Fresh Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

One of my favorite things is fresh mozzarella! I decided to go with a classic spaghetti and meatballs for dinner but, stuff the meatballs with fresh mozzarella! Yummy!

Fresh Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb ground meat (I used lean beef but you could use chicken, turkey, pork, or any mixture)
1 inch fresh mozzarella balls (I used about 10 for the recipe)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place olive oil in oven safe dish and rub around until pan is coated.
2. Combine beef and remaining ingredients, except mozzarella, in a bowl.

3. Take 1/4 cup beef mixture and press into center with your thumb to make room for cheese ball.
Place cheese in middle then cover the cheese with the beef, making sure the cheese is completely covered.

4. Place meatballs into oven safe dish and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

5. Enjoy on top of spaghetti and tomato sauce or as a meatball sub!

Slow Cooker Beer Chicken

There's no denying  that beer is a favorite in our household. Being that I'm 9 months pregnant, I can't drink it, so I decided to cook with it! :)

Slow Cooker Beer Chicken

Ingredients:


1 3-4 lb chicken, cleaned & patted dry
4 tbsp olive oil
6-8 small red potatoes, cut into large chunks
1/2 a large onion, roughly chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 12-ounce beer (I used Goose Island 312 Wheat Ale)

Directions: 

1. Place cut up onion and potatoes in slow cooker.
2. Pour 3 tbsp of olive oil over top and half of the seasoning mixture. Stir until potatoes and onions are coated with seasonings.

3. Place cleaned and dried chicken on top of veggie mixture.

4. Pour rest of olive oil on chicken and rub around. Top with remaining seasoning mixture.

5. Pour beer on top of chicken and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

6. After chicken is done cooking, scoop out chicken and veggies and put them on a cookie sheet. Broil for about 5 minutes or less. Chicken and veggies will become crispy and browned. Enjoy!

Snicker Doodle Blondies

My husband is a huge fan of Snicker Doodle cookies, so tonight I decided to experiment with Snicker Doodle Blondies and they were quite the success! It's a very easy recipe with stuff that you're likely to have in your home!

Snicker Doodle Blondies

Ingredients: 

2 2/3 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl.
2. Combine brown sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla in mixer until well blended.

3. Beat together flour mixture with brown sugar mixture.

4. Spread batter evenly into 9x13 greased pan.

5. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of batter.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Surface will bounce back when you gently press on it.

Enjoy!!

A Few notes:
*This would be DELICIOUS with vanilla ice cream or cinnamon apples on top! Or both! :)

Slow Cooker Beef Goulash

This is another one of those recipes that is great to come home to! Fast and easy home cooking!

Slow Cooker Beef Goulash

Ingredients: 

2 lbs beef stew meat, cut and trimmed
2 tbsp sweet or hot paprika (or a combo of both)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (14 oz) beef broth
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water
Egg Noodles

Directions: 

1. Place beef in the bottom of the slow cooker and top with paprika, salt, and pepper.

2. Place onions and peppers on top of beef. 

3. In medium sauce pan, bring diced tomatoes, beef broth, worcestershire sauce, and garlic to a simmer. 

4. Pour sauce mixture in slow cooker and put bay leaves on top.  Cook on low for 7-7.5 hours. 

5. After 7.5 hours, remove bay leaves and stir in cornstarch and water mixture. Turn slow cooker on high and cook an additional 15 minutes. Serve over cooked egg noodles. 

Cheesy Italian Shepherd's Pie

This is a simple recipe that can be made in about 30 minutes. A lot of the prep work could be done ahead of time too!

Cheesy Italian Sheperd's Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb ground meat (I used ground turkey)
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella or provolone
12 oz cooked whole wheat rotini (or pasta of your choice)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While cooking pasta to box's directions, heat up olive oil over medium heat and brown ground meat, takes about 10 minutes.

2. Add in veggies and cook for 5 minutes. Add in tomato paste, 1/2 cup chicken stock, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional 10 minutes. 

3. While turkey and veggies are cooking, place butter in medium sauce pot until melted. Add flour and cook for about 1 minutes, constantly stirring and not letting it burn. Stir in milk and rest of chicken stock, bring to a simmer and cook til thickened. Remove from head and stir in cheese. 

4. Cover the bottom of a greased baking dish with the turkey and veggie mixture. 

5. Mix cheese sauce with pasta and pour over top of turkey and veggie mixture. Top with parmesan. 

6. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese starts to brown. Enjoy!

Hootenanny aka Volcano Pancakes

I found this recipe and had to try it. It's simple and ended up being delicious! Plus the name is one of the funnier recipe names I've encountered! Decided to take a pic when it was done just incase it was a good one and it was! :)

Hootenanny aka Volcano Pancakes

Ingredients:

6 eggs
1 cup of milk
1 cup of flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup of butter, melted

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine eggs, flour, milk, and salt. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan.
2. Pour melted butter over mixture, do not mix.
3. Bake for 25 minutes, edges will brown nicely and puff up!

4. Slice into pieces and serve with maple syrup!

A few note:
*Tastes like a mixture of pancakes and french toast!
* Would be delicious with fresh fruit on top!
*Makes about 4 servings.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

This is a great paleo recipe and it's super easy! It's got all of the taste of a Philly Cheesesteak but without the bread! :)

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

4 large green bell peppers
8 oz thinly sliced roast beef
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic

Directions:

1. Preaheat oven to 400 degrees. Saute mushrooms and onions in butter, olive oil, and garlic over medium heat. Cook until nicely caramelized  about 20 minutes.

2. While mushrooms and onions cook. Prepare peppers and place a slice of provolone cheese in the bottom of each pepper. 

3. Slice roast beef into strips and add to mushroom and onion mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes, until beef is warm. 

4. Fill each pepper with meat mixture until they are practically over flowing. 

5. Top each pepper with a slice of provolone cheese and cook for about 25 minutes at 400 degrees. 

6. When cheese becomes brown and bubbly, it's time to enjoy!

Slow Cooker Sausage and Egg Casserole

Breakfast is definitely my favorite meal of the day! So nothing is better than having breakfast for dinner! You can also put this in the slow cooker before bed and wake up to a delicious meal! This is also a great way to use up some eggs and other things in the fridge!

Slow Cooker Sausage and Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

2 lbs frozen hashbrowns
1 lb breakfast sausage, browned and drained
1/2 up yellow onions, diced
3 cups shredded cheese (I used 2 cups of cheddar and mozzarella mix and 1 cup of 4 state cheddar)
12 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Pour frozen hashbrowns in bottom of slow cooker.

2. Brown up sausage and cut into bite size pieces.

3. Layer onion, sausage, and cheese on top of hashbrowns.

4. Mix eggs, milk, mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together. Pour mixture over slow cooker layers.

5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

6. Enjoy!! Then enjoy again for breakfast the next day! :)