* Whole Wheat Waffles (or pancakes) *

Last year for Christmas, my parents gave us a bunch of whole wheat kernels and a hand wheat grinder for our food storage. I'll admit that I had no idea what to do with them and honestly didn't use it until about October of this last year. Then I got this awesome recipe from my parents and it forever changed our family meals. This is my #1 go-to meal when it gets to be 5:00pm and I still haven't thought about dinner...or if I'm just to lazy to make anything else. We probably have it at least once a week. It is so easy because you don't have to grind up the wheat kernels...the blender does it for you! And I just feel so healthy (as long as you don't count the syrup and butter) because they're whole wheat :)

Whole Wheat Waffles*mix the following on high speed for 2 minutes:
1 c. milk
1 c. whole wheat kernels

*add:
1/2 c. milk
*and mix for 2 more minutes.

*Then add these ingredients:
1/3 c. oil
2 eggs
1 t. salt
1 T. honey
*and blend well.

*Right before baking, add:
1 T. baking powder
*and fold in on low speed just until blended. Bake!

THESE ARE YUMMY!

* Brown Sugar Muffins *

Disclaimer: I would not describe these muffins as "spectacular" or "scrumptious" or "the best thing I ever ate" but...they are fast, easy, and my son LOVES them.
I used to have the packed Betty Crocker muffin mixes in my cupboards for mornings when we didn't feel like eating cold cereal or toast but one morning I went to make some muffins and I was out of the mixes! My little boy started crying that he "needed" a muffin-man (as he calls them) so I got out a cookbook that I received from my sister and this was the first recipe I saw. It doesn't have any "extras" in it (chocolate chips, blueberries, etc.) but I think that's why my son loves them. And I actually like them too.

Brown Sugar Muffins1/2 c. soft butter or margarine
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 c. milk
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour

Mix all ingredients together until blended and batter is still somewhat lumpy. Bake in muffin tins at 350* for 15 minutes. (Sometimes, I rub a little bit of brown sugar on the top while they're still warm.) This makes about 2 dozen muffins so I usually half the recipe for our little family.

* Hobo Dinners *

Sorry for the lack of new recipes last week. I had a few new recipes that I was pretty excited to try out last week and I even typed them up because I was so sure they were going to be delicious...and they weren't. I was pretty bummed. I obviously did not want to put them on here because who wants a crappy recipe, right!?!

This recipe is one of our favorites! So easy and fun...perfect for my hubby who is a meat-and-potato kind of guy. You can cook them on a campfire, on your grill, or in your oven! And I always feel like we're camping when I eat these...even though we rarely camp :)

Hobo (or Tin Foil) Dinners1 lb ground beef
1 small-medium potato per person, peeled and cut into small cubes or slices
1 can corn (can use frozen corn or mixed veggies)
1 large carrot (I just cut up a bunch of baby carrots)
seasoned salt
butter or margarine
salt and pepper

Split the ground beef in to 4-5 pieces and form into patties (Sometimes I just do straight ground beef and other times I add a little worchestershire sauce, egg, bread crumbs, and onion soup mix to the beef...depending on how much time I have or how ornery the kids are :) ) Tear 4-5 good sized sheets of foil (12-14 inches long) to pack your hobo dinner in. Place one hamburger patty in the center of each foil sheet.Places potatos and vegetables next to the meat. Put a pat of butter on top of potatoes and vegetables. Season everything with seasoned salt and salt and pepper (my husband also really likes canadian steak seasoning on his...not my favorite...which is why I label our foil packs with a Sharpie). Bring foil ends up and fold over until 2-3 inches from the meat, then fold up the sides.For fire or grill...after 15-20 minutes, carefully remove the packs with tongs and open each foil pack (it will be very hot). Cut into hamburger to check for doneness.

For oven...preheat oven to 350*. Place Hobo Dinners on cookies sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes. (I usually cook them in the oven)

* Sweet and Sour Meatballs *

We have a lot of ground beef...which is awesome! My in-laws are cattle ranchers and are so nice to give us beef to last us throughout the year--I married well :) So you might notice that I have and will continue to share lots of beef recipes. Here's one of my "go to" recipes when I can't think of what to make. I got this recipe from a young women's leader when I was in high school--super easy!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs (I use quick oats...they work the same but add more fiber)
1/4 c. milk
2 T. finely chopped onion (If I don't have an onion, I'll just add onion powder)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. worchestershire sauce
1 egg

Combine ingredients into bowl. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls (I use my handy dandy cookie scooper thingy...does anyone know what I'm talking about?) Then cook either on the stove top over medium heat, turning occasionally, until brown (about 20 minutes) -or- bake on cookie sheet in the oven at 400* for 20-25 minutes (I usually bake them).

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1 can pineapple chunks (approx. 14 oz)
1/3 c. vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1 small green pepper, chopped (I NEVER add this, mostly because I hate peppers)

When the meatballs are close to done cooking, mix the brown sugar and cornstarch in skillet. Stir in the pineapple with syrup, vinegar, and soy sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat, add meatballs, cover, and simmer stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add green pepper and cover and simmer about 5 more minutes (of if you don't use the green pepper, just let it simmer for 15 minutes.) Serve with rice.

* Mini Meatloaves *

My little boy went through a phase where he was obsessed with muffins. He usually wont eat meatloafy kind of foods but when I made these, he gobbled them right up! And he still eats them...I love this meal.

Mini Cheddar Meatloaves (awful picture...I know. But they really are yummy!

Ingredients
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

Directions
Preheat oven to 350*.
In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, cheese, oats and salt. Add the ground beef, mixing well, and put into 12 cup greased muffin tin. In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Stir thoroughly and spread over each mini meatloaf.
Bake, uncovered, at 350*for 45 minutes.

recipe from http://homeparents.about.com/od/meatloafrecipes/r/ched_meatloaf.htm

* Copycat Winger's Sticky Finger Sauce *

My husband LOVES Winger's Sticky Fingers! When I found this recipe (and I can't even remember where I found it...sorry I can't give credit to whomever made it up!), I was pretty excited and so was my hubby! And this is the easiest sauce EVER! I have to admit it's become one of our go-to recipes. We probably have it once a week :)

Copycat Winger's Sticky Finger Sauce

3/4 c. brown sugar
3 T. Franks hot sauce (the original recipes said it HAD to be Franks hot sauce)
2 T. water

Combine ingredients in saucepan. Bring to boil for a minute. Serve with chicken.

That's it! Pretty freakin' sweet, eh? I usually just have it with grilled chicken but every once in a while I bread the chicken too! It's great both ways! We have Sticky Fingers, Sticky Finger Wraps, Sticky Finger Salads, etc. all the time. I LOVE it!

* Resolutions... *

I'll admit it...I'm a terrible recipe blogger! I had high hopes for myself and this blog (but not really THAT high of hopes...mostly I just wanted to get all of our recipes organized) and I did awful.

It's now a new year and I resolve to do better at posting recipes. I am going to try to post at least twice, maybe three times a week. Check back again this week for some new recipes! And thanks for sticking with me...those 2 of you who randomly check :)