Taco Bake

(The pictures never turn out right!... it is more appetizing than it looks in the picture.)

This week I was menu planning and decided to search on the internet for an easy, quick recipe.. being 37 weeks pregnant with a 15 month old means that if I do cook it has to require minimal effort :) I found this recipe on Allrecipes. I did tweak it a little bit and it was pretty tasty! 

  
Taco Bake

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (I forgot to buy this so I used a can of tomato paste and added in an extra 3/4 cup water)
• 1 (8 ounce) package shell macaroni, cooked and drained
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
• **I added in a can of Rotel tomatoes/green chiles. You could even add in a can of diced tomatoes instead of the Rotel if you wanted
• ** I served this with corn on the side but you could easily mix the corn in to the recipe if you wanted. 
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• Doritos- optional

Directions

1. In a skillet, brown ground beef and onion over medium heat; drain. Add the water, taco seasoning and tomato sauce; mix. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in macaroni, chilies and 1-1/2 cups of cheese. Pour into a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until heated through. ** When I was going through the reviews on Allrecipes a few people suggested crumbling Doritos or other tortilla chips on top of the dish for the last 10 minutes of baking. We chose Doritos- I was busy so my husband is the one who did the crumbling- I would suggest to not make it as fine as he did. Bigger, crunchier chip pieces would have been better. 

-Angela Mencl

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

(Sorry this is not the best photo)

This recipe comes from my sister. This was one of the first real meals I ever made for my husband when we were newly married and it has been good enough to stick around. When I make this I usually eat a lot more then what I should. What can I say... I LOVE the sauce!

* I half the meatball mixture part (it still makes enough to fill up a 9 x 13 pan ~24 meatballs or so) but still make the same amount of sauce. We like the extra sauce to pour on our rice. I usually steam some green beans to go with the dish. 

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Meatballs:
2 lbs lean hamburger
1 c oatmeal
2 eggs
2/3 c milk
1 small onion chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Sauce:
1 1/2 c brown sugar
3/4 c vinegar
3 tsp mustard
3/4 c BBQ sauce
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Prepare meatballs by combining all meatball ingredients together. Form into 2 inch balls. Place meatballs in a casserole dish in a single layer. Blend together all sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Heat through and pour sauce over meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until meatballs are done.

You can also slice up a red pepper and add to this dish while cooking. I add a can of pineapple (towards the end of cooking... when there is about 15 minutes left)

Serve over rice.

-Angela Mencl