Crockpot Swedish Meatballs

This recipe is a family favorite, and costs less than $8 to make the whole recipe! You can feed 4 people with it, and have leftovers. I found the recipe originally on Pinterest here if you want to see it.

You literally just throw everything in the Crock-Pot then turn walk away until dinner time!

2lb original meatballs

1 can beef broth

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 packet onion soup mix

2tbs steak sauce

1c sour cream

1 package egg noodles

Turn your crockpot on high to start heating up, then add your broth, soup, onion mix, steak sauce, and meatballs (NO sour cream yet!). Mix well, then cook on high for 4hrs, or low for 6-8hrs.

**Pro tip: save some of the meatballs for a spaghetti and meatballs dinner!

About 20min before dinner time, turn the heat off and stir in your sour cream. Start cooking your egg noodles and whatever side dishes you would like to serve. Spoon the meatballs and sauce over the noodles and enjoy!

Stepping Into Autumn

The weather is cooling off, the trees are turning red and orange, and leaves are covering the grass....you know what that means! Fall is in the air, and it's our favorite time of the year. Especially here in NY where the pumpkins, apple cider, and fall festivals are everywhere.

We always start out our autumn decorations at home with a trip to the Amish market for our pumpkins and fall veggies. They have so many varieties of pumpkins, as well as farm fresh brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash....

The pumpkins are right at home on our front porch, and the boys will carve their Halloween pumpkins next week!

 

The boys were out of school on Columbus Day, and the weather was very warm so we packed up a picnic and headed to a town park for a fun afternoon in the open air.

You know it's fall when the grocery store starts carrying apple cider and pumpkin spice creamer!!

And yes, I had to get a pumpkin spice latte from Tims!

The boys love grabbing some baked oatmeal and fruit muffins to start their day before school.

The garden is winding down, but my zinnias are doing great! I grew these (and the petunias) from seed this year, and the zinnia are almost 5 ft tall!

Cuddles is...well, he's Cuddles! His summer hair cut is growing out. According to Google, he is the equivalent of 84 human years old!

My coworkers always love when I bake goodies and bring some for them! This was a new recipe--apple cider donut cake! YUM

Harvesting the last of my herbs....here is orange mint and basil hanging to dry.

Bradley ran his last XC race today! I'm so proud of him for trying out a sport for the first time, and giving it his all. He went from barely being able to run and being diagnosed with asthma, to being one of the top runners in his division!

Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy--French Beef Stew)

Who's ready for a new recipe to try just in time for fall??! It's basically a thick beef stew that is usually served over mashed potatoes, rice, or polenta and originated in the Burgundy region of France. It is typically associated with Julia Child, however I did watch the video of her making it and didn't really like the method she used. There are many different ways to make this and ultimately it's whatever you like. I compared many different styles and ended up (like always!) just piecing together my favorites from each recipe and making my own! It turned out so delicious and hearty--the whole family loved it.

So here is my version of classic boeuf bourguignon! It starts on the stovetop and ends in the oven, so be sure to use an oven safe pot to cook it in (you want to stay in the same pot to keep all the yummy flavors that build!). Also this recipe is intended for 6-8+ servings, so unless you want a bunch of leftovers you can always cut it in half!

*Feel free to omit/substitute the veggies for what you have or don't like. I used carrots and herbs from my garden, but in the words of Ina Garten--if you don't have those, store bought is fine. 😂

Ingredients:

1/2 lb bacon

2lb beef roast (I used bottom round due to cost, typically chuck is used)

1/2 lb carrots

2 onions

2 stalks celery

2c sliced mushrooms

2tbs minced garlic

Sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary(or 1tbs each dried)

2 bay leaves

2c red wine (I used Merlot)

2 cans beef broth

3tbs butter

2tbs flour

2tbs tomato paste

S/P

Step 1: heat your oven safe pot on medium and dice your bacon. Cook it until crispy and fat is rendered. Remove with slotted spoon onto a plate.

Step 2: cut your beef roast into approx 1-2" chunks, removing large pieces of fat. Add beef in batches to pot with bacon grease, sprinkle s/p and sear each side for a few minutes till browned. Don't crowd the pot with the pieces. Remove with slotted spoon onto plate with the bacon.

Step 3: chop your veggies! Keep the carrots and celery around the same size. Add them to the pot and cook for about 5 min, then add garlic.

Step 4: get your wine and herbs ready! After veggies are seared, add the wine and deglaze the pot. While you are doing that....

Step 5: heat up a separate skillet with the butter and brown your sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and saute about 5-7 minutes. Add them to the pot.

Step 6: sprinkle the flour onto the beef and bacon and stir to cover them, then add meat and juices on the plate into the pot. Throw the herbs in as well.

Step 7: stir in your tomato paste, then add the beef broth and start preheating your oven to 325°. Adjust your racks so the pot will fit easily in the oven!

Step 8: put on the lid and pop it in the oven! The hard work is done, now you just let it simmer for 2-3hr until the meat is tender and the liquid has reduced to a nice thick sauce. You can remove the lid for the last 30+ minutes if you want it to thicken more. Use that time to prepare the mashed potatoes/rice/polenta you want to serve it over.

So good!! The sauce is so hearty and delicious, and the complex flavors will really impress. Let me know in the comments of you make this and how you liked it!

**PRO TIP: you can spoon the rest of your unused tomato paste into a baggie and freeze for later! Just break off a chunk and use what you need. No waste!