December 20, 2010

mini turkey meatballs - baked

This is one of my favorite go-to Sunday meals.  So easy to make and equally delicious. Colton LOVES them, so I usually freeze some in individual batches so that I can pull them out and throw them in the microwave for him. Easy Peasy!! I took the original recipe from my BFF Giada.  Instead of frying them in oil, I bake them in the oven.  Let's get to it, shall we.

Ingredients
  • 1 lb. ground turkey meat
  • 1 small onion, grated (I do minced instead)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs (I use Italian bread crumbs)
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley (I used curly parsley)
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Place all ingredients into a bowl.



3. Mix together thoroughly using your hands.  Make sure your mixture isn't too wet or dry.  (I used about 1.25 lbs. of turkey, so I adjusted the ingredients a little bit; i.e. more cheese, more ketchup, etc.

4.  Roll mixture into a small meatballs.  Place on the baking sheet.


5.  Place the meatballs in the oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on how 'crispy' you like your meatballs.  I love a good crust on mine, so I leave them in for 20 minutes.


6.  After the 15-20 minutes, take the meatballs out and turn them over.  They will look a little gross at this point, but don't worry.  It is just the fat oozing out!  Place them back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes.

7.  After the 15-20 minutes (again, depending on your like of the 'crispy'), take out of the oven and you are done!

I usually throw these in some homemade sauce and let them sit on the stove until dinner time.  These are super healthy and delicious.  The best part about this recipe is the cleanup, there is virtually none since you line the baking sheet with foil!  They really are the best meatballs I have ever made. Enjoy!


December 15, 2010

holiday photos

2 years ago when we brought our beloved Weimaraner, Gunner, home in November, I had the brilliant idea of taking his picture in front of the Christmas Tree and putting him front and center on our Christmas cards.  Sounds easy, right? WRONG.   Let me explain:

Year 1: Gunner was only 2 months old at the time. If you have ever dealt with a 2 month old, high strung puppy, you know the drill.  It probably took about 45 minutes to get 2-3 good shots of him.  Here is what we settled on for the card. (every time I look at this, I want 233 more puppies. my husband would.kill.me)


Year 2:  Gunner was a year old and Colton was about 4 weeks old when I decided that it was time for the Christmas photo shoot. It was relatively easy, in that we could get Gunner to sit beside the tree (using about 89 milk bones, mind you) and then sit Colton beside him in his little bouncer.  After about 20 minutes, I finally got a usable shot. (i laugh every time i look at this and see Colton's 'bitch, please' face)


Year 3: Gunner is now 2 years old and Colton just turned a year old a few weeks ago. Since he is no longer interested in walking, only running, I knew this was going to be tons of fun (insert sarcasm here).  It literally took us 2 days to finally get a shot of my boys together.  This is actually a very accurate depiction of my life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  



 


Then they finally started pulling it together. There may or may not have been Milk Bones, Cheerios, and Phineas and Ferb involved. 





 












December 13, 2010

enchiladas, verde style

This has the be the easiest chicken enchilada recipe ever.  I make this at least 2-3 times a month, it's that delicious! Let's get to it, shall we!

Enchiladas, Verde Style

 Ingredients:
  • 2-3 chicken breasts
  • 1 small onion
  • 2-3 cans of green enchilada sauce
  • 1 small can diced green chiles
  • 1 lb. bag Colby jack cheese (or your favorite Mexican cheese)
  • low fat sour cream
  • tortillas
1. Take your chicken breasts and place them in your crock pot.  Slice up the onion and place on top of the chicken.


2. Take your enchilada sauce and green chiles and pour over the chicken/onion combo.  Depending on your chicken breasts, you may only need 2 cans. I like a lot of sauce, so I went with 3.  You can use any brand you like; I was at Target and didn't feel like going to the grocery store, so I bought their brand.



3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (or high for 4 hours). I usually turn this on around 7am and turn the crock pot off around 4pm when I get home from work.  I usually start making dinner around 5, so I just let the chicken hang out for about and hour before I start assembling.

4. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the crock pot and shred with a fork. The chicken will pretty much fall apart on it's own at this point. Once shredded, add chicken back to the crock pot. (of course I forgot to take a picture)

5. Take one tortilla and add some of the chicken and onion mixture to the center.  Add some sauce and cheese to the chicken mixture. Tightly roll the tortilla and place into a glass dish (add some of the sauce to the bottom of the dish so that the enchiladas won't stick).

6. Continue until you have no chicken left!  Cover the enchiladas with the remainder of the sauce from the crock pot.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the enchiladas.
7. Place into a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and bubbly. 


I usually serve with with a little sour cream over the top and it is to DIE for.  Can't forget about the beans and rice to go with it! Enjoy ladies :)