New website!

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www.happylifehappywife.com

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❤

Changes coming!

I’m probably going to be absent this week as I work on a new site…
It should look pretty spiffy!  🙂

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Recipe adapted from: Picky Palate

I know there’s no sauce on my meatball sub, but I don’t like red sauce that much…
And one other thing about this recipe —  I HATE mustard!  I really do.  Can’t stand the stuff.  So why I included it I don’t know.  I’m going to try these again sometime without the mustard and kicking up the seasonings a bit, but I really love the idea of mozzarella stuffed meatballs.

I didn’t have any of those fancy mozzarella balls, so I just cut up some cheese sticks and made them work  🙂

Makes 10 HUGE meatballs!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard (yuck!)
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 10 1-inch Mozzarella balls (or cut up cheese sticks if you want to be like me lol)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 13×9 inch baking dish with the olive oil.
3. Combine all of the ingredients (except the mozzarella cheese) in a large bowl.
4. Take 1/4 cup of the beef mixture and press into the center to make room for the Mozzarella.  Place cheese in the middle and then enclose the beef around the cheese making sure it is completely covered.
5. Place meatballs in the prepared dish and bake for about 35 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Serve over pasta or in a meatball sub.

That’s the way I like it —- with lots of Parmesan on top!

Spring Cleaning – The Pantry

Maybe it was the small thrill I got from cleaning off my kitchen countertops that made me want to tackle the pantry…  or maybe it was the fact that I went to Target and there wasn’t any place to put the groceries away…  or maybe I was just bored and sick of watching tv.

Whatever the reason, I started cleaning out my pantry.  Before I knew it, my entire kitchen was a WRECK and I was trying to claw my way out from under it.  I threw out all of the expired food and whatever was open and stale.

I got rid of this:

And this:

And this:

It was extremely rewarding, but at the same time I was pretty disgusted by how much food we waste.  The stuff goes in the pantry and will inevitably be pushed to the back and forgotten about.  So my plan for now is to not buy food unless it will be on the weekly menu.  If I’m not going to use then what’s the point in buying it, right?

So my pantry looks pretty good now, eh?  I can’t believe how much more space I have! LOL!

Now it’s all organized…

…and I can even see the floor!  All those empty boxes (why did we save the empty boxes?) are gone!

Even though most of the food fell under the “recently expired” or “open and stale” categories, there were a few things that were “grossly expired”

I don’t even like these, so why the heck did I buy them??

And the grand prize goes to:

Click on the linky below and show me your own before and after pantry or countertop pictures!  I can’t wait to see the progress you have made in your own kitchens 🙂

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Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Recipe adapted from: Allrecipes.com

LOVED THIS!  No, really, I loved this one!  And the next day, reheated, it was just as good.  Mmmmm.
It isn’t the easiest, quickest casserole out there, but for me it was worth the effort.

Make a little egg/milk bath

Soak your chicken and get our the bread crumbs

 

I used panko

Fry the chicken pieces (Don't they kinda look like the chicken nuggets at Chick-Fil-A?)

Chicken + Ham + Cheese

Add the soup mixture

Bake it up

Serve over egg noodles

 Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup plan panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup oil (for frying)
• 8 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 8 ounces fully-cooked ham, cubed
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 bag of egg noodles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat egg and 1/2 cup milk together until combined.  Put the breadcrumbs in another bowl.  Set aside.
3. Cut your chicken into chunks, placing the pieces in the egg mixture to coat.
4. Using tongs, transfer the coated chicken into the breadcrumbs, pressing down a little bit to coat.
5. Heat oil in a large skillet to 375 degrees F.  Carefully fry breaded chicken cubes in hot oil until golden brown on all sides, then remove and drain on paper towels.
6. Place chicken cubes in a glass baking dish.  Add the ham and the cheese and gently stir to combine.
7. In a small bowl, combine the soup and 1 cup milk.  No need to heat it, just pour directly over the casserole.
8. Baked for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly.
9. Meanwhile, prepare egg noodles according to package directions.  Once cooked, I stir in a little butter to prevent sticking and give them some buttery flavor goodness.
10. Serve warm.