Broccoli Spinach Balls

I made these broccoli and spinach balls last week to take to our neighbor's house for dinner.  The original recipe is just for spinach balls but I did half and half.  They were really good but there are definitely some changes I would make to the recipe.  The recipe calls for 6 eggs.  I used five but I think you could get away with using four eggs. Also it calls for a stick of butter but HALF of a stick would be plenty. Finally I added bread crumbs until the mixture became thick enough to "roll" into balls. The recipe I am posting below will reflect the changes I would make if I made these again. The original recipe came from The Curvy Carrot.

Spinach and Broccoli Bites

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped (I used minced onion)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 10-ounces packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 10 ounce package of broccoli thawed
8-ounces stuffing mix
4 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Melt the butter over medium heat in a pan, add the onion and cook til translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Make sure all of the water is removed from the broccoli and spinach. Combine the stuffing mix, spinach, broccoli, eggs, Parmesan, salt and pepper, and onion/garlic mixture. Combine well. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the mixture into individual 1-inch balls. Place each one on the parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake the balls for about 15-20 minutes.

Sweet Successes Guest Cook Jamie...Stuffed Zucchini

While I was home in Maryland I made my sister Jamie make this recipe in case it didn't come out and I could blame her! But it came out great.  I found this recipe while I was pinning my life away on Pinterest. It came from the blog Kayotic Kitchen. The only change we made was that we added a few more tablespoons of sour cream once we had the veggies all mixed together.  It was a little runny so if you added some softened cream cheese in place of a tablespoon or two of sour cream it might thicken it up. Also you might want to precook or grill the zucchini before adding the stuffing and baking.

You can find the recipe here!

Spinach Manicotti

I will have to try this recipe again with a few adjustments but overall it was yummy.  The recipe was from a Martha Stewart magazine I get for free since I used Wedding Wire or The Knot.  I think it is called Everyday Food.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/

You need:
8 Manicotti "shells" cooked
1 15oz container of ricotta cheese
1 10oz package of spinach
Salt
Pepper
Lemon Zest
1/2 Cup Parm Cheese
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese (I did not use this but I would add it)
Pasta sauce


Thaw and drain the spinach if you bought it frozen or cook and drain it if you bought fresh.  Mix spinach with ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.  Add Parm cheese and lemon zest (I left that out).  I would add 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese to the mixture as well.  Mix ingredients well.  The recipe said to scoop mixture into a gallon size freezer bag and cut the corner of the bag and squeeze into the shells.  I was lazy and just slit the shells open and stuffed them :-).  Anyway, stuff the shells which ever way you please and lay them in a baking pan.  Top shells with pasta sauce and cook at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  We had this with Italian turkey sausage.

Broccoli and Corn Casserole and the Easiest Scalloped Potatoes

So this year we shall not be going to my parent's house, Nate's parents or any family for that matter...we are going to HAWAII for our honeymoon. I made "Christmas dinner" tonight and it was yummy!!!

I just got a spiral sliced ham and put that puppy (or piggy, I guess) in the crock pot on low with half a cup of water. For the last hour I mixed the seasoning packet that came with the ham with some boiling water and then poured it over the ham.

For side dishes we had broccoli and corn casserole and some easy, peasy scalloped potatoes....

Corn and Broccoli Casserole

1 package frozen broccoli prepared as directed
1 can creamed corn
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup townhouse crackers crushed
1 egg

Mix together in a casserole dish. Top with more crushed crackers and bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Dad's Scalloped Potatoes

First let's review a conversation I had with my father when I was home.  "Dad I loved those potatoes!!!! How did you make them!?"  Dad: "It is a secret!" Me: "No really, where did you get them from?"

This went on for several minutes and needless to say it is no major secret folks...don't turn your nose up at this recipe either!

You need:
1 can of sliced potatoes
1 can of cheese soup

Drain potatoes and heat in a pan.  Add salt and pepper and then pour in cheese soup and heat. YUM!!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Zucchini Pie (Quiche)

Zucchini Pie

Do you remember Granny from the stuffed shells recipe? Well she strikes again!  While I did not get to see Granny this Thanksgiving I brought her to TX...well I brought her recipe to TX and I made it and it was good.

http://reneeheiss.com/Images/italian-zucchini-crescent-pie.jpg

4 cups sliced zucchini or squash

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup margarine

2 T parsley flakes (this may be too much for some)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1 pkg crescent rolls

2 beaten eggs

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

mustard

Cook zucchini and onion in margarine in a skillet for ten minutes. Let mixture cool for five minutes. Add spices to the mixture and stir. Combine beaten egg with the mixture. Stir in cheese.  Separate and spread rolls in a ten inch pie or round pan to create a crust. Pour zucchini mixture into the crust. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until set in the center.

Spaghetti Squash With Pine Nuts, Sage and Romano

Spaghetti Squash

I am going to cheat for one recipe here on Sweet Successes as I did not cook this recipe; however I feel the need to post it because I went to a recipe exchange and one of the wives made this and it was amazing....sooooo I though I'd share!

This would be a spaghetti squash.  I have never seen one, except for this picture!

And here is the recipe:

1 spaghetti squash halved length wise and seeded

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup Romano cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

2 teaspoons butter, melted

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash cut side down in a baking dish. Bake for 50 minutes.  When cooked, scrape the flesh of the squash from the rind into a bowl using a fork .  Add the pine nuts, cheese, sage, butter, salt and pepper. TOSSSSSSS.  SERVE!! DONE!

Potato Soup

Potato Soup

Picture from http://baletajuk.blogspot.com

2 ribs of chopped celery
1 clove chopped garlic
1 med onion chopped
2 T butter
6 med potatoes cubed
2 carrots chopped
2 (140z) cans chicken broth
3/4 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
dash ground pepper
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Saute garlic, celery, onion and butter in a pot until tender. Add next six ingredients, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and mash veggies. Add milk and cheese and stir until cheese is melted.

This makes A LOT.  You might want to cut this in half!

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

Oven Roasted Red Potatoes

Red potatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Seasoning of Choice like parsley or rosemary

Cut the potatoes in small chunks. In a bowl pour a small amount of extra virgin olive oil on the potatoes (enough to coat them). Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and seasoning of choice to taste.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Broccoli and Cheese with Apricot Glazed Pork Chops

Broccoli and Cheese
from hillbillyhousewife.com

•1 pound frozen broccoli


•2 tablespoons margarine

•2 tablespoons flour

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•Good dash pepper

•1 cup milk

•3/4 to 1 cup shredded cheese

Melt the margarine in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Let it bubble a little bit to sort of toast the flour. Whisk in the milk. Cook and stir the sauce over medium heat until it boils. Allow it to boil for a whole minute. Add the cheese and stir until it melts.
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Apricot Glazed Pork Chops
from tasteofhome.com



2/3 cup apricot preserves

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 boneless pork loin chops (1 inch thick and 6 ounces each)


Directions

In a small bowl, combine the preserves, dressing and mustard. Pour 3/4 cup marinade into a large resealable bag; add the pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade for basting.

Drain and discard marinade. Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°, basting frequently with reserved marinade. Yield: 4 servings.

Shrimp Fajitas and Corn and Black Bean Salad

Nicole's Suggestion

Shrimp Fajitas

med onion
red pepper
yellow pepper
shrimp
salt
pepper
garlic powder
olive oil

Slice the peppers and onion and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder in a skillet. Sprinkle with olive oil. Put it on low heat to begin cooking. De-tail pre cooked shrimp and add to the pepper and onion mixture for the last five minutes. Serve on tortillas with sour cream and cheese.


Corn and Black Bean Salad

3 ears of corn
1 cup of chopped plum tomatoes
15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
Basil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Olive Oil
Juice from one lemon

Cook corn and cut off cob. Mix corn, tomatoes and beans in a bowl.  Squeeze lemon over and mix. Season with salt, pepper, basil, olive oil and garlic to taste.  Recipe is from Clarissa!!