Pioneer Woman Comfort Meatballs

A tasty meal is never too much work, these meatballs are no exception, they are delish! 

Since there are tons of steps to cover here is the link to the recipe, I found this recipe in my book The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Ready... Set... Go!

add oatmeal

stir to combine

add milk

onion

generous amount of pepper

form meatballs into tablespoon sized portions (I used one tablespoon and one teaspoon and switched the meat onto each spoon until the size was correct) refrigerate meatballs for 30 -45 minutes to allow them to firm up and hold shape for cooking.  

add sauce ingredients together

I poured Vinegar and Worcestershire sauce into a large bowl then added 

ketchup

sugar

onion

stir to combine

dredge meatballs in flour and brown on each side in a skillet

place meatballs in a baking dish

cover with sauce and bake for 30 to 45 mins

easy and delicious!

Sweet Heart Krispie Treats

 Jai had a blast making these treats, cereal was everywhere however... the yarn is for the cellophane bags stay tuned for the crafts and other projects she and I did together. to see the easy steps for this project click here

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 3 tablespoons margarine
• 6 cups mini (or 60 regular-size) marshmallows
• Red food coloring

• 9 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• Heart-shaped cookie cutter
• Plastic bags, yarn

Instructions

1. To begin, lightly coat a 10- by 15-inch baking sheet with cooking spray and set it aside.
2. Melt the margarine in a large pot over low heat. Add the marshmallows, stirring them continuously until they melt. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in drops of red food coloring until the color receives a thumbs-up from the chef.
3. Add the Rice Krispies, stirring until they are evenly coated with marshmallow. Spoon the mixture onto the baking sheet.
4. With waxed paper (or lightly buttered hands), smooth out the mixture, spreading it to an even thickness.
5. Cut out hearts with the cookie cutter. Place each heart in a clear plastic bag, tie on a yarn bow, and they're ready for giving. Makes seven 5-inch hearts.
   
   Don't forget to stop by and check out katrina's blog to see what she's got going for Valentine's day treats.

Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

When I have had a rough day, I love to have comfort food to cheer me up. Since I am modifying my eating habits in hopes to shed at least 20 pounds, I cannot make my meals too comforting, that would damage my efforts. Dinner tonight is a quick meal that you can make with your eyes closed.  All of these ingredients are in your pantry I am sure.

Here is what you need:

4 Chicken breasts, split into cutlets if possible or butterflied (season with salt and pepper)

1/4 stick of butter

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 mushrooms sliced - I love mushrooms so I used a ton (or a can of mushrooms)

Rosemary- to taste

Thyme-to taste

Parsley - to taste

All you need to do is:

Melt butter in skillet and cook chicken through. remove chicken and place on a plate, in the same skillet, add 2/3 cup of your chicken stock. Add the herbs and then put mushrooms in skillet, toss around a bit until they have started to brown. Add chicken back to skillet and cover skillet for 6 minutes, add last 1/3 cup of your chicken stock, add 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Cover the skillet again and cook on a low heat for 30-40 minutes. 

Garlic Spinach

Add 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil to sautee skillet. When melted and combined add the garlic to the skillet and blend into oil and butter, add spinach to skillet  toss until completely cooked and serve.

Superbowl Sunday Meal

By far the easiest BBQ meal I have ever made... no need to talk about these recipies, I will just say... try them both out!

Smoky Baked Beans (from Big Daddy's House via foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry white beans (that have been soaked overnight)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, diced
• 1/4 cup roasted garlic paste
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• Dash balsamic vinegar
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 12 ounces dark beer
• 1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large Dutch oven, over high heat, bring the soaked beans up to a boil with enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain in a colander.

In the same Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the butter. Add the onions and saute until nicely colored, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the smoked sausage and brown. Stir in the roasted garlic paste, sugar, maple syrup, mustard and vinegar and mix well. Add the rosemary, cayenne pepper, and chicken stock. Add beans and stir well. Pour in the stock and the beer and bring to a boil. Cover and bake in the oven for 90 minutes. Remove from oven. Stir in the tomatoes, and parsley and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Spicy Pop Pulled Pork

Ingredients
2onions, peeled and quartered

•          

• 
  
• 1 whole pork butt (pork shoulder roast)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cans pop (I use Dr Pepper)
• 4 packed tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 can chipotle peppers (I substituted fire roasted tomatoes and cayenne seasoning for the chipotle)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Start by placing the onion quarters in the bottom of a pot. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper, and then place on top of the onions. Open the cans of pop and pour them over the whole thing. Add the brown sugar to the liquid and stir.

Cover the pot, put in the oven and cook for at least 6 hours, flipping the roast 2 or 3 times during the cooking process. When it's done, the pork will be dark and weird and wonderful. It'll also be fork-tender. That's when you know it's done.

Remove the meat from the pot and shred completely. Then return the meat to the pot and keep in the juice until you need it. Divine!

(recipe from Pioneer Woman via foodnetwork.com)

Ready to Throw Up My Hands ~ Until...

I thought T had found the PERFECT panel fabric for my bedroom, 8.85 a yard... loved it!

Well, it got away... back to full price (3 times the sale price)
I then spotted this Richloom Jubilee fabric for 8.98 its close but not the exact fabric I loved.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw: 

Richloom Indoor/Outdoor Wildwood Jubilee 

 I found it on fabric.com 10.98 per yard, this is a couple dollars more than the fabric I wanted but it is very, very close and considering I want to make a bold statement with the panels and other elements in my room, I think I may be able to do a lot with this fabric. 

I feel soo much better because I literally dream about this bold pattern, I know it will wake my room up. I have not stopped in my local Home Fabrics store yet and will this week for myself and a gift exchange item.


I am ready to start adding elements to my room by selecting artwork and frames as well as put the pieces together and determine if they work in my room.


I am really looking for these colors to brighten up my space - Any suggestions?

Crafty Valentine

This year is a first in decorating for Valentine's day for myself and my children. I would always proudly display my daughter's masterpieces created at school for this day of love, but I was never one to break out the old scissors and glue and make things for the girls to give out to friends etc. I always made sure they had a bear or a really cute card, I even managed to wind up with a collection of heartfelt cards from both my girls and my Nana, but I must admit... I found decorating a daunting task. This year, I thought - why not try something new? My friend Katrina over at chiclittlehouse.blogspot.com decided to work on some crafts and post about them on our respective blogs. We are both really excited about the project.

A trip to Target last week proved just the thing I needed, I found a really neat book with some simple and inexpensive crafts and treats to make and share for Valentine's day.

I paid 2.50 for a Disney Family fun Sweet Valentines Book on easy to make treats, crafts and cards, they also have a website that has tons of fun ideas for things to do not only for the kids at a holiday, but all year round here:

My first project will be a yarn wreath (I hope I come close to this)

This looks like a simple yet fun way to decorate a space and not break the bank, I am thinking I may put a few felt hearts on the wreath.

These are the Sweetheart Rice Krispie Treats I plan to make with Jai

I also hope to make a few of these with Jai to pass out to friends at school 

and

Please stay tuned for the how to posts and results and don't forget to stop by and visit Katrina's blog chiclittlehouse.blogspot.com to see what she will be up to for Valentines day with her boys.