Meatballs

I have always loved my mom's meatballs and always thought she was a genius cook, only to find out that they are really not that difficult to make, but super delicious! We always pair these with some mashed potatoes, corn, and rolls.

1 box beef rice-a-roni
1 lb ground beef
1 egg

In a bowl mix the beef, egg, and rice-a-roni  rice together with your hands. It just works easier than using a spoon, and it is kinda fun. After it is good and mixed, form into small meatballs and place them in a skillet (my mom uses an electric skillet. You just need to use one that has a lid) over medium heat. Turning until all the sides are browned. As you are browning the meatballs mix the rice-a-roni sauce mix stuff together as indicated on the box. Pretty much you just add some water to the powder and mix it up. Once the meatballs are sufficiently brown, pour the sauce you just made over the top of them and skillet with the lid. Bring to a simmer and let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes, you need to be turning your meatballs every so often so they all get cooked. You'll know they are done when the sauce is almost all absorbed and bit into the rice isn't crunchy.

Easy Lasagna

This is the easiest recipe for lasagna I've ever seen. Don't worry about pre-cooking the noodles; they soften up in the oven.

Ingredients:

• uncooked lasagna noodles
• 24 oz. cottage cheese
• 1 pound hamburger (or wild game burger ... I just made this with ground venison), cooked and drained
  
• 26 oz. spaghetti sauce
• grated cheese (I prefer mozzarella and a little bit of parmesan)

Directions:
Layer the noodles, cottage cheese, burger, sauce and cheese in a 9x13 pan. Repeat until the pan is full. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove foil and continue to bake for 15 minutes. Remove and enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers

These seriously were delicious and only 290 calories. 


Ingredients
- 6 large bell peppers (any color)
- 1 pound ground beef (we substitute ground turkey, cause I am a freak like that, makes it less fatty)
- 2 tablespoon chopped onion
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- 1  15 oz can of tomato sauce (I think next time we will use a little more than this)
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (we may have used more than this but if so it wasn't much)


Directions
- Cut the stem out of the peppers and clean membrane and seeds out.  Rinse. 
- Cook peppers in enough boiling water to cover them for 5 minutes and then drain
- Cook the beef and the onion in a skillet over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is brown, drain.
- Stir in the rice, salt, garlic, and 1 cup of the tomato sauce, and cook until it is hot.
- Stuff peppers in the beef mixture, and place in a casserole dish.
-Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the stuffed peppers
- Cover and bake for 45 minutes, and then uncover and bake for 15 more minutes, or until peppers are tender. 
-Sprinkle with cheese.


Seriously these are delicious, and super filling!  If you use extra tomato sauce I would recommend adding it to the beef and rice mixture just to give it more  of a sauce taste, but still good without it too.

Taco Soup

I know I know you are gonna kill me for saying this but, I can't wait for the cooler weather so we can eat more soups. 

Ingredients
1 lb. of ground beef (I use ground turkey and turns out just as good if not better, cause it's healthier)
1- 15 oz can kidney beans
1 - 15 oz can whole kernel corn (drained)
1- 10 oz can Rotel Tomatoes
1 - Envelope dry Ranch dressing mix
1 - Envelope Taco seasoning
1 - 28 oz. can tomatoes
1 - 4 oz. can chile pepper, chopped (we like our food a little hotter so we added 2 of these)
1 - 15 oz can pinto beans

Directions
- Brown the ground beef and drain well
- Add remaining ingredients and stir
- Place in Slow cooker
- Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours
- Serve with Tortilla chips or cornbread

This recipe smells absolutely delicious after a long day at work.  We made the mistake of eating it right when we got home and didn't let is cool at all.  Once our tongues were sufficiently burned and we were full we realized wow this tastes even better when it's not burning hot!  Words of wisdom let cool before eating.