   Form into a loaf and place in a freezer bag. Freeze until ready to serve or cook right away.

When ready to serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat with 1/3 cup of ketchup or more Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce, if desired and bake for about an hour. 

Serves 4-6 hun

Mama Mia Lasagna

We hosted my dad at our house for his birthday in November.  I love cooking for my family and he specially requested my lasagna.  Well, I spiced it up a bit by using Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix to make the sauce.  Oh goodness it was fabulous.  He raved about it and still mentions it every once in awhile.  :)  I hope you like it too.

 

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground beef or ground turkey
1 TBSP Onion Onion
1/2 cup Mama Mia Marinara Mix
2 28 oz can of Crushed Tomatoes
1 24 oz container Small Curd Cottage Cheese
1 egg
2 TBSP Grated Parmesan Cheese
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
16 oz Shredded Mozzarella
Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles

Preheat Oven to 350°

Brown the ground beef with the Onion Onion until no longer pink, drain and set aside. Prepare the Mama Mia Marinara according to the instructions on the container (this can be done ahead of time if you want). In a bowl beat the egg, add the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Now for assembly. In a 13x9 inch baking dish place 1 1/2 cups of marinara and spread to coat the bottom of the pan. Add 4 lasagna noodles. Layer cottage cheese mixture, ground beef, sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat another layer like this one. Lastly, place 4 more lasagna noodles on the top, the rest of the sauce and the rest of the mozzarella cheese. Your pan should be full and slightly liquidy. If it is too dry, add a little water around the edges to make sure there is enough moisture for the noodles. Bake for 60-75 minutes until noodles are cooked through, the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted and brown.

Serves 6 or so with left overs for the next day!

Rustic Herb Meatballs

So, we were hungry for meatball subs one night but we didn't have any frozen meatballs, our product of choice.  I decided, I have all of the ingredients, I'm going to make the meatballs.  OH MY GOODNESS!!  Best.decision.ever!!  These were so tender and flavorful I could have eaten 10 subs.  Ok, well maybe not that many but they were so yummy!!

(I didn't get a photo of these, so feel free to send me yours!)

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs, unseasoned
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1-1 1/2 tablespoon of Rustic Herb Seasoning
Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together just until combined. Form into 1" balls and brown on one side for 5 minutes, turn and brown further for another 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water to the skillet and cover. Cook until no longer pink (about 20 minutes).

Add to your favorite marinara sauce (make your own with Mama Mia Marinara Mix!). Serve over your favorite pasta or on hoagie buns for a meatball sub.

Bountiful Pepperoni Bites

I made these for a party and they were oh so good.  They have a great pizza flavor and I made a batch of the Mama Mia Marinara to use as a dipping sauce.

Ingredients:
1 package Bountiful Beer Bread Mix
12 oz. beer (your choice, we used Miller Lite)
1 packet of Warm Pizza Dip Mix
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni (add more if you desire)
2 Tbsp. melted butter
Grated parmesan cheese

Dipping Sauce:
2 Tbsp. Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix
1 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together first 4 ingredients until combined. Drop batter with a teaspoon (I used 2) into greased mini muffin tins. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve with Mama Mia Marinara Dipping Sauce or your favorite sauce.

Makes approximately 48 mini muffins

Irish Stout Beef Stroganoff

I adapted this recipe from one that my sponsor created.  she created hers as a way to use left overs from making the Irish Stout Pot Roast recipe.  I thought it was brilliant and adapted it for my family.  It is so yummy!

(I didn't take any photos of the finished product.  Please send me yours if you want)

Ingredients:
3-4 pound beef roast (we used brisket)
1 jar of Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce
2 Tbsp. Onion Onion
1 can of condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 can of milk
2 cans of button mushrooms
Wide egg noodles

Spray or line your slow cooker to prevent sticking. Add beef roast (fat trimmed) to the slow cooker. Pour in 1/2 jar of the Irish Stout Slow Cooker Sauce. Sprinkle capful (2 Tbsp.) of the Onion Onion on top. Set to low and cook for 6 hours. When fork tender, remove roast from the slow cooker and shred. In the slow cooker, add the cream of mushroom soup, milk and mushrooms to the sauce still in the slow cooker. You can add the other half of the jar of the Irish Stout if you want, but we preferred it without it. Place your shredded beef back into the slow cooker and stir to combine.

Serve over cooked egg noodles or your favorite starch.

Makes 6 or so large servings.
 

Va Va Veggie Mini Quiches

Each month, our Team Mentor Team (I am in the 4th line) has a Success Event.  This is a team meeting and training opportunity.  It helps us to share our successes as well as learn how we can make our business better.  Each consultant makes a recipe and brings it to share.  This month, we were challenged to make a recipe with the new Spring/Summer product line.  I chose the Va Va Veggie Cheeseball mix and below is the resulting recipe from that choice.  I know you will love them because they are out of this world!  They would be perfect to serve as an appetizer or as a brunch item.  Great for little hands to pick up and enjoy as well.

Ingredients
2 pkgs  Mini Phyllo cups (15 in each package)
3 large eggs
2-3 Tbsps Milk (I used 1%)
1 packet Va Va Veggie Cheeseball Mix
1/4 c. shredded cheese (your choice, use what you have!)
Chopped chives for garnish (optional)

Place your mini phyllo cups in a mini muffin tin or on a baking sheet.  Be sure to inspect them for holes as your filling will leak out.  I used them anyway, I just was mindful that they would leak.

Mix together the next 3 ingredients and spoon into the phyllo cups.  Sprinkle each cup with a small amount of cheese and place in the over.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until set.  Remove from the oven and place on a serving plate or tray.  Sprinkle with chopped/snipped chives for garnish. 

Makes 30 mini quiches

Simply Beef & Noodles

My husband has my daughter text me while they are at the store the last evening what he would need to  make beef and noodles.  I said, beef roast, oh and get some eggs!  The gears got to turning on just how I was going to make the beef and noodles....slow cooker of course.  Check out the recipe and let me know how you liked it.  Feel free to use it and then tweak it to suit your taste.

Ingredients:

2-3 pound beef roast
2 tablespoons of Onion Onion
2 teaspoons of Garlic Pepper Seasoning
2 cups of water

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray or add a liner for easier clean up.  Place the beef roast in the slow cooker and sprinkle with Onion Onion and Garlic Pepper Seasoning.  Add the water and cover with the lid.  Let the roast cook on low for 8 hours until tender and falling apart.

When cooked, take the roast out of the slow cooker and allow it to cool some for shredding.

I chose to make my own noodles because that's how my mama and grandma always made them.  You can certainly use the frozen noodles.  See below for the noodle recipe.

Noodles Ingredients (adapted from the Betty Crocker Homemade Noodles recipe):
2 cups all purpose flour (I use unbleached)
4 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon of salt

Add flour and salt in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the beaten eggs.  With a fork or your hands start adding flour from the outside of the mound until combined and the dough starts forming into a ball.  You may need to add more flour if the dough is sticky.

Let the dough rest for 10 minutes then divide into 4 even pieces.  Add flour to your surface (wax paper, pastry mat or cutting board).  With a rolling pin, roll each piece into a rectangle roughly an 1/8th inch thick. Add a thin coating of flour to the topside of your rolled dough.  Roll your dough into a tube shape on the long side.  With a floured knife, cut 1/4 inch slices.  Unroll your slices and cut in half if they are over long.  Place into a bowl with flour and toss.  Repeat this process with each of your dough pieces.  You will have to add more flour to the bowl as you add more noodles.  Let the noodles rest for 30 minutes.

Back to to the beef.  Once your broth is significantly cooled.  Pour into a stock pot and heat on medium while you are shredding the beef.  You may need to add more water.  I added 4 cups to mine.

When your broth has come to a rolling boil, start dropping your noodles in a few at a time stirring in between each addition.  When you have added all of your noodles, slowly drop your beef into the broth and stir.  If your noodles need thickening, add a couple of tablespoons of flour to your mixing bowl and a couple of tablespoons of water and stir.  This is called a slurry.  Slowly add your slurry to your noodles while stirring.  Repeat if your noodles aren't thick to your liking.

Cook for 10-12 minutes or until your noodles are tender.  Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable if you desire.

*We are on a sodium reduced diet, so I didn't add a lot of salt to this and actually used a salt substitute in place of salt in the noodles.  Feel free to season it to your taste.  You could even add more of the Garlic Pepper Seasoning to the finished product.  It's your creation!  Make it how YOU like it.

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Happy cooking!!

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog.  I have a lot of recipes that I would like to share, so I decided to create a blog to house them all.  I hope you will order the products and try the recipes.  I know that you will love them because my somewhat picky family do!  If they do you will!  I love to make food that tastes good, but doesn't cost an arm and a leg.  We all have tight budgets and I totally understand!  Our new Spring/Summer product line is coming soon, so stay tuned for recipes to be posted using the new products.  I went to a regional conference called Taste of Tastefully Simple this past weekend and learned a lot of new tricks that I am dying to show you!  Come with me on this tasty ride and hold on tight!   Be sure to visit my website at www.tastefullysimple.com/web/vatwell.