Cheesy Chicken Meatballs

I was hunting for a good ground chicken recipe as I found it on sale super cheap a few weeks back and this is what came of it - I got this one off of allrecipes.com - pretty tasty - but if your kids don't like it spicy - keep the red pepper flakes out of their's.

1pd ground chicken
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 c cream cheese (they said to use the roasted garlic kind - but we just had plain on hand)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dry bread crumbs
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray - don't forget these can be sticky - well at least to the pan. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl; mix well. Form the mixture into 20 meatballs - we did larger because they were very soupy and harder to form - still works just fine - place on your lined and sprayed pan. Bake in your preheated oven until the juices run clear, appx 17-18 min. Your meat thermometer should read at least 165 degrees in the center to be done.

Karley

sour cream and onion burgers

OK, these were the tastiest burgers ever. I'm not sure if it was just the burger recipe, or the fact that I made homemade buns, or a combination of both, but they were delicious.

Burgers

2 lb lean ground beef -I had 2.25 of ground sirloin
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup bread crumbs
pepper to taste

Mix it all together and cook it on the grill.
Dress your burger as desired. DH put thousand island on his.

I found this bun recipe on allrecipes.com (the following link has a picture)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Belles-Hamburger-Buns/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) envelope active dry yeast
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the milk, 1 cup of water, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat and let stand until lukewarm. If the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and yeast. Pour in wet ingredients and stir until the dough starts to pull together. If you have a stand mixer, use the dough hook to mix for about 8 minutes. If not, knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let stand until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 portions They should be a little larger than a golf ball. Make tight balls out of the dough by pulling the dough tightly around and pinching it at the bottom. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. After the rolls sit for a minute and relax, flatten each ball with the palm of your hand until it is 3 to 4 inches wide. You may want to oil your hand first. Set rolls aside until they double in size, about 20 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Mix together the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water in a cup or small bowl. Brush onto the tops of the rolls. Position 2 oven racks so they are not too close to the top or bottom of the oven.
5. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove the rolls from the oven and return them to different shelves so each one spends a little time on the top. Continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until nicely browned on the top and bottom.

I read a post that said they had subbed wheat flour with good success. I made mine with 2 c wheat flour and 3.5 regular. They were tasty. I think next time I would only heat the milk mix minut the water, then add the water at a cool temperature to cool the milk down more quickly. I didn't like waiting for the milk mix to cool, and don't see the point. I know you need to scald milk, but I don't think the water there made any difference. If anyone knows different, let me know.

Kimberly

Mexican Chicken

The next 2 are super easy, yummy recipes I found in an old ward cookbook.

1 whole chicken, cooked, deboned, and cut in bite-sized pieces.
1 6 oz. can black olives, sliced
2 4 oz cans diced green chiles
1 tsp. salt
1 large onion, chopped and sauteed in 1 stick butter (may also saute tomatoes)
3 cans cream of chicken soup (or 1 chicken, 1 mushroom, 1 sour cream)
5 to 7 oz. tortilla strips, broken in pieces or coursely crushed (too many chips will make dish dry)

Mix all ingredients well. Place in a 9X13 inch baking dish, buttered. Cover with foil. Bake 30 to 40 minutes (until bubbly) in a 350* oven. Top with grated Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese. Serves about 15.

OK, I used my precooked frozen chicken (see recipe below.) I only used 1 can of diced green chilies knowing my little ones don't like food too spicy. I sauteed my onions, and because it said I could, at the end I added tomatoes -but I just added a drained can of diced tomatoes. I added 2 cans of cream of chicken, and 8 oz. sour cream. I also mixed all of my ingredients in the frying pan that I had sauteed my onions in, and I left it on, so everything got heated up on the stove. (I was also hoping to speed dinner along.) I also didn't read well and didn't cover it with foil, and put the cheese on at the beginning. It was done in 30 min. I think I may have even taken it out early. Super yummy and pretty quick!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This was quick and tasty.

3 half chicken breasts
1 (15 oz.) can pineapple chunks (in own juice)
1/4 c. vinegar
3 Tbs. brown sugar
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and cut in strips.


Boil chicken breasts in water with a touch of salt. Remove meat from bone (or if you use boneless/skinless chicken, just cut into chinks) and cut into bite size chunks. Put chunks into skillet with pineapple, including juice. Add garlic salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for about 3 to 5 minutes. Combine sugar, soy, and vinegar to taste. Add to chicken and pineapple. Add green bell pepper strips, then simmer again for about 3 tgo 5 minutes.

Serve over rice. If you like more sauce for your rice, buy a small can of pineapple juice and add to pineapple chunks and chicken at the beginning of the recipe. Double vinegar, brown sugar, and soy sauce part.

I made this using precooked chicken (I buy boneless skinless breasts when on sale, we barbecue them, chop them and store them in plastic tubs in the freezer. They defrost in 2 minutes in the microwave and are a great time saver - I do the same with ground beef.) I did about 1 1/2 times this recipe - used 1 15 oz can of pineapple and 1 of the smaller cans.... I put rice in the rice cooker when I started and everything was ready in 20 minutes. Yum! There were no left overs.

Death by Chocolate Cake

Jacquie made this for us the other day and it is the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten! My kids say it is almost like brownies--because it is so moist. She baked it in a bundt pan and served it with whipped cream. Perfect!

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE CAKE
3/4 c sour cream
1/2 c oil
1/2 c water
4 eggs
1 chocolate cake mix (any kind, but I like dark chocolate or chocolate fudge)
1 small package instant chocolate pudding
1 c chocolate chips

Combine sour cream, oil, water and eggs on low speed in mixer. Add cake mix and pudding mix. Mix on low for about 1 minute until combined. Scrape bowl and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add chocolate chips and mix on low until just combined.Pour into greased and floured bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes at 350, or until a toothpick comes out clean (be careful not to mistake the chocolate chips for undone cake :) Turn out on cooling rack just after removing from oven. When cool, sift powered sugar over the top. Serve with whipped cream.

Tamara