Turkey Meatballs, Updated

I think my Turkey Meatballs recipe is one of the most popular on the blog. It's one of our favorites too! Lately, I've been cooking them a little differently and wanted to share my new method with you. I think it's a little easier, requires less dishes and is just as tasty. Hope you enjoy.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Mmmm... tomato soup and grilled cheese! This is a great fall dinner or even a lunch. I've made many a tomato soup recipe and have finally found one that we really love from the Barefoot Contessa. The key is roasting the tomatoes so they caramelize a little bit before you blend the soup together. This soup freezes really nicely too so be sure to make a full batch.

Oven-Barbecued Brisket

Fall is here! I made this a couple of weeks ago for a friend who just had a baby. I used an 8 pound brisket so I was able to give the family a giant portion, eat some for dinner (tacos!), make a second meal (pasta!) and also freeze about 5 portions for meals later. If you can find a smaller brisket, definitely make this - just half the sauce. Then the leftovers will be a little more manageable. We are stockpiling leftovers around here though because we are expecting a baby in February! So, if our portions are looking a little larger on here, it's because of the leftovers and maybe a little bit because of my growing belly. This recipe came from my Gourmet Today cookbook. The sauce makes it a little sweet and keeps it really juicy. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

All Day Chili

I mentioned our annual chili cook-off in my Quick Chili post and am finally getting around to sharing that recipe. We actually had a tie this year which was a first in Kruger v. Kruger history! Going into it, we both thought each other's chili was really good so I was glad it turned out a tie. I'm sharing my "recipe" here but in all honesty, I didn't write it down so this is probably not very precise. Hopefully you can get an idea though of what makes an all-day chili truly worth the effort. Hope you enjoy!

Chile Verde

This is one of those all-day dishes that I have to make when the weather is cold. Chris and I first experienced Chile Verde at Z'Tejas in Austin as a special but I think it's permanently on their menu now. They serve this yummy, spicy, green pork stew in a small cast-iron skillet with cheese melted on top and fresh tortillas on the side. I may not have the small cast-iron skillets but my chile verde is pretty darn good. I started out with this recipe from Simply Recipes but I've changed so much about it over time that I think it's safe to claim it as my own recipe. Another good version of chile verde can be found in the Tacos de Puerco en Salsa Verde at Benito's restaurant in Fort Worth. I think this is one of Chris's favorite meals. Luckily, this recipe makes a ton and freezes well so we can enjoy it several times.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of our favorite recipes. I hesitate to order tortilla soup in restaurants because I've almost never had a version I like as much as this one. It comes from my friend, Taylor, and I think it's a family recipe. When it starts getting cold outside, this is one of the first things I make. This recipe is double the original one Taylor gave me. The leftover soup is even better the next day and it freezes well (if it makes it that long) so I always make this amount. If you're not a spice-lover (well, you probably don't like a lot of my recipes if that's the case) you can leave out one of the jalapenos but serve some Cholula on the side for your guests. Hope you love this as much as we do!

Quick Chili

Some of you might already be familiar with our annual chili cook-off tradition but here's a little background for those that are not. For the past 4 years, Chris and I have thrown a winter party where we each cook a giant pot of chili and leave it up to our guests to decide whose is best. After the first year, we learned that the voting has to be entirely anonymous for it to work. (there may or may not have been one person lagging behind so much that guests started to feel sorry for me and added votes to my tally) Now, guests don't know which chili is mine and which is Chris's - they are simply marked as "Red" and "Green" chili - and they use M&Ms of the same colors to vote for their favorite in a cup that is concealed by a foil top so they can't see who's winning. It's become quite a fun party over the years and the score is tied right now - 2 to 2. Check back on the blog after the New Year to see the winning recipe. For now, this is a quick version we came up with the other night to tide us over until chili cook-off time. Hope you enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Stock

When I roast a whole chicken, I like to replenish my supply of homemade chicken stock for the freezer. It makes me feel so domestic and throwing away all those bones is just wasteful. Plus, homemade stock always makes for better soups. You can use it in any recipe that calls for chicken broth or chicken stock. I'm actually not sure what the difference is between stock and broth - I just think of stock as a more flavorful version of broth. Anyway, this is a very easy method for making homemade chicken stock and, in my opinion, the best reason to own a crockpot. I can't remember how I learned to do this and don't follow a recipe so I suppose I'll just take credit for it. Hope you enjoy!

Mom's Chicken Enchiladas

This was my most-requested meal growing up. While not the easiest dish to make and certainly not the healthiest, this is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of comfort food. I like to make a giant batch of these so we have leftovers to freeze. The key to the leftovers is to freeze them just after you roll them and before cooking them - this keeps them from drying out when you reheat. Feel free to play with the recipe too. My mom sometimes adds fresh cilantro and fresh jalapeno.

Time: 2 hours
Serves: 12?

Chicken Taco Filling

I am often disappointed by the shredded chicken that Mexican restaurants serve in their tacos and enchiladas. It is so easy to add some spices to your chicken to make it more flavorful. This is a great use for leftover chicken and makes for some really flavorful tacos, enchiladas or quesadillas. The recipe is pretty versatile too so feel free to improvise with what you have on hand. It's a great dish to make a lot of too since you can easily freeze leftovers to use for a quick meal. This is my own recipe - enjoy!

Braised Short Ribs

I made these in anticipation of the Fall weather moving into Texas this week and they were so yummy. I took half over to our friends who just had a baby and I think they enjoyed them too. While it takes a long time to cook, it's mostly hands-off time so don't be intimidated. Oh and I'd suggest making the whole recipe too. The leftovers make some yummy grilled cheeses. The recipe is actually based on one from Bon Appetit that makes the short ribs specifically for the grilled cheeses. I served these over risotto with a salad on the side. Welcome Fall!

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

I don't make desserts very much but when I do, these cookies are one of my go-to recipes. I like them because they cook relatively quickly since you can do 2 pans at a time. I also love the kosher salt in the dough. These cookies are on the crisper side of the chocolate chip cookie spectrum but they're definitely still soft too. We like to zap them in the microwave for 10 seconds before eating to make them chewy again. I've adapted this recipe from one I saw on Joy the Baker.

Taco Meat

This is probably one of the first things I learned how to make on my own. Taco seasoning packets are generally pretty good but it somehow zaps the creativity out of the cooking for me. I'd also suggest making more of this than you'll eat since taco meat freezes wonderfully and thaws quickly making an easy filling for quesadillas, or topping for nachos when you need a quick "no grocery store" meal. Per the picture here, we used it to make taco salads. I like to do crushed tortilla chips, lettuce and tomato, chopped avocado, cilantro and queso as the "dressing". Not the healthiest salad but really yummy! This recipe is my own.

Red Chile Chicken Enchiladas

I made these enchiladas for a friend who just had a baby and was sure to make enough for us too. I like to do Mexican food for new moms and dads because I feel like they probably get overloaded on chicken and pasta casseroles. Not sure though, would love to hear some feedback on this! This recipe is admittedly pretty long and involved but bits and pieces of it are definitely usable too. Like the red chile chicken - that would be an amazing taco or quesadilla filling. And the enchilada sauce is one I've used with cheese enchiladas successfully too. As for recipe credit, the concept came from Use Real Butter and the enchilada sauce from The Homesick Texan. Overall, these enchiladas hit the spot. So much so that I forgot to get a pic of the finished dish. The "pre-oven" shot below will have to suffice for now.

Slow Cooker Brisket Tacos

I haven't found very many slow cooker recipes that I really like. I think after all those ingredients sit together in the crock pot all day, they just wind up tasting all the same and you can't tell one ingredient from the next. This recipe sounded good because it's supposed to be all one thing and all one taste. When you make tacos out of it though, you can add fresh ingredients and flavors that contrast with the slow cooked brisket. Rachael Ray says (yes, I am a fan) to always sear your meat when using a slow cooker and to add fresh ingredients before serving. This recipe follows both of those tips and I liked it so I think she's right. The meat had great flavor and was super tender. Plus, it made a ton so we had some to save for the freezer. Great deal when you can get a brisket on sale. I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Smitten Kitchen. She does a great job explaining the recipe so you may want to check out her version too.

Turkey Meatballs and Marinara Sauce

These turkey meatballs have been in our meal rotation for a few years. I've tried different versions with beef and pork but keep coming back to these. The turkey makes them a little lighter and not greasy which is good because this tomato sauce recipe has half a stick of butter in it. I also love the fresh parsley so don't skip out on it. Parsley is one of the cheapest herbs in the store and your leftovers from the bunch are great for topping the meatballs (and garlic bread if you choose) and also in scrambled eggs and salads. And the sauce. I've been reading about this sauce on many of the blogs I follow and I wish I had tried it sooner. Just do a Google Blog Search for Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce and you can see how many of my fellow bloggers are raving about it. It's definitely worth the 45 minutes.

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Thanks to my mother-in-law, we had about a pound of leftover ham from Easter. There are probably a ton of things you can do with leftover ham, but I love these sandwiches. When I was younger, my mom always had a batch of these in the freezer for a quick lunch or snack. Mine are a little different from hers but the concept is still the same. She always used those yummy potato rolls, so you could definitely swap those here if you can find them. I used wheat hamburger buns from our grocery bakery that Chris says "aren't too wheaty". These are great for kids too.