The Best Ever Meatballs

Add these to your menu. Yep, I had to say that first before anything else. A friend and I were talking about spaghetti and meatballs on Facebook the other day, and she said her daughter loves this dish and gave me the link to the meatball recipe. It's Giada's of course. So tossing all my other meatball recipes aside, I gave this a try. So glad I did, because these are by far the best meatballs I have ever made. I made these into mini meatballs, using my small scooper, then cutting each meatball in half and rolling it. They were the perfect little size with a bite with pasta. Make up extras to freeze for tossing into sauce on a busy night.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

adapted from Giada

1 small onion, grated

2 Tbl dried parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil
1 large egg
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup Panko
9 ounces ground beef
9 ounces ground pork

Whisk the first 9 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and Panko. Mix in the beef and pork. Gently combine all. Using about 2 tablespoons of meat for each, shape the meat mixture into meatballs. Place on a baking sheet and bake 350' for 20 minutes. Add to sauce before serving, about 10 minutes before, to heat through.


I served these with my Mom's Spaghetti Sauce recipe (just skip the meat part and make it marinara) and pasta. Delish.

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Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake

What a nice summery cake this is, the puckery lemon with the sweet blueberries. I made this into a bundt cake, but next time I'll do it in a loaf pan (bake 60-70 minutes), since my bundt was quite short. The glaze will add a more puckery delight so if you ove lemon, give this cake a try. I used the last of my HUGE lemons from our tree (froze most of the juice).

Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake
Allrecipes

1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar

1 lemon, juiced (about 3 TBL)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 cup blueberries

Icing
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a bundt pan. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, and beat well. Mix in the juice of 1 lemon. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk. Fold in the lemon zest and blueberries. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. For the glaze, combine powdered sugar with lemon juice. Drizzle over cake when cooled.

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Slow Cooked Glazed Ribs

We cooked up some pork ribs for Father's Day weekend, and I was going to use my fave BBQ sauce on them, but I didn't have much left, so I went with another fave glaze. This recipe is on my old link but now it's here too and I added a little apricot preserves to it. I used to just throw ribs on the grill, and it always ruined them. Now I slow cook them in the oven for a few hours, then carefully finish them on the grill with a little sauce. Now, let me just say, that these were fall off the bone tender, I almost couldn't grill them. Also the next time I make these, I will cook them for a shorter amount of time (maybe 2 hrs), because to me the meat comes out roast-like, not like ribs you'd get at a Restaurant.


Rib Glaze
Healthy Meals in Minutes

1/2 yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 C)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (12 oz) Heinz Chili sauce
1/2 Cup water
2/3 Cup light brown sugar
1 TBL Worcestershire sauce
3/4 ground cumin
*I also added 1/4 Cup apricot preserves to this batch of sauce ( in photos), Optional

In a medium sauce pan heat about 2 TBL oil, add onion and garlic, cooking and stirring for 5 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 15 minutes or longer. Brush ribs during last 15 minutes of grilling.

Slow Cooked Oven Ribs
by Steamy Kitchen

Rack of ribs (these are pork)
salt and pepper

Remove the membrane along the back of the ribs. Salt and pepper both sides of ribs, place in a roasting pan covered well with foil. Slow cook in a 275' oven for about 4 hours. Remove, and carefully grill, basting with sauce for 10 minutes. Cut and serve.

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Twice Baked Potatoes

As part of our Anniversary dinner, I made grilled steak with twice baked potatoes. We don't have them very often so I thought it was perfect for our celebration. They're super easy to make, you don't really need a recipe.


Twice Baked Potatoes

1 large russet potato per person (I used 5)
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 C sour cream
3/4 C or more of warmed milk
salt and pepper
2-3 TBL chopped chives
1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese, set aside 1/2 C

Bake potatoes for about 1 hour at 350', until a sharp knife goes through. Let cool a little until warm enough to handle. Cut a 1/4 off the top of each potato, lengthwise. Carefully scoop out potato insides leaving a rim on the skin. Take the insides of the potatoes and add to a bowl or stand mixer. Add in the butter, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper chives and cheese and mix until creamy. If you like them more creamy, you may add more milk. Scoop some of this filling back into each potato skin boat and sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake again for about 20 minutes until cheese on top is golden. Serve.

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Eggs Benedict

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there. I made eggs benedict for Mr. this morning. My first time ever making them, and only my second time ever eating them. I had them the first time just last week at a local Restaurant and I about fell in love with them, yes runny yolk and all (I'm not a runny egg fan). This may be my new favorite breakfast.

So I decided to make these and found this super easy recipe for Hollandaise sauce. Now, the sauce I had at the Restaurant was more savory in flavor not lemony, and I was hoping for that but this sauce is more lemony. I think next time I'll use less lemon juice and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. However reading into the reviews about it, lemony is what it's suppose to be, I had no idea, I haven't had it enough times to know. But having it with the eggs benedict tasted pretty good. How about you? Do you like it lemony? Anyhow, this method of making it is super easy and it comes out nice and smooth and thick.

Blender Hollandaise Sauce

slightly adapted from allrecipes

3 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

pinch of salt

2 dashes hot sauce

1/2 cup butter, melted

In the container of a blender, combine the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, salt and hot sauce. Cover, and blend for about 5 seconds.

Set the blender on high speed, and slowly pour the melted butter into the egg yolk mixture in a thin stream. It should thicken almost immediately. Keep the sauce warm until serving by placing the sauce in a heat proof measuring cup, in a pan of hot water. Don't let it get too hot or it will thicken up.

 
Eggs Benedict
adapted slightly from Tyler Florence

8 slices Canadian bacon
4 English muffins, split
2 teaspoons white vinegar
pinch of salt
8 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
Hollandaise sauce, recipe above
Fresh chopped chives, for garnish

Heat the canadian bacon in a medium skillet and toast the English muffins, cut sides up, on a baking sheet under the broiler. Keep both warm in the oven.

Fill a 10-inch nonstick skillet half full of water. Add white vinegar and a little salt to the cooking water. This will make the egg white cook faster so it does not spread. Bring to a slow boil. Gently break 1 of the eggs into the water taking care not to break it. Repeat with remaining eggs. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook 3 1/2 minutes until the egg white is set and yolk remains soft (longer for a more cooked yolk). Remove with a slotted spoon, allowing the egg to drain. To assemble: Lay a slice of Canadian bacon on top of each muffin half, followed by a poached egg. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon hollandaise sauce over the eggs. Garnish with chopped chives. Yield: 4 servings

See how to poach an egg here.
I found just adding the eggs to the simmering water from a bowl was fine, no swirling the water is needed (like others may say).

Sharing this with Melt in Your Mouth Monday.

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Chocolate & Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert

Mr. and I celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary the other day and this was the dessert I made. He loves peanut butter and chocolate and since this is a frozen dessert, it's great to have for summer. Be ready to serve this once you slice it, it'll thaw pretty quickly. It's a little bit rich, but soooo delish.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Ribbon Dessert

adapted from Kraft

12 Nutter Butter Cookies, divided

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Neufchatel Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tub (12 oz.) Cool Whip Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
2 oz Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Crush 8 cookies; mix with butter. Press onto bottom of foil-lined 9x5-inch loaf pan.

Mix next 4 ingredients with mixer until well blended. Whisk in 3 cups cool whip; spoon 1/2 cup into small bowl. Blend in melted chocolate. Spoon half the remaining cream cheese mixture over crust; top with layers of chocolate mixture and remaining cream cheese mixture.

Freeze 4 hours or until firm. Invert onto plate. Remove foil, then re-invert dessert onto serving platter so crumb layer is on bottom. Coarsely break remaining cookies. Top dessert with remaining cool whip and broken cookies. I then melted a little more chocoalt to drizzle over top.

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Skillet Lasagna

Here's an easy recipe for a weeknight dinner, no need for the oven it's an all in one dish for the stovetop. Use your favorite small pasta shape (I thought a big swirl pasta would be neat, but they just grew in size and was too big for this, lol). Don't freak out about the cottage cheese either, it kind of dissolves into this, or you could also do what I did, when combining Parm and cottage cheese, smash it up with the back of the spoon to break down those curds. Served with a salad, it's a great meal.

Skillet Lasagna

adapted from allrecipes

1 pound ground turkey

1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups water (may need more while cooking)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups uncooked small shaped pasta (I used a big Trottole shape)
3/4 cup small curd cottage cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, cook turkey, onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, parsley, oregano and salt; mix well. Stir in pasta; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally, may need to add more water if it seems dry and uncooked.
Combine cheeses; drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto pasta mixture. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

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Cornish Pasty

"Oggy Oggy Oggy, Oi Oi Oi !" Superstition is that's the phrase Cornish Pasty sellers let everyone know it was lunch time, back in the day. For a good and interesting read on the pasty, click here.
When we lived in Wales (Navy brat), I quickly grew accustomed to the British. It didn't take my Brothers and I long to develop a British accent, attending British schools helped I guess. Anyways, the foods they ate grew on me and I still think of them today. The Cornish Pasty is one. At lunch time my friends and I would walk to the local chip shop (french fries) and get something to eat, sometimes it was a Pasty (pass-ty) or another fave malt vinegar chips or curry chips.

For the Royal Wedding, I decided to make these for our dinner (took me long enough to post about them). Being part Welsh and having lived there, I thought I'd honor that part of my life with my family. We had these alongside a salad for an easy meal. They came out great, I loved them, and everyone ate one, but I don't think they were as crazy about them like I was when I was 12. lol.

I didn't use an exact recipe, I bought a 2 lb cut of meat, a few potatoes, a rutabage and an onion, diced and seasoned it all and added them to cut pie crust like a hand pie. I did make a double batch to freeze extras (in raw form, to be baked later).

Cornish Pasty

Flap Meat Steak (named Carne Asada here)

Potatoes

Rutabaga
Onion
Salt

Pepper

Pie Crust Dough

Egg wash (mix egg and little water)

Dice the steak, potatoes, rutabaga and onion all the same size. Season with salt and pepper.

Roll out dough, using a small salad plate cut around to get your pastry circle. Add a small amount of filling to the center, and dampen edges with a little egg wash, then crimp and fold edges over to seal pasty. Brush egg wash over pasty and bake at 325' for about 30 minutes or until nice and golden.

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Buttermilk Biscuits with Bacon, Eggs and Cheddar.

Weekends are great for a comforting breakfast like these biscuit sandwiches. A simple buttermilk recipe (see my old post) with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and applewood smoked bacon. Good Morning weekend.

Buttermilk Biscuits
Dorie Greenspan

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
3/4 cup cold Buttermilk

You will find the full recipe here. (I used her side notes for making them Buttermilk)

 

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Garden Vegetable Stir-fry with Tofu, Steak and Brown Rice

This is another tried and true recipe for us. It's what I call a healthy feel good meal. I love the tofu in this, but I also add in meat for the rest of my family, like steak, chicken and even shrimp, you want all tofu, use the whole pack of it. The vegetable are totally up to you also, I bought a stir fry pack of fresh veggies so use which ever ones you like. I always forget, but I would double up the sauce recipe if you like to have some to pour over everything, otherwise there's isn't much left in the pan to drizzle with.

Garden Vegetable Stir-fry with Tofu, Steak and Brown Rice
adapted from Cooking Light August 2000

2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup canned vegetable broth

2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1/2 package (12.3-ounce) firm tofu, sliced into 4 pieces
1/2 lb steak, thinly sliced (I used a tri tip roast-steaks)
1 cup thinly sliced white onion
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1 cup sliced zucchini or yellow squash (about 3/4 pound)
2 cups cut broccoli
5 spears of asparagus, cut
1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed
3 cups hot cooked long-grain brown rice

Tofu and Steak Marinade:

1/4 Cup low sodium soy sauce
2 TBL crushed garlic
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 TBL brown sugar

Combine ingredients for marinade in a bowl with a lid. Add sliced tofu and let marinade in fridge ahead of time (1-2 hours).

Combine water and cornstarch in a bowl; stir with a whisk. Stir in broth and next 6 ingredients (broth through crushed red pepper).

Heat 2 teaspoons of canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu (reserve marinade for steak); stir-fry 3 minutes per side. Remove tofu from pan. Place tofu on several layers of paper towels to drain.

While you are cooking the tofu, use the marinade for the steak. Add 2 TBL cornstarch to the steak and marinade for 5-10 minutes.

Once tofu is done cooking, add a little more oil to pan and stir fry the steak for 2 minutes per side.Remove, set aside.

Add 1 teaspoon canola oil to pan. Add vegetables, stir-fry 1 minute, add a splash of water, cover and let steam another minute or two. Add tofu, steak and broth mixture, stir. Bring to a boil, and cook 2 minutes, it thickens fast. Serve with rice.

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