Parmesan Ranch Meatballs

I haven't made it to the grocery store for awhile, but I fortunately had all the ingredients for these meatballs. It's always nice to find a recipe that doesn't require a trip to the store (even if it is only a 1/2 mile away).

Parmesan Ranch Meatballs

1 lb ground turkey or beef

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 egg

1/4 cup bread crumbs

2 Tbsp dry ranch dressing mix

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well-combined. Form into meatballs and place into an oiled 9x13 pan.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Turn meatballs over and broil for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned.

Combine with sauce and serve. Makes about 20 meatballs.

Chef Salad

Chef Salad is one of my favorite comfort foods. It works well for a quick lunch, or for dinner when you don't feel like turning on the stove.

Chef Salad

Mixed Salad Greens

Chopped turkey breast

Chopped cheddar cheese

Chopped hardboiled egg

Alfalfa sprouts

Tomatoes

My other favorite additions are pickled beets, croutons, cold green peas, cucumbers, peppers of any variety, olives, and fresh mushrooms.

Mix everything together and then enjoy!

Here is my method for perfect hardboiled eggs: Place desired number of eggs in a cooking pot and fill with cool water until water is 1" above eggs. Cook uncovered until water boils. When water boils, cover pot with a lid and remove from heat. Let stand for 12 minutes. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and let cool for 10 minutes.

Simple Apple Dumplings

In the search for a quick dessert to use up a few items I had on hand, I came across this simple recipe.

Simple Apple Dumplings

1 granny smith apple

1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup Sprite, Ginger Ale, or Mountain Dew

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 8" or 9" square baking pan.

Cut apple into 8 wedges. Remove core and peel.

Separate the roll dough into triangles. Starting at the small end, roll each apple wedge into a triangle of dough. Place into baking dish.

Combine butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Pour over the dumplings. Pour desired soda pop over dumplings.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until dumplings are golden brown.

Serve immediately, topped with vanilla ice cream.

Pizza Sauce

This delicious pizza sauce takes less than two minutes to make and is delicious! It tastes best if allowed to sit in the refrigerator overnight. Once you taste it, you'll be impressed that something so yummy came from such a quick and simple recipe.

Pizza Sauce

28 oz crushed tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 Tbsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate overnight (or up to one week) if time allows.

This recipe makes enough sauce for about six medium-sized pizzas.

Gumdrop Fudge

I attended a class last week that featured recipes for Christmas gifts that are simple and delicious. This recipe really fits the bill. It is simple enough to have kids make it, and it tastes great!

Gumdrop Fudge

1 1/2 cups chopped gumdrops

1 1/2 lbs white chocolate candy coating

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1/8 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

Grease an 8 or 9" square pan with butter and set aside.

Using kitchen shears, chop gumdrops into small pieces. I like to use the shears and cut each one into quarters. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, combine candy coating, condensed milk, and salt. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until candy coating has melted and mixture is smooth. Do not turn up the heat--it burns easily!

Stir vanilla into fudge. Add gumdrops gradually while stirring to ensure that they don't end up in one big clump.

Pour fudge into prepared buttered pan. Let stand at room temperature until firm, about three hours.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

What do you do when it is 11:30pm and you realize you have a garden full of overripe strawberries? Make freezer jam! If you don't have a garden, please go to a Farmers' Market to get fresh fruit for the jam--grocery store produce just won't cut it for this one.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

4 cups crushed strawberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 pkg Freezer Jam Pectin

Overripe strawberries work the best. Wash strawberries and cut off the tops. I chose to put half of the strawberries in the blender to puree them and then crushed the other half with a potato masher. This created a good overall texture for the jam. You need four cups of mashed strawberries--not four cups of strawberries pre-mashing.

Combine freezer pectin and sugar in a medium bowl. Add strawberries. Stir vigorously for 3 minutes.

Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Pour into freezer containers. This recipe makes about four pints.

Store in the freezer for up to one year or the refrigerator for three weeks. I prefer the refrigerator version.

Teriyaki Chicken

This teriyaki chicken is quick and absolutely delicious. It's my new favorite recipe. It's good hot for dinner and then cold for lunch the next day. Plus, chicken thighs tend to be fairly cheap.

Teriyaki Chicken

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 chicken thighs

2 tsp sesame seeds

Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, ginger, pepper, and garlic in a large plastic bag. Add chicken thighs and toss to coat. Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for one hour, tossing chicken every 15 minutes or so.

Place chicken skin side down on a broiler pan. Broil for 6 minutes. Turn chicken over, and cook for an additional 6 minutes. Top with sesame seeds. Reduce heat to 400 degrees and move oven rack to middle shelf. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy!

Easy Soft Mints

If you are one of those people who think that everything mint tastes like toothpaste, then this isn't the one for you. For everyone else, here is an extremely easy soft mint recipe.

Soft Mints

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

2 lbs powdered sugar

3/4 tsp Creme de Menthe Oil

2 drops green food coloring

Beat cream cheese and butter until well-creamed, about two minutes. Slowly add powdered sugar and stir until well-incorporated and smooth. Add flavoring and coloring. Stir until color is even.

Put mixture into the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Once chilled, roll into small balls. (Optional) Toss in additional powdered sugar. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Makes about 50 small balls.