Lisa's Kitchen Blog

It’s a busy time of year … my two youngest sons have wrestling practice two nights a week plus meets on the weekends, plus we have homework and Cub Scouts, so there isn’t a lot of time for four-course sit-down meals. My slow cookers are getting a workout these days. They keep food warm so it’s ready whenever my hungry wrestlers get home from practice, and they’re such a time-saver.

Another great time-saving tip is to make double batches of food or find double-duty uses for the same recipe. Lasagne, for example, is so easy to double up. I always make two pans; one to bake, and one to freeze. Meatloaf is also great for doubling. Whenever I make my mini meatloaves, I make a double (or triple) recipe, since they freeze so well.

I’ve been craving meatloaf lately, but I’m also trying to eat healthier, so I came up with a new recipe that doesn’t include cheese or bacon, which are delicious, but fattening. I used super-lean ground beef from the beef we split with our neighbor, but you could use ground turkey if you prefer. I made a 4-pound batch, then turned half into a meatloaf and half into meatballs. Two meals in one … POW!

4 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried rosemary (I run a knife through it so the leaves are smaller)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups oats
1 cup spaghetti sauce, plus extra to top meatloaf

Combine ground beef, onion, bell pepper, garlic, spices, eggs, oats, and sauce in a large bowl. Mix well with your hands or a potato masher.

Divide the mixture in half. Line a 5-qt. slow cooker with foil. Form half the mixture into a loaf and place in slow cooker. (The foil will make it easy to lift the meatloaf out and makes clean-up a snap.) Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. Top with additional pasta sauce an hour before meatloaf is finished if desired. Let sit 30 minutes before cutting. (If you skip this step, the meatloaf could fall apart.)

Meanwhile, use a 1/4-cup scoop to make meatballs with the other half of the meat mixture. Freeze for later use by putting raw meatballs on a wax-paper-lined cookie sheet and placing in freezer. Once meatballs are frozen, store in a freezer bag. Or go ahead and make the meatballs and stick them in the fridge until you’re ready to use them. Brown meatballs on all sides in a large skillet sprayed with non-stick spray. Place meatballs in a foil-lined crock pot to finish cooking, about 3 hours on high, or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. Serve meatballs with spaghetti and sauce, put them into a hoagie roll and top with sauce, or serve as sliders on mini bagels or small rolls.

This recipe makes both a 2-pound meatloaf and 16 golf-ball-sized meatballs. It was enough for dinner and leftovers for my family of five … twice. That’s a win-win-win-win for me!

You just can’t have Christmas without gingerbread men! A few months ago, I happened across a website that was selling gingerbread man cookie cutters in the shape of ninjas. Ninjabread men! They came in three different shapes, and I have three little ninjas myself, so of course I had to order them! They are a hoot!

I keep the baked, undecorated cookies in a sealed container, next to a tub containing cookie icing in a tube (hey, it’s easy and I’m busy), candy eyeballs, and tons of sprinkles. When the boys are in the mood for a ninjabread cookie, they sit down at the table and decorate them one at a time. This way, the fun lasts for days, and nobody gets burned out decorating dozens of cookies at once.

There are plenty of gingerbread cookie recipes out there, but why mess with perfection? Here’s the recipe from our sister site, BHG.com:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup 50% to 70% vegetable oil spread
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup full-flavor molasses
1/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed, or 1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour

In a large bowl, combine butter and vegetable oil spread; beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. Beat until well mixed, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in molasses and egg. (Mixture will look curdled.) Add all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, beating just until combined. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill the dough for 2 to 3 hours or until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough, half at a time, to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 2- to 3-inch gingerbread person cookie cutter, cut out shapes; reroll scraps as necessary. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 4 to 6 minutes or until edges are firm and centers are set. Cool on cookie sheets on wire racks for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks; cool.

Magic cookie bars are an old-fashioned favorite. They’re so rich and delicious, and even better, they’re easy! Make them your own by using dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, or add peanut butter or butterscotch chips to the mix!

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I like to use chocolate graham crackers!)
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are good in these bars)

Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter or margarine. Press into the bottom of a greased 13×9″ baking pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the crumb base. Spread chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts evenly in layers over the top. Press down firmly with a fork or spatula.

Bake at 350 degrees F. (or 325 if using a glass dish) for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely, then cut into bars. Enjoy!

This year for Thanksgiving, I made my friend Ginger’s recipe for cranberry meatballs. They were so easy, and were a huge hit! For the Prater family Christmas Eve gathering, we’re doing a spread of appetizers instead of a sit-down meal, which is an idea I love. Lots of yummy little bites. I’ll be making these little gems again!

This recipe makes 50 to 60 meatballs, so it’s perfect for holiday parties. You can also freeze the meatballs either before or after they are cooked.

Meatballs:

2 lbs. ground beef
1/3 cup parsley flakes
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. minced onion
1 cup cornflake crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup ketchup

Sauce:

1 can cranberry sauce with whole cranberries
12-oz. bottle chili sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

In a large mixing bowl, combine Meatball ingredients until well mixed. Form into golf-ball-sized meatballs and put in lightly greased baking pans. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

While meatballs are baking, combine Sauce ingredients in saucepan. Heat over low heat until jellied sauce and brown sugar melt. Stir frequently.

Place baked meatballs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over meatballs, and gently stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours or until the sauce is bubbly. Turn the cooker down to the warm setting, and serve with toothpicks or festive party picks!

NOTE: You can change up the meat used in these meatballs however you’d like. Use ground turkey, ground pork, half turkey and half beef, or whatever you have on hand. Also, if you’re worried about the meatballs being too spicy with the chili sauce, you can use a 10 3/4-oz. can of condensed tomato soup in its place, mixed 1 tsp. prepared mustard.