Hello All!

This has been a long time coming for me, as I love to cook, I love to write, I love to tell people my opinions, and I love my blog.

In case you have not figured it out yet, this will be my food blog. I strive to do many of my recipes virtually from scratch, sometimes I use a little help, but I like to keep chemicals out of my family's food, not to mention the fact that if I cook it ALL I know what is in it. Recently my dear friend, Narah (HI! if you're reading this) have been really interested in is freezer cooking...also known as OMAC (once a month cooking), make ahead meals, dinners in the freezer, so many of the recipes I post will be able to made in this way. ***Many of the recipes I post will not be my own the will just be recipes I have tried and I plan on telling you adjustments I made and what my family and friends thought of the food...

So that's that! Lets get started! :)

Okay, so I am a avid Rachel Ray watcher. The other day I was watching her show (one I had recorded...so I don't know the original air date) and there was this adorable gal on there who had pledged to use her crock pot everyday for a year...and blog about it!!!! Well of course I ran over to my laptop (that's always fired up) and checked out her blog....AMAZING. Here is a link to Stephanie's blog A Year of Crockpotting. Well I have been checking it out once a week since then and she posted a very cool recipe for Turkey Apple Cheddar Meatballs that can be made in the crockpot. While I do love using my crock pot I had my freezer cooking in mind so I decided to use the recipe but go the more traditional route, and use my oven not my crock.

Here is the Recipe as posted on Stephanie's Blog

--1 1/2 pound extra lean ground turkey--1 egg--1 tsp kosher salt--1 tsp ground black pepper--1 tsp onion powder--1 green apple, peeled and shredded--1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar--1/2 cup dried unsweetened cranberries

Here is how I made the recipe (I doubled it)

3 pounds ground turkey

2 eggs

2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp poultry seasoning

2 tsp onion powder

2 green apples peeled and shredded

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 cup dried cranberries

(as you can see I only added poultry seasoning to the original recipe, because I wanted to add a "thanksgiving flavor")

First off I peeled and shredded my apples. I used my mandolin to make a thick shred so you get that good apple taste. The just get everything in a bowl and mix with your hands. (that is the only way to mix meatballs or meatloaf...just be sure to remove your jewelry) Mix well. Form into balls. I made mine golf ball sized, as suggested on Stephanie's blog. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes. ****If you make a double batch and want to freeze some....cool and then separate into freezer bags. Freeze. When ready to serve thaw in fridge or microwave and reheat.

So how did it taste?

I really enjoyed them. Kennedy and I some for lunch and they were yummy. I also served them (after freezing) last night at my church fellowship meal and everyone raved about them. This is a mild and very family friendly recipe. What I love most about the whole meatball thing is if you want to freeze them you can take out what you need for lunches, and if you are a mom like me

you know that many times you don't need a giant serving for a little eater :) !

Other notes about this recipe: This is a great recipe to make with your kids because of its ease and gooey factor when mixing. Kids love playdough so the will love forming meatballs. I know my daughter did. Then she wanted to eat what she made.