Easy Swedish Meatballs

Bake frozen meatballs in a 9x13 pan in the oven according to package directions.

While they bake, combine and heat the following in a saucepan:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup milk  

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Stir the meatballs into the sauce. Serve over rice.

Can also be made by browning the meatballs in a skillet, then adding the sauce and heating it up.

Lemon PoppySeed Salad Dressing

2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp poppy seeds

Frozen Butterbeer

In June 2015 we went on a family vacation to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

It was there we fell in love with frozen butterbeer. Here is our version.

2 cups vanilla ice cream
2 cups cream soda
1/8 cup butterscotch syrup or topping
1/4 cup ice

Blend together, then top with whipped cream (optional).

Microwave Brownie Lava Cake

Ingredients

• 1 brownie mix (family size for 9x13 pan) plus ingredients needed according to brownie mix instructions (normally oil, water, and eggs)
• 1 large egg (in addition to the eggs called for in the brownie mix instructions)
• 16 Dove Dark Chocolate Promise candy pieces (each piece weighs .3 oz), or similar
• whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, optional
• raspberries or strawberries for garnish, optional

Directions

Empty brownie mix into large bowl. Whisk to remove large lumps. Coat 8 (6 oz) custard cups with cooking spray. Add a small amount of dry brownie mix to each cup and rotate cups until completely lightly coated; tap and shake out excess back into brownie mix bowl. Set aside. In separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients called for in brownie mix instructions (oil, water, eggs), plus 1 additional egg. Add wet ingredients to brownie mix and stir until well combined.

Spoon batter into each custard cup or bowl until 1/2 full (approx. 1/3 cup of batter for 6 oz. cup/bowls).  Stack two Dove candies and press them down into the center of the batter; spoon batter over candy so it is completely covered.

Place in microwave and cook at full power for 1 minute for 1 cake (microwave power and times may vary). May cook up to 4 cakes at one time, adding 1/2 minute to cooking time for each additional cake.

To remove cake from bowl: Immediately, run a thin knife around the edge of the cooked cake. Place a small plate on top of the cake bowl. Flip the plate and bowl over, so the cake is inverted on top of the plate. Gently lift the bowl, leaving the inverted cake on the plate. If any melted chocolate remains in bottom of bowl, spoon it on top of inverted cake. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream; garnish with berries, if desired.

Cakes may also be eaten directly from the custard cup they are cooked in (without inverting them on a plate). May also be cooked and served in half-pint mason jars.
(If eating cakes directly from bowl or jar, it isn't necessary to spray or coat them before adding batter and cooking.)

MAKE AHEAD: Batter may be mixed and added with chocolate pieces to custard cups or jars in advance. Cover and refrigerate up to a week. Remove from refrigerator and warm to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking.

Nutritional Information per lava cake (portioned into 8 cakes per recipe): 397 calories, 21.3g fat, 217.5mg sodium, 56g carbs, 3.4g fiber, 48.2g sugars, 5.4g protein; Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 12

Corn muffins

Ingredients:
(makes 12 muffins)

 1 cup cornmeal
 1 cup all-purpose flour
 1/3 cup white sugar
 2 teaspoons baking powder
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1 egg, beaten
 1/4 cup canola oil
 1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix together corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, oil and milk; stir gently to combine. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Meatballs stroganoff

This is a quick and easy dinner I got off of Pinterest.

frozen meatballs
beef broth
salt, pepper, oregano, basil, parsley
sour cream
heavy whipping cream (or milk + cornstarch)
wide egg noodles


Heat 1 T. olive oil in a black iron skillet.  Add frozen Italian style meatballs (enough to cover the bottom of the pan).  Brown them up nicely.

After they are browned, deglaze the pan with about 2 cups (16 oz.) of beef broth.  Bring to a boil.  Season generously with salt and pepper, and dried herbs (parsley, oregano, basil; 1 heaping tsp each).  When it starts reducing, add about 2/3 cup sour cream and about a cup of heavy whipping cream (or 1 cup milk + 2 T cornstarch mixed cold).  Bring to a full boil so the thickeners can work.

Meanwhile, boil water in a separate pot and add the wide egg noodles.  Boil until they are still just a bit al dente, drain briefly and add to the simmering sauce.  They will finish cooking in the sauce and also soak up a lot of that goodness.

For a low-carb alternative, take out the noodles and substitute in cauliflower florets, cooked from frozen and chopped bite size.

Grilled cheese sandwiches

Buttered bread + cheddar cheese + medium heat skillet = Classic yumminess
(In our house, it must be accompanied by a mug of chocolate milk.  It's a Lambert thing.)


Variations:

*Pizza: mozzarella + pepperoni + italian seasoning (dip in marinara)

*Pesto Italian: french bread, mozzarella, thinly sliced tomato, pesto

BBQ club: cheddar, ham, turkey, bacon, tomato, BBQ sauce (a little goes a long way)

Savory herb french toast: mix 1/4 cup milk,1 large egg, 1/8 tsp coarse ground salt, 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp dried thyme; Dip four slices of bread in mixture then place in buttered skillet. Flip, then add cheddar and top slice.  Then flip to brown the top. (this makes 2 sandwiches)

Fried egg:  provolone, bacon, fried egg, pepper, green onion, parmesan, fresh basil leaf on sourdough

Apple or pear (thinly sliced) or apple butter

Avocado, pepper jack, ham, bacon, tomato

Carmelized onion (cook thinly sliced red onion in butter for 10-15 minutes), cheddar, pepper jack, BBQ sauce

Bread ideas: challah, cinnamon, italian, artisan, sourdough, croissant