Breakfast Fried Rice {gluten free}

This was so fun and such a different breakfast to make on a lazy morning. The girls had friends over and this was a perfect breakfast for some lovely teenagers/young adults that I often wake up to on a Saturday morning.

Breakfast Fried Rice
recipe found at Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

2 tbsp olive oil
4 eggs
4 tbsp soy sauce (gluten free if you need too)
1/2 lb sausage (we love Jimmy Dean, cooked first)
2 cups cooked rice (cold leftover rice works best)
2 tbsp rice vinegar

Mix together 2 tbsp of soy sauce with the eggs and beat well, I add a dash of milk too. Heat tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet on stove top. Add egg to pan and cook, but leave a little running do not over cook. Remove egg from pan and set aside.

Return pan to stove and add a little more oil. (you can a use a little grease from the sausage if you wish). Add cooked rice and cook for 4-5 minutes or until rice is starting to lightly brown (rice must be pre cooked you can not use uncooked rice). then add the egg back to the pan along with the meat, remaining soy sauce and the rice vinegar. Let cook for 2-3 minutes more, add some soy sauce if you desire and serve. A great easy breakfast.

Servings can be stored and frozen to be eaten later.

Macaroni Grill Penne Rustica {copycat recipe}

It's freezer cooking time, I am in the cooking mood and my kitchen is on fire. I've made 5 dinners in a row this week and doubled every recipe in order to get 5 extra freezer meals for my cousin. I was so excited to share these extra meals with my aunt who is visiting from Washington, my cousin, her husband and their brand new baby girl Nikki. My cousin just had her first baby 3 weeks ago and I wanted to share some of my freezer meals with them to help make dinner time a little easier.

Today, I made this amazingly delicious pasta recipe. I might even go as far as to say "this is the BEST pasta dish I've ever made". This recipe is wonderful, it's out of this world delicious and it will for sure be repeated in my house (probably sooner then later) and you can bet it will make it into my Volume 3 Family Cookbook. It's a copycat recipe of the Macaroni Grill chain restaurant Penne Rustica recipe, I don't eat at Macaroni Grill, I think I've only been there once or twice in my life, so I have no idea how this recipe compares to the real recipe, but I can tell you this recipe here is amazing.

Look at this darling little girl. I am a baby lover at heart and since my babies are 19 years old and 13 years old, there are no babies in my life and therefore I get to go and steal all of my family members new babies.

This recipe makes ALOT and I mean ALOT of pasta dishes. It's a perfect freezer meal, a perfect meal to share with a new mom or a friend or family member who may need a little help with the dinner time blues. You can always half the recipe if you wish, but I will be sharing the FULL recipe here, it makes about (3) 9x13 pans. Since my family is only a family of 3 I made our dishes in very small Purex baking dishes and I was able to make (2) 9x13 pans that I shared with my cousin and (5) smaller baking dishes that I keep for my family, and boy am I so glad I have 4 more of these left in my freezer.

I did cheat a little and use pasta we had on hand, I made up one box of Penne pasta and two boxes of Shell pasta. I also made a few other changes to this recipe by using my standard Crock-Pot Chicken recipe and shredding it (only because my hubby wasn't home to BBQ the chicken and because it's cold outside and not BBQ season), I think I will try it this way once we dust off the BBQ. I also used Turkey Bacon instead of regular bacon (and only because Turkey Bacon was on sale and it was cheap, like half the price of regular bacon) and since I know it's healthier, why not.

I've already had the opportunity to make up one of my small dishes. It worked out wonderful for this small one/two person serving dish to be cooked up in my toaster oven. A-MAZ-ING!

Macaroni Grill Penne Rustica {copycat recipe}

adapted by me, Tina, originally found over at Your Homebased Mom

FREEZER MEAL: This is a freezer meal and will make at least (3) 9x13 pans of pasta. If you wish to make just one dish or a smaller portion, you will need to cut the recipe in thirds or half.

1 whole chicken using Crock-Pot Chicken recipe; shredded and then add 1 to 2 tsp garlic salt

or 12 oz grilled chicken breast (marinate in olive oil and garlic salt overnight, then grill on barbecue for best flavor)

2 full packages of turkey bacon
48 oz. (3 boxes) penne pasta (or your favorite pasta); cook al dente about 6-8 minutes
2 large red bell peppers; diced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese; use fresh
½ to 1 tsp paprika

1 to 2 cups Monterrey Jack Cheese; grated for garnish on top

Sauce:
2 tsp butter
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup liquid (I used half 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup apple juice with 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar or you can use 1 cup marsala wine)
1 tsp dijon or dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped rosemary; use fresh for best flavor
¼ tsp (or more) cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream (yes 8 cups is alot, and you will need 4 small pint containers)

Chop and prepare everything first. Shred chicken, dice up red peppers, and start cooking your bacon. Chopped up the turkey bacon first before you cook it, saves time later and it's so much easier to cook. Then get your water boiling for the 3 packages of noodles, use a really large pan if you are cooking all 3 packages at once.

Sauté garlic in butter in large pan. Add liquid (chicken broth mixture), mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream. Cook to a soft boil.

Combine sauce, cooked pasta, shredded chicken, cooked bacon, bell peppers, Parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread into pans; top with Monterrey Cheese and sprinkle of paprika.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes, cheese with brown on top and it will begin to bubble.

FREEZER MEAL: Thaw in refrigerator the day of cooking and then follow above directions.

GLUTEN FREE Banana Bread {from a cake mix}

This has got to be the easiest and simplest banana bread (and GLUTEN FREE) to top it off. You can make it either way though, gluten free or not, choice is yours.

After the Banana Bread is baked and cooled, I wrap them individually and freeze them for my daughter. This gives her a fresh gluten free banana bread slice anytime she wants.

Banana Bread from a Cake Mix {gluten-free}
adapted, original recipe found at Betty Crocker

Betty Crocker GF Yellow Cake Mix (we used a GLUTEN FREE cake mix, but either work well)

3 Eggs

3 to 4 Overripe Bananas

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup chopped nuts (but you can add in mini chocolate chips too)

(Options: adding in a 1 tsp of vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and someone added a snack size applesauce, I will try this for sure next time. Fall Option: Instead of Bananas add in 1 cup of pumpkin and 1 cup of chocolate chips instead of nuts.)

Smash bananas on a paper plate before added them to your mixer (if works great and it's easy peasy). Add in remaining ingredients and mix well. Prepare your loaf pan with non-stick spray and a little bit of flour, then pour batter into a loaf pan and bake.

Bake at 350 for 55 minutes, or until center comes out clean on a toothpick.

FREEZER TIP: When you have a stack of bananas or just one or two left on the counter that go uneaten FREEZE them. I never throw away a ripe banana. You can freeze them whole just as they are with the peel and everything. Then when you are ready to bake some banana bread, banana cupcakes or banana cookies, just remove the banana from the freezer and within 5 to 10 minutes its ready to add to your batter. OR if you LOVE smoothies, I take the banana and slice it and put it into a ziploc bag so I can add it to my next smoothy. No need to even thaw it out, just add to smoothy like ice and it makes it cold and also adds all the nutrients of a banana. I hope you try this and NEVER throw another banana away again.

Cake Batter Cookies {and a Dessert Bar}

I saw this recipe using red and blue sprinkles over at Cookin' Cowgirl, which would be perfect for 4th of July Cookies, but since I was hosting a Graduation Party for my sweet girls who just graduated High School, I decided to use black and yellow the colors of the college they would be attending in the Fall; Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri (and yes they are 1837 miles away from home as I post this). Here they are dancing for the Lindenwood Football in the first home game last weekend.







Back to the cookies, though. I want to say these are the easiest cookies ever and so yummy. The plate keep dissappearing all day long. There was not one single cookie left in sight, good thing I sampled a few when making them.

I also did this great display of all black and yellow candy and treats. I found some black and yellow licorice tied it with a bow (so CUTE!), then I found BLACK, yes black chocolate at my local cake store and some yellow chocolate and dipped the tops of the marshmallows in the chocolate and added some spinkles to the tips and they were ready to go. Both of these items can be done days early too, so that the day of the party it's all ready and set to go. Now that graduation is long-gone, feel free to pin these ideas for later or they are also great for any birthday party or Halloween parties you may have coming up, Halloween is just around the corner.

The yellow cupcakes are my favorite Pineapple Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream

The cupcakes on the left are a party favorite Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Freezer Tip: I made these cookies the weekend before the party and froze them. The day of the party they defrosted in less 15 minutes and tasted just perfect.

Cake Batter Cookies
recipe found at Cookin' Cowgirl
makes about 30-32 cookies

1 box vanilla cake mix, 18.25 oz
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup yellow sprinkles
1/2 cup black spinkles (or use whatever color you need to match occasion)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and baking powder. In a small bowl, mix together the eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the cake mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the sprinkles. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Freezer Ready - Smoothies "in a bag"

I just got a Magic Bullet and I LOVE IT! We are continuing on our health kick and we started having smoothies a few nights a week in place of a big heavy dinner. My girls were told to switch their big meal to lunch time and a smaller meal at dinner time, believe it or not this totally works. (One of my daughter's has lost 5 lbs already, basically doing nothing else except changing these two meals around). I've joined them on this health-kick and mama is LOVIN' it too, no big dinner to prepare and a healthy smoothie to enjoy, heaven!

I saw this great idea on Pinterest, of course, this is where I get all my genius ideas. The idea was to freeze yogurt in muffin tins, and I had some yogurt that was just about to expire and way more then we could eat in a few days. Perfect!

Then it was time to get all the fresh fruits and vegetables I had in the refrigerator and put them to work for us (plus I pulled out all those frozen bananas that had been hangin' around the freezer). Do you do that too? When the last banana is just sitting on the counter and no one wants to eat it, I chop it up, throw it in a baggie and into the freezer it goes until I am ready to make a smoothie.

I packaged up a bunch of different smoothie recipes, a few are listed below. We added in everything we had on hand. Some got fresh pineapple, fresh berries chopped almonds, fresh mint and some fresh spinach too. Everything froze nicely. When it was time for a smoothie you just bring out the baggie, let it defrost for about 10 minutes or throw it in the microwave for a minute if you are in a big hurry. Everything is in the bag, the only thing you may need to add is ice, juice or milk.

Pomegranate-Strawberry Smoothie
1 cup pomegranate juice (can be added fresh)
2 tsp honey
3/4 cup strawberries
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup Spinach
1 tbsp Chia Seeds
1/4 cup crushed ice (add when ready to blend)

Berry Smoothie
1 cup milk (this should be added fresh, not into the freezer bag)
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries (or blackberries or strawberries or all the berries mixed)
1/3 cup diced pineapple (fresh or can)
1-1/2 tbsp honey
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Spinach
1 tbsp Chia Seeds

Banana Berry
3/4 cup apple juice
2/3 cup blueberries
1 banana, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 cup crushed ice

Orange Smoothie
1-1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2/3 cup strawberries
1 banana, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup Spinach
1 tbsp Chia Seeds
1 cup crushed ice

White  Gummi Bear Smoothie (copy-cat recipe Jamba Juice)
8 oz peach juice
4 oz soy milk
1/2 cup pineapple sherbet
1/4 cup raspberry sherbet
1/4 cup orange sherbet
1/2 cup mangoes
1/2 cup crushed ice

Lime Smoothie
1 cup limeade concentrate
1 cup mangoes
1/2 cup strawberries
1 cup lemon lime sherbet
1/4 cup Spinach
1 tbsp Chia Seeds
1/2 cup crushed ice

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS #78 (PICNIC RECIPES) and Ramen Noodle Coleslaw

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party #78

(PICNIC RECIPES)

Ramen Noodle Coleslaw

This is what you do when you have some left over coleslaw and some Ramen noodles in the cupboard and no one is eating either one of them, create something new and different that is enjoyed by all. This is a great little salad that would be perfect for any picnic, backyard party or potluck.

FREEZER TIP:  This was a GREAT idea, created way long ago. I freeze anything and everything I can. Green Onions are one of those items we don't eat often and only need when a recipe calls for it. Green Onions are cheap, but who wants to run to the store every time you need a handful. This is why I LOVE this freezer tip. Wash and cut the entire bundle of green onions, lay them flat on a cookie sheet and freezer for a few hours (or overnight). Then when they are completely frozen get an empty water bottle and store them in that until needed. When a recipe calls for some green onions you just pour out what is needed and keep the rest frozen.

Ramen Noodle Coleslaw
adapted by me, found at Green Acres Hobby Farm

1 pack slaw

green onions finely chopped (approx 1/4 cup or less)
1 pack ramen noodles (chicken flavor) broken into small pieces
3/4 cup oil
1 tbsp pepper
2 to 4 slices of crumbed fresh bacon

4 tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp sugar
1 of the chicken pack flavorings in ramen noodle package
1/2 cup toasted seeds (sunflower or almonds)

This recipe is best when it's made the night before, this allows the Ramen Noodles to get soft and all of the flavors to mix together. Toss all of the ingredients together, except for the toasted seeds and chill overnight, add the seeds right before serving. 

This week's theme is: PICNIC RECIPES

Please only link recipes with our theme!

If you are a regular to THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky party, then link-up we're excited to see what you made this week. If you are new, please just follow our simple rules, so that everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to follow the theme, your post will be deleted. Please don't feel hurt, just come back and link up a recipe that follows the theme. Thanks a million, we look forward to blogging with you!

Please Grab Our Button!!!

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This Week's Cravings Upcoming Linky "THEMES"

Here is a complete list of the past and what's coming up next on THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS!

April 23 - Picnic Recipes

April 30 - Mexican Dishes for Cinco de Mayo

May 7 - Mother's Day Brunch or MOM's Favorite Food

May 14 - Egg Recipes

Your hostess for this party are: Tina from MOMS CRAZY COOKING, Nicole from The Daily Dish and Kristi from Veggie Converter. We host this theme linky party every Monday (and the party stays open all week long)! We hope to inspire you to make something with our theme or get an old post notice by linking it up to the linky party below. 

The LINKY PARTY is opened ALL Week!

PLEASE do not link more then 3 recipes per week.
This week's theme is: PICNIC RECIPES
Please only link recipes with our theme!


This week's theme is: PICNIC RECIPES
Please only link recipes with our theme!

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins: CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE

CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE #8
Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffin

I can't believe this challenge has been going on for 8 months now, and each month I fall in love with all the recipes we post. This month we are baking together; Blueberry Muffins. Our challenges are comfort food at it's finest. This CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE is still as exciting as it was the first month, if you haven't heard of this yet, then you MUST READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Wondering what the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE is? Want to join the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE? If so, we'd love to have you. Just click on the button above or the tab and fill out the form. You will then be sent an email with all the details. Only participants of the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE will be able to have their recipes linked-up, so if you missed this month please come join us for next month when we will be searching for the ULTIMATE Grill Cheese Sandwich.

My recipe for blueberry muffin recipe comes from Healthy Food for Living. This was my first visit over there and I just LOVED all her photos from these blueberry muffins she made (I think I need a photo lesson from her... as I am still very much an amature as far as food photography goes). I think the pictures sold me and I didn't even look any further at the recipe and then when I went to make the recipe it said "healthy" blueberry muffins. AWESOME - ADDED BONUS!!! :-)

We ate half the batch of muffins and froze the other half (this is what I do with ALL muffins I make at our home). We can then enjoy fresh muffins from our freezer any day we want. These are saved for our Florida/Missouri Vacation in a few weeks. We will be traveling for 8 days and homemade food will be rare, that's why I love to bring along some homemade goodies for breakfast & some cookies or treats for the evenings.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins
recipe found at Healthy Food for Living
originally from Shape Magazine - A Better Blueberry Muffin

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup evaporated cane juice
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp low-fat buttermilk, well shaken
1 large egg 
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 pint fresh blueberries, washed and dried
1/4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tbsp turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with muffin cups. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, evaporated cane juice, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, oil, and vanilla extract. Toss the blueberries with the flour mixture. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until incorporated.

In a small bowl, stir together the neufchatel and maple syrup.

Divide the batter evenly amongst the prepared muffin cups. Make a small well in the center of each batter-filled muffin cup. Fill each well with 1 tsp of the sweetened cream cheese. Sprinkle each filled cup with a bit of the turbinado sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (work around the cream cheese in the center). Cool in pan for 5 minutes; transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Click on your favorite recipes to cast your vote!

My recipe is #1 (please make sure to click on #1)

BLUEBERRY CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS #74 (FREEZER MEALS) and Pastor Ryan's Bolognese from Pioneer Woman

THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky Party #74

(FREEZER MEALS)

Pastor Ryan's Bolognese from Pioneer Woman's Blog

Another Sapghetti Recipe and of course it was delicious, as always! And I am one step closer to finding a perfect Bolognese recipe. I have been looking and searching for a Bolognese sauce and this was my first one.

Pastor Ryan's Bolognese
adapted by me, originally from Pioneer Woman's Blog

1/2 cups Olive Oil
1-1/2 cup Grated Carrots
1 cup grated celery (this was added to the recipe)
1/4 cup large red onion, diced
2 lbs Ground Beef
2 tbsp dried or fresh Oregano
2 tbsp dried or fresh Basil Flakes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup (or less) red wine
2 tbsp Worcestershire
2 cans (28 oz) tomatoes - (we used diced)
1 cup milk
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Fresh Parmesan Cheese

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Add grated carrots, celery and onions and cook for a few minutes. Make a well in the center of the mixture, and then add in the ground beef. Cook for a few minutes until brown, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture.

Throw in oregano and basil. Use fresh if you have it; if you don’t, it’s fine. When the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, make another well. Add tomato paste and let it heat. Add garlic and stir to combine.

Make a well in the center of the mixture and add red wine (we felt 1 cup was a little too much, so unless you love the tatse of red wine, I would use a little less next time). Stir together. Add Worcestershire and stir. Add canned tomatoes. Finally, pour in milk, stir, and let simmer for about 2 hours, I feel the long the better for all the flavors in spaghetti sauce to mix around.

Serve with pasta and a generous sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
 

FREEZER TIPS: I LOVE LOVE making loads of spaghetti sauce and freezing it for later. I think I have about 6 packs of spaghetti sauce saved right now and I am LOVIN' it! I know anytime we want to throw together a pizza, make some Goulosh or of course just enjoy some plain ole' spaghetti, there is fresh sauce waiting for us anytime.

This week's theme is: FREEZER MEALS

Please only link recipes with our theme!

If you are a regular to THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS Linky party, then link-up we're excited to see what you made this week. If you are new, please just follow our simple rules, so that everyone can enjoy the linky party! If you forget to follow the theme, your post will be deleted. Please don't feel hurt, just come back and link up a recipe that follows the theme. Thanks a million, we look forward to blogging with you!

Please Grab Our Button!!!

<a href=" http://momscrazycooking.blogspot.com/search/label/THIS%20WEEKS%20CRAVINGS" target="_blank "><img src="http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k498/Hudgens6/Buttons/ThisWeeksCravingsButton.jpg" /></a>

This Week's Cravings Upcoming Linky "THEMES"

Here is a complete list of the past and what's coming up next on THIS WEEK'S CRAVINGS!

April 2 - Easter Cookies & Treats

April 9 - Show Us Your ULTIMATE SANDWICH

April 16 - Copycat Recipes

April 23 - Picnic Recipes

Your hostess for this party are: Tina from MOMS CRAZY COOKING, Angela from Big Bear's Wife, Nicole from The Daily Dish and Kristi from Veggie Converter. We host this theme linky party every Monday (and the party stays open all week long)! We hope to inspire you to make something with our theme or get an old post notice by linking it up to the linky party below. 

The LINKY PARTY is opened ALL Week!

PLEASE do not link more then 3 recipes per week.
This week's theme is: FREEZER MEALS
Please only link recipes with our theme!

This week's theme is: FREEZER MEALS
Please only link recipes with our theme!

Pioneer Woman's BBQ Comfort Meatballs

This has been my "go-to" recipe ever since I made them from Pioneer Woman's first cookbook. I love to make up a big batch and freeze them for later. My friend and I had a freezer cooking day a few weekends ago and this meatball recipe was top on my list. This was my first freezer cooking day in a long time and it was SO worth it, we focused on Hamburger Meat. I haven't ever done a freezer cooking day that concentrated on one type of meat and I think I really like it. We have already planned our next freezer cooking day and we will be working with only chicken.

This recipe of meatballs is delicious all by themselves but add in the scrumptious Pioneer Woman's homemade BBQ sauce and they are out-of-this-world YUM! We enjoy them this way or I've used these same meatballs in many other recipes too. We made meatball sandwiches, I've added them to Spaghetti Sauce or I just bake them up for my son on days I do not feel like cooking from scratch (like tonight). They are quick, easy and I know you will love them too (plus they beat Costco frozen meatballs any day).

FREEZER TIPS: Here are a few of my great freezer tips. I cook the meatballs half-way and then lay them out on a cookie sheet. I set the cookie sheet in the freezer for at least 3 hours (or overnight). The meatballs then freeze individually and are ready for packaging. I package about 20 meatballs per ziploc bag and then store them in the freezer. I then make up the BBQ sauce recipe and package that separately too (making sure you double bag all liquids).

BBQ Comfort Meatballs
recipe found at Pioneer Woman's Blog

INGREDIENTS FOR MEATBALLS
1-1/2 lbs Ground Beef
3/4 cups Oats
1 cup Milk
3 tbsp Very Finely Minced Onion
1-1/2 tsp Salt
1-1/2 tsp Fresh Pepper (or more if desired)

1 cup All-Purpose Flour (coating for Frozen Meatballs)
Canola Oil

RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE BBQ SAUCE
1 cup Ketchup
2 tbsp Sugar
3 tbsp Vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire
4 to 6 tbsp Onion, diced
1 dash Tabasco

If you are wanting to cook Comfort Meatballs right now and are not prepping this for the freezer, then Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (if you are freezing meatballs you can skip this step)

Combine all meatball ingredients (except flour and canola oil). Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Place sheet in freezer for about fifteen minutes. Remove meatballs from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.

Start heating the canola oil into a large skillet and brown meatballs, until they are just brown. You do NOT need to cook them all the way. Place them into a baking dish (if you are cooking now) or if you are wanting to freezer them, after they are browned you can add them back to the cookie sheet and set them into the freezer to freeze for about 3 hours (or overnight). Once frozen you can package them into ziploc bags that meat your family needs. I usually do a double recipe and then freeze about 20 meatballs per bag.

To make the BBQ sauce, you need to combine all the sauce ingredients. If you are cooking right now just pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. If you are doing this as a freezer recipe then package the sauce into ziploc bags and freeze until ready to use.

These Comfort Meatballs and Homemade BBQ Sauce are perfect served over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or white rice. Enjoy!

Chocolate Orange Brownies with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

As I was looking at the pile of oranges in my basket wondering what in the world am I going to make with them, in my email box I found this; Chocolate Orange Brownies! YAHOOO! If you like orange flavor, you will LOVE these orange brownies.

FREEZER TIPS: Here are a few freezer tips too for all the left-over oranges. With an entire basket still full of oranges, I decided to zest all the oranges and then squeeze them all for some fresh orange juice. I love to have both in the freezer to use in later recipes. I can tell you this it's worked out wonderful. First zest all of the oranges with your zester and store in a small ziploc container. The zest does not stick together in the freezer and you can use a teaspoon here and there or whenever you need it. Then with the fresh squeezed orange juice, I used an ice cube tray to freeze all the fresh juice. Then later remove the cubes from the tray and store into a ziploc bag. These thaw out very quickly and so when you need a tablespoon of fresh orange juice, it's always on hand.

Chocolate Orange Brownies
recipe found at Gingerbread Bagels

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Sift the flour, unsweetened cocoa powder and kosher salt. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the brown sugar, sugar and melted unsalted butter on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add in the orange zest and mix. Then add in the vanilla extract and mix. Add in the eggs, one at a time. Mix until the eggs are completely incorporated.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until almost combined. Take a spatula and fold the ingredients together. Add in the chocolate chips and fold them in. Spread the batter into a lightly greased 8 by 8 inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 350.

Cool the brownies in the pan on a cooling rack. Do not frost them until the brownies have completely cooled. Frosting will melt.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange zest

Sift the powdered sugar and set it aside. In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and cream cheese for 3 minutes on medium low speed. Add in the orange juice and vanilla extract. Mix. Add in the orange zest and mix again. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time on low speed. Once the powdered sugar is all added, increase the speed to medium low and mix for about 2-3 minutes until the frosting is smooth.

If the frosting is too thin, place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes until somewhat firm. Frost the cooled brownies with orange cream cheese frosting and decorate with orange sprinkles.

Roasted Garlic Tomato & Meat Spaghetti: CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE

CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE #7
Spaghetti with Red Sauce

Roasted Garlic Tomato & Meat Spaghetti

We've passed the half way mark and we are onto challenge #7 of the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE, if you haven't heard of this yet, then you MUST READ ALL ABOUT IT! This month is Spaghetti with some type of Red Sauce, I can't wait to explore all the recipes below and try out a few new ones. My family LOVES spaghetti and we could have it once a week and with all the new ideas below we would never have to have the same sauce twice. If you missed last month's Chocolate Cake Challenge, you are for sure missing out on a little bit of heaven if you don't go back and check it out.

Wondering what the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE is? Want to join the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE? If so, we'd love to have you. Just click on the button above or the tab and fill out the form. You will then be sent an email with all the details. Only participants of the CRAZY COOKING CHALLENGE will be able to have their recipes linked-up, so if you missed this month please come join us for next month when we will be searching for the ULTIMATE Homemade Blueberry Muffin.

Let's move on to the spaghetti recipe I picked. This recipe comes from For Such a Time as This, she was actually part of another challenge I participate in, Secret Recipe Club, but I actually came across this post on Pinterest. Ya all know how I LOVE Pinterest! I can not tell you enough, to run not walk over there and join! It's the best thing since sliced bread (hehe... hehe... I am not that old, but love that saying!) :-) If you need an invite to Pinterest feel free to leave your email address in the comments and I will send you an invite. You MUST be invited to join and requesting one takes FOR-EVER!

Really, let's talk about the recipe now! I made this recipe on one of my freezer cooking days. The large pot of sauce not only feed my family a delicious Spaghetti dinner that evening, but also I was able to freeze a few extra ziploc baggies for other meals like Homemade Pizzas, Lasagna, Goulash and so much more. This recipe was originally for canning and since I have NO IDEA how to can (although I would love to learn); I made this recipe and stored the extra in ziploc bags in the freezer.

Here are a few quick tips and tricks for freezer storing. Use a tall glass and fold over your ziploc bag (easiest, simplest and best trick around for no-mess baggies), then load up your baggie and seal. I always double bag anything liquid. Using ziploc bags saves a ton of space in the freezer and for the few cents you waste on a baggie, it saves a ton of money and time because you are buying bulk and cooking in bulk. I bagged up all of the left over sauce and I also bagged up some of the plain meat mixture (recipe below). The extra meat we use for tacos, sloppy joes, or toppings for a homemade pizza. The ideas are endless.

The tomato sauce recipe was the hardest part. I have never in my life peeled tomatoes. I wanted to follow the recipe exactly, so I did as it says. I am not sure if it would of came out as nice without this step, but I was happy with the end result.

Roasted Garlic Tomato & Meat Spaghetti

adapted by me, found at For Such a Time as This;
originally from Better Homes and Garden Canning Magazine

4 cloves of garlic (more if you'd like)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow, or green), halved and seeded
35 Roma tomatoes
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp fresh pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbsp dried herbs (basil, parsley and Italian Seasoning)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel away the dry outer layer of the garlic bulbs and cut the tops of the bulbs. Cut peppers and remove seeds. Place both the garlic and the peppers on a a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Cook for 40 minutes.

Let garlic and peppers cool for about 20 minutes. Then place the garlic, peppers and peeled tomatoes into a food processor. This took about 3 or 4 batches to get all 35 tomatoes and the rest of the stuffed purred. Leave a little bit chunky, as much as you wish.

Place the tomato mixture into a dutch oven or large sauce pot on the stove over medium high heat.  Add in the brown sugar, salt, vinegar, black pepper, and herbs. Cook for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. While this is cooking you can begin the meat mixture below and then add to the pot as soon the meat is cooked.

Meat Mixture

2 lbs of hamburger meat
1/4 cup diced onion
4 carrots, shredded (love my Kitchen Aid for this part)
4 to 6 mushrooms, finely diced
parsley, fresh or dried

Cook all of the above ingredients in a sauce pan on the stove top, until meat is cooked all the way through. Drain excess oil and then we like to pulse our meat a few times in a food processor, so we don;t have big chunks. This is my favorite trick I learned long ago, when I would feed my kids spaghetti and then they would return their bowls with big chunks of meat in the bottom of the bowl. I've done it this way for so long, we all just prefer it this way now (except the hubby).

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Roasted Garlic Tomato & Meat Spaghetti