homemade runzas

an actual runza.  

last week i posted runzas on my must haves for the freezer and had a few folks ask me what a runza is...besides telling them that they are bread stuffed with deliciousness, i thought i would share my go to recipe.  these are definitely a weekend kitchen project. however, they freeze/reheat great and are pretty fun to make. kids can easily help fill and fold the runzas, too.

homemade runzas
{filling}
2 lbs of ground meat, preferably beef
1 large onion, chopped
salt
pepper
1 medium head of cabbage, shredded
american cheese, optional
{dough}
4 1/2 c. flour, divided
1 /2 c. sugar
2 pkgs. (4 1/2 t.) of active dry yeast
1 t. salt
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. shortening
3/4 c. milk
2 eggs

{make dough} combine 1 3/4 c. flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.  heat milk, water, and shortening to 120 degrees.  pour over flour mixture and add eggs. beat with standing mixer for 4 minutes.  stir in remaining flour. knead, with standing mixer,  until smooth and elastic. about 6-8 minutes. cover for 1 hr.
meanwhile {make filling} in large dutch oven, saute onion in a bit of oil or butter.  add meat and brown.    add cabbage and cook until wilted.  season very well with salt and pepper.

{assemble runzas} on a large floured surface, roll out dough.  you want the dough to rolled out to a little more than 1/4 inch thickness.  this is where it can get tricky...you now need to divide your rolled out dough into a even number, same sized rectangles. they should be about 8" x 6".  fill half of the long side, of each rectangle, with your meat filling.  add cheese if you so desire. fold the dough over the meat filling and pinch the sides to make sure nothing delicious escapes. repeat.

{to eat immediately} place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown

{to prepare for freezing}  place on a baking sheet and  par bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for no more than 10 minutes.  cool completely and individually wrap in plastic wrap and then store in a freezer bag.  good for up to six months.

{to heat from freezer} wrap runza in foil, bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.

hunkering down + planning

i've decided to spend the day planning next year's garden and planning our advent calendar activities.  weird, i know.  i think i have a bit of a cold and still have morning sickness combined with nesting.  so i have to make the best of a stupid situation. i may or may not make dinner. also, i am excited for my new glasses that are supposed to come today.  in the meantime, make yourself some oatmeal...

pumpkin pie oatmeal

1/4 c. of canned pumpkin

1 generous T. of brown sugar

generous sprinkle of baking or pumpkin pie spice

1/2 c. of oats

1 c. of water

combine ingredients in small pot and cook on med until cooked through.  about 5 minutes.

getting in the groove

weeks 13 and 14 of this pregnancy were a bit rough as far as the morning sickness goes...i've had morning sickness since about 5 weeks so i'm kind of over it.  plus, i'm now in this weird morning sickness + nesting phase which leads to a lot of unfinished projects, a house that looks like a bomb hit, and a grumpy mommy at the end of the day.  i also have not done much cooking or meal planning for the past two months.  see the empty slots on our what's for dinner page for proof.  i'm not promising that i'll be getting back to that anytime soon, either.  however, i did more cooking and prep this past week/weekend then i have in a long time.  yesterday i cut up a bunch of fruit for the week, hard boiled a dozen eggs for snack times, made granola for my morning yogurt, made a pot of black eyed peas (i froze some and saved some for my favorite 101 cookbooks recipe), doubled our dinner so that i could put some in the freezer, and made these cookies with hendrix.  oh, and i made breakfast instead of making mike take us out. for the first time, in a long time i feel like i have a head start on this week's meals and snacks.  this pregnancy has me craving protein like crazy and eating small meals throughout the day does better for me.  so, if i have no quick snacks then bad things happen and i get sick. hopefully, this week is a little better and my prepping helps out.

here's what we're having for dinner this week...

chile colorado burritos with yellow rice and pineapple
tartiflette with green salad
black eyed peas with leeks (adding beef kielbasa for mike)
venison chops with mashed potatoes and sauteed collards with mushrooms
mushroom meatloaf with roasted brussel sprouts and cheddar squash muffins

{check out amy's meatless mondays for great ideas or a whole month of meatless mondays.}

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if you are in the omaha metro area and are wanting to help make thanksgiving special for folks in need then please consider joining the dessert drive that the heart ministry is hosting this week.

if you'd like to help the folks and small businesses in NYC that were affected by sandy then check this site out.

whoa baby. here we go again.

hendrix made this in preschool

well, it's official.  we're expecting.  for those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile you know that i have been baby crazy since about hendrix's first birthday.  i am happy to say that shortly after hendrix's fourth birthday in march we will be saying hello to another baby.  baby #2 is due may 7th.   i'm getting pretty excited now that the morning sickness is starting to go away and my energy is coming back.  also, if your morning sickness is real bad....zofran is your friend. for reals. hendrix is pretty pumped too and has been pretty great on the days i am feeling especially gross or tired.  mike is like a deer in headlights, but what can you expect?
which brings me to the story i promised to tell all of you...the one about how we brought hendrix home and we had no food in the house.  hendrix was born about 2 1/2 weeks before his due date and i was on bed rest the week before he was born. silly me thought you actually went around your due date and that i had time.  i did not.  also, mike can not be trusted at the grocery store.  i remember coming up with a list of a few things for him to get based on a few quick meals i figured i could throw together.  he came back with cans of chef boyardee. gross.  see why i insist on giving new parents food, slow cookers, and recipes? i did, however, have my slow cooker that my girlfriend, becky, had given me at my baby shower.  becky has five boys...i think she understood the need for a momma to have some arsenal and how great it is to receive something non-baby related at your shower.  because really...how many blankets and hats does one baby need?  i broke that slow cooker out and used it all the time.  it was a few weeks though before i could really come up for air and go to the store for what i really needed....easy snacks + meals. let's face it, actual meals don't always happen in the first few weeks. so, that brings me to what i think you really need to stock your pantry, fridge, and freezer with before the baby arrives....

snack time!
granola (loose and bars)
yogurt
applesauce
hummus + pita chips
black beans, shredded cheese, and tortilla chips
cut veggies
oatmeal
fruit
dark chocolate

homemade freezer meals!
lasagna
pizza dough
marinara
pizza pockets
runzas
quiche
sliced meatloaf for sandwiches
pot pies
rainbow soup
quinoa pancakes
whole grain muffins
chicken hand pies
enchilada's
burritos

store bought freezer meals!
ravioli
trader joe's gyoza dumplings (so good!)
trader joe's burritos
.....

• if you are still building your pantry, check out my pantry checklist.  to spread the cost out when building your pantry just add a few items every week to your shopping list.  you'll get there in no time. 
• to see more tips on prepping food for a new parents, check this post out. 
• to see what supplies i think a new baby and parents actually need...check this post out. 

anything i am missing? let me know.  be kind, though.  remember i have pregnancy brain.

slow cooker cabbage rolls

'tis the time of year for the cabbage roll.  it is pretty damp and cold here this morning so i thought these cabbage rolls would be perfect for dinner.  they are one of mike's favorites and hendrix needs to go to cabbage eaters anonymous.  seriously.  he asked for a bowl of cabbage for breakfast.  not a bad thing, i guess. did you know cabbage is high in vitamin K and C? so, you see...it's perfect for the cold & flu season.  i'll be honest.  i, too, love cabbage but the idea of cabbage rolls grossed me out.  mike leans towards "old fashioned", farmer food and sometimes it's gross.  he ordered cabbage rolls once at a small town diner and couldn't stop talking about them so i decided to make them.  turns out.  he's right.  they are delicious.  we usually eat them with mashed potatoes. for non meat eaters, like hendrix, the meat & rice can easily be replaced with quinoa, shredded veggies like carrots or zucchini, some beans for extra protein and the proceed as directed .  here's the traditional recipe...
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cabbage rolls
1 small head of green cabbage, you need the outer leaves
1 lb. of ground meat
1 small onion, very finely chopped
3-4 dashed of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. of quick cooking rice
1 large can of tomato juice
in a bowl, combine meat, onion, Worcestershire sauce, rice, and 3/4 cup of tomato juice.  carefully peel 5-8 cabbage leaves from the head, depending on the size of your cabbage leaves, then make an inverted “V” in the base of each leaf to remove the steam. divide mixture and using the greens, roll into “burritos”. place rolls in crock pot.  at this point, i usually shred a bunch of the leftover cabbage and place on top.  pour tomato juice on top, covering rolls, and cook on low for about 6 hours.  serve rolls with mashed potatoes and "sauce" from the crock pot. 
 

mike's chili...vegged out

it's been quiet around here, i know.  halloween and life got the better of me.  ha!  we had a wonderful halloween with my brother and his family.  i hope you all did, too.  for those of you on the east coast, i hope life gets back to normal sooner than later. xo!
in the meantime, here's a recipe from the top ten slow cooker recipes that i have "vegged out" for those of you that were wanting less meat-focused slow cooker meals.  also, here's the list of my favorite slow cooker vegetarian meals.  mike, my husband, is a big meat eater and our son is not...so it can make slow cooker cooking interesting.  sometimes if i am making meat stuffed peppers or cabbage rolls, i just stuff one or two with a grain, bean, and veg mixture for the kid & me.  things like chili can be a little tougher, though.  so if i am sure hendrix is not going to just eat the beans or i feel like we have been lacking on the veg consumption then i just add some veggies and cut the meat.  mike usually doesn't notice.
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mike's favorite chili - vegged out
1/2-3/4 lb of ground meat, browned
1 onion, chopped
1 T. minced garlic
2 cans of kidney beans, rinsed
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato soup + 1 can of water (if too dry looking)
1/4 c. of chili powder
2 T. cumin
1 handful of shredded carrots or zucchini
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 small bunch of kale or spinach, chopped very fine
combine everything but the greens in the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  before serving, turn crock pot to high and add greens.  cook until wilted.  serve with your favorite chili toppings. 

being grateful

yesterday a little baby boy from our community passed away after a long battle with cancer.  his family belongs to the same parish our preschool is at and i saw firsthand how the community rose up to support this family.  facebook pages were started to inform folks of fundraisers and to simply ask people to pray.  people  turned out in droves to do whatever they could.  in the end, this baby boy got some peace and slipped away from this earth.  i first found out about his passing on facebook.  of course, when i was trying to tune out my own child who was driving me crazy.  then just like that i realized how lucky i was to have a boy who threw tantrums, spills milk on the rug, calls me princess when i wear a skirt, makes himself fart, refuses to go to bed, hugs me when i don't feel good, and is a healthy boy.
then this morning i wake up and see the devastation that is hurricane sandy.  thousands and thousands of people without power, damaged homes, or worse.  kids who are mostly likely pretty scared. it made me realize that in the end all this trouble with the drought, earlier this year,  in my part of the country was small stuff compared to what the east coast is going through.
it's too bad that is takes tragedies for us to realize what we have and to be grateful.  i guess that's how life works.  today i am grateful and send much love to those who need it.