Slow Cooker Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 4-5 hours

Grade: C+

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (August 2009)


The meatballs were good, but I didn't love the sauce.  I didn't dislike it, but I felt like there should have been more flavor, with all the ingredients that are in this.  The wine slightly overpowered the rest, even though I was careful to cook it down before putting in slow cooker.  

This made a huge amounts of sauce.  More than I think you need for 1.5 pounds of pasta.   I am saving the meatballs with some sauce, in individual containers to freeze, and then I saved almost a quart without any meatballs for use another time. 

I have a medium size slow cooker and it was filled to the brim almost.  The recipe was probably developed in a larger cooker.

I think I have other meatball recipes I would use before making this one again, because it still was a decent amount of effort - especially for a slow-cooker meal.

NOTE: I didn't actually test the Cook's Country recipe.  I used the one from the Best of 2010 book, which contains the recipe from Best Slow and Easy Recipes.  (Did you follow that?)   The recipes are similar, but there are a few differences - the one I used had milk and bread instead of the  mozzarella cheese, less tomato paste and no cream.  Everything else looks the same. 

Sausage Cheese Biscuit

Prep Time: 30-35 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: King Arthur Flour

The pictured biscuit actually used bacon instead of sausage. I've done these both ways. These take a little longer than regular biscuits because you have to cook the sausage or bacon. I like them a little better with the sausage, which is faster for me.

The hardest part is rolling out the dough. The sausage pieces were falling out a bit for me, so that slows me down. But these are a tasty breakfast treat, and freeze pretty well. They certainly are not "light", but in moderation, I enjoy these.

They were not a favorite of my nephews - I'm not sure why. And someone else told me theirs was a bit dry. I think I overcooked them just a bit. I like them though, and think the recipe is pretty good.

Maple Sausage and Waffle Casserole

Prep Time: 27 minutes
Rest Time: 1 hour to overnight
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Rest Time: 5 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (December 2005)

I love breakfast casseroles and this is no exception. (Although I did make this for dinner.) I will definitely think about making this next time Christmas morning is at my house, because it was easy to prepare and can be prepared the day before. I wasn't sure if I would love it, because of the maple flavorings, which I thought might make it too sweet, but it was very good. Using waffles is a little bit different, but worked well.

The prep time involved lots of waiting, so really this is pretty easy, just not quick. I used sausage links, and cooked them whole, and cut them later, so I wouldn't have to deal with cutting or breaking up the raw meat which can be a pain.