Waikiki Meatballs

*you can make your meatballs or buy them...and we love sauce, so the sauce has been doubled already for this recipe

Meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 C crushed soda crackers
1/2 C onion, minced or chopped
1 egg
1 t salt
2 T milk

Mix together beef, crackers, onion, egg, salt, and milk.  Shape into balls.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. 


Sauce:
1/4 C cornstarch
1 can pineapple (cut into tidbit size; drain, but reserve liquid)
1 C brown sugar
2/3 C white vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1/3 C chopped green pepper

Mix cornstarch and brown sugar.  Stir in reserved pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce until smooth.  Pour into skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.  Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly (or it will burn).  Add meatballs, pineapple, and green peppers.  Serve over rice.

Carne Asada

we had this at a Stake Meeting and it was very tasty!
some of these spices you may not have, but i'm pretty sure if you take a walk down the Mexican isle and look at the spices (they're cheap!) you may find them. maybe i'll find them all and mix them together and send you all some if you think that would be a good idea.

This is a "do-ahead dish" make it the night before to marinate for 24 hours.


4 lbs. flank steak (approx. 3-4 flanks)
1/2 c. white vinegar
3/4 c. soy sauce
3/4 c. olive oil
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 limes, juiced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 New Mexico chili, finely chopped (optional)
2 t. salt
2 t. ground black pepper
2 t. garlic powder
2 t ancho chili powder
2 t. chipotle chili powder
2 t. ground oregano
2 t. ground cumin
2 t. ground paprika

Slice flank steak into strips 1/2" wide across the grain of the flank. Then mix all other ingredients into a container. Omit the jalapeno and New Mexico peppers for a milder flavor. Add the meat and knead the marinade into the meat by hand. Let sit for 8 - 24 hours, the longer the better. Lay marinated strips flat on the grill and cook 4-5 minutes at approx. 350*, then flip strips and cook for another 2-3 minutes. This recipe will serve 10-12.

Mini Meatloaves

or should it be spelled "meatloves"...that's so cute.

ok, the ingredients:

for the meatloaf:
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 c. quick oats
1 t. salt
1 lb. ground beef

for the sauce:
2/3 c. ketchup
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 1/2 t. prepared mustard


Preheat oven to 350*

In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, cheese, oats, and salt. Add the ground beef, mixing well...wash your hands first, and get in there and knead it all together. Forn this mixture into eight mini meatloaves. Place these in a lightly greased 9x13" baking dish.

In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Stir thoroughly and spread over each meatloaf.

Bake, uncovered, at 350* for about 35-45 minutes.

**note: the recipe i wrote down first didn't separate the sauce and the meatloaf; in a rush to make dinner, i added the ketchup and brown sugar...then realized i goofed, so i scooped some of it out, then made the sauce, but some ketchup and brown sugar was, of course left in the meat mixture. I liked it! so.... you just may want to add a bit of ketchup and brown sugar into the meatloaf mixture also.

and i'm sure this would make a mighty fine manly-sized meatloaf too, just increase the baking time by another 20 or 30 minutes probably.

Garbage Salad

1 bunch romaine lettuce

black olives, halved

1 green pepper and 1 red pepper, chopped in to bite size pieces

1 cucumber, bite size pieces

1/2 cup red onion, bite size pieces

6 oz sliced pepperoni, cut in half

1/2 container feta cheese

1/2 bunch cilanto, chopped finely

combine all ingredients and add Kens lite italian dressing right before serving.

Worlds best fruit salad

(I've made this twice this summer and had rave reviews! I will post the full calorie recipe and in brackets the low calorie....both are divine :)

1 small tub cool whip (lite cool whip)

1 big box instant vanilla pudding (sugar free instant pudding)

1 individual size yoplait strawberry yogurt (lite yogurt)

Grapes

1 can pineapple tidbits

1can mandrin oranges

1/2 bag of frozen raspberries

1/2 bag of frozen blueberries

Mix together cool whip, pudding powder and yogurt. Add a few handfuls of grapes. Drain pineapple and oranges and add to salad. About a half hour before you serve, add the frozen berries. Mix when ready to serve, the berries will start to thaw and turn the salad pink and really cool. Perfect for a summer BBQ!

Chicken Pasta Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

this is YUMMY, everyone likes it, and it's great on a hot summer day (which most of YOU have) it's really a "eyeball it" type salad...use the proportions you like

INGREDIENTS
about 1/2 of a costco rotisserie chicken - or about 3 chicken breasts,
baked, and cut in small pieces
12 oz. or rotini pasta, cooked, drained, and cooled with water (i think i use
a little less)
1 large can pineapple chunks (i like the tidbits) drained, or you can use fresh!
3/4 lb large red grapes, seedless of course, cut them in half
2 green onions (ALL of it) sliced very thin
Poppy seed dressing (see below)
1 - 1 1/2 c. cashews, add just before serving

Combine all ingredients except the cashew, the toss with the Poppy Seed Dressing. Cover and keep in the refrigerator till ready to serve. Just before serving, ad the cashews and toss, or put them in a small bowl and let guests add their own. (they get soggy in the leftovers) It's nice if it is made an hour ahead of time, then the flavors of the dressing seep in. either way it's great

Poppy Seed Dressing
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 t. (to taste) powdered mustard (i may add more)
1 t. salt
1/3 c. cider (or red wine) vinegar
1 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 T poppy seeds

in a blender, pulverize the sugar. Add the mustard, salt, vinegar, and blend. with the machine running on low - SLOWLY add the oil...a little at a time. Pulse till smooth and creamy. Stir in the poppy seeds.

*this dressing is also great with a Strawberry Spinach and bacon salad, or make a salad with lettuce, mandarin oranges and crisp -baked chicken nuggets cut in half; and toss with dressing, and add a few sliced or slivered almonds. this was one of Gma and Gpa's favorite salads at the little sandwich and salad shop they'd go to.

Mint Brownie Cookies

i took 4 different cookies to dad's work BBQ and these were the best loved.

1 box (Betty Crocker) fudge Brownie mix
1/4 c. oil
2 eggs
1 T water
1/4 c. flour
(i added just a T or so more cocoa powder just cause i felt like it)
3/4 c. chopped up Wilton chocolate mint disks (they melt and make it ooey-gooey)...i wanted to use the green guittard mint chips, but i didn't have them, so used these, and it worked.


mix all in a bowl. (you could refrigerate for an hour...dough would be less sticky).

drop by spoonfulls on greased cookie sheet, or use parchment paper.

bake for 10-11 minutes. use a thin metal spatula to "scrape" them off the cookie sheet. i think they'd bake better NOT on an airbake sheet, but a regular pan. Wait a minute or two, but not too long..they're easier to take off while warm. ~mom