January 31, 2021

We were all so glad to see 2020 head out the door, and have welcomed in the new year!  Hard to believe it has been months and months since I have posted here on the blog! One of my resolutions was to get back to trying new recipes and posting, so, here I am!  I know, I know... it's the last day of the first month but I am getting this post up!  Woohoo! Thrilled to be back at it! Fingers crossed I can keep it up this year; I plan to post from time to time.

Although it has been a while since posting, I will tell you we are on the blog often because we use the archive of keeper recipes all the time.  While Hannah was home for her long holiday break (Thanksgiving through late January) she mentioned that there are some of our traditionally classic family recipes that she really wants on the blog.  She wants to make sure all her favorites will be in the same place in the future when she needs to start cooking.  Since she is second semester sophomore that will probably sneak up on her sooner rather than later.  Good idea to plan ahead!.  To help out her future self I will probably start to post more "tried and trues" along with the new keepers to make sure they all get into the repository. One of the first ones we had to include was our spin on Aunt Marge's Turkey Meatballs!  We love to make these on Sunday and eat them all week for lunch!  You have got to try them!

Owen has started cooking on Saturday nights when he can.  This weekend he made sheet pan jambalaya and it was outstanding!  He had made it for us one other time back in the fall, and it earned keeper status by the first bite.  Even Finn loves it!  This jambalaya sits at a medium spice level, so you can add more or less creole seasoning to suit your taste.  I can confirm that this is a very easy recipe and I can clearly see this fitting into the regular rotation, even hitting our dinner table on a busy weeknight!  Give it a try!

Speaking of trying things, Owen and I also made up a totally new recipe this week!  We made a little cheesy zucchini side dish, and it was outstanding!  It was born out of necessity...we had 2 zucchini in the fridge that were looking a little past their prime and we knew we had to come up with a plan - fast!  We shredded it up, found we had exactly one cup.  Added in some cheese and seasonings, baked it for about 20 minutes and crossed our fingers.  It was quickly devoured, which was good, since I don't think it would have reheated all that well.   Keeper status for sure, and I am thrilled to have a small side dish to share with you!   

It's looking like a busy week ahead!  The slow cooker will definitely be put to good use!

Happy Cooking!

New Recipes

Sheet Pan Jambalaya
Easy Roasted Potatoes
Herb Rubbed Pork Roast

Cheesy Zucchini Casserole

Tried & True
Peanut Butter Buckeyes
Turkey Meatballs

Recipes we've cooked from the blog recently
Baking Powder Biscuits
Bacon Pepper Mac & Cheese with Chicken
Crispix Chicken

Crock Beef

Sheet Pan Jambalaya

 

Ingredients

* 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
* 1 each red, yellow and green bell pepper, sliced
* 2 cups chicken sausage, sliced into coins
* olive oil, to taste
* 2 1/2 tsp creole seasoning, divided
* 1 lb, raw shrimp
* 1/2 tsp paprika
* 1 1/2 cups tomato, diced
* 4 cups rice, cooked (brown or white)
* scallions, sliced, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. On a large baking sheet arrange the onion, peppers and sausage.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons of creole seasoning (more or less to your taste). Use your hands and mix everything well.

3. Bake for 8 minutes, or until chicken sausage begins to brown.

4. While the vegetables and chicken are cooking, place the shrimp in a small bowl.  Season with 1 teaspoon creole seasoning and the paprika.  Stir to coat.

5. Remove sheet pan from oven.  Add the seasoned shrimp and tomatoes to the sheet pan.  Mix everything together on the pan.

6.  Cook for another 6 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked through.

7. Remove pan from oven and add the cooked rice.  Mix everything together.  

8. Garnish with scallions. and serve immediately,

Notes

Owen's uncle suggested this recipe, and he made it the next weekend for us.  We loved it!  Hannah wasn't home either time we made it, but the rest of us really enjoyed it!  The prep is pretty easy and all together is a quick recipe.  This can definitely be made during the work week  - love it!

Easy Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients
* 4 medium potatoes (should have about 5 cups after chopping)
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1 tsp chili powder
* 1 tsp paprika
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* 1 tsp onion powder
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp dried parsley

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Chop your potatoes into small chunks and place them in a large bowl.  Do not dice them, but don't leave them too large.

3. Add in all the other ingredients and mix well to coat and combine.

4. Spread potatoes onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Cook for 25 minutes.   Remove the pan and flip all the potatoes.  Cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until you feel they are ready and look good to you.

Notes
While staying home as much as possible we got creative in the kitchen.  Owen looked up a new potato recipe for us and it was a hit! Instant keeper status!  When we make these we sometimes get a bit lazy and just let them cook about 35- 40 minutes without flipping.  Still so good - so feel free to skip that step!

Herb - Rubbed Pork Roast

 Ingredients

* 1.5 tsp salt
* 1.5 tsp celery salt
* 1 tsp onion powder
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* 1 tsp paprika
* 1 tsp pepper
* 1/2 tsp dll weed
* 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
* 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
* 1 boneless pork loin roast (4 lbs)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. In a small bowl, combine all the seasonings.  Rub all over the pork roast.

3. Place roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.

4. Bake, uncovered, for 1 3/4 - 2 hours, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.

5. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes

My family is crazy for this pork roast.  I have definitely used the same recipe with a smaller roast and just adjust the time and keep an eye on it with thermometer.  This year we made it for Christmas dinner, but is also easy enough for a weeknight.  Pull it together, put it in the oven, and then get a few things done while it cooks!  I originally clipped this recipe in 2007 back when I used to get a cooking magazine called Light & Tasty (a spin off of Taste of Home) but we never made it until this summer in quarantine.  Too bad we waited so long to make it!  Keeper status was unanimous!  This is easy and delicious - you should try it!

Cheesy Zucchini Casserole

 

Ingredients 

* 1 cup shredded zucchini
* 1/4- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
* 1 tsp pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning (whatever you have on hand)
* 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese
* 1 clove garlic
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients together. 

2. Grease a small 7 x 5 glass dish.  Spread the mixture into the dish.  Sprinkle some additional parmesan on top.

3. Bake in a 400 F oven for 20 minutes.  Serve hot.

Notes

We had some zucchini in the fridge that was starting to look less then great for zoodles, which is our go to way to eat zucchini as a side dish.  Liam lobbied for us to make chocolate zucchini muffins or chocolate zucchini cake, but Owen won the debate by looking up some zucchini casserole dishes.  In the end we used what he found as inspiration and tossed this together with what we had on hand and what sounded good to us.  It came together so quickly.

This recipe as presented here is worked for us using a small, 7x5 glass pyrex dish.  This could easily be scaled up to make more, but this small one was a great little side dish; we will definitely be making this again!  It was tasty!

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

 Ingredients

* 3/4 cups creamy peanut butter
* 1/2 cup unsalted softened butter
* 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
* pinch salt
* 2 cups powdered sugar
* 2 cups chocolate chips
* 1/8 cup (2 tbsp) vegetable shortening

Directions

1. Line cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt.  Gradually add the powdered sugar, stirring until the entire mixture is uniform in consistency.

3. Roll the mix into 1 inch balls.  Set them on the prepared cookie sheet and insert a toothpick into the top of each ball.  Chill in the freezer until hard, approximately 30 minutes.

4. Combine the chocolate and shortening and melt, either over low heat on the stove or in the microwave (follow the directions for melting on the bag of the chips if choosing this method).

5. Using the toothpick as a handle, dip each peanut butter ball into the chocolate.  Place the balls back onto the cookie sheet; remove the toothpick.   Refrigerate until set, approximately 2 hours.  Store in the fridge.

Notes

Yum!!! The toothpicks were a great help!  Not sure how long these will last in your house, but they don't last too long over here.  They freeze well in case you want to use that as a way to deter yourself from eating them all!

Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

*1 cup plain panko * 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley *2 large eggs, slightly beaten * 2 tbsp whole milk * 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese * 1/2 tsp salt * 3/4 tsp ground pepper * 1lb group turkey * 1/4 cup olive oil * 5 cups marinara sauce

Directions

1. In a large bowl stir together the panko, parsley, eggs, milk, the cheese, salt and pepper. Add the turkey and stir to combine. Do not overwork the meat. Shape the meatballs into bite size balls.

2. If desired, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the meatballs 3 minutes a side. Add the marinara sauce after all sides are browned. Reduce heat and simmer the meatballs, making sure they get cooked all the way through.

3. Alternatively, heat the oven to 400. Place the meatballs into a glass baking dish spaced apart (about 15 meatballs in a 9 x 11 dish). Bake meatballs for 20 minutes.

Notes

We had these at Aunt Marge's house while on spring break a few years ago, and they have since become a family favorite! Sometimes we make the sauce from chicken parmesan meatball subs to use with these meatballs!

And, we do a mix of the methods described above! We brown them, and then pop them in the oven to finish cooking. Yum!