James' First Birthday Dinner Menu

I often have a hard time coming up with complete menu's.  So I thought I'd share our menu for James' birthday dinner.  We had around 20 family members and ended up with just enough food.  Next time I'll make more because I would much rather have too much than not enough!

James' First Birthday Dinner

Two recipes of Crock Pot Barbecue

(with buns -- both slider size and regular size)
(I accidentally got beef instead of pork but Jason claimed that it tasted fine.  I would make sure that you get close to 5 lb roasts if possible, because mine were closer to 4 and we didn't have quite enough.)

Large bowl of cut fruit

One recipe of Broccoli Salad

One recipe of Mrs. Kelly's Baked Beans

One recipe of Corn Casserole

(So, so, so good! Should have had at least two recipes of this!)

One recipe of Slim Potato Casserole

(this was a little bland but at the same time too peppery -- it could have used a lot more cheese!)

One recipe of Arkansas Green Beans

(Jason said that these were the best green beans that he's ever had.  I would have to agree.  They were out of this world!)

Strawberry Birthday Cake

Meat with Potatoes

This recipe is from Stephanie at Happily Ever After.  This dish combines meat with any kind of veggies that you like.  It was really easy to put together and was very tasty.  I felt like it was a pretty decent meal health wise also because of all of the veggies I put in it!

Meat with Potatoes

Hamburger (1-2 lb., depending on your crowd)

Green Pepper (1-2)

Green Beans (I used one bag of frozen green beans)

Onion (1)

Celery (1 C)

Potatoes (1-2, washed and sliced)

1 8oz. can of Tomato Soup

1 pkg. of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 C of water

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Form meatballs from the hamburger, put on bottom of 9x13 pan.  Cut up fresh veggies and layer on top of meatballs, ending with the potatoes on top.

Mix tomato soup and onion soup mix together with water.  Pour over top of veggies and hamburger.  Cover with foil, bake for 1-1.5 hours (depends on your oven and how much hamburger you use).

This is a great, flavorful dish that is perfect on a cold winter night!  The soup mixture makes a thick sauce that gives everything a wonderful taste.  It's so simple and yummy and that's the beauty of it.  Plus, you can tweak it with the ingredients you have on hand or the ones you prefer.  I've made it several ways, depending on whether or not I feel like grocery shopping!

**Notes: I used 1 lb meat, added carrots, and left out the celery and pepper because I didn't have any.  You could use whatever veggies you have and have as much or little meat as possible.


The funny thing about this recipe is when Stephanie posted it she mentioned that if you were reading all of her posts about food you would think she was pregnant because that's what her posts were like when she was pregnant with their almost 1 year old, Ava.  She said that she was not pregnant but they found out a few weeks ago that she is! So if you get a chance drop by and wish them congratulations!

Super Sloppy Joe's

 

In college I tried cooking some of Rachael Ray's recipes but I always found them too hard.  Too many ingredients that weren't common.  Maybe she could make those recipes in 30 minutes but it took me a LOT longer than that!  So I kind of gave up on her.  Until my aunt gave me her "Kid Food" cookbook for Christmas.  A few weeks ago I was looking for new recipes and I figured I might could find something in this cookbook so I pulled it out and I made Rachael's Super Sloppy Joe's.  And let me tell you, they were super!  We used to make Sloppy Joe's a lot in our first year of marriage when we were trying to stretch our grocery budget but it was always with the sloppy joe mix package from the store.  These homemade sloppy joe's were so good!  Please give this recipe a try, you won't regret it! (I couldn't find this recipe on her website but if anyone has the link please let me know!)

Super Sloppy Joe's

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 lb Ground Beef (the leaner the better)

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 teaspoons Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick

1 medium Onion, chopped finely

1 small Red Bell Pepper, chopped finely

1 T Red Wine Vinegar

1 T Worcestershire Sauce

2 cups Tomato Sauce

2 T Tomato Paste

4 crusty rolls, split, toasted, and slightly buttered

1. Heat a large skilled over M/H head.  Add oil and beef to the pan, spreading it around to break it up.

2. Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning, then add to skillet and combine.

3. When meat has browned, add onion and red pepper.  Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add vinegar, stirring briefly, then add Worcestershire, tomato sauce and tomato paste, stirring to combine.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook 5 minutes longer.

5. Serve on toasted buns

The Pioneer Woman's BBQ Meatballs

This week the recipe that I'm featuring is one of The Pioneer Woman's. If you don't read The Pioneer Woman you should probably start. She is hilarious with the most down to eart, funny tales about life on the ranch in Oklahoma. She is also an amazing cook who comes up with the best recipes! A lot of them have a lot of steps but every one that I've made so far has been so worth it! Ree has a cookbook that has come out that I'm hoping I'm getting for Christmas!


Two weeks ago I got on a cooking kick and made a few recipes, one of which was The Pioneer Woman's BBQ Meatballs which she calls the "ultimate comfort food." I was surprised at the lack of elaborate steps in the recipe but I was glad that Jason was home to help me when we got to the part about dredging the meatballs in flour and then cooking them in oil on the stove. It just helped to have two sets of hands but I'm sure you could do that step by yourself if you were a little more organized about it than I was. Another thing that I loved about this recipe was that I ate the leftovers for lunch the next two days and the meatballs were still fantastic even two days later! I also served these over egg noodles but I'm sure mashed potatoes would be great also.

Go and check out Ree's post for step by step pictures and instructions or to print the recipe to the size that you need for your recipe box. But if you just want the bare bones recipe it is below.

BBQ Meatballs

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 6

Ingredients

FOR MEATBALLS
1-½ pound Ground Beef
¾ cups Oats
1 cup Milk
3 Tablespoons Very Finely Minced Onion
1-½ teaspoon Salt
Plenty Of Ground Black Pepper (to Taste)
_____

FOR COOKING MEATBALLS
1 cup All-Purpose Flour (coating For Frozen Meatballs)
Canola Oil
_____
FOR SAUCE
1 cup Ketchup
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Tablespoons Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
4 Tablespoons (to 6 Tablespoons) Onion
1 dash(es) Tabasco

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.
Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.
Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty French bread.

Beef Fajitas

This recipe from Family Circle makes a lot and is pretty easy. I served the Fajita's with Spanish Rice and it was a really good meal!

Beef Fajitas

1 pound Flank Steak

3 t Fajita Seasoning Mix (in with regular spices)

1 T Canola Oil

1 medium-sized sweet Red Pepper, Seeded and Thinly Sliced (there were no red peppers at the grocery store so I got a green one instead)

1 medium-sized yellow Pepper, seeded and Thinly sliced

1 large Onion, thinly sliced

1 T lime juice

8 fajita-size flour tortillas, warmed

1. Cut steak across the grain into 1/4 inch wide strips; toss with seasoning.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and onions; cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add steak and cook 5 minutes or until cooked through. Stir in lime juice.

4. Serve in tortillas.

Tortilla Chip Bake

This is another recipe out of the cookbook that Jason's grandmother gave me at one of our wedding showers.  It is a really great cookbook that has one of my all-time favorite desserts in it, Butter Squares.  Next time I make them (and I think it's going to be soon!) I'll post that recipe because they are divine!

This recipe was also really good and so simple that my only picture is of the ingredients.  Everything else is basic!  Enjoy!

Tortilla Chip Bake

8 servings

Ingredients:

2 lbs Ground Beef

1 medium Onion, chopped

1 10 oz can chopped tomatoes with green chilies (aka Rotel)

2 16 oz cans Chili Beans

1 10 oz can Cream of Mushroom soup

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 12 oz pkg Tortilla chips, crushed

8 oz shredded Cheddar Cheese

1. Brown beef with onion in skillet, stirring until crumbly.  Drain well.
2. Add tomatoes, beans, soup, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.
3. Layer tortilla chips and beef mixture in a 9x13 baking dish.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with cheese and continue baking until cheese melts.

This was a really great recipe!  We enjoyed it with salads and more chips and salsa but you could also serve it with Mexican rice. The beauty of this recipe is that the prep is really quick and it makes a lot (I froze half of this recipe).  It's also filling and has lots of good stuff in it!

Upside Down Pizza Casserole

This is a fantastic, easy recipe that I got from my friend Erin!  Jason and I both loved the recipe and I'm betting that kids will love it too!

Upside Down Pizza Casserole

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 15 oz. can Italian-style tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese (6 oz.)
1 10-oz. package refridgerated biscuits (10)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In large skillet cook beef until brown; drain off fat.  Stir in tomato sauce, heat through.  Transfer mixture to a 2-quart rectangular baking dish (I use a 13x9 pan).  Sprinkle with cheese.  Flatten each biscuit with your hands; arrange the biscuits on top of cheese.  Bake about 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden.

Beef Tenderloin with Henry Bain Sauce

In case you need a good New Year's recipe to feed a crowd this recipe is a definite. You can also make it with pork tenderloin which is just as good as the beef. The sauce in this recipe is the best part! Mom found this recipe and used it for Thanksgiving and I'm so glad that she's passed it along!

Beef Tenderloin with Henry Bain Sauce

1/4 c Butter, softened

2 t Salt

1 t Freshly ground pepper

1 4 1/2 - 5 lb Beef Tenderloin, trimmed

Henry Bain Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Stir together butter, salt, and pepper; rub over tenderloin. Place tenderloin on a lightly greased wire rack in a 15x10 inch jelly-roll pan.

2. Bake at 500 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion register 145 degrees (medium-rare). Cover tenderloin loosely with aluminum foil, and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Henry Bain Sauce

1 9 oz bottle Chutney (Major Grey's)

1 14 oz bottle Ketchup

1 12 oz bottle Chili Sauce

1 10 oz bottle Steak Sauce (A1)

1 10 oz bottle Worcestershire Sauce

1 t Hot Sauce

1. Process chutney in a food processor (or blender) until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients and process until blended. Cover and chill 2 hours or up to 1 week.

Baked Ziti

I love Italian! I especially love pasta dishes.  This recipe is originally from my aunt but it was tweaked by my mom and I have to say, it's a great recipe!  Very easy and tastes fantastic!

Baked Ziti

Serves 6-8

1 lb Ground Beef

1 16 oz container Cottage Cheese

1 c Parmesean Cheese

1 jar (30 oz) Old Style Ragu

2 c Grated Mozzarella

1 16 oz Box Ziti Noodles

1. Brown ground beef in skillet.  Drain grease.

2. Cook and drain noodles.

3. Grease 9x13 dish.

4. Mix noodles, sauce, and 3/4 of cheese.

5. Pour mixture into dish. 

6. Sprinkle cheese on top.

7. Cook at 350 degress until bubbly (approximately 30 minutes)

Let me know how you like it!  For next week's Thanksgiving edition of Recipe Wednesday I'd like to do a dish that you're interested in.  Would you prefer a dessert?  Chicken? Beef? Pasta?  Let me know what kind of recipe you want to see and I'll find one and make it to ensure that it's a great recipe!  Just leave me a comment with the type of recipe you'd like to see and whatever gets the most votes is what I'll go with.

Taco Soup

Since today is October 1st I thought I'd let you know on my must-have comfort food of the fall and winter.  Taco Soup.  This is a great recipe that is huge so you can freeze half and save it for later.

Taco Soup

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

1 small Onion, chopped

1 16 oz can each Pinto Beans, Red Kidney Beans, Lima Beans, rinsed and drained

1 envelope Taco Seasnoning Mix

1 1/2 c Water

1 envelope Ranch Salad Dressing Mix

1 t each Salt and Pepper

2 cans Rotel

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Tortilla Chips

Brown ground beef in a large skillet; drain.  Combine beef, onions, rotel, all beans, taco seasoning mi, water, salad dressing mix, salt and pepper in a large slow cooker; mix well.  Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.  Top with cheese and tortilla chips.

Let me know if you make it!