Sticky Mustard Kielbasa

Mmmmm.  So this recipe was an attempt to get my child to eat real food for once, and eventually it worked.  This is one of the few meat dishes that my son will actually eat and (occasionally) ask for more!  The mustard and the brown sugar make a honey-mustard type of flavor (even though there is absolutely no honey in the recipe).

Ingredients:

Mustard

Brown Sugar

Kielbasa

(You have to love a recipe with only 3 ingredients!)

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350, then line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!  The sticky part of this recipe is a pain to try to get off of baking sheets.
If you can find them, I recommend using kielbasa links, it just makes it easier.  If you are using a kielbasa rope (shaped like a horseshoe) you need to cut it into 5 even sized chunks.  Then cut the chunks (or your links) in half lengthwise and place on your cookie sheet cut side up.  Squirt mustard on the cut side of your kielbasa (how much or how little is up to you and how much you like mustard).

 Sprinkle with brown sugar (for how much, see note about mustard). 

Bake in the oven until mustard and brown sugar become a sticky coating on top of kielbasa.  The time for this recipe is really flexible.  I have cooked it only 20 minutes (I was too hungry to wait longer) and I have cooked it as much as 45 (the hubby was late getting home that night).  I think somewhere in the middle is best, so shoot for half an hour.

(Okay, so it won't win any beauty awards.  But it sure is tasty!)

And that is it.  So easy.  Enjoy some yummy, sweet, sticky kielbasa. 

Slow Cooker Vegetable Meatball Soup

One of the best recipes for me.  This soup is a great way for me to get veggies into my family since it is delicious, but it is also so simple to make.  My hubby likes it and the last time I made it even the toddler ate some, which is nothing short of amazing since he usually only likes to eat fruits or things shaped like animals (Goldfish, Teddie grahams, etc).

I start this in the slow cooker before going to work.  When I get home, I make the pasta add it in and dinner is served! :-)

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups beef broth
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 can (14.5 ounce size) stewed tomatoes
12 frozen fully cooked meatballs, thawed

1 cup spiral pasta, cooked and drained

DIRECTIONS:

Combine first 4 ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (these ingredients are already cooked, so it could be a lot less than that, say 4 hours.  I just put 8 because on average that is how long I am gone at work).
Just before serving, stir in pasta; heat through.

I don't find that this needs any extra salt, because the broth and meatballs are already seasoned.

Makes 4 servings.  4 points plus per serving.