Porcupine Meatballs

These meatballs are extra tasty and hearty. And all my kids eat them! I love a meal that everyone will eat!

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 medium onion

1/2 cup rice (rinsed)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 cans tomato soup

1/2 cup water (may need to add 1/4 more)

Wash rice thoroughly. Combine meat, rice, onion and seasonings. Shape into small balls and place in baking dish.

Mix soup and water and pour over meat balls. Bake 1 1/2 hours in 350F oven basting with soup mixture frequently.

Turn meatballs over after 45 minutes.

**I like to add a bit of grated carrot to sneak a veggie in there.

~ From the kitchen of Linda K.

Spicy Cheddar rolls

Here is a great recipe for an appetizer. They are simple to make and soooo delicious! They look like you put a lot of work into them too. ; )

~ 1/2 pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed but cool
~ Roll out on floured board to 20x8 inch rectangle
~ Brush with 2 Tbsp. melted butter
~ Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese evenly over dough
~ Top with 1/4 cup finely chopped hot banana peppers (i use the Bicks pickled ones)
~ Roll each short end of dough toward the centre until they meet
~ Chill 1 hr. wrapped in saran

Separate/cut the 2 long rolls apart and cut each into 24 slices.
Bake on greased sheet at 400 F for 15 min. or until puffed and golden.
Cool on wire racks but best served hot!!

~ Contributed by Dusty R.

Slowcooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Brown a pork loin in a frying pan until all sides are brown.  Place pork loin in slow cooker with 1 chopped white onion and 1 red or green pepper (long strips), salt and pepper.  Put about a half a cup of water in with it and cook all day on low (about 8 hours).  

Take pork out of slow cooker and tear it up!  Place it back in slow cooker with as much of your favourite BBQ sauce as you want!  Cook for about half an hour.  Place pork mixture on top of a kaiser bun and sink your teeth into it!  

Contributed by Leah C.

Luscious Lemon Poke Cake

Wow! This cake is fantastic! My mom made it for Easter dessert. Light and delicious!

She made it in a 9x13 cake pan or you can use 2 round 9" cake pans as the recipe below shows.

~ 2 baked round white cake layers (9 inch), cooled
~ 2 cups boiling water
~ 2 pkg. (85 g each) JELL-O Lemon Jelly Powder
~ 1 cup cold milk
~ 1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Lemon Instant Pudding
~ 3 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Place cake layers, top-sides up, in two clean 9-inch round cake pans. Pierce cakes with large fork at 1/2-inch intervals.

Stir boiling water into dry jelly powder in medium bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Carefully pour evenly over cake layers. Refrigerate 3 hours.

Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping; set aside.

Dip one cake pan in warm water 10 sec.; unmold onto serving plate. Spread with about 1 cup of the pudding mixture. Unmold second cake layer; carefully place on first cake layer. Frost top and side of cake with remaining pudding mixture. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Store leftover cake in refrigerator.

Garnish with candied lemon slices or strips of lemon peel just before serving for an extra little something!

Serves 16

Contributed by Linda K., recipe from Kraft Canada.

Honey Mustard Pork Tenderloin

Here is a recipe for pork loin that makes the porkloin stay moist!

1 Pork tenderloin
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 400F. In a small bowl, mix honey, vinegar, sugar and mustard. Coat tenderloin with sauce.

Place tenderloin in a shallow pan and roast for 20 to 25 minutes. Slice and serve with broccoli and mashed potatoes for a delicious supper!

Serves 3.
Contributed by Colleen H.

Pad Thai

This idea was submitted by my cousin and it is so yummy! Since she suggested it to me quite a while ago, I have made it a lot. It's a great quick way to get your Thai food fix at home!

~ Buy a box of Pad Thai noodles and sauce from your local supermarket like the one shown below.


~ Stirfry chicken with whatever vegetables you have on hand, pea pods, carrots, bean sprouts, broccoli, peppers are some good ones. I like to add shrimp to mine.
~ Add rice noodles or noodles from pre-packaged kit

Voila! A tasty treat, ready in no time!

I usually find one box is not enough to feed a family. Buy two boxes or buy rice noodles as Jen suggests to make it a family meal size. Enjoy your little escape to Thailand!

~ Contributed by Jennifer G.

Easter Bread with Citrus Cream Cheese

Got a bread machine? My aunt makes wonderful Easter bread from scratch. I however, found this recipe that you can do in your bread machine. Much quicker and it turns out great! Serve warm with Citrus Cream Cheese.

Easter Bread

3/4 c. warm water
1 egg
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 c. flour
3 Tbsp. half and half
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 c. golden raisins (I also like to add a couple teaspoonfuls of Glace Cake mix - that candied fruit stuff - find it in the baking section)
Juice of 1 lemon (~ 3 Tbsp)
Grated zest of one lemon
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine in order given (basic cycle). Makes 1 1/2 lb. loaf.

Citrus Cream Cheese

One pint soft cream cheese @ room temperature
1/4 c. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 Tbsp. sugar dissolved in orange juice
Zest of 1 lemon

Beat all ingredients with mixer until smooth. Add more orange juice concentrate and sugar if desired. Serve with warm Easter bread for a wonderful treat at breakfast or brunch! Happy Easter!

What's in your Chili?

My sister and I were talking about what was for supper the other night and we both agreed we make chili, a lot! It is kind of our standby. Easy, fast, yummy. How can you go wrong? I always make the recipe I grew up with, I love it!

But chili can be made in so many different ways, beef, chicken chili, vegetarian chili! Throw in some sausage or some green pepper, hot peppers.

So what's your recipe? What do you put in your chili?

Here's mine, pretty basic and easy! Thanks to Mom and Dad for feeding this to me growing up.

Ground beef (about a pound)

Half to 3/4 of an onion, chopped

Kidney beans (1 can)

Mushrooms (fresh or 1 can)

Canned diced tomatoes (1-28 oz can)

Chili powder (a couple tablespoons and up depending on how hot you want it!)

Sometimes I add garlic and/or sausage or grated carrots, the kids will never know!

Brown the meat, add onion, add rest of ingredients, simmer for 20 minutes. Top with grated parmesan or cheddar cheese when served. Serve with buns for dipping!

Sherry Mushroom Cream Sauce

Tuxedo Chicken With Bowtie Pasta in a Sherry Mushroom Cream Sauce
Contributed by Maureen

My friend Maureen, who is a fellow Food Network addict and a wonderful lady, sent this wonderful recipe. I can't wait to try it out! Maureen put the sauce over store-bought mushroom tortellini instead of chicken. She also used shallots instead of onions and used less than a tablespoon of flour to thicken the sauce. Thanks for the tips, Mo!

Ingredients

Chicken

8 oz. chicken tenderloins, appx. 8 pieces
1/2 cup seasoned flour
1 oz. olive oil

Sherry Mushroom Cream Sauce

1 oz. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 oz. sherry cooking wine

Directions
Chicken

1. Preheat skillet over medium high heat; add olive oil.

2. Dredge chicken through flour. Sauté until browned on each side.

3. Lower heat and cook chicken appx. 3-4 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle. 140° internal temperature.

Sherry Mushroom Cream Sauce

1. Preheat skillet to medium heat. Add butter and sauté with garlic onion and mushrooms for appx. two minutes or until tender.

2. Add chicken stock, cream, and Sherry and reduce until slightly thickened, season with salt, pepper and garlic to taste.

3. Place chicken atop bowtie pasta. Place sauce atop your dish. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Yield: 2 servings

Desperate Tortilla Soup

Eva Longoria Parker aka the Desperate Housewife, has opened up a new restaurant. Here is a recipe she shared online which she says is one of her specialties at home. Not sure if you can order it in the restaurant or not. It sounds pretty good!

TORTILLA SOUP

INGREDIENTS
1 medium onion, medium dice
½ bunch of celery, medium dice
¼ cup garlic, chopped
1 pasilla pepper (a dried, mild chili), medium dice
1 jalepeño pepper, diced
½ cup olive oil
6 whole Roma tomatoes
6 cups hearty chicken stock
½ cup lime juice
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
1 tablespoon paprika
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste

Tortilla chips, avocado, jalepeños or sour cream to garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350º. In a bowl, toss tomatoes with half of the oil, a pinch of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Spread on a baking pan and roast until light brown, 25-30 minutes.
2. While tomatoes are roasting, in a stock pot over medium heat, sauté onion, celery, peppers and garlic in remaining oil, stirring frequently until soft and translucent.
3. Add chicken stock, cayenne, chili powder, ground cumin seed, paprika and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer 20 minutes.
4. When tomatoes are light brown and their skins have begun to peel back, remove from oven and add to the broth.
5. Add chicken breasts, cut into strips. Simmer 10 minutes.
6. Using an immersion hand blender, or in batches in a food processor or blender, blend soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve piping-hot in large bowl, garnished with chopped avocado, tortilla chips, chopped jalepeños and sour cream. Other suggestions for garnish include diced red onion, chopped cilantro, salsa verde, sliced radishes and cooked, diced chicken. Adjust spices and seasonings to your taste. Enjoy!

Paninis

Have you ever tried making a panini for lunch? Or for dinner with a nice bowl of soup on the side? They are delicious grilled sandwiches that are filled with whatever your heart desires.


Perfect for a cool day or evening at home.

If you don't have a panini press, a George Foreman grill also works great - that's what I use! Alternatively, you could also substitute a couple of heavy cast-iron skillets, one to grill the sandwich and the other to press it. I have also heard using a foil-covered brick works for the press part of it.

Here are a couple of my favourite paninis! Enjoy!

Proscuitto and Brie

Use sourdough bread, or a baguette (or even a croissant), slice, brush with a bit of olive oil

Place a couple of thin slices of proscuitto or any other meat you may have on hand on the bread.


Thinly slice some brie (or other soft cheese you may have) and red onion, add to sandwich


I also like to put baby spinach or arugula on mine


Top with pepper (I don't add salt since proscuitto is quite salty on its own)



Place sandwich on grill, set the top of press down on top of sandwich. Grill for a few minutes until cheese is melted and bread is toasted.





Strawberry Chocolate Panini



Slice baguette, coat one side of each slice with olive oil


Spread other side of each slice with Nutella (hazelnut chocolate found in any grocery store!)


Thinly slice strawberries and put on top of chocolate covered side of one slice of bread. Put second slice of bread on top.


Put sandwich on press, grill for a few minutes til golden and chocolate is warm and gooey.


Deeeelicious!