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Slow Cooker Meatball Sandwiches

November 17, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Guess where I found this recipe?  I know what you’re thinking…Pinterest, right?  Wrong!  This one was in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine and it is also published on their website here.  I did “pin” it to save it and that was a good thing because these sandwiches are so good.  This recipe makes enough for several servings and the flavor is awesome! 

sandwich

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs

2/3 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound lean ground beef

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper (1 small)

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 hoagie buns, split and toasted

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)

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In a large bowl, stir together egg, bread crumbs, 1/3 cup onion, the salt, Italian seasoning, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add ground beef; mix well. Shape meat mixture into 32 balls. Arrange meatballs in a single layer in an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Drain off fat.

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Stir together tomato sauce, the remaining 1/3 cup onion, the sweet pepper, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, garlic salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Pour the sauce into your slow cooker.  Add cooked meatballs, stirring gently to coat with sauce.

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Cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or on high for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

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Place four meatballs on the bottom of each bun. Top with some of the sauce and some of the cheese. Add bun tops. Makes 8 servings.  I wrapped my sandwiches in foil and put them in a warm oven for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

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Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

Honey BBQ Meatloaf

November 10, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

I have a basic meatloaf recipe that a co-worker gave me and it has been my favorite for quite a while.  In fact, it is the only meatloaf recipe I used until I spotted this little number at Mommy’s Kitchen.   Honey barbecue is my favorite kind of barbecue flavor and since my father-in-law and his cousin actually have bee hives and I have honey that produced by bees buzzing around in my backyard and the fields next door, I just have to try it. 

Wow, it turned out so good.  You get a little sweetness from the honey, but still have the kick of the barbecue sauce and mustard.  Yummy!  If you live in the South Central Kentucky area and would like some local honey, just e-mail me and I will hook you up.

honey meatloaf

 

For the meatloaf:

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 tsp. yellow mustard

1 tbsp. honey

1/4 tsp. seasoning salt

pepper to taste

For the glaze:

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 tsp. Worcestshire sauce

1 tbsp. honey

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the ground beef, cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, mustard, 1 tbsp. honey, seasoning salt and pepper.  Mix well and shape into a loaf.  Bake for 45 minutes then prepare the glaze.

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Mix together all of the glaze ingredients.  When the 45 minutes have passed, spread the glaze onto the meatloaf and bake for another 10 minutes.

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Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments »

Book Beginnings

November 9, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Please join me over at Rose City Reader for today’s edition of Book Beginnings.  The book that my first line comes from is “The House I Loved” by Tatiana De Rosnay:

"My beloved,

I can hear them coming up our street.  It is a strange, ominous rumble."

Our local library had just gotten this book and it is the first of this author’s that I have read.  The cover is beautiful and really caught my eye.  The story is unlike anything I have read before since it is told in first person perspective with the main character writing letters to her deceased husband before their Paris neighborhood is destroyed to make way for a more modern city.  I don’t want to give too much away, but I was stunned at the way the author chose to end the story.  It wasn’t bad, but it definitely could have been more upbeat. 

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments »

Pizza Puffs

November 3, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Since discovering Plain Chicken on Pinterest a few months ago, I have been finding more and more of their recipes that I would like to try.  This is one of them…I made these for supper one night with pizza sauce for dipping and a fresh salad on the side.  Mm, mmmm, yummy!

There was enough left over for lunch the next day and they were even great reheated.  Plain Chicken makes hers in a mini muffin pan and I used a regular one.  If you use a regular one also, add about 3-4 minutes of extra baking time.

pizza puffs

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

3/4 cup milk

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 pound Italian sausage

1/2 cup diced green peppers

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

pizza sauce

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Cook the sausage, green pepper, and onion in a skillet over medium heat until the sausage is completely cooked.  Drain on a paper towel lined plate and cool completely.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a muffin pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and garlic powder.

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Whisk in the milk and egg.  Stir in the cheese and sausage mixture.  Let stand for 10 minutes.

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Stir the batter and divide it among the muffin cups.  I was able to get 10 regular sized puffs.  Bake until puffed and golden about 20-25 minutes.  Warm the pizza sauce in the microwave for dipping.

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Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , | 6 Comments »

Thoughtful Thursday: Travel Edition

November 1, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

My grandmother, “Nanny”, and my Aunt M are usually not big travellers, but when Nanny saw a commercial for Huber’s Orchard and Winery in Starlight, Indiana, she was hooked and really wanted to visit.  I had a Thursday off from work in early October so we went to see it.  When I went online to find directions, I discovered that there is actually two different businesses, Huber’s Orchard and Winery along with Joe Huber’s Family Farm and Restaurant.  They are just a mile apart so it makes it easy to visit both in the same day.

We took I-65 up to Louisville and then took I-64 over to New Albany, Indiana and followed the directions from there.  The drive was very pretty and we were all surprised at the long and winding road you take to get there.  Thankfully, there are plenty of signs along the way so you know you are still on the right path.  We arrived at the Huber’s Orchard and Winery first and the views there are gorgeous.

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Huber’s raises all sorts of crops to try to have year ‘round interest so we passed Christmas trees…

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and vineyards…

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before getting to the actual location, which was spectacular!  Here are several photos of the different ponds, animals and decorations along their drive to the store.

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When we parked and walked up to the store, there is a talking tree that lets you know about the day’s specials and what is available.

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There were pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn galore.  I could have spent a fortune, but I just had to pick a few and make myself walk away.  I loved the way they used the old vehicles to display the pumpkins.

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While we were walking around admiring the outdoor scenery, there was this delicious smell wafting through the air.  After entering their store, we knew why…there is a full bakery loaded with cookies and candy and breads and dumplings.  Oh, my, I wish I could bottle that smell.  It was heavenly!  We all purchased a few things here.  I bought a few cookies and gala apples while Nanny chose a couple of sweet bread loaves and fudge.

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Next, we drove up the road to Joe Huber’s Family Farm and Restaurant.  This was a really neat place, too, and kids would love it!  They have lots of activities like a corn maze and tractor rides along the farm.

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There is a store located here as well and I purchased some Cherry BBQ sauce that was really good.  I had been told that the food at the restaurant is delicious, but we didn’t take the time to eat here.  Their fall decorations were beautiful and they had a few small gardens to tour as well.

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Sorry, I know this a long post, but there was so much to see at these two locations!  Finally, here is a self-portrait of the three of us at Huber’s Orchard and Winery and, FINALLY, my little display using the pumpkins I bought there.  If you have a chance to go, I highly recommend it.

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Posted in Family, Fun, My Thoughts, Photography, Travel | Tagged , , , , , |

Salted Nut Squares

October 27, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Here again is another sweet treat that I found on Pinterest.  The recipe comes from Taste of Home and was posted on the blog, Break Or Bake. It tastes just like a popular candy bar that is chocked full of peanuts and salty sweet goodness, but shall go nameless. 

The flavor is great and the only little problem I had was that the candy was a little gooey and didn’t set up quite as well as I would have liked.  That didn’t hurt the taste at all though!

peanutbars

3 cups salted peanuts, divided

2 1/2 tbsp. butter

2 cups peanut butter chips

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups mini marshmallows

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Place half of the peanuts in a 13×9” baking dish and set aside.  In a large saucepan, melt butter and peanut butter chips over low heat.  Stir until smooth then remove from the heat. Add milk and marshmallows; stir until melted.

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Pour this over the peanuts and then top with the remaining peanuts.  Cover and refrigerate until chilled and firm.  Slice and enjoy!

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Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Book Beginnings

October 26, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

The lines for today’s Book Beginnings post comes from the book “Four Sisters, All Queens” by Sherry Jones.  Hop on over to Rose City Reader to see what other bloggers are reading today.

I am a sucker for historical royal fiction so I grabbed up this book when I spotted it at my local library.  It is the first book of Ms. Jones that I have read, but I would definitely try out more of hers if given the chance.  Here are the first lines:

“I, Beatrice of Savoy, am mother to four queens.  What other woman in the history of the world could make this claim?  None, I warrant, and none ever will.”

This makes me think that Beatrice wields some mighty power in her family and country’s lives. 

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , |

Almost Wordless Wednesday

October 24, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Ellie & Roy

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Posted in Fun, Home, Pets, Pets/Animals, Photography | Tagged , , , , , |

Menu Plan Monday

October 22, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Good morning to everyone!  Please join me over at I’m An Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.  Today is my first day back to work after my vacation last week and it is always hard to get back to the grind.  Last week was wonderful though and I got several things done at home.  Then C & I enjoyed a two day getaway to Indianapolis at the end of the week.  I will have a Thoughtful Thursday post about that really soon.  We had a great time and Indy is a really nice city.

I plan on keeping things nice and simple this week to get back into my routine and to give us time to enjoy this beautiful fall weather.  Happy fall, y’all!

Bubble up enchiladas

Country ham biscuits with oven fries

Grilled pork chops with oven fries

Breakfast for supper (probably pancakes & bacon)

Chili (I still haven’t made my first pot of chili this fall so I must remedy that.)

Tuscan pot roast (new)

Pizza night if necessary

Posted in Menu Planning | Tagged , , |

Sliders

October 20, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

I love party food.  Mini versions of bigger dishes are fun to make and fun to eat.  This recipe from Martha Stewart’s website is no exception.  I made these for a Sunday afternoon meal at my Nanny’s house along with curly fries and everyone enjoyed them.  There was also enough left over for a couple of days’ worth of lunches for C & I.  You can’t beat that deal.

sliders

6 tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 cup finely diced sweet white onion

2 tbsp. water

salt and pepper to taste

2 pounds ground beef

20 dill pickle slices

20 slices cheese (I used provolone and American.)

20 mini burger buns

Burger toppings of your choice.

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Melt 4 tbsp. butter in a small pan over medium heat.  Add the diced onion and cook until softened.  Stir in the water and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

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Form 20 patties using about 2 tbsp. of ground beef for each.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet and coat patties with remaining 2 tbsp. butter, melted.  Press a pickle slice into each patty.

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Preheat your broiler.  Season patties with salt and pepper.  Broil for 6-7 minutes.  Top with cheese for the last 30 seconds. 

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Lightly toast the buns then spread the onion butter on the bottom half of each.  Top with 1 burger and any other toppings you like.

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Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , | 8 Comments »

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