Porcupine Meatballs

My cute grandma has told me about porcupine meatballs and that they are so good. I didn't have her exact recipe so I turned to this recipe at Jamie Cooks It Up for help. It's a ridiculously simple recipe and it was tasty too. I'll definitely make it again.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 (6.8 oz) box beef rice-a-roni
salt
pepper
steak seasoning
1 egg
2 1/4 cups water

Preparation:
In a mixing bowl combine ground beef, a little salt, a little pepper, a little steak seasoning, the egg, and the rice and pasta from the rice-a-roni box. Save the seasoning packet separately. Gently combine the meat mixture and shape into golf ball sized meatballs. Spray a large, deep skillet with non-stick spray and heat over medium high heat. Once hot add all your meatballs and brown/sear them on one side, then flip and do the same thing on the other. Combine your water and rice-a-roni seasoning packet and whisk to combine. Pour mixture over the meatballs and reduce heat to medium low. Bring to a simmer then cover and let cook for 30-40 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and the meatballs are cooked through and the pasta/rice is tender. Mine took the full 40 minutes. Serve hot and enjoy!



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Montreal Chicken Marinade

So good! We first tried this marinade on some drumsticks we grilled and we knew we had a winner recipe. This is the third time we've made it and it's been great every time. I saw this idea over at The Diary of Dave's Wife, and the only change I made was to reduce the brown sugar. We love it and I hope you do too!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
1 1/2 Tbsp. McCormick's Montreal Chicken seasoning
1 1/2 lbs. chicken (we like boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you can use whatever you like)

Preparation:
Mix together all the marinade ingredients. Add marinade and chicken to a gallon sized ziploc bag. Squish out all the air and seal up. Place bag in a tupperware dish in case of leaks and then place into the fridge. Let marinate in the fridge for 1-3 hours. Cook as desired, but we totally recommend grilling.



We're hoping to adopt, check our profile out at http://adoption.com/profiles/nksmithfamily-1800 and feel free to pass it along!

Weekly Menu for March 22 - March 28

A lot of favorites this week. My goal is to take some better pictures and get them posted.

Sunday: Hassleback Chicken with Salad

Monday: 3 Packet Pork Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Corn

Tuesday: Chicken Taco Salad Pizza

Wednesday: Grandma Olson's Porcupine Meatballs (new) with Rolls and Salad

Thursday: Asian Chicken Skewers with Basmati Rice and Garlic Soy Broccoli

Friday: Swiss Steak over Egg Noodles with Green Beans

Saturday: Date Night!

New Adoption Profile

Nate and I have a new home for our adoption profile. Please check it out and feel free to share!

http://adoption.com/profiles/nksmithfamily-1800

3 Packet Crock Pot Country Style Pork Ribs

Such a simple recipe, yet full of flavor. This really couldn't be easier. I used my tried and true 3 packet mixture and the crock pot did the rest. Our ribs were fall apart tender and oh so good! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 lbs. country style pork ribs
1 packet pork gravy mix
1 packet Italian dressing mix (I always use Good Seasons brand zesty Italian mix)
1 packet ranch dressing mix (I always use Hidden Valley Ranch brand)
1 cup water

Preparation:
Mix together the water and all three packets. Add ribs to crock pot and then pour seasoning mixture over the top, stir to make sure all the ribs get evenly coated. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, stirring at the half way point. Serve hot with your favorite sides, you can also use the liquid in the crock pot like gravy.

Skillet Beef Enchiladas

This was a "wingin' it" recipe and it turned out really well. We really enjoyed it, Nate had three servings. I'd say that's a keeper recipe!

Ingredients:
0.75 lbs. lean ground beef
6 medium flour tortillas
1 (16 oz.) can fat free refried beans
1 cup mild taco sauce or red enchilada sauce
1 packet + 1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
shredded cheddar cheese
pico de gallo
sliced black olives
shredded lettuce

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small pot heat refried beans with 1 Tbsp. taco seasoning. Keep warm. Cook and crumble ground beef in a medium sized, oven safe skillet, add in taco seasoning packet plus water it requires and finish according to packet directions. Once finished cooking remove beef from skillet. Turn heat off and assemble enchilada stack in skillet. Start by pouring some sauce into the bottom of skillet. Top with 2 flour tortillas. Spread half the refried beans over the tortillas. Top that with half the meat mixture and then some shredded cheese. Repeat again with 2 flour tortillas, beans, meat, and then cheese. Finally add the last two remaining tortillas, top with remaining sauce and lastly some shredded cheese. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree F oven for about 10-15 minutes or until cheesy is all melted and sauce is bubbly. Serve pieces topped with shredded lettuce, sliced black olives, and some pico de gallo. Enjoy!