Menu Plan Monday

...which actually goes back to the past Saturday...

Saturday - Braised Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes - post to come
Sunday - Kalua Pork (no... not the liquor but the cooking method) - OMG gooooood stuff - post to come!
Monday - Leftover Cheesey Chicken Spaghetti and Salad
Tuesday - Hamburgers
Wednesday - Oven BBQ Chicken with Broccoli
Thursday - Pasta with Sauteed Chicken, Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil
Friday - Driving to Tallahassee and will have dinner with the boy

Chicken Kabobs

Lots of challenges with dinner tonight.

• I HAD to make it because I had the chicken marinating since yesterday and it needed to be cooked.


• It was raining and I couldn't cook on the grill.


• I had no skewers except for flavored ones that I've had for a couple of years (gross) and mini ones I use for appetizers.

So I pre-cooked the mushrooms and onions in the microwave and then dumped them on a baking sheet with some grape tomatoes. Then I dumped the marinated chicken on and stuck the entire thing under the broiler (the rack was half way in the oven) and cooked until browned.

I microwaved Uncle Bens Brown Rice in a bag and served the 'kabobs' over the rice. It was very yummy without all the skewering (is that a word??).

Would I make again. YES. I make kabobs all the time so of course I will.... and this was a quick option if need be.

Menu for the Week

Saturday -- Fish (for Mark)/Steak (me) with Baked Potatoes
Sunday -- Black Bean Soup and Sandwiches
Monday -- Chicken Kabobs
Tuesday -- Chicken Spaghetti
Wednesday -- Buttermilk Chicken w/Biscuits
Thursday -- Turkey Burgers
Friday -- Date Night (my choice this week)

Hungry Girl's Sloppy Janes!

Do you know Hungry Girl?? If you don't check out her website http://www.hungry-girl.com/ if you're interested in low calorie, low fat food that TASTES GOOD!! She also includes WW points for most of her dishes. This is the best sloppy joe recipe I have ever found - even if I'm not in a dieting mode (but I am, of course...still...again)

Sloppy Janes

Ingredients:
1 lb. raw extra-lean ground turkey
5 small hamburger buns (light, if available)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1 cup canned tomato sauce
3/4 cup canned no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dry steak seasoning blend
dash salt

Directions:
Spray a large pan with nonstick spray, and bring to medium-high heat. Add turkey to the pan. Spread the meat around in the pan to break it up a bit.

In a small dish, combine Splenda, salt and steak seasoning. Sprinkle this mixture over the meat, and continue to stir meat in the pan. Once the meat has browned, reduce heat to medium.

Add onions, peppers, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar to the pan. Stir, and then continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Add tomato sauces and paste to the pan and stir well. Reduce heat to low, and cook the mixture for an additional 5 minutes.

Toast the buns, if desired. Put 1/5th of the mixture on each bottom bun, and then finish off with tops of the buns.

MAKES 5 SERVINGS

Heads Up! These Sloppy Janes are a little sweet, because, well, that's the way we like 'em! If you don't like yours sweet, feel free to leave out the Splenda.

Serving Size: 1 sandwich
Calories: 271
Fat: 3g
Sodium: 835mg
Carbs: 32g
Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 8g
Protein: 31g

POINTS® value 5*

Unstuffed Cabbage

Unstuffed Cabbage

I love cabbage rolls; hate to make them! Changes to the recipe -- I used 2 1/4 pounds ground turkey and I added an extra can of tomato paste to make up for the extra meat. I also added season salt and some 'montreal steak seasoning' to taste. The dish needs a lot of salt. I give it a 6 out of 10...probably won't make again.

1 ¾ pounds ground beef(I used 85%)
1 medium sized onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 can (28oz) stewed tomatoes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 ¼ cups water
1 ½ teaspoons dried parsley
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon black pepper

1 small head cabbage, shredded, about

8 cups

Heat a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add beef and cook for 6 minutes until no longer pink. Stir occasionally. Drain fat. Stir in onion and cook 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute.

Add tomatoes and paste. Using a potato masher, break up the tomatoes. Stir in 1 ¼ cups water, parsely, salt, oregano, sugar, and black pepper. Simmer 5 minutes.

Add half the cabbage and cook covered 5 minutes. Add the remaining cabbage and simmer, covereed, 90 minutes to 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

Roast Chicken -- Gotta Love It!

This is my new favorite chicken. Very good flavor and gravy.... I give it a 9 out of 10. The only change is that I didn't have wine (unbelievable but true) so I used a cup of chicken stock (instead of half) and a couple of glugs of dry sherry. I also only needed to cook it an hour. I took it out when the thigh meat was at 170 and let it rest. By the time I was done with the gravy it was 180.





Ina's Engagement Chicken

Ingredients
• 1 (4 to 5 pound) roasting chicken
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lemons
• 1 whole head garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
• Good olive oil
• 2 Spanish onions, peeled and thickly sliced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Cut the lemons in quarters, place 2 quarters in the chicken along with the garlic and reserve the rest of the lemons. Brush the outside of the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the chicken in a small (11 by 14-inch) roasting pan. (If the pan is too large, the onions will burn.) Place the reserved lemons and the sliced onions in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Pour the mixture around the chicken in the pan.

Roast the chicken for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and a thigh. Remove the chicken to a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce, leaving the lemons and onions in the pan.

Place the pan on top of the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits. Add the stock and sprinkle on the flour, stirring constantly for a minute, until the sauce thickens. Add any juices that collect under the chicken. Carve the chicken onto a platter and serve with the lemons, onions, and warm sauce.

Menu for the Week

Saturday -- Schnitzel and Baked Mac and Cheese

Sunday -- Roast Chicken with leftover Mac and Cheese

Monday -- Hungry Girl's Sloppy Janes

Tuesday -- Italian Wedding Soup and Sandwiches

Wednesday -- Unstuffed Cabbage

Thursday -- Chicken Marsala

Friday -- Quesadillas

Anyone Out There?

Question is.... anyone in HERE! Here's a recipe from my new hero, The Pioneer Woman. These were very good -- I'd give them an 8 out of 10 -- and will definitely make them again. The only reason they weren't higher is because they kind of fell apart when I took them from the pan to the plate. The corn tortilla fell apart but that may be because I skip the 'quick fry' part. Wish I had a picture. I'll have to remember to move my camera back over to my work area so I'll have it handy. I'll try to get back into the swing of things here!

For some reason I can't cut and paste from the website to this template. So, here's the link to the recipe -- http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/simple-perfect-enchiladas/

And here's what I did different.

Sauce -- no changes. I prepared it as written. I did make this early in the day and let in simmer a bit.

Meat -- I had some shredded pot roast in onions that I mixed with the canned green chillies. Turned out wonderful. Although I can't wait to try with ground beef.

Assembly -- didn't quick fry the tortillas in oil. Big mistake. The tortillas fell apart as I said earlier. Also I didn't have any black olives so I left those out.

Tomato Soup

Another Pioneer Woman recipe - Tomato Soup. We have an abundance of tomatoes right now and it will be the last of them (due to the freeze) until the next crop is ready in March. I fried some green ones Friday night but had a bunch of ripe ones to use up. Decided on the soup since I'm traveling this week and I think Mark can manage to heat some of that up while I'm gone :)

Another non-picture post.... sorry!

Here's the link http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/sherried_tomato_soup/

My changes --

• I roasted tomatoes in the oven with olive oil, salt and pepper. I pureed them with the stick blender and used them instead of the canned tomatoes.
• I used 1 cup of chicken broth instead of cooking sherry and the chicken base.
• I glugged in about 1/4 cup of REAL dry sherry.
• I pureed the entire soup so it was creamy.

At first I thought it tasted like NOTHING. Then I let it cool down a bit and I thought it was really good. I'd give it a 8 out of 10 and I would make it again!

Chipolte Chicken Skewers

These were delicious. Part of the reason for my lack of posts lately is that I don't think much of what I've made lately is worthy. Or they're repeats. But this is wonderful.

I also made a cilantro sauce and sweet potato fries to go with it. The sweet potato fries were chipolte flavored, too, made by Alexi (I think...frozen food section at Publix).

This recipe came from Joe. Like him I used the broiler (about 6 inches from element for about 7 minutes a side) since we were getting our usual Florida evening thunderstorm. I didn't use skewers since I didn't cook them on the grill. Seemed unnecessary.

Oh...this is supposed to be an appetizer or party food, but, obviously we had them for dinner with enough leftover for my lunch tomorrow!

For the chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2" thick strips

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped (I used two)

2 teaspoons adobo sauce

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

wooden skewers, soaked in water

For the sauce

3/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 small garlic clove, minced (I used two)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 scallions, minced

salt and fresh ground black pepper

To prepare the chicken - In a large bowl, add chicken, brown sugar, cilantro, chipotle, adobo sauce, salt, chili powder, garlic and pepper, tossing well to combined. Cover bowl and place into the refrigerator to marinate for about 2 to 4 hours. Mine actually marinated for about 10 hours.

To prepare the sauce - In a medium bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, cilantro and scallions - season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Cover bowl and place into the refrigerator to chill while the chicken marinates. I actually put all the ingredients into the food process for a slightly green tinted smooth sauce.

Preheat broiler with a rack placed in the top position.Thread each piece of chicken onto the soaked wooden skewers. Place chicken under the broiler and bake until cooked through, about 5 to 8 minutes, turning skewers over halfway through.

Serve with dipping sauce.

Beef Barbacoa

The Mettille boys love going to Chipolte. I prefer Moe's just because I think you have more choices and it's a bit cheaper. But I do enjoy them both. I found a copy cat recipe online for the beef barbacoa and decided it would make good football food.

I'm not really sure it tasted the same but it was very good and I'd make it again. We topped ours with fresh tomato, seasoned blackbeans, lettuce, chopped green onion, cheese and sour cream. I had to use the small tortillas because I couldn't find burrito size that were whole wheat or low carb. This took quite a while....not something you can do on a work night. At least I can't :)

Here's the thing... Our Seminoles won against #7 BYU which no one thought would happen so do I have to make these meal every Saturday now?? We have rules in the family about game days. You can't wear a shirt that you wore when they lost. I have to wear my new FSU crocs during the game, etc. etc. You get the idea. As good as the beef was, don't want it every week!

Beef Barbacoa

Ingredients

1 1/2 # beef brisket
2 cups diced tomatoes (I used canned)
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup red wine
2 Tbs. lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp ground oregano
1 seeded and sliced jalapeno (I used two)
3 Tbs. cilantro (I used a handful)
1 large onion,thickly sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions

Put everything in a slow cooker cook on low for 8 hours. I didn't really time this. I just checked when the meat could be pulled. I took the meat out, and shredded it and then I thought what a shame to throw out all this liquid so I blended it with my immersion blender. I poured it out of the slow cooker, put the beef back in and moistened it with a bit of the sauce.

Easy Cheese Danish

I've made these twice and I'm in love with them. I'm on a diet and I'm in love with Cheese Danish.... jeepers!

Thanks a lot Ina Garten. Thanks for making sure the weight I lost during the week comes back on the weekend. Thanks for making me crave these crazy things all the bloody time. Thanks for making me think about different variations and ways that they could look prettier.... Thanks a lot!

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (1 lemon)
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted (Note: you could easily double the amount of pastry and have enough filling)
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the 4 squares. Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together. Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash.

Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes. (I don't do this -- but I do refrigerate the filling for a while before using -- last night I made the filling; this morning I made the danish).

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Serve warm. Or cold. It really doesn't matter.

Not My Grandmother's Pot Roast

Thank goodness! My Grandmother watched my brother and I during the summer when we were in elementary school. Every Tuesday, we had pot roast. It was greasy and disintegrated when you tried to cut it. And did I mention that we had this every Tuesday. It's something that I don't normally crave (to say the least). That is, until I saw Paula Deen make it the other day. The sauce is made with cream of mushroom soup and a bit of red wine which made it almost smell like Beef Burgundy but it didn't have that strong of a wine taste. I did throw some potatoes in the pot when there was about an hour left to cook.

From Paula Deen (with some changes)

Ingredients
1 (3 to 4-pound) boneless chuck roast
1 teaspoon House Seasoning, (I used Lawry's Season Salt and Garlic Powder)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion wedges
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (I used two - we're saucey people)
1/4 cup red wine (doubled the wine)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules (didn't use)
3/4 cup water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Rub seasoning into the roast on both sides. Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the roast, searing it on both sides. Place the meat in a roaster pan (I used a big dutch oven). Add onions and garlic to skillet for 1 to 2 minutes to absorb leftover roast juice. Place into roaster pan with meat and bay leaves. Note: I did everything in the dutch oven.

Combine the mushroom soup, wine, Worcestershire sauce and beef bouillon into a bowl. Pour over the roast. Add water.

Cover pan with lid and bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until tender.

Remove and discard the bay leaves.

Ricotta Stuffed Tomatoes

I finally have some food worth talking about. Seems that lately nothing was really that good, or very interesting or just repeat food. Also trying to diet makes it hard -- it's hard enough trying to think of food that meet the calories, fat, carb restrictions!

A big hit last night -- let me tell you!! I served these with a grilled t-bone steak (for me) and blackened salmon (for Mark). The original recipe came from http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/, with of course some changes of my own.

Ricotta Stuffed Tomatoes

Tomatoes, cut in half (I used 2 big vine tomatoes)
1 cup of ricotta cheese
2-3 tbsp asiago cheese, grated
10-15 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp oregano
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
Italian style panko crumbs

Preheat oven to 400. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the insides. Mix the rest of the ingredients except for the panko crumbs. Stuff the cheese mixture in the tomatoes and top with the crumbs. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake approximately 30 minutes -- but I think it would depend on the size of the tomato, too.

Comfort Food

This was a nice twist on a comfort meal. Instead of tomato soup and grilled cheese, I used a couple of Tyler Florence's recipes with a some changes - I bought pesto since I no longer have a basil plant, and I didn't make the chicken meatballs - I used slice chicken sausage since that's what I had in the freezer. When I make this again, I'll purchase the correct sausage and make the meatballs.

The 'grilled cheese' sandwiches were wonderful though. In fact, I'm craving it right now. Don't use the crappy grocery store mozzerella....get the fresh stuff from the deli or from SAMS.

Chicken Soup

Extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 large carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 bay leaf
4 fresh thyme sprigs
3 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
5 parsley stems, plus 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
4 black peppercorns
Kosher salt
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for garnish

For the meatballs:
1 medium onion, diced
Olive oil
6 links organic chicken-apple sausage meat
1 egg
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 handful fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 pounds frozen cheese tortellini, store bought
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the soup:
Set a large stock pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, half the garlic, carrot, onion, celery, bay leaf, and thyme and gently saute until fragrant, about 5 to 7 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, add parsley stems, black peppercorns and salt, to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer while you work on meatballs and tortellini.

For the meatballs:
Caramelize the diced onion in a saute pan with a little olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, egg, onion, thyme, parsley, and cheese to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they all come together. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil until just smoking. Use a small ice cream scoop to drop meatballs onto skillet. Cook, turning, until golden brown.

Drop tortellini straight from freezer into soup. Cook until they float. Once meatballs are browned, add to pot of chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Give soup a final seasoning and serve in shallow bowls with a small shower of Parmesan, olive oil, and parsley.


Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients
4 slices thick-cut sourdough bread
1 ball (1 pound) fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 plum tomatoes, cut into thick slices
1 cup fresh basil pesto, recipe follows (I used jarred)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil

Basil pesto:
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano
2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Toast pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Combine pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined but still rough-textured.

Assemble sandwich by smearing insides of bread slices with pesto. Arrange a layer of sliced tomato and season with a few turns of fresh pepper. Layer the mozzarella slices over the top and then place another piece of bread on top to make the sandwich. Drizzle olive oil over skillet's surface and place sandwiches on the hot skillet or panini press. If using a skillet, place another heavy skillet over the top to form a "press". Turn after 2 to 3 minutes and replace weight. The sandwich is ready when golden brown and mozzarella has melted around the edges.

Hello Out There!

I guess it's time to get back on this proverbial horse! I have some old things to post, but, I'll start with present day and go backwards.

It was a quiet 4th of July. We stayed in and I made Strawberry Margaritas (that strangely just tasted like regular margaritas).

I marinated a London Broil and sliced it thin. I used a package marinade that I got from SAMS. It's made by Weber and is chipolte flavor. You know the ones - in the packet and you mix with water and oil. I gave the beef a good soakin' - for about 8 hours and did a quick sear on the grill (about 5 minutes each side) for a rare in the middle; medium rare on the ends. It doesn't look like it from my 'resting' picture but this was juicy and very good!

As a side, I made Pioneer Woman's Hot Crash Potatoes. I'm constantly trying to eliminate the number of pans/dishes that need to be used. So instead of boiling the potatoes first and then baking; I just throw them in the microwave. Brillant. No difference as far as I was concerned. I smushed the potatoes with the bottom of a glass and sprinkled them with kosher salt, pepper and olive oil. Baked at 425 for about 40 minutes or until brown. These are seriously good!

Corn Salad

Of course there is not a picture. I made this for Mark's birthday and quite frankly it was a little too hectic for me to stop and take a picture of the food. I'll give you a run down --

Brats

Chicken Sausages

Cheeseburgers

Potato Salad

Corn Salad

Boston Creme Pie

All cooked and served from our camper! While camping!

I thought the star of the show was the corn salad. Got the recipe from http://lacucinadilauren.blogspot.com/2009/05/corn-tomato-and-avocado-salad.html where you can actually see what it looks like. Mine was a little sloppier though, but, it was really good. Don't be stingy with the salt - it really soaks it up.

Just like Mark 'soaks up' getting presents for his birthday!

Easy Week Night Dinner

I love sauteed zucchini. I used a combo of butter and olive oil with the zucchini, onion and a couple of tomatoes that needed to used ASAP (or throw away). Throw in some salt, pepper and garlic - it's just about my favorite veg dish ever.

To go with, I breaded some thin pork chops and did a quick fry in the same skillet until they were golden brown. Probably 3 minutes a side.

With the fat left in the skillet, I made a roux and then poured in some milk, salt and pepper (with a dash of cayenne and garlic powder) to make a cream gravy.

Good dinner. The leftover pork chops were great on a bakery bun with a bit of mayo!

Day of Smoking

We decided that if we were going to fire up the smoker and use all that charcoal and wood, that we would make it worth our while.

We began with a pork roast with a rub. This was on the longest -- about 8 hours and was used for sandwiches. We poured a bit of Sweet Baby Rays on top.

The chicken was the best. It was on for about 4 hours and was coated in a jerk seasoning. I used the leftovers in enchiladas. The breast meat was so juicy it was unbelievable...I've never seen it like that before.

And then some beef. Again we used the chipolte marinade. This was just a cheap piece of some type of roast. Should have taken it off earlier - it was still good but not my favorite.

Meatballs in Gravy over Mashed Potato

The plan was to alter our food again on Monday -- eating low carb at night, concentrating on fresh meats and veg. Monday I didn't feel good, my leg was killing me and I just didn't think I could stand much longer -- so we went to Firehouse Subs. Tuesday we did ok - I made wonderful Chicken Caesar Salads. So tonight I'm going for the potatoes! And gravy!

Meatballs

(I used the basic recipe for The Pioneer Womans BBQ meatballs but made some changes)

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 small onion very finely diced

Lawry's Season Salt

Lots of pepper

Mix together in a large bowl. Mixture will be gooey. Shape into golf ball size balls and place in the oven at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

This gravy is awesome. I think I originally got the concept from Rachael Ray but over the years changes have been made here and there so I call it my own at this point.

Brown Gravy

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
garlic powder
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 quart beef broth
salt and black pepper to taste

Melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until the mixture is golden-brown and smells like cooked pie crust. I love that part. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Whisk in a cup of the beef broth, and then add the rest of the ingredients.