Savannah's Favorite Meatballs

Savannah used to be my really picky eater and I have been holding out hope for years that by forcing her to taste new things and making her eat school lunch (hey, I know it isn't great, but she can't have a PB&J every single day of her school life) she would start to outgrow it.  It has been quite a battle, let me tell you...and many times I thought it wasn't worth it to force the issue...but I persisted.  It has started to pay off!  She has gone from being the pickiest to being the most open minded about trying things, and she has found out she likes a lot of them (Dylan, on the other hand, has always been the easiest to feed--he asks "do I like this, mom?" and I say "yes" and he says "okay"... even if he hates it or hasn't tried it I always say yes...seems to work)  So in honor of Savannah and her new open minded attitude, here's one of her favorites...

PORCUPINE MEATBALLS

I like to make this with a mixture of meat because I happen to like ground turkey a lot, but when made with only the turkey they are more likely to burn.  The ground beef adds just a little bit of fat to help them not burn while they are browning and not stick to the pan.  If you don't have ground turkey, or don't like ground turkey, you can use two pounds of ground beef and they will be great. 

 

1 lb. ground beef 

1 lb. ground turkey breast

2 eggs

1 tsp. sage

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. white pepper

1/2 cup uncooked rice

2 cans tomato soup

1 can water

3 Tbsp. sugar

Mix together the meats, eggs, seasonings, and rice (not the sugar).  Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.  If you are not using a non-stick pan, spray it with a light coat of cooking spray (a very light coat).  Roll meat mixture into balls about the size of a golf ball (I use a large cookie scoop--it's the perfect size and then they are uniform).  

Place the meatballs in the skillet and cook, turning, to brown on all sides.  Get them good and brown--they will hold together better.

Add tomato soup, water and sugar.  Cover; simmer for one hour on low.  My family is really big on the sauce, so I add two extra cans of soup and another half can of water (but no more sugar).  The sauce is really good on mashed potatoes with melted cheese (Savannah would just die if there were no mashed potatoes!)  It also goes great with a salad and rice.  I haven't tried it with pasta, but that would probably be good too (although it doesn't taste like a marinara sauce in any way.)  Enjoy!

Time for Mexican Food

One of our all-time favorite things to do when we go to California is to make at least one (but hopefully a couple) trips to those AUTHENTIC mexican places for burritos--our favorite is a place called Corrales in Ventura. (Patrick went to Ventura without me last summer and I really put a lot of thought into how he could actually bring one home for me--that's how good they are) Try as we might, we have just never found anywhere around here that makes them quite like them.  The desire for really good burritos set me on a quest to make them myself, and after many attempts, I actually have a really good recipe... they still aren't the same as Corrales but they ARE very, very good.  So,  in honor of all the free tortillas (I usually make my own for burritos but free ones from the store are good enough) and free salsa I got at Smith's this last week, I figured it was time to put some of it to good use. 

SHREDDED BEEF FOR BURRITOS

3 lbs. (roughly) chuck roast

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cups picante sauce or salsa (picante sauce is less chunky for cooking, but both work fine--I use hot, but use mild or medium depending on your taste)

2 Tbsp. vinegar 

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. pepper

3/4 cup water

Brown beef in oil over medium high heat.  Place in slow cooker.  Add all ingredients.  Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.  Remove meat and shred, discarding fat. Return shredded meat to the slow cooker and cook awhile longer. (I like to strain the juice before adding the meat back in, especially if I used salsa...but that's just my own wierd aversion to chunks in my meat).  

Stuff your burritos with anything you like--cheese, rice, beans, etc.   These will also freeze really well, so if you have a lot of leftovers, throw together some burritos, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and freeze!