Shauna Millet Meatballs

Don't be thrown off by how weird these sound based on the ingredients. They're FANTASTIC little meatballs. My toddler, who is very picky about eating meat, had 8 of them for dinner last night, and 5 more for lunch today. Yes, they're that good.

1 bag frozen meatballs (about 80)
12 oz grape jelly
12 oz chili sauce
1 T lemon juice
1 T brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Spread meatballs in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

While meatballs are in the oven, combine remaining ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil; reduce to simmer.

Remove meatballs from oven and add to sauce. Toss until well coated and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

**Notes from Em**
These are great for wedding and baby shower type snacks. Make them in a crock pot and serve them with toothpicks.

Mom's Chili Sauce

Ok, I don't know what you're really going to want this recipe for, other than the meatball recipe that you need the sauce for. The sauce is really good though, kind of like a sweet bbq sauce. It would be really good on ribs. You'll also need to know something about canning in order to make this recipe, unless you just cut it down and make a small amount of sauce for whatever you're using it for.

2 dozen ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or pureed
3 small green bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 C sugar
1 t chili powder
2 C vinegar
1 T salt
1 t ground cloves
1 t ground ginger
1 t allspice
1 t cinnamon

Place tomatoes, peppers, onion, sugar and chili powder in a large pot. Bring to a boil stirring constantly.

Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, for 3-4 hours until thick.

Ladle hot sauce into hot pint jars, leaving 1/4 inc head space. Adjust two piece caps. Process 20 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Makes about 6 pints.

Beef and Seven Vegetables

I know I know, you're thinking "who needs a recipe for stir fry?". If you're like me you usually just get a bunch of vegetables, some meat, and buy some Stir Fry Sauce. The nice thing about this recipe is that you get to make your own sauce, which will save you a couple bucks that you can use on buying something more healthy than processed, preservative filled sauce.

From Lion House Classics
Serves 8

1 T cooking oil
3 C sliced cooked roast beef, or 1 1/2 lbs fresh lean beef, cut into strips
2 1/2 C carrots, cut in thin slices
1 1/2 C sliced green pepper
1 1/2 C sliced onion
2 1/2 C slant-cut celery
1 can (about 4 oz) bamboo shoots, drained
4 C beef stock
1/2 -3/4 C soy sauce
3 T cornstarch in 1/4 C cold water
15 cherry tomatoes
1 C fresh or frozen snow peas, or broccoli florets
Cooked rice or Chinese noodles.

Heat oil in frying pan. Add beef and brown lightly; remove meat. Add carrots and green pepper to pan; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add onions and celery; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add bamboo shoots. Remove vegetables and keep warm. Vegetables should remain crisp.

In heavy pot, bring soup stock and soy sauce to a gentle boil; thicken with cornstarch-water mixture. Add tomatoes, snow peas or broccoli, stir-fried vegetables, and meat; heat gently. Serve over rice or Chinese noodles.

**Notes From Em**
I had a LOT of trouble getting the sauce to thicken with the amounts of corn starch listed in the recipe. I think it took more like 8 T total for me to get it as thick as I wanted. The only other thing that I'd change up on this recipe is the tomatoes. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of tomatoes (ok, I'm learning to become a fan), but even my husband thought that the flavor wasn't quite right for this dish. I had some cashews and fresh pineapple handy that I threw in at the last minute as well for a little burst of flavor. Ultimately when it comes to stir-fry though, add the vegetables that you know you'll like, or at least that you think will hide well in the sauce.

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Honey Apple Cake

It's a mouthful of a name, but this recipe is fantastic, and really very healthy for being a dessert. The applesauce keeps it nice and moist, and the honey lends more flavor than sugar does.

From Cooking Light
Serves 16

Cake:
1 C quick-cooking oats
1 C hot water
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 t ground cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/3 C packed light brown sugar
3/4 C chunky applesauce
1/3 C honey
2 large eggs
Cooking Spray

Frosting:
1/4 C butter
1/3 C packed light brown sugar
1/4 C honey
1/2 C coarsely chopped almonds, toasted

Remaining Ingredients:
1 C frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
Ground cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.

To prepare cake, combine oats and 1 cup ho twater in a small bowl; set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; leve with a knife. Combine flour, 2 t cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Combine 1 1/3 cups sugar, applesauce, 1/3 cup honey and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed 1 minute. Add oat mixture; beat at low speed until well blended. Add hal of flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat well. Add remaining flour mixture; beat well. Spoon batter into an 11 x 7 - inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 48 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Place dish on a wire rack.

To prepare frosting, melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/3 C sugar and 1/4 C honey; cook 2 minutes or until bubbly, stirring constantly. Stir in almonds. Quickly pour frosting over cake; spread evenly using a rubber spatula.

Preheat broiler.

Broil cake 1 minutes or until frosting is bubbly and golden. Cool completely on a wire rack. Serve with whipped topping; sprinkle with ground cinnamon, if desired.

**Notes from Em**
This cake is really pretty done in a bundt pan. Check it after about 30 minutes, and then every 5 minutes after that. I also have never made it with the actual frosting, I just drizzled honey over it, and then sprinkled the almonds on it.

Frozen Blackberry-Lemon Chiffon Pie

Frozen Blackberry-Lemon Chiffon Pie

From Cooking Light

Serves 12

1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs (about 12 cookie sheets)
3 T butter, melted
2 T 2% reduced-fat milk
Cooking Spray
3 C blackberries
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
1/4 t salt
4 large egg whites
1 C plus 2 T sugar
6 T water
Fresh blackberries (optional)
Fresh mint sprigs (optional)

Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl; toss with a fork until moist. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray.

Combine 3 cups blackberries and fresh lemon juice in a blender; process until smooth. Strain mixture through a sieve over a bowl; discard solids.

Place salt and egg whites in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Combine sugar and 6 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until a thermometer registers 250 F. Gradually pour the hot sugar syrup into egg white mixture, beating at medium speed, then at high speed, until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in blackberry mixture; pour into prepared crust. Cover; freeze 8 hours or overnight. Let stand 5 minutes at room temperature before serving. Garnish with fresh blackberries and mint, if desired.

**Notes from Em**
Keep in mind that this is a chiffon pie. Personally I wasn't expecting it to be as amazingly light as it was. And just a heads up that it melts very quickly, so serve and eat fast! I also got 16 servings out of this, and they were still adequately sized.

Beef Stroganoff

From Cooking Light
Serves 6

Legend has it that this dish was created for 19th-centry Russian general Count Alexander Stroganov, and it eventually became a dinner-party standby for American home cooks in the 1950's and 1960's. The recipe's longevity is no surprise; its combination of thinly sliced beef, mushrooms, and noodles in a creamy sauce has broad and comforting appeal.

 Beef Stroganoff

From Cooking Light

Serves 6

1 pound boneless sirloin steak, trimmed
3 C slice cremini mushrooms
1/2 C chopped onion
1 T Butter
2 T all-purpose flour
1 C fat free less-sodium beef broth
1/4 C dry sherry
1/2 t salt
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper
3/4 C reduced-fat sour cream
4 C hot cooked egg noodles
3 T minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cut beef diagonally across the grain into 1/4 inch wide strips; cut the strips into 2 inch pieces.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beef to pan; saute 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove beef from pan; place in a medium bowl and keep warm. Add cremini mushrooms and onion to pan; saute 4 minutes. Add cremini mushroom mixture to beef.

Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add flour. Cook 1 minute, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add broth, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.

Add beef mixture, sherry, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 30 seconds. Stir in sour cream.

Combine noodles and minced parsley. Serve beef mixture over noodles.

Asian Beef Stir-Fry

When selecting the cut of beef for stir-frying, look for a naturally lean cut, such as top sirloin, top round, top loin or flank steak, which are bursting with bold beef flavors.

Asian Beef Stir-fry

From Eating for Life

Serves 4

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1 pound lean steak
1/8 t crushed red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, sliced
4 celery stalks, sliced
1 head napa cabbage, shredded
1/2 C lite soy sauce

Prepare spaghetti according to its package directions; drain and set aside.

While the spaghetti is cooking, slice steak lengthwise into 2-inch strips. Cut crosswise into 1/8 inch thick slices.

Lightly coat a large skillet or wok with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, stir fry red pepper flakes and garlic for 1 minutes.

Add the steak strips to the skillet, stir-fry just until no longer pink, approximately 2 minutes. Remove the steak from skillet and set aside.

Lightly re-coat the skillet with cooking spray. Stir-fry onion and celery until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Add cabbage and cook until crisp-tender, approximately 2 more minutes.

Return steak to the skillet. Add cooked spaghetti and lite soy sauce; mix gently and heat thoroughly.