Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

I used to painstakingly stuff my meatballs, but have finally found the PERFECT method for making the BEST MEATBALLS!! This recipe gives you fork tender and perfectly textured meatballs for your next crowd pleasing dinner.

BEST MEATBALLS yields 24

1 pound QUALITY ground beef
8 ounces tomato sauce, divided
1/2 cup FRESH bread crumbs
1 LARGE egg
1 cup FINELY shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup FINELY minced onion
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine all of the ingredients except 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in a large bowl with your hands.
Spray a large baking dish with non-stick spray.
Roll small size meatballs using your hands or a small melon scooper to get even size portions.
Arrange them in the baking dish just so they are not touching.
Spoon a small amount of the remaining sauce over top each meatball.
Bake 20-25 minutes.
Let them cool before freezing or adding to your sauce.

COOKING THURSDAY ~ OVEN BEEF BARLEY STEW ~ BLOG 365.64A

OVEN BRAISED BEEF BARLEY STEW

1 pound QUALITY stew meat, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
2 strips bacon, chopped small
3 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
3 tablespoons QUALITY tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
FRESH ground sea salt & black pepper
1-2 teaspoons paprika, to taste
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped thyme leaves
2 cups homemade beef broth
1 cup red wine
2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 325°.
In an oven proof braiser (preferably cast iron) heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the avocado oil.
Add half of the stew meat and bacon, cooking 3-4 minutes until browned and well seared.
Remove cooked pieces with a slotted spoon to drain on paper toweling.
Add remaining oil to braiser to heat.
Add remaining beef and bacon cooking another 3-4 minutes until browned and well seared.
Add garlic and tomato paste, stirring 2-3 minutes to coat well.
Return first batch of meat and stir to combine.
Stir in red wine and half the broth, paprika, thyme and season to taste.
Bring to a SLOW boil.
Cover and braise 45 minutes to 1 hour.

1/8 cup WONDRA flour
1/4 cup pearl barley

In a small bowl whisk together the flour and remaining broth.
Stir into beef mixture.
Stir in barley.
Leave uncovered and bake 35-45 minutes until barley is tender.

1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3/4 pound baby potatoes, halved
2-3 carrots, rustically sliced
1 LARGE onion, sliced thin
8 ounces Beech mushrooms
FRESH ground sea salt & black pepper

In another braiser combine the carrots, mushrooms, potatoes and onions with the oil and melted butter, seasoning well with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.
Add to braiser.
Roast 45 minutes until tender.

1 cup frozen peas

Stir peas into veggies.
Stir veggies into meat mixture, cover and let stand 5 minutes while your prepare croissant topping.

TOPPING
2-3 croissants, chopped small
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

Increase oven to 425°.
Spray baking sheet with non-stick baking spray.
Toss croissants with melted butter and parsley.
Spread evenly over baking sheet and bake 5 minutes.
Serve over stew.

NOTES: Baby carrots are a great and easy substitution.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY ~ BLOG 365.63

BLOG 365.62

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENUS & RECIPE LINKS ~ week 9 of 2026 ~ BLOG 365.61

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

LAST WEEK RECAPPED

To start my week I have to wish a VERY happy birthday to my wonderful husband today! The biggest thing we’re doing today is playing trivia tonight! 🙂 Don’t tell him, but there’s a birthday get together just before that he doesn’t know about 🙂 We will go to dinner on Thursday for his birthday dinner.

Hubby had several appointments last week trying to get him back on schedule with VA medical care. They had lost SEVERAL providers over the past year and are way behind on regular care so we took every appointment we could get to get him caught up!

I’m really loving my reduced Eagle’s duty schedule. I only had 1 day of minimal shopping to do last week for both the bar and my girlfriend’s business. So, with my newly found free time I’ve already this past week gone antiquing and thrift store shopping with a girlfriend and we had a super tasty lunch on Saturday and then on Sunday helped throw a birthday party for another friend! I also deep cleaned my bedroom closet and made several donation piles.

This week will be even better! 🙂 Replacing those duties this week will be updating my password book, address book and recipe books (yes I like a clean printed recipe in the kitchen versus using my phone or computer). ~ ALL of which have suffered for a couple years now because I just didn’t have the time to sit down and focus for enough time to accomplish the tasks. All of these books were old and held together with MANY notes and rubber bands. I started to do the recipe books last week and am so happy they are about 75% complete 🙂

It took me a REALLY LONG while to learn this lesson, but I’m here now so that’s all that’s important ~ MY SAILS are FULLY adjusted and headed to calmer seas!!!!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

As of right now we should be able to see the blood moon this week. I’ll be setting a timer, BUT the weather changes so quickly this time of year I won’t hold my breath! As of now we’ll have lots of rain this week with highs around mid 40’s to 50 degrees and lows in the mid 30’s.

TO DO, APPOINTMENTS, DVR/TV & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS, TRAVEL, APPOINTMENTS, MENUS & DVR/TV

LAUNDRY & CLEANING I have a couple of small loads of laundry, but that’s about it.
GROCERIES & ERRANDS I do need to pick up a few groceries for this weeks recipes.
PROJECTS & TRAVELS No travels, but I do want to get the password book, address book and sort through my desk area to clean it up.
RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING A friend that used to run a local deli we ate at often wrote a small cookbook with her recipes. I ordered a copy that will be here Tuesday so I’ll look to make some of her recipes next week.
THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY clean and organized spaces… warm towels fresh out of the shower on a cold morning… spring cleaning and donating clothes to St. Vinnies… spring flowers… sunsets…

READING TIME

I should be finishing STATE OF ALERT by Marie Force tonight and then I’ll see what’s next.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀

	3/2 MONDAY	3/3 TUESDAY	3/4 WEDNESDAY	3/5 THURSDAY	3/6 FRIDAY	3/7 SATURDAY	3/8 SUNDAY
DINNER	BIRTHDAY PARTY before TRIVIA	PAPRIKA SOUR CREAM CHICKEN & MASHED POTATOES	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	TRUE KITCHEN	CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own	BUTTERMILK CHICKEN CORN PASTA	DOUBLE BAKED TACQUITOS
DESSERT		PINEAPPLE CHERRY PANDOWDY

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

Here’s a picture from yesterday’s birthday party that got crazy REALLY fast so I was lucky to get any. We’re also having a “false” spring so my daffodils and crocuses are making an unscheduled appearance 🙁 And Dana and I ate at one of our favorite restaurants and had yummy grilled cheese sandwiches to help support the food bank in February.

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

COOKING THURSDAY RECIPES COMING UP THIS WEEK

BEST MEATBALLS
OVEN BEEF BARLEY STEW
SCRUFFED CARBONARA POTATOES

COOKING THURSDAY RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour and sugar.
Stir in marshmallows and set aside. In a medium saucepan melt the butter and shortening together.
Add the cocoa and coke, mixing well.
Pour over the flour mixture.
Add the buttermilk, egg and baking soda, mixing well.
Pour into a greased 8×8 pan and bake 30-40 minutes or until cake center springs back.