Corn Dog Muffins

Corn Dog Muffins
2 pkgs (8 1/2 oz each) corn bread/muffin mix (Jiffy is a good, low cost option)
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk (you can use regular or fat free)
1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn, drained (if all you have on hand is creamed corn (14 oz, undrained), add 5-7 min. cook time)
5 hot dogs, chopped (I use turkey dogs)

In a bowl, combine corn bread mix and brown sugar. Combine eggs and milk; stir into dry ingredients until moistened. Stir in corn and hot dogs (batter will be thin). Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake @ 400 for 14-18 min. (or add 5-7 min.) or until golden brown. Serve immediately and be sure to refrigerate any leftovers. Yield: 18 muffins

Corn Dog Muffins







Our whole family likes these muffins for either lunch or dinner; pair it with some fresh fruit and you've got a well balanced meal that's KID FRIENDLY!

Oatmeal Brownies

Oatmeal Brownies
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats (I use old fashioned oats instead)
1 cup M&M miniature baking bits (These rarely go on sale, so it's not often that I add them)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 pkg fudge brownie mix (13x9x2 pan size)

In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients; mix well. Set aside 1 cup for topping. Pat the remaining mixture into a greased 15x10x1 baking pan OR a 13x9x2 baking dish. Prepare brownie batter according to pkg directions. Spread over the crust. Sprinkle with the reserved oat mixture. Bake @ 350 for 25-30 min. for 15x10x1 OR 28-31 min. or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Cut into bars. Yield: depends on pan size!

Oatmeal Brownies

This recipe is pretty versatile for your taste. You can change up the candy chips or change the type of chopped nuts...whatever fits your fancy!

Barbecued Meatballs (Easy Homemade Sauce!)

This recipe is straight from Taste of Home's Quick Cooking Cookbook, it's perfect just the way it is and we all love it...alot! The texture is different than most meatballs, but it's such a minor detail...the taste is delicious!

Barbecued Meatballs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 can (5 oz) evaporated milk (I have substituted 1/2 cup regular milk when out of evap, it works fine)
1 cup quick-cooking oats (If you're out of quick oats use 3 packets of regular instant oatmeal, works great!)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (prefer 93/7)

Sauce:
     1 cup ketchup
     3/4 cup packed brown sugar
     1/4 cup chopped onion
     1/2 tsp liquid smoke, optional (gives it a great flavor, try it!)
     1/4 tsp garlic powder

In a bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1 in. balls and place in a greased 13x9x2 baking dish (you'll need 2 dishes, trust me!).  Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 18-20 min. or until meat is no longer pink.  Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2 min, stirring frequently.  Pour over meatballs. Bake 10-12 min. longer. Yield: approx. 48 meatballs

Barbecued Meatballs

Support Your Schools One Code At A Time

I wanted to share with you how easy it is to make a difference in your community and show support for your local schools...with the help of a program called My Coke Rewards. I'm sure many of you have noticed on coke products there are codes on either the packaging or in the lids. Those codes can be collected and redeemed for school supplies or athletic equipment for the registered school of your choice. If your school isn't already registered, sign up to be a coordinator! I did!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that my mind is always goin' a 100mph...always thinkin' of ways to save $, always thinkin' of ways to reuse/recycle/donate, and always tryin' to find ways to help others by whatever means I can, most times for little or no cost. Thinking outside the box, turning nothing into something...it's an entertaining challenge sometimes!

My latest venture, was finding a way for our local Little League to give back to the community by showing support to the families that help support us. I came across the My Coke Rewards for Schools program and a light bulb turned on...I thought to myself, I'm in charge of Concessions this year for North Mason Little League and we're gonna be selling ALOT of coke products in there! I can collect all the codes and redeem them for one of our local schools...so that's what I did. I chose the school my sons go to, contacted the principal, and asked for permission to sign up as the coordinator. This year I only collected codes from our Concessions and our home, but for next year, the principal has asked me to get our student's parents involved too and really see what kind of reward pts we can rack up!

Our active baseball season came to a close last night with the ending of All Stars, and our grand total Coke Reward pts was 797! At the request of our principal, I redeemed the pts for school supplies for the classrooms....and to benefit the most students, I opted to redeem the pts for pencils. Lots of pencils...132 to be exact, 11 (12 ct) pks of HB #2 pencils will be arriving at our school in 2-4 weeks!

It didn't cost our league any $ to benefit/donate to a school in our area, we were going to be selling the coke products anyways...but now, one of our schools will benefit from it and COMMUNITY SUPPORT COMES FULL CIRCLE. If you're interested in doing something similar for your kids' school or local community check out this website below and it'll explain everything you need to know on how to get started. It doesn't have to cost you a thing to make a difference!!

http://www.mycokerewards.com/mcrSchools.do?tab=1

Turkey & Broccoli Filled Lasagna Rolls

Turkey and Broccoli Filled Lasagna Rolls

4 dried lasagna noodles

½ pkg ground turkey (approx. ½ lb)

¼ cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped broccoli

¼ cup water

1 beaten egg

1 cup (8 oz) low fat cottage cheese

½ tsp dried thyme

1 ½ cups meatless spaghetti sauce

¼ cup shredded cheese (parmesan or mozzarella)

Cook lasagna noodles according to pkg instructions until tender but still firm. Drain noodles; rinse with cold water. Drain again.

For filling, in a large skillet cook ground turkey and onions until turkey is no longer pink. Drain fat. Stir in broccoli and water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 5 min.; drain.

In a mixing bowl, stir together egg, cottage cheese and thyme. Add in turkey mixture. Lay out all 4 lasagna noodles on a cutting board or clean counter, divide up filling mixture evenly among the noodles and spread it out on top of the noodle. Roll up each noodle, jelly roll style and place in a 2 qt square baking dish. Spoon spaghetti sauce over lasagna rolls.

Bake, covered, @ 375 for about 30 min. or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Makes 4 main dish servings.

Turkey & Broccoli Lasagna Rolls

When you roll up the noodles, just know that it's a messy task! Excess that falls out when rolling, I just toss back in to the baking dish in the empty spaces so it's not wasted. My kids pick out the broccoli, but they're missing out! It's a delicious combination! Hope you like it.



A Menu in Motion

2 Week Meal Plan (Dinners):

Saturday – Burritos

Sunday – Meatloaf, Pan Fried Potatoes, Side Salad

Monday – Meatballs in Spaghetti Sauce, Cheesy Focaccia, Side Salad

Tuesday – Hamburger Stroganoff, Side Salad

Wednesday – Turkey Pasta Soup, Homemade Biscuits

Thursday – BBQ Hot Dogs, Cheesy Broccoli Macaroni

Friday – Grilled Pork Loin Chops, Pasta Side Dish, Carrot Sticks

Saturday – Canadian Bacon Cheeseburgers, Chips, Corn on Cob

Sunday – Mosh Posh Night

Monday – Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

Tuesday – Turkey & Broccoli Filled Lasagna Rolls, Side Salad

Wednesday – Taco Salad

Thursday – Grilled Chicken, Asian Linguine Salad

Friday – Loaded Baked Potatoes

Nothing like finishing the meal plan partway through the week...Sat-Mon have already been made, consumed and checked off the list. In case you're wondering, Mosh Posh Night is my way to use up random leftovers.

Creamy Apple Crumb Pie

Creamy Apple Crumb Pie

1 pastry for single-crust pie (9 in.)

6 cups cubed peeled tart apples (about 6 medium)

1/3 cup sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground allspice

1 cup (8 oz) reduced-fat sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

          ½ cup all purpose flour

          ¼ cup packed brown sugar

          ½ tsp ground cinnamon

          2 tbsp cold butter

Line a 9 in. deep dish pie plate with pastry; flute edges. In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and allspice. Combine sour cream and vanilla in a small bowl; stir into apple mixture. Spoon into pastry shell.

For topping, combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbles. Sprinkle over pie filling.

Bake @ 400 for 25 min. Reduce heat to 350; bake 25-30 min. longer or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Store in fridge. Yield: 8 servings

Pastry for Single-Crust Pie

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

1/3 cup shortening

4 to 5 tbsp cold water

Stir together flour and salt. Using a fork or pastry blender; cut in shortening until pieces are pea size. Gradually add water a tbsp at a time, mixing pastry as you go until all the dough is moistened. Form dough into a ball.

Lightly flour a flat surface such as your table or countertop; slightly flatten dough with your hands. Using a rolling pin, continue to roll out the dough into a circle (about 12 in diameter).  Transfer to 9 in. pie plate. Turn excess edges underneath and use your fingers to flute the edges.

Creamy Apple Crumb Pie

Our oldest son, Kody, and I made this for a special dessert tonight...Happy Father's Day!!