Yet More Recipes

Hearty Meat Sauce

This recipe is from Pampered Chef's Stoneware Inspirations cookbook.

Prep Time: 10 minutes        Cook Time: 55-65 minutes

3 medium onions, chopped

3 pounds 90% lean ground beef

3 garlic cloves, pressed

3 cans (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice, undrained

3 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

1. Chop onions using Food Chopper. Heat Family (12 in.) Skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add onions, ground beef, and garlic pressed with Garlic Press. Cook 15-18 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles; drain.
   
2. Transfer meat mixture to Professional (8-qt.) Stockpot. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 40-45 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cool slightly.
   
3. Place about 5 cups of sauce in separate freezer containers. Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months for Beef Tostadas, Pasta Roll-Ups or Chili Bread Bowls.
   

Yield: 15 cups

Nutrients per serving (1 cup): Calories 220, Total Fat 9 g, Saturated Fat 3.5 g, Cholesterol 60 mg, Carbohydrate 13 g, Protein 20 g, Sodium 610 mg, Fiber 2 g

 

Beef Tostadas

This recipe is from Pampered Chef's Stoneware Inspirations cookbook.

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes        Bake Time: 3-4 minutes

1/3 recipe (5 cups) prepared Hearty Meat Sauce

1 envelope (1 ounce) taco seasoning mix

12 (5-inch) flat corn tostada shells

Desired toppings (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 ºF. In Medium (3 qt.) Saucepan, combine meat sauce and seasoning mix. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, place six tostada shells on Large Round Stone. Bake shells 3-4 minutes or until crisp. Repeat with remaining shells.
   
3. Place two shells on each serving plate. Divide meat sauce evenly among shells; top with desired toppings.
   

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving (2 tostadas): Calories 320, Total Fat 14 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 50 mg, Carbohydrate 31 g, Protein 18 g, Sodium 950 mg, Fiber 4 g

 

Pasta Roll-Ups

This recipe is from Pampered Chef's Stoneware Inspirations cookbook.

Prep and Cook Time: 20 minutes        Bake Time: 40-45 minutes        Stand Time: 10 minutes

9 uncooked lasagna noodles

1/3 recipe (5 cups) prepared Hearty Meat Sauce

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 tablespoon Pantry Italian Seasoning Mix

1/3 cup (about 1 ½ ounces) grated fresh Parmesan Cheese

2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese

1 egg yolk

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Dash nutmeg

Additional grated fresh Parmesan cheese and snipped fresh parsley (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Cook noodles in Professional (8-qt.) Stockpot according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, combine meat sauce, tomato sauce, and seasoning mix in Medium (3 qt.) Saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes.
   
2. Grate Parmesan cheese using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Snip parsley using Kitchen Shears. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, parsley, ricotta cheese, egg yolk, salt, black pepper and nutmeg; mix until well blended.
   
3. Using Large Scoop, place 1 scoop cheese mixture on one end of each lasagna noodle; gently roll up. Spoon 3 cups of the sauce into Square Baker. Place roll-ups on top of sauce, seam sides down. Spoon remaining sauce over roll-ups.
   
4. Cover baker with aluminum foil. Bake 40-45 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. Remove baker from over; carefully remove foil. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese and parsley, if desired. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
   

Yield: 9 servings

Nutrients per serving (1 roll-up): Calories 310, Total Fat 11 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Cholesterol 80 mg, Carbohydrate 32 g, Protein 22 g, Sodium 660 mg, Fiber 2 g

Cook's Tip: This recipe can be prepared as directed 1 day in advance. Cover baker with foil and refrigerate. When ready to bake, remove baker from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Increase baking time to 55-60 minutes; proceed as recipe directs.

 

Chili Bread Bowls

This recipe is from Pampered Chef's Stoneware Inspirations cookbook.

Prep Time: 10 minutes        Bake Time: 21-23 minutes        Cook Time: 10 minutes

Bread Bowls:

2 packages (13.8 ounces each) refrigerated pizza crust

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Chili:

1/3 recipe (5 cups) prepared Hearty Meat Sauce

1 can (15 ½ ounces) chili beans in sauce, undrained

1 envelope (1.25-1.48 ounces) chili seasoning mix

Sliced green onions with tops (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 ºF. Remove pizza crust dough from packages; do not unroll. Cut each portion of dough crosswise into thirds to form six equal portions. Place dough, cut-side down, on Large Round Stone; press lightly to form 4-inch rounds. Brush lightly with oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake 21-21 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack.
   
2. Meanwhile, in Medium (3 qt.) Saucepan, combine meat sauce, chili beans, and seasoning mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 minutes.
   
3. To serve, slice off top of each bread round; carefully remove centers to form bowls. Place bread bowls into serving bowls; ladle chili into bread bowls. Sprinkle with green onions, if desired.
   

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 670, Total Fat 18 g, Saturated Fat 5 g, Cholesterol 55 mg, Carbohydrate 88 g, Protein 35 g, Sodium 2180 mg, Fiber 9 g

Some More Recipes

The items in bold are products from the Pampered Chef; I left them in bold in case you don't know what they are or you'd like to order them through me. Happy cooking! I'll post the rest later when I have time to type them up.

The Pampered Chef ^®
Make Ahead Ground Beef

3 pounds lean (90%) ground beef

1. Place ground beef in Family Skillet. Cook over medium heat 14-16 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles; drain.
   
2. Place 2 cups cooked beef in resealable plastic freezer bag for later use in Shepherd's Pie. Place 1 2/3 cups beef in freezer bag for use in Taco Ring. Label and freeze for 2-3 months. Use remaining 2 ½ cups beef for Tamale Round-About.
   

 

The Pampered Chef ^®
Tamale Round-About

Filling:

2 ½ cups frozen Make-Ahead Ground Beef or 1 ¼ pounds lean (90%) ground beef (see Cook's Tip)

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

1 jar (16 ounces) thick and chunky medium salsa (you can use hot or mild, as well)

¼ cup red or green bell pepper or combination of both, chopped

Corn Bread:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

¼ - 1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ cups milk

2 eggs

¼ cup vegetable oil

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)

Sour Cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Generously spray Stoneware Fluted Pan with nonstick cooking spray. For filling, place ground beef in Family Skillet. Sprinkle with seasoning. Stir in salsa. Cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile, chop bell pepper using Food Chopper; sprinkle in bottom of pan.
   
3. For corn bread, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in Classic Batter Bowl. Add milk, eggs, and oil; stir with Mix 'N Scraper just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in cheese shredded with Deluxe Cheese Grater.
   
4. Spread 1 ½ cups batter evenly over peppers in pan using Skinny Scraper. Top with filling and remaining batter, spreading evenly.
   
5. Bake 35-40 minutes or until top is lighly browned. Loosen corn bread from edge and center of pan with knife. Invert onto serving plate. Slice into 16 wedges using Slive 'N Serve. Serve with sour cream, if desired.
   

   
    

   Yield: 8 servings
   

Nutrients per serving (2 wedges): Calories 570, Fat 32 g, Sodium 810 mg, Dietary Fiber 2 g

 

Cook's Tip: If not using Make-Ahead Ground Beef, prepare recipe with
1 ¼ pounds lean (90%) ground beef. Cook ground beef in Large Skillet over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink; drain. Remove pan from heat. Sprinkle with seasoning and continue as recipe directs.

The Pampered Chef ^®
Taco Ring Recipe

1 2/3 cups frozen Make-Ahead Ground Beef (page 58, Main Dishes) or ¾ pound lean (90%) ground beef (see Cook's Tip)

1 package (1-1.25 ounces) taco seasoning mix 

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons water

2 packages (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 medium green bell pepper

1 cup salsa

3 cups lettuce, shredded

1 medium tomato

¼ cup onion, chopped

½ cup pitted ripe olives

Sour Cream (optional) 

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Open seal of freezer bag containing ground beef 1 inch to vent. Place bag in microwave oven. Microwave on DEFROST (30% power) 5-6 minutes or until beef is thawed. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine beef, taco seasoning mix, cheese and water.
   
2. Unroll crescent dough; separate into triangles. Arrange triangles in a circle on Classic Round Stone with wide ends overlapping in center and points toward outside. (There should be a 5-inch diameter in center.) Using Medium Scoop, scoop meat mixture evenly onto widest end of each triangle. Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough at center of ring. (Filling will not be completely covered.) Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
   
3. Using V-Shaped Cutter, cut off top of bell pepper. Discard top, membranes and seeds. Fill pepper with salsa. Shred lettuce and chop tomato using Utility Knife. Chop onion using Food Chopper. Slice olives using Egg Slicer Plus. Place bell pepper in center of ring; arrange lettuce, tomato, onion, and olives around pepper. Using Easy Accent Decorator, garnish with sour cream, if desired. To serve, cut with Slice 'N Serve.
   

Yield: 8 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 370, Fat 21 g, Sodium 1170 mg, Dietary Fiber 2 g

 

Cook's Tip: If not using Make-Ahead Ground Beef, prepare recipe with
¾ pound lean (90%) ground beef. Cook ground beef in Large Skillet over medium heat 7-9 minutes or until beef is no longer pink; drain. Remove pan from heat. Stir in taco seasoning mix, cheese and water. Continue as recipe directs.

Tool Tip: The V-Shaped Cutter is a great tool for cutting bell peppers, melons, citrus fruits and tomatoes into two fluted halves. To make even v-shaped cuts, place a rubber band around the outside of the vegetable or fruit about halfway from the top. Use the rubber band as a guide when cutting through the skin or rind.

© The Pampered Chef, Ltd.,

 

The Pampered Chef ^®
Shepherd's Pie

2 cups frozen Make-Ahead Ground Beef or 1 pound lean (90%) ground beef (see Cook's Tip)

½ cup onion, chopped

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 garlic clove, pressed

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups frozen vegetable blend such as mixed vegetables or peas and carrots

1 jar (12 ounces) beef gravy

2 servings (about 2 cups) hot prepared instant mashed potatoes (plus ingredients to make potatoes)

2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (1/2 cup) 

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Open seal of freezer bag containing ground beef 1 inch to vent. Place bag in microwave oven. Microwave on DEFROST (30% power) 5-7 minutes or until beef is thawed.
   
2. Chop onion using Food Chopper. Heat oil in Large Skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic pressed with Garlic Press. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until tender. Stir in ground beef and seasonings. Add vegetables and gravy to pan. Bring mixture to a boil; spoon into Oval Baker.
   
3. Prepare potatoes according to package microwave directions in Large Micro-Cooker. Shred half of cheese over potatoes using Deluxe Cheese Grater; mix lightly. Spoon potatoes into Easy Accent Decorator fitted with Open Star Tip. Pipe potatoes around edge of baker over meat mixture.
   
4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remover Baker from oven. Shred remaining cheese over potatoes; let stand 5 minutes before serving.
   

Yield: 4 Servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 610, Fat 33 g, Sodium 1350 mg, Dietary Fiber 6 g

 

Cook's Tip: If not using Make-Ahead Ground Beef, prepare recipe with
1 pound lean (90%) ground beef. Omit oil. Cook ground beef in Large Skillet over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until beef is no longer pink; drain. Stir in seasonings and continue as recipe directs.

 

 

Some of the Recipes I Blogged About

Here is a link to the Sloppy Joe's and the Miniature Meat Pies and although I like the concept of the Make Ahead Sloppy Joe's I'd find a Sloppy Joe recipe that you like and make the sandwiches from that recipe. We liked the Mini Meat Pies, but thought they needed a sauce of some sort to dip them in.

The Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers can be found here and are super easy to make. I think we are going to try eating them this week, so I'll let you know how we like them. There are also tons of recipes on this blog that look great! Here's a link to the home page.

Here is the recipe for the Make-Ahead Chimichangas; we made ours with chicken and are eating some tomorrow night! This is kind of a chicken casserole type dish—you top it with biscuits, rice, or mashed potatoes just before baking. We've tried it with biscuits (soooo good) and we'll try it with mashed potatoes next.

I'll actually have to type the rest of the recipes later because they're from cookbooks and I'm holding Abbigaile so I have only one hand free. Happy cooking!

An Update

I know it hasn't been as long since my last post as it has in the past, but I know I need to start posting on our blog more often since babies change so quickly and we don't get to see you all very often. Our little Abbigaile will be 4 weeks old on Wednesday! Its crazy how fast the time flies and how much she's changed since we brought her home. She's so sweet and such a good baby! She's still sleeping a ton, as most infants do; however, there have been a few rough nights here and there. She usually only wakes up a few times a night to eat and have her little bum changed, but there are times when we're ready to sleep and she just wants to be up and awake; the other night it was from 4-5:30 AM—ugh. Luckily Mark and Jody were willing to take Jack to church, so Abbigaile and I were able to sleep a little later (thanks again!).

Jack has adjusted to having her here for the most part, but still has a hard sometimes especially when he first wakes up from his nap in the afternoon. I think the hardest part about having two kids, at least right now, is that Abbigaile loves to be held almost constantly sometimes and sometimes Jack just needs some cuddle time. It's always fun when one child is crying and so the other starts up too. We're definitely having fun though (and that's not sarcastic). One thing I love, that I think has made it a little easier for me, is my Ergo Baby Carrier! I love this thing! It makes getting things done and tending to Jack easier when she just wants to be held or I don't want Jack to touch her, and it doesn't hurt my back.

Oh, Abbigaile has already been sick with a few things (poor girl). Just after we brought her home, actually that Sunday, her right eye started getting really goopy—I don't know if that's a real word ;-). We took her in the following day and they gave us some ointment to put in her little eye three times a day; luckily that helped to clear it up although they said it might also partially be due to a clogged tear duct (but who knows). I can happily say that she no longer has any eye gunk left! We also had to go to the doctor several times because of her jaundice; I think I had her blood drawn about three times over the span of a week and a half—it was so sad to hear her cry. Her levels are now okay, I just have to be sure to expose her to sunlight to keep everything regulated (sounds a bit like a plant, doesn't it). Now she has a bit of a cold, thanks to her loving big brother. Jack really likes to kiss her and be in her face, and since he has a cold she does too. Fortunately no one has green boogies and I think they are both finally starting to clear up.

Now for some of the fun I was talking about. A couple of weeks ago, Justin was changing Abbigaile's diaper in her bassinet and she pooped on his hand before he could put the new diaper on, so he called me to have me finish changing her. As I went to lift her bum she decided to poop again; this time the poo shot up and over the side of the bassinet and onto the carpet in our room. We just had to laugh and now I'm writing about it so we don't forget for the future.

Jack is such a good big brother. He loves kissing his sister, sometimes a little too much, and is very concerned if she cries. He'll often try to comfort her by kissing her head (and often leaves some saliva behind in the process) and now he even has his monkey (binky) George (Choch) give Abbigaile's head kisses, too. Jack loves to dance to music that comes on the television and even some in the car and he always makes sure someone is watching him. If he's dancing, or even stacking blocks or running in circles, he'll say "Daddy! Mom!" to get our attention and will keep saying our names if we don't respond and acknowledge him. The other day he was dancing and said "Daddy! Mom! Baby!" I thought it was so cute that he decided to include Abbigaile and wanted to make sure she was watching him, too. It's so cute; he'll also try to tickle her when she's awake. Jack seems to like/love his sister most of the time; however, he will hit her head sometimes, but I think it's just to see what he can get away with. I think we're very blessed that the transition has gone as smoothly as it has.

I feel like things are somewhat returning to normal around here. I haven't done much for activities with Jack, but that's just because I'm not ready to have Abbigaile around tons of germy little ones that don't know not to touch her hands or face. I think I'll start to go back to that whole routine slowly, as Jack doesn't seem to be suffering horribly. We do have interaction with others when we go to do errands, when he goes to church, when Jeremiah comes over to study, or when we visit Justin's work. I do look forward to seeing my friends again and resuming life as normal. I know it'll happen soon.

I don't think much has changed with Justin. He's still working and going to school full-time. I think I've said it before, but this is Justin's last semester of school! His graduation ceremony date is May 16^th at 3:00 PM. We can give you all more details closer to the date for anyone who's interested.

As for me, not much has changed. We're definitely changing many more diapers and are now really looking forward to potty training Jack; we didn't want to do it before because we thought too many changes at once wouldn't be good for him. Now that we've been at the new house for a while, gotten rid of the binky, and Abbigaile's arrived—we're gonna do it! So, anyone who has tips for us . . . just pass them along. The cheer season is done until tryouts, so as of now I'm done. I miss my girls, but it's also nice to stay home with the kiddos and not have to rush anywhere. I'm still really excited about the whole freezer-cooking thing (I know I still need to post some of the recipes I made) and I'm checking out lots of books from the library for different recipes. I just love knowing that our freezer is stocked with yummy meals, so we have dinner on hand and I know what's in them. The other day I made a large batch of my meatballs and baked them; they're now ready to go in freezer bags whenever we want spaghetti and meatballs or some meatball sandwiches (yummy!).

I think that's about it for right now. I'll post more very soon and I'll also get some pictures added to this post. As for now, Abbigaile's starting to fuss and I have to go check on Jack. We love you all!

She’s Here!

I figured I'd write a new post briefly while Jack is playing and Abbigaile is sleeping. We're happy to announce that Abbigaile Ann was born on Wednesday, February 18 at 2:48 PM. She weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. and was 19 inches long.

For those of you we haven't actually had a chance to talk to yet, I'll give a brief rundown of the day's events. Justin and I reported to the hospital at 6:00 AM on Wednesday, finished the check-in process and were finally in our delivery room around 7:00 AM. I had all of my IVs in and they finally started me on the pitocin around 8. My doctor came in to check my progress at 10, but found that I hadn't progressed very far, only about 50 % effaced and 1 cm dilated, so he didn't break my water. I continued on the pitocin and Dr. B came back around 1:30 to find that I'd progressed to about 80% effaced and 4 ½ cm dilated and broke my water; they told us we'd probably be having Abbigaile sometime between 6 and 8 that evening. I told them "hopefully it won't be 8:00 and it'll be closer to 6" and everyone laughed. About an hour later I was ready to push and Dr. B got there just in time; I had to try not to push and I think that is one of the hardest urges to fight. Apparently once my water breaks, things really start to happen rather quickly so it's good my water didn't break at home or we may not have made it to the hospital. After just two pushes Abbigaile made her entrance into the world at 2:48 PM. She was pretty puffy and her face was bruised, but they told us that happens when the baby comes quickly. I'm happy to say that this time I delivered with no pain medication at all! I don't think I'll ever get to have an "all natural" childbirth (without pitocin) so this is as close as it gets.

Jack came to visit us in the hospital that evening, as did many other friends and family members, but really didn't want to even come near me. Justin held Abbigaile and told Jack, "this is Abbigaile." His reply was "no." I'm happy to say he's not saying "no" anymore although we're definitely still adjusting her at home. Justin, Abbigaile, and I came home on Thursday and have been resting a lot. Justin is as wonderful as he always is and is making an extra-special effort to spend some one-on-one time with Jack. They went to school yesterday and played outside and today they went to church to make copies and Jack got to run around when Justin checked-in at work.

Jack has been giving Abbigaile lots of kisses on her head, but we're still working on the whole "gentle" concept and it'll take some time. We asked him if he wanted to hold her today and he tried to take her out of the little bouncer seat on his own . . . he wanted to hold her, just not sitting down. Justin helped Jack hold her standing up in the end and he did a very nice job. I'll continue to update everyone as things change and become a bit more settled around here—I know I definitely will be taking more pictures! We love you all!

Oh yeah, I’m still itching, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was. I’ll let everyone know when it completely stops!