Red Pepper Meatballs with Cream and Pepperjack Cheese

Another recipe just born out of mid air.

It's been such a busy day for me, as it usually is when my husband has college classes right after work.  It means that dinner has to be on the table at 4pm and with housework, two kids, homeschooling and everything else going on, sometimes there just isn't enough time for everything.

Even though I am so strict about following a menu plan, there are still days that things don't quite work out like I planned, so I ended up with a pound of ground beef and not a clue on what to make.

A little of this, a dash of that, and into the oven it went.  This is what became of the ground beef, and the family approved it with big thumbs up :)

Red Pepper Meatballs with Cream and Pepperjack cheese

1 pound ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, finely diced
Massa de pimentao (roasted red pepper paste)
Heavy cream
Pepperjack cheese slices

Mix the ground beef, salt and pepper, garlic and about a tablespoon and a half of the red pepper paste.

Shape into meatballs and place in a casserole dish. 



Pour in heavy cream ( just eyeball it, I would say about a cup or so), and add some pepperjack cheese slices over the top.  Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and juices run clear.  You can cut one open if need be, to make sure.

Serve immediately.

Christmas Fruit Cake

About a week or two ago, I mentioned on Facebook that I really was craving fruit cake, and I was flooded with wonderful recipes from my friends.

I decided to try one right away, and the recipe I picked came from my sweet friend Lindsay at Rocking Chair Reflections. She actually gave me two recipes, and I've made both since then, so I'll share them here for you and if you're going to make one, you can pick whichever appeals to you the most.

Fruit Cake #1

1 and a half pounds of mixed fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants etc)
I lb dates (chopped and stoned)
half lb cherries
half lb walnuts
half lb butter (I use marge)
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
2 heaped cups flour -plain
4 eggs
1 teasp bicarb (baking soda)
2 teasp mixed spice
half teasp ground ginger
quarter teasp cinnamon
quarter teasp nutmeg
quarter teasp cloves (ground)

Cook all the fruit except the cherries and nuts with butter and sugar and 1 cup of water for 5 minutes. In very large pot (I mix the whole cake in this pot)
Allow to cool.
Add cherries and nuts.
Dissolve bicarb in one cup water.
Sift all dry ingredients.
Add eggs to mix, then bicarb, then dry ingredients.
Mix well and pour into greased lined pan.
I roll up newspaper and tie it around the outside of the cake tin as well.
Bake at 180C (350F) for half an hour, then drop the temp to 160C (320F) for about 2 and a half hours.

Once the cake is out of the oven, and still warm, poke holes in the top of it with a skewer, and drizzle/pour brandy over it to soak in. You can do this every now and then from now till Christmas.

Fruit Cake #2

Double this recipe at Christmas.

1lb mixed fruit
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
quarter lb marge
1 teaspoon bicarb (baking soda)
1 teasp mixed spice
dash cinnamon

Mix all the above in a large pot and boil for 10 mins

Add 2 cups flour - plain
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 beaten eggs
cherries
2 pieces of chopped glace pineapple
2 pieces of chopped glace fig
chopped walnuts.

Greased, lined pan + newspaper and string around.
Bake at 180 (350F) for quarter of an hour and then 160C (320F) for 1 and a quarter hours.

Pumpkin Pie Sheet Cake

Pumpkin Pie.

Love it, and love the traditional pie but there are years when you have more people at the Thanksgiving table and it's imperative that everyone get pie.  Right???



It's easier to whip up a big pan instead of a gazillion pies.

Now seeing that it's usually just me, the hubby and our two kids for Thanksgiving, I still prefer to make a big pan because we love having leftovers for a few days and nothing hits the spot late at night, like a slice of pie with some whipped cream on top.  YUM!

This recipe comes from Jamie Cooks it Up and it's a great way to feed a crowd.  The pan I used was my large Pampered Chef Cookie Sheet which is huge, like 15 x 10 x 1 inch I think.  Still, it bakes nice and tall and it's wonderful.

Pumpkin Pie Sheet Cake

Crust:
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 C butter, melted
1 egg

Filling:
1 29 ounce can pumpkin
1 1/2 C sugar
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/2 t cloves
4 eggs
2 12 ounce cans evaporated milk

1. To make the crust, pour the cake mix into your stand mixer, or medium sized mixing bowl. Pour the melted butter over the cake mix and stir it in for about 30 seconds. Add your egg and mix until all ingredients are well combined.

2. Spray a large jello roll pan with cooking spray. Press the crust into the pan.



3. Into a small mixing bowl combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.



4. Crack the eggs into your stand mixer and beat them for about 1 minute, or until frothy.

5. Add the sugar mixture and the pumpkin and mix until combined.

6. Pour in the canned milk and mix until combined.

7. CAREFULLY pour the filling over the crust. Now. Just a word to the wise here. Your pan will be full. Really full. The kind of full that just might spill over the top while you carry it to the oven, if you aren't careful. I would advise setting the crust as close to the oven as possible, then pour the filling in so you don't have very far to walk.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

9. Cool completely, then cut into squares and serve with whip cream.

Cheese Enchiladas

You know what I like the most about enchiladas???

The fact that the filling can really be left up to your imagination, it can have meat, it can have chicken, it can have just cheese, it can have whatever your heart desires.

These are extremely simple enchiladas and I guess you could think of them as being simple as can be, but don't be fooled by the simplicity because they really are delicious.

The recipe is for 16 enchiladas, if you think that is too much for your family, just remember you can always freeze them for another meal :)

Cheese Enchiladas

Credit: Taste of Home

Ingredients

2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
1-1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
16 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2-1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) Daisy Brand Sour Cream
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Shredded lettuce, sliced ripe olives and additional Daisy Brand Sour Cream, optional


Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the first six ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Spoon 2 tablespoons sauce over
each tortilla.

In a large bowl, combine the Monterey Jack, 2 cups cheddar cheese, onions, sour cream, parsley, salt and pepper. Place about 1/3 cup down the center of each tortilla.

Roll up and place seam side down in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes. Pour remaining sauce over top.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake 4-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 16 enchiladas.

Lucky Leaf Winner

Congratulations to Ally Jo from Sweet Woodruffs :)

I'll be contacting you shortly!   Thank you to all who entered and keep an eye out, I have a few more great giveaways coming up like a KitchenAid Slow Cooker  :)