Simple Swedish Meatballs

1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg (6 1/4 oz.) boxed chicken stuffing mix
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups water
1 jar (12 oz.) beef gravy
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix meat, stuffing, eggs, onions and water. Shape into meatballs about 1" in diameter (about 32). Place in 2 foil lined 13 x 9 baking pan. Bake 20 minutes. Mix gravy and sour cream in a large sauce pan. Add meatballs. Mix lightly and cook on low for 5 minutes. Serves 8 (4 meatballs each)

With the holidays coming up, this is a simple and delicious way to make meatballs. You can make the meatballs ahead and freeze by placing them in single layers on a baking dish, place into freezer until frozen and then transfer to a zip top bag.

Changes - use ground turkey or chicken. The boxed stuffing comes in several flavors so you can easily change your flavor by changing your stuffing.

Ham & Egg Breakfast Cups

16 slices deli ham
4 Tbl. shredded cheese
8 eggs
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 8 muffin tins with non-stick spray. Place 2 slices of ham in each muffin tin creating a "cup." Make sure there are no tears in your ham so there will be no leakage. Add 1/2 Tbl. of cheese. Break one egg into each tin. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake 15 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Carefully remove using the ham to lift.

Changes - Serve over English Muffins with Hollandaise Sauce. Add a little salsa over your cooked egg along with a little sour cream. Use deli sliced turkey, chicken or beef instead of the ham. Get creative and think with your taste buds.

Fruity Gelatin

2 cups water
1 pkg (3 oz.) strawberry gelatin
1 can (21 oz.) strawberry pie filling
1 pkg (3 oz.) lemon gelatin
1 pkg (3 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 whipped topping
3 Tbl. chopped nuts

In a large saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Stir in strawberry gelatin until dissolved. Add pie filling, mix well. Pour into an 11 x 7 x 2 dish. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.

In a saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Stir in lemon gelatin until dissolved. In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Beat in lemon gelatin and pineapple. Cover and refrigerate 45 minutes. Into cream cheese mix, fold in marshmallows and whipped topping. Spoon over strawberry layer. Sprinkle with nuts. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serves 12.

Changes - change pie filling to blueberry, cherry, peach, etc. Make sure your gelatin flavor fits the flavor of your pie filling.

Garlic Salad Dressing

2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 Tbl. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. dehydrated onions
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients until blended. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

Changes - add a few dried herbs. The best way to tell if your choice of herbs will compliment your dressing is to make it according to the recipe, scoop up 1 tsp. and sprinkle just a FEW herbs, mix and taste. I like to use just a little fresh dill in this. It gives it a fresh taste.

Black Bean Patties

Black Bean Patties

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup cornmeal

Place 1/2 cups beans, garlic, cumin and salt in a bowl. Partially mash with a fork. Place remaining beans and egg egg into a food process. process 30 seconds or until well combined. add to mashed beans in bowl and stir until combined. Add cheese and onions, stir until combined. Divide into 4 patties. Place cornmeal in shallow dish. Dredge both sides with cornmeal. Heat frying pan sprayed with non-stick spray over medium high heat. Add patties. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

Changes - this can actually be made with any type of shelled bean. It's great using black eyed peas. I have a recipe in my cookbook Stir, Laugh, Repeat that's called "Georgia Pea Patties." This is a really a spiced up version of that recipe. You can also change the cheese if pepper jack is too hot for your taste. But, if you want it hotter, add a finely chopped hot pepper.

Ground Beef & Potato Pie

2 med. potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 med onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup shredded cheese
2 pie shells (9" each)
1 Tbl. mustard
1 Tbl. milk

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender. Mash and set aside. In a skillet brown the beef and drain. Stir in onions, clove, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Simmer 4-5 minutes. Stir in potatoes and chili sauce. Place 1 crust in a 9" pie plate. Brush mustard evenly over crust. Add meat mixture. Top with cheese. Top with remaining pie shell sealing edges. Trim off excess pie shell. Cut slits in the pie crust. Brush with milk. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serves 6

Changes - ground chicken or pork instead of beef. Add green peppers and/or mushrooms when adding onions. Don't like cheese? Leave it out. Use condensed cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup instead of chili sauce for a creamy texture.

Donut Cupcakes

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 pkg yellow cake mix (18.25 oz.)
1 Tbl. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 24 mini muffin pan cups with non-stick spray. Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Prepare cake mix according to package. Stir nutmeg into batter. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake about 12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from pans and roll in cinnamon sugar until completely coated. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 24 mini cupcakes.

The nutmeg gives the cakes a donut flavor. Changes can be made by changing the spice or cake mix flavor. This would be good with chocolate cake instead of yellow.

Apple Ball Pull Bread

1 frozen pkg (12) rise and bake dinner rolls
1 med. tart apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

Icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tsp. hot water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place rolls in a warm place and let rise for about 1 hr. Combine apple, sugar, pecans and cinnamon. Set aside. Break each roll in half and on a lightly floured surface, pat and roll out each into a 2 1/2" circle. Place 1 tsp. of apple mixture in center. Pinch edges together to seal and form into a ball. Dip in butter. Place half of the dough balls into a 10" tube pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of remaining apple mixture. Add next layer and rest of apple mixture. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled (about 45 minutes). Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Combine icing and drizzle over bread while hot. Cool before serving.

This bread takes a little time to make but the original recipe called for actually making your own dough and I've found that it works just as well with frozen yeast dinner rolls which also cuts the time down. For changes I would suggest using different flavorings. Instead of the vanilla extract, try orange or maple. If you don't have orange flavoring, use 3 1/2 tsp. of orange juice with pulp instead of hot water and vanilla extract in the icing.

Chocolate Candy Frosting

Chocolate Candy Frosting

24 large marshmallows
6 milk chocolate candy bars with almonds (1.45 oz. each), chopped
2/3 cup milk
1 carton (12 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed

In a small saucepan combine marshmallows, candy and milk. Cook and stir over low heat until marshmallows are melted. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Fold in 3/4 cup whipped topping. Ice between layers of cake. Use remaining cool whip to ice outside. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Changes - use a different flavor of candy. Maybe using white chocolate with nuts or coconut, etc. Sprinkle coconut or chopped nuts over outside icing.