Author: QuiltLady

BAKED MEATBALLS w/ ONION GRAVY

MEATBALLS
1 pound hamburger
1 pound ground pork
2 bunches green onions, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup Panko crumbs or crushed saltines
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon bail
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Using your hands blend all the ingredients together.
  • Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  • Roll meatballs into golf ball size meatballs.
  • Bake for 30-45.
  • Bake how ever many you need today and freeze the others for future meals. Thaw in refrigerator before baking.

ONION GRAVY
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons self-rising flour
1 tablespoons cream sherry
2 cups hot water
1 tablespoon better than bouillon beef base
1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet
salt and pepper to taste

  • In a large skillet melt the butter for the gravy. Saute the onions until browned.
  • Add the bouillon base, cream sherry and hot water. Bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat, add flour and continue cooking to desired consistency.

    LIVE YOUR DREAM LIFE NOW

    I found this great opportunity over at Seaside Simplicity and jumped at the chance to join Martha and Sandy over at Hob Nobbers.  Sandy is hosting a great little workshop, Live Your Dream Life Now. I really needed the motivation to start off 2013 right!

    I too love things like this, and it came along just at the right time for me. I have been feeling completely stuck lately. My mind has been constantly racing in a big giant circle as to what to do, what choices and changes to make, and how it will affect my life and my family.  For those who know me well you probably already know I’m talking mainly about our adventure with VA red tape and my health. The VA paperwork has become all consuming. I’m not enjoying anything about it at all! It’s leaving me with almost zero energy to do any of the things I want to do, or even the things I need to do. Many areas of my life are suffering because of it.

    Sandy’s workshop is going to help get me and my mind off this roller coaster ride. I’m  still looking for that epiphany I talked about last week.  The desire to get all the crap out of my life is overwhelming and  I’m more than ready to live a happy and fulfilling life.

    What are you waiting for, head over to sign up too!  
    We’re just beginning so there’s still time to sign up on the ground floor so to speak.
     Have journal ready – raring to go!

    LEMON CHEESECAKE BARS ~ LEMON LIME CHEESECAKE BARS ~ BLOOD ORANGE CHEESECAKE BARS

    I found this recipe in an issue of Fine Cooking, just can’t remember which one LOL. I tweaked it very little and it is one of our new favorites!
    I’ve also made it using Limes, Lemons & Limes and Bloody Oranges.  We liked them all, but by far, the Lemon Lime combo was our favorite.
    You’ll notice in the picture with the pan that there is a very strange looking apparatus in the curd.  That is an AS SEEN ON TV automatic stirrer that I picked up at Big Lots.  I really thought it was going to be like so many other gadgets and go by the wayside, but I was wrong!  This is the best gadget I ever indulged in.  It’s battery operated and is like a second pair of hands in the kitchen.  All those recipes that call for “stirring constantly”are now handled by this gadget and turn out beautifully!

    LEMON CHEESECAKE SQUARES

    8×8 straight edge pan

    2 pieces of parchment paper 8 inches wide x 16 inches long

    • Alternately overlap the parchment pieces so that they cross each other and fold over all 4 sides.
    • Push the parchment into the edges and the corners making a straight crease.

    CRUST

    4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

    Graham cracker crumbs

    • Using a fork add graham cracker crumbs until mixture resembles wet sand.
    • Press into the bottom of prepared pan.

    CHEESECAKE

    1 pound cream cheese, softened at room temperature

    3/4 cup sugar

    3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

    2 LARGE eggs

    • Combine the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until well blended.
    • Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition until completely smooth.
    • Pour into prepared pan.

    CURD

    1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, strained twice

    1/2 cup sugar

    2 LARGE eggs

    2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

    • Whisk together the sugar, eggs and lemon juice until sugar is completely dissolved.
    • In a small non-reactive sauce pan cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until steaming, but not boiling. The mixture will have thickened.
    • Remove from heat and add butter, stirring until butter is melted.
    • Pour through a sieve to remove any lumps.

    ASSEMBLY

    • Preheat oven to 325˚
    • Prepare crust.
    • Prepare cheesecake portion.
    • Bake 40 minutes or until sides are slightly puffed, cake is not too jiggly and center is dry to the touch.
    • While baking, prepare the curd.
    • Remove cheesecake from oven.
    • Pour hot curd on top of cheesecake and lightly spread to even out.
    • Cool 20 minutes on rack.
    • Move to the refrigerator and chill 5-6 hours or overnight before serving.

    TAILGATING TIME AGAIN ~ 4.0

    Welcome to the 4th annual Tailgating Time!

    Yep, it’s that time again – time for football food, coolers full of cold ones, and the big game-day buffet. Bring over your chips and dips, chili and chowders, all your wings and party things! Since the Super Bowl is exactly 4 weeks from today I thought I’d get the linky up so we can all start adding our favorites. We all want to have lots of great party foods to chose from for the big day!

    The Tailgating Time blog hop will be open from noon today until February 10th, one week after Super Bowl 2013 to give you plenty of time to link up all your favorites. Your links do not have to be new ones – think appetizers and party foods you’ve posted throughout the year. Link any goodies from  holidays, celebrations, tailgating treats through football season, or anything that would go great for a Super Bowl party. There is no limit to the amount of links you add, the more the merrier! This year I’m also enabling voting for your favorite recipes. The voting will be open February 10th at noon and ending on February 17th at noon.

    If you’d like to host Tailgating Time – Super Bowl 2013 on your own blog just click the following – get the InLinkz code. Don’t just join the party, host the hop too! This is going to be fun 🙂

    It’s time to get this party started!

    TAILGATING TIME

     

    Welcome to the 4th annual Tailgating Time!
    Yep, it’s that time again – time for football food, coolers

    full of cold ones, and the big game-day buffet. Bring over your chips

    and

    dips,  chili and chowders, all your wings and party things! Since the

    Super Bowl is exactly 4 weeks from today I thought I’d

    get the linky up so we can all start adding our favorites. We all want

    to have lots of great party foods to chose from for the big day!

    The Tailgating Time blog hop will be open from noon today until February

    10th, one week after Super Bowl 2013 to give you plenty of time to link

    up all your favorites. Your links do not have to be new ones – think

    appetizers and party foods you’ve posted throughout the year. Link any

    goodies from  holidays, celebrations, tailgating treats through football

    season, or anything that would go great for a Super Bowl party. There

    is no limit to the amount of links you add, the more the merrier! This

    year I’m also enabling voting for your favorite recipes. The voting will

    be open February 10th at noon and ending on February 17th at noon.

    If you’d like to host Tailgating Time – Super Bowl 2013 on your own blog just click the following – get the InLinkz code. Don’t just join the party, host the hop too! This is going to be fun 🙂
    It’s time to get this party started!

    FRIDAY FILL-INS

    ffi

    And…here we go!

    1. Wake up little Suzie.
    2. Remember all the fun we had!
    3. Every picture tells a story.
    4. It’s a little too quiet.
    5. Stay with the program.
    6. Confusing in a thousand ways.
    7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to staying warm and watching some TV with hubby, tomorrow my plans include Football Playoffs and Sunday, I want to sort some more VA crap!

    BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

    This one is for my brother-in-law, Terry, the family short order cook.  He knew I cooked all healthy and was prepared to hate this recipe.  But instead everyone loved it and it disappeared fast!

    BREAKFAST CASSEROLE
    3 pounds sausage *
    6+ slices Wonder bread**
    7 eggs
    2 cups milk
    1 can cream of mushroom soup ***
    2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    2. Layer the meat in the bottom of the pan evenly.
    3. Lay bread evenly over the meat.
    4. Whisk together the milk, eggs and soup until well blended.
    5. Pour over bread.
    6. Top with cheese.
    7. Bake for 1 hour.
    8. Let set 5 minutes before cutting.
    • *I like a ham (ham steak) and sausage mix – if using only ham spray pan with PAM first
    • **I have also used sourdough and gluten free though gluten free just doesn’t taste right to me
    • *** I use cream soup substitute

    NUTTER BUTTER TREATS

    NUTTER BUTTER TREATS
    6 cups rice krispie cereal
    1 cup peanut butter
    12 ounce package butterscotch morsels
    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1/2 teaspoon maple extract

    • In a large saucepan combine the peanut butter and butterscotch chips.
    • Stir together over a low heat until smooth.
    • Add vanilla and maple extracts, stirring until well blended.
    • Add cereal, stirring until well coated.
    • Press evenly into a buttered 13×9 pan.
    • Chill until firm.
    • Cut into 2 inch squares.

    Unfortunately these never made it to the pan to chill because they are good even warm and gooey!

    TODAY’S QUOTE

     

    “Every great dream begins with a dreamer.  Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” ~Harriet Tubman