OVEN BAKED MEATBALLS by Kathy Cappuccitti

Today's recipe and tips come from my cousin, Kathy.  She is an avid cook and often shares recipes with me.  Kathy and I haven't seen each other in years but recently "found" each other on Facebook.  One of these days, I picture us in a kitchen together cooking up a storm. 

I prefer to cook one tray at a time (I think they brown better that way), but you could always switch up the trays half-way through cooking. Serve with your favorite tomato sauce. Great on pasta or in sandwiches. Meatballs can be frozen. Next time you make a tomato sauce, toss in a few frozen meatballs and let them sop up the sauce as they heat through. Double the recipe if you dare.  - Kathy

The Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. lean ground veal
1 lb. lean ground pork
9 eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 c soft bread, diced
1 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated
6 tbsp flour
1/4 c parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Chile flakes, to taste (optional)

1 c water
1 c white wine

The Method:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

Place all ingredients (with the exception of water and wine) into a very large mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix well. Prepare two baking sheets with light spray of Pam. Using an ice cream scoop, shape meatballs and place on baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. Mix 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup wine (per pan) and pour the mixture between the meatballs. Do the same with the remaining water and wine on the second tray of meatballs.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the meatballs are lightly browned.

Note: If ground veal is not available, replace with ground pork or ground beef.

And the winner is....even though the rules are being fudged on the dates for comments

Andrew read the posts today and the winner is the first post by "anonymous"!!! Thank you for including your email.  I will send you an email and we'll get your new stockpot to you!

Thanks for the comments!!!

Because it's Fall and I'm heading to the Windy City...

Because it's that time of year when soup, chili, and stews are necessary...

Because I am heading to Chicago for a week and will not be cooking or posting...

Because I want to see how many comments I can get...(muhahahahaha ---evil laugh)

I will be giving away this Le Creuset 6 quart enamel-on-steel stock pot to a random commenter.  Andrew will pick the winner. You can pick the color.

What do you need to do? 

Just post a comment by Sunday, September 26th and let me know what you'll be cooking now that Autumn is upon us.

I'll announce the winner next Friday, October 1st, when I return from the Windy City. 

Shrimp Fra Diavlo

Fra Diavlo means Brother Devil...Obviously, this dish was named after my brother, Markie.  Oh. He so hates when I call him that.  Muhahahahaha (evil laugh)!  Actually, he hates the name Markie now that he is a man. His nickname when he was young was Prince Markie.I think he would like being called that now!  I am off topic but he'll understand.  Another muhahahaha!  This recipe can be served as an appetizer or served with pasta for a main course.  The heat is up to you...it's called devil for a reason.  Muhahahahha.  The evil laugh is courtesy of Ileana and Victor, who respond to facebook posts once a day with that response.  Love that! Copy that!

The Ingredients:
1 lb large shrimp (peeled, deveined)
1 tsp chile flakes (more if you like spice)
1/2 cup olive oil (extra for other dishes)
8 cloves of garlic, sliced (divided)
2 pints of cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup marinara sauce (I like Mario Batali's new brand)
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
4 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp honey

The Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Marinate shrimp in 1/4 tsp of chile flakes. Keep refrigerated.
Make garlic oil.  Add olive oil and 6 cloves of sliced garlic to small sauce pan. Heat over low heat until garlic is soft and oil is very fragrant, about 20 minutes.  Save any remaining from this recipe.  You can use it for many other dishes to add flavor!
Make the tomatoes.  Add tomatoes to a sheet pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until tomatoes are wrinkled and just beginning to brown.
Heat skillet over medium high heat until hot.  Add 2-3 tbsp of garlic oil.  Add shrimp.  Saute for 1 minute per side.  Pan should be hot!  Shrimp should be just turning pink and slightly browned. Do not overcook shrimp. Remove to a plate and cover with foil. 
Add 2 tbs garlic oil to skillet. Add roasted, cherry tomatoes. Saute on medium high for 8-10 minutes. Add remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Deglaze with white wine, 2-3 minutes, add marinara, chicken stock and garlic slices from the garlic oil.  Add additional chile flakes now if you want more "devil".   Cook over medium for 20 minutes.  Strain sauce through a strainer, press out all yummy solids or blend in a blender.  Return to pan.  Heat to simmer. Add honey and cream.  Add shrimp & pasta, if serving as a main dish or serve with garlic toast as an appetizer.
(Hint: save 1-2 ladles of pasta water and add if sauce is too thick)

Homemade Pizza Rolls/Pockets

Pizza rolls have been a pajama party tradition on our house every since they came out in the 70's.  I ate them as a kid, my kids have eaten them. They are a hit. They are easy.  However, I happened to read the list of ingredients the other day when Benj was over (doing laundry) and I was surprised that I didn't recognize many (any) of the ingredients. Check these out.

Ingredients

Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste)Cooked Pizza Topping (Sausage made with Pork and Chicken [Pork, Mechanically Separated Chicken, Salt, Spice, Maltodextrin {Corn, Tapioca}Natural Flavor]Water, Textured Vegetable Protein [Soy Flour, Caramel Color]Sugar, Sodium Phosphate, Hydrolyzed Corn and Soy Protein, Soy Flour, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Torula Yeast)Water, Mozzarella Cheese Substitute (Water, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Rennet Casein, Modified Corn Starch, Potato Starch, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Vital Wheat Gluten, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate [Preservative]Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Titanium Dioxide [Color]Maltodextrin, Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Vitamin A Palmitate, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12)Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Pepperoni Pizza Topping (Pepperoni made with Pork, Chicken and Beef [Pork, Mechanically Separated Chicken, Beef, Salt, Spice, Dextrose, Oleoresin of Paprika, Sodium Ascorbate, Garlic Powder, Sodium Nitrite, Lactic Acid Starter Culture, BHA and BHT and Citric Acid Added to Protect Flavor]Water, Soy Protein Isolate)Rehydrated Pasteurized Process Nonfat Mozzarella Cheese (Water, Nonfat Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes, Citric Acid, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin B6, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Phosphate)Salt, Modified Corn Starch, Sugar, Dried Whey, Defatted Soy Flour, Dried Onion, Spice, Methylcellulose, Rehydrated Enzyme Modified Cheese (Water, Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes)Natural Flavor.

How do you mechanically separate pork from chicken?  That is just plain scary. Do they grow Porkens and then separate them?  Maybe they grow Chigs?  What is mozarella cheese substitute? I don't know.  Anyway, I made the pizza rolls above. They were a hit. They were pretty easy.  I am still experimenting with the wrapper and shape but the inside tasted like a pizza roll.  I didn't really measure this time just went for a consistency thing.  You could make this for as many "rolls" as you want.
 
The Ingredients:
Pot sticker wrappers (next I am going to try won ton wrappers and pizza dough rolled very thin)
Reduced fat pepperoni slices, diced
mozzarella cheese
Marinara Sauce (I really like Mario Battalli's brand)
vegetable oil
 
The method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Chop pepperoni into very small dice. Add cheese and marinara sauce until thick consistency (like peanut butter) is achieved.  Take a wrapper and starting in a corner add about a teaspoon of filling. Brush edges with water and fold over to make a triangle. Press edges with the tines of a fork to seal.  You can also make rectangles.  Add oil to just cover the bottom of a non-stick skillet.  Heat over med-high until hot.  Add the pizza roll and cook for 1 minute per side. Remove to a sheet tray and bake for approximately 7-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them. 
 
I will update this recipe as I try other wrappers.  Enjoy!

Kale Chips

Benjamin walked into the kitchen last night.  He looks at the cookie sheet with these glistening kale chips on it and says "Ewwww. What are those?"  Then he proceeded to eat them like, well, like chips. Mark ate the rest of them.  Seriously, these are good and satisfy the craving for something crunchy and salty, well, kind of like a chip. Really.


The Ingredients:

bunch of kale torn into chip size pieces (no stems)
1-2 tsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt

The Method:

Preheat the Oven to 350 degrees
Toss ingredients above in a large bowl until all leaves are coated with vinegar and oil. Place in a single layer on cookie sheets.  Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.  Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove and enjoy!!!

Foil Wrapped Potatoes

This post goes out to Val who mentioned that it's been about a month since I posted the Wine-Can Chicken recipe and stated I would post the potato recipe the next day. Thanks for being so patient, Val!  This is not really a recipe but more of a method I use to avoid 1) heating up the kitchen in the summer and 2) doing dishes.  Foil is good like that.  This is also a great method for potatoes and other veggies when camping.

The Ingredients:

4-6 large Yukon gold potatoes (or any other potato you have on hand)
1 large onion, cut in half and sliced
6-8 garlic cloves, peeled
4-6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Lawry's Season Salt (or kosher/sea salt)
pepper to taste
1 tbsp chopped rosemary (optional)
Heavy duty foil

The Method:

Tear off 2 large pieces of foil.  Wash potatoes and cut into 1-2 inch pieces.  Place the potatoes on the foil. Sprinkle onion and garlic over the potatoes. Add the olive oil and butter. Season with Lawry's and pepper.  Fold the foil one piece at a time into a tightly sealed package.  Place on grill over high heat for 10 minutes. Flip and cook over high for 10 more minutes.  Move to cooler part of the grill and continue cooking for another 30-40 minutes.  Potatoes will stay hot until you unwrap them.  You can also do this in an oven on 400 degrees.  Top with a bit of sour cream and enjoy!!!

Wine Can Chicken

OK. I know there is no such thing as a wine can but this is really wine can chicken.  Poured a beer for Mark into a frosty mug, more on that later, then filled the can with white wine, lemon juice, garlic, onions and herbs.  After seasoning the chicken I mounted/stuffed/stuck the chicken on top of the can and grilled it. The best part was using the liquids in the can to make a pan sauce to serve with the chicken. I also did foil wrapped potatoes as a side dish, which I'll post tomorrow.

Yum.

I need to confess about the frosty mug.  We don't have any beer mugs in the house so I took a water glass, stuck it into the ice bin for a few minutes and pulled out.....this.  (Insert picture here)

The Ingredients:
1 3-4 lb roasting chicken
2 lemons
4 sprigs rosemary
6 sprigs basil
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 can of beer (give the beer to someone)
6 oz. white wine (enough to fill the can about 3/4's full)
Lawry's season salt
pepper
olive oil

Here is what you need! Simple!

All stuffed and ready to grill!

The Method:
Preheat grill or get BBQ ready using indirect heat method. (one side hot, the other warm)
Remove innards from chicken.  Rub chicken with 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle with Lawry's and pepper. Massage so oil and seasoning is covering all parts.  Slide you hand under the skin on the breast to loosen the skin. Place 2 sprigs of rosemary and 4 sprigs of basil under the skin of both breasts.  Pour the wine and juice from both lemons into the can.  Stuff the cavity of the chicken with 1-2 used lemons.  Add the remaining herbs to the can along with the garlic. Place the chicken onto the can and place on a pie plate or other pan that can withstand heat.  Place on the cooler side of the grill.  Grill for 45-60 minutes until internal temperature of the chicken is 170 degrees.  Rotate occasionally to ensure even browning.  Let rest for 15 minutes covered with foil.  To make the pan sauce, add any chicken juices and contents from the pan into a saucepan, remove herbs and garlic, bring to a boil until reduced.  Add 2-3 tbs heavy cream or 2-3 tbs of butter and serve.

Firecracker Eggrolls

I took this picture on my iPhone at Scott and Cindy's house last weekend.  Technology is amazing.  These are easy appetizers to make with leftover (squeak) pork and habanero pesto from my previous blog.  I also made a pineapple soy dipping sauce to go with these egg rolls. 

The Ingredients:

shredded pork

habanero pesto

egg roll wrappers

1 package shredded cabbage

cilantro

vegetable oil for frying

2 cup pineapple juice

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 inch of ginger, peeled and sliced into rings

4 tbsp soy sauce (I use reduced sodium soy sauce)

1 tbsp siracha or Thai chile sauce

The method:

Smear a teaspoon of the habanero pesto on the bottom of the wrapper, top with shredded pork, cabbage and cilantro.  Fold the wrapper closest to you over the ingredients, fold in the sides and roll.  Repeat many times until you run out of ingredients.  Add oil to heavy skillet, enough to come up halfway on the egg rolls.  Heat over medium high until bubble form when you dip a corner of an egg roll in the oil.  Add egg rolls to the pan in batches, cook until golden on both sides.  Drain on paper towel line plate.  Serve warm with dipping sauce.  To make the dipping sauce:  Add pineapple juice, garlic and ginger to a saucepan, heat over medium high until boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half.  The sauce should be thick, like a glaze.  Remove from heat, remove garlic and ginger with a slotted spoon.  Add soy sauce and siracha.

Firecracker Pork with Habanero Pesto

This is my version of a dish from a local restaurant called Fuzio's.  It is the signature dish on their menu and while it doesn't sound like the ingredients go together...they do.  This is one of Benjamin's favorite meals now.  I made this on a weekday but I wouldn't recommend that unless you want to eat at 8pm like we did.  This is a low and slow kind of meal that is perfect for a weekend because most of the cooking is in the oven.  This makes enough pork to have leftovers but that is another post!  Try this and let me know what you think...that's what the comment section is for!  Don't be shy!

The Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins, cut into 3" pieces
Olive Oil
6 cloves garlic
4 green onions
1 yellow onion, cut into chunks
2 bunches of cilantro, cut off stems
5 tbsp ginger, sliced
5 cups pineapple juice
1-2 cups low sodium soy sauce

Habanero Pesto
2 bunches of cilantro, cut off stems
5 cloves garlic
2 habanero peppers
about 1/4 cup of ollive oil

1 1/2 lbs cavatelli or large elbow macaroni
sour cream

The Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare the sauce.  Put garlic, green onions, yellow onion, ginger and cilantro in a food processor.  Pulse 8-10 times until paste forms.  Put mixture in a large pot, add pineapple juice and 1 cup soy sauce.  Bring to a simmer.  Taste, if needed, add more soy sauce.  Brown the pork on all sides and when well browned add to the large pot with the sauce.  Bake for 2 hours until pork is fork tender.  Remove pork from the sauce.  Bring the sauce up to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  In the meantime, shred the pork, cover with foil to keep warm.  Make the habanero pesto: add the garlic, cilantro, and 2 habanero's (seeds and membranes removed...carefully), pulse 3-4 times.  Slowly add the oil until the consistency is like pesto.  Set aside.  Make the pasta...cook for 2 minutes less than package recommends.  Drain the pasta and add to the reduced sauce.  Cook for 2 minutes.  To serve:  place pasta in individual bowls, top with shredded pork and a dollop of habanero pesto and sour cream. 

Obsessed with Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Not long ago, I posted buffalo chicken burgers and last week we had buffalo wings and now this?  We are obsessed.  Andrew wanted buffalo chicken burgers again but I wanted to make something with pasta.  As a compromise, I came up with this recipe.  For the meatballs I just followed my recipe for the buffalo chicken burgers but shaped into meatball shapes...well, duh.  The bleu cheese cream sauce was AMAZING.  Please give this one a try you will not be disappointed!

The Ingredients:
2 lbs ground chicken (or 1 lb ground chicken and 1 lb ground turkey)

1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp grill seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1/4c buffalo wing sauce ( I use Franks)
1 c panko bread crumbs

2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp grill seasoning
1 tsp Lawry's Season salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 c white wine
1 c chicken stock
1/4 c buffalo wing sauce
1 c heavy cream
1 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp good bleu cheese (add more if you love bleu cheese; taste as you go)
1 package pasta (shells or penne)

The method:
PreHeat oven to 425 degrees
Place chicken/turkey and next 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss and mix gently until ingredients are combined. Don't over mix or squeeze or the meatballs will be tough. Divide into equal portions and shape into meatballs. They will be sticky so wet your hands in between each one and have a sheet pan lined with foil ready to put them on. Chill for at least one hour to firm up before baking.

Tip:  Add all ingredients to the bowl first and mix. Then add chicken/turkey and panko. Less mixing means tender meatballs.

The Method Continued:

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Cook just until firm or al dente.  Do not overcook. Drain and save 2 ladles of pasta cooking water.

To a large saucepan, add the olive oil and heat over medium.  Add the carrots, celery and onions to the pan and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes until well caramelized.  Add the garlic, grill seasoning, Lawry's and pepper. 

This is what the vegetable should look like before and after.

After the vegetables are caramelized, add the white wine,  Bring to a boil and reduce by half.  Next add the chicken stock and buffalo wing sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Reduce heat and add the cream and butter. Cook for another 3 minutes.  Add the blue cheese.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.   Add the pasta and mix to combine, about 1-2 minutes.  If the sauce is too thick add 1-2 ladles of the pasta water.  Serve immediately with the meatballs and extra buffalo sauce.

Melon and Arugula salad and Pounded Chicken

 

Watermelon, orange and arugula..oh my!  Dinner last night was healthy but tasty.  A peppery salad made with arugula and sweetened up with watermelon and oranges.  A lemon vinaigrette lightly dresses the whole yummy thing.  The pan fried chicken is easy and fast because it's pounded to cook quickly and a pan sauce is optional, especially when served with a salad.

The Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Lawry's Season salt or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Package of arugula
1 c watermelon, diced into 1/2" cubes
1 orange, peeled and sliced into 1'2" pieces
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
10-12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1-2 lemons, juiced (about 1/8 cup)
2 tbsp champagne or citrus vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
about 1/2 cup olive oil

The Method:
Make the vinaigrette: Add first 7 ingredients to small bow. Whisk together.  Slowly drizzle olive oil while continuously whisking until emulsion forms.  Taste and adjust seasoning.
Prep the chicken: Place chicken one at a time in resealable plastic bag and pound to 1/2 inch thickness with a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Season with Lawry's and pepper.  Heat skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Sear chicken (may need to be done in batches) 3-5 minutes on first side until golden.  Turn over and sear remaining side.  Repeat with all pieces.  Transfer chicken to serving platter and cover with foil until ready to serve.
Add salad ingredients to medium bowl and toss with 2-3 tablespoons of vinaigrette.

Pasta Alla Carbonara

Well, I am back after a lengthy break due to lack of planning meals with enough time to write a recipe and take pictures before scarfing it down.  I've never made this Pasta Carbonara before but lately I've been craving eggs so I gave this a shot.  I added peas and chile flakes because, well...it sounded good.  Turns out it was.  I served this with an arugula and cherry tomato salad with a lemon vinagrette.  Perfect summer meal.

Ingredients:


1 pound dry spaghetti (I used thick spaghetti but you could also use fettucine)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 to 1 tsp chile flakes
3 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper (lots and lots)
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1-3 ladles reserved pasta water

Directions:

Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water (and I do mean salted...to taste like the ocean) to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to10 minutes almost tender but still firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") Drain the pasta well, reserving 1 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3-5 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic and chile flakes into the fat and saute for 1 minute to soften.  Add the peas and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Add lots of pepper.

Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several more turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.

Pineapple Pork

In our quest to eat healthy I came up with this recipe using lean pork tenderloin and fresh pineapple.  Too make it even healthier I served it with brown rice jazzed up with garlic, ginger, lite soy sauce and fresh spinach.  This is a new family favorite because it's quick, easy and satisfies the cravings for a certain fast food orange chicken, which is delicious, but I'm pretty sure it has a billion calories.

To jazz up the brown rice, follow package directions, but add 2 cloves of peeled, smashed garlic, 1 inch of peeled, smashed ginger and 3 tbs of either lite soy sauce or teriyaki sauce to the rice and liquid called for (I use chicken stock instead of water) and cook as directed.  When the rice is ready, stir in 1/2 bag of baby spinach and serve.

The Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
5-6 tbs corn starch, placed in a storage bag
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Pinch of red chile flakes
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1' chunks
3/4 cup of pineapple juice
3 tbs lite soy or teriyaki sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs peanut or vegetable oil

The Method:
Place pork in bag with the cornstarch, salt and pepper.  Shake well to combine. Let stand while preparing the pineapple.  Heat a large skillet until hot, add the oil, shake off any excess corn starch from the pork and saute the pork (in batches if necessary) until browned.  After the pork is browned, add the chile flakes and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the pineapple, pineapple juice and soy or teriyaki sauce.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the pork is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Apple Cheddar Gallette

What is that saying?  As American as Mom, baseball and Apple Pie?  This weekend brings all three. This morning we went to Andrew's baseball game.  Andrew hit a solid double with an RBI so even though they lost, it was a good game.  The Mom part comes with Mother's Day tomorrow and Apple Gallette plays the part of the pie.  A gallette is the rustic cousin of pie and you can fill it with the same fruits you would use for a pie.  The spin on this gallette is the addition of shredded sharp cheddar on the bottom of the crust.  It adds a nice tang against the sweet apples.  I need to share a little secret about the gallette above. We just tried a piece and I couldn't figure out what a certain flavor was after a couple of bites.  When I mentioned it to Mark, he said it must be the smoked cheddar.  What smoked cheddar?  I put sharp cheddar on the list but Mark swears the entire grocery store was out of ALL sharp cheddar so he bought smoked cheddar.  Arrrrgggh.  Smoky apple gallette anyone? 

The Ingredients:

1 pie crust (I used packaged but if you are a baker or aghast make from scratch)

3-4 tbsp SHARP cheddar, grated

4-5 apples, peeled and sliced

2 tbsp flour

1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp brown sugar

pinch of salt

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp white sugar, for sprinkling on the crust

The Method:

Preheat oven to 375.  Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper for easy clean up.  In a medium bowl, add the apples, squeeze the lemon over and mix.  Add the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown sugar, stir to combine.  Place the pie crust on the sheet pan and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese, leaving about an inch border.  Pile the apples on top of the cheddar.  Pull pie crust up working in 2 inch pieces.  Overlap the dough as you work your way around the crust.  Brush crust with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Deliciously Pickled Red Onions

Do Cinco De Mayo and healthy go together?  Normally, at our house the answer would be a resounding "No" because I usually make carnitas or chile verde along with refried beans, green rice and tortillas. Yum.  Since we are eating healthy (due to impending trip to Las Vegas) and we still wanted to celebrate Cinco De Mayo I had to get creative with my Mexican fiesta menu.  Everybody has probably seen pickled vegetables at a Mexican salsa bar but some restaurants serve Pickled Red Onions, which is what inspired me to make grilled chicken tacos with ranchero salsa, cabbage and pickled red onions for dinner last night. The onions would also be great with barbecued tri-tip, ribeyes or on sandwiches.  This pickling method is easy and you can make extra to keep in the fridge or give away to friends.  These keep in the fridge for about a month...if they last that long!

The Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic, smashed

1 serrano or jalapeno chile, sliced into rings (seeds and membranes removed if you don't want it too hot)

2 bay leaves

3/4 c fresh squeezed orange juice (3-4 oranges)

1/4 c fresh squeezed lime juice (5-6 limes)

1/4 c apple cider vinegar

2 tsp kosher or sea salt

2-3 red onions, peeled cut in half and sliced

The Method:

Place the first seven ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring just to a simmer.  Turn off heat and let steep while you prepare the onions.  Blanch the onions in batches in boiling water for about 30 seconds and drain. Place the onions in jars or a glass bowl and pour the pickling liquid over to just cover.  If using jars, pack onions in so there is not a lot of air space.  Also, separate the garlic, bay leaves and serrano/jalapeno evenly between the jars.  Let sit out at room temperature for at least an hour. You can serve them after about an hour or refrigerate.

Buffalo Chicken Burger

Last week, Mark and I booked a trip to Las Vegas, just the two of us, for a long weekend in June.  You know what that means...no, not that!  It means working out and eating healthy so I can actually put on a bathing suit in about 5 weeks.  So one of the first recipes we tried was this chicken burger, which is actually 1/2 chicken and 1/2 turkey because the grocery store only had one package of chicken breast left.  This store runs out of everything..but don't get me started on that.  Anyway, we love buffalo wings and this is a much healthier version, even with the creamy bleu cheese sauce.  If you are a hater of bleu cheese, you can substitute light Ranch.  If you have any leftover chicken you can make them into meatballs and serve with wing sauce for a healthy appetizer the next day.

The Ingredients:
2 lbs ground chicken
1/2 red onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp grill seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1/4c + 1/4c buffalo wing sauce, 1/4 cup reserved for basting
1/2 c panko bread crumbs
whole wheat buns
spinach leaves

For the sauce:
1/2 c light mayo
2 stalks celery
Point Reyes Bleu Cheese or other good brand
salt & pepper
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and chill.

The Method:
Place chicken and next 6 ingredients, reserving 1/4 cup of buffalo wing sauce, in a medium bowl.  Toss and mix gently until ingredients are combined.  Don't over mix or squeeze or the burgers will be tough.  Divide into equal portions and shape into patties.  They will be sticky so wet your hands between burgers and have a sheet pan lined with foil ready to put them on.  Chill burgers for at least one hour to firm up before broiling or grilling.  Broil or grill each side for about 6 minutes before flipping.  Brush cooked side with reserved buffalo sauce.  Cook another 6 minutes and flip and baste.  Check internal temperature for 165 degrees.  Set onto a platter, baste again and cover with foil while you put together the buns and sauce.  I used spinach but arugula or plain iceberg lettuce would be good also.

Spicy Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup

We are soup eaters.  In fact, this week we are going to have soup 4 times.  I cooked this soup Monday night, my brother made Stir Fry Soup last night, Andrew is making soup tonight (he was undecided last night about what kind of soup) and Mark is making soup tomorrow night. Mark is going to try his hand at an authentic French Onion soup. Yum!  Then we are going to vote for the best soup of the week.  Like I said, we are soup eaters.  This recipe for Thai soup is easy and tasty and perfect for a weeknight dinner because it comes together in about 30 minutes.  I just sent this to Nancy because she loves Thai food and this is a perfect blend of spicy, sweet, salty and sour. 

The ingredients:
1 Qt (2 cartons) chicken stock
1 stalk of lemon grass, cracked open with the flat side of a knife (or the lemongrass in a tube found in the produce department)
4 limes, juiced plus 1 lime peel (3-4 pieces using a vegetable peeler, no white pith)
1 3 inch piece of ginger peeled and sliced thin
2 small Thai chilies, halved lengthwise (or 2 red jalapenos, sliced thin into rounds)
2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 13 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
3 tbsp soy sauce (you can add a bit more to taste before serving)
1 tbsp sugar
1 package of sliced mushrooms
½ red onion, thinly sliced into ½ rounds

1 roasted chicken from the deli or 2 chicken breasts, poached and shredded into large chunks
Salt and Pepper, to taste
¼ c cilantro, roughly chopped
5-6 basil leaves, roughly chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced

The method:
In a large pot: Add the chicken stock, lime peel, lemon grass (or 3 tbsp of lemongrass from the tube), ginger, garlic, and chili’s or jalapenos. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, shred the chicken and prep other ingredients. Uncover and add the coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, mushrooms, red onions and shredded chicken. Simmer for 5-10 more minutes. Adjust seasoning and add the cilantro, basil and green onions. Serve with udon noodles, cooked al dente or rice. You can pick out the ginger, lime and lemongrass before serving.

Italian Sausage Bread Ring

Hi Nancy,  This one is for you.  I don't have a picture but since you saw this yesterday I thought it would be ok to blog without one this once.  This recipe is more like a technique because you can stuff the dough with all kinds of fillings.  I've done ham and cheese, hamburger and cheese and this italian sausage version.

The Ingredients:
1 loaf of Bridgeford frozen bread dough, thawed according to package instructions
flour for dusting
1 lb. italian sausage (spicy or mild)
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp lawry's season salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt (sprinkle over the dough while rolling out for more flavor)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 shredded mozarella cheese
3 tbsp fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, for egg wash

The Method:
Brown sausage over medium heat.  Break up sausage with the back of a spoon.  Drain fat.  Season with italian seasoning. season salt and pepper.  Mix in the pepper jack and mozarella cheese.  Set filling aside. Roll out the dough (dust board with flour) to 18" x 6" rectangle.  Place the filling along the long side of the dough.  Use all the filling.  Brush the edges with the egg wash.  Roll dough over filling to form an 18" log. Pinch bottom seam to seal.  Place on baking sheet and form into a circle, pinch dough to seal the circle.  Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes until golden brown.  Let sit for about 10 minutes before slicing.  You can serve warm or at room temperature.  Enjoy!!!

Mark shows off his thermos

This thermos has come in handy lately.  First, at MasterChef and this week to keep the beurre blanc at temperature.  Mark and I love our thermos.  This is what we do for fun.  Take pictures of our food and kitchen equipment.  Maybe we need to get out more?  Nah. We have fun!

Beurre Blanc

Do you see that yellow puddle of goodness below the fish?  That is a lemon beurre blanc. My first one...ever!  This blog is so not about the fish or the roasted broccolli, which were very good, but not the star of last night's dinner.  It is all about the butter sauce flavored with lemon juice, lemon zest, white wine, shallots, heavy cream and BUTTER.  Did I mention beurre blanc is a butter sauce?  In order to convice myself it was ok to eat a butter sauce with 12 tablespoons of butter for dinner on a Wednesday I had to make sure the fish and broccolli were as healthy as possible.  Given that we had this for dinner last night...I'd say I was very convincing!  Yea me!  So I seared the fish in 1 tbls oil and 1/2 tbls of butter, then finished it in the oven.  Very healthy, right?  I drizzled the broccolli with lemon olive oil, chile flakes, salt and pepper and roasted in a 400 degree oven.  Very healthy...oh yah!  The recipe I used for my first ever beurre blanc is one of Alton Brown's from foodnetwork.com.  The recipe is called Raymond Beurre Blanc.  Not sure who Raymond is but he is a genious.  Alton suggests making the sauce and storing in a thermos until ready to use. That is exactly what I did...since I am now the proud owner of 5 thermos'.

The ingredients:
1 shallot, chopped fine
8 oz white wine
2 oz of lemon juice, zest of one lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream
12 tbsp of cold, unsalted butter, cubed (put in freezer for 5 minutes right before you need it)
salt and white pepper

The Method:
Combine the first three ingredients in a small non-reactive saucepan over medium-high heat until reduces to about 2-3 tbsp.  Watch it at the end because it reduces quickly.  Add the cream to the reduction and bring to a boil.  Reduce for 3-4 minutes.  Reduce heat to low and add the butter, 1-2 cubes at a time.  Whisk continuosly first off the heat and then on the heat until butter fully melts.  Continue adding butter on and off the heat 1-2 cubes at a time until sauce is fully emulsified and a rich consistency.  Season with salt and pepper.  Strain into a thermos until ready to use.

The Real Deal Shepherds Pie

Yum, yum, yum!  This is comfort food to the max for me.  Why do I call this the real deal?  Because the recipe is from my Grandma and she came from Ireland. Ireland has lots of shepherds.  This is what they eat. I've seen many other recipes for Shepherds pie and I always thought "that's not right". So now I will set the record straight.  By the way, the shepherd's in the part of Ireland where my Grandma grew up lwatched over cows because this recipe uses ground beef, not lamb.  This recipe is great to use up leftover mashed potatoes. 

The Ingredients:
1 1/2 pds 80/20 ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce (apparently they had soy sauce in Ireland...wink)
1 tsp Lawry's season salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp flour
1/2 -3/4 cup of chicken or beef broth

3-4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
salt
pepper
3 tbsp butter + 2 tbsp butter melted (used to drizzle on casserole top)
1/2 cup milk
1 bag of white corn, thawed and dried in paper towels

The method:

First, place potatoes in cold water, bring to a boil and cook until softened, about 15-20 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Next start the ground beef.  Brown the ground beef in saucepan.  Add the season salt and pepper. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes.  In a small bowl, add the flour, broth (start with a 1/2 cup, add more if too thick), worcestershire and soy sauces,  Whisk until smooth.  Add the mixture to the ground beef.  You should have a thick gravy after 2-3 minutes.  If too thick, add a bit more broth.  You don't want it soupy or your casserole will be runny.  Cook for about 5 more minutes and then turn off heat. Adjust seasonings.

Mash potatoes and add butter, salt, pepper and milk.

Spray 9x12 casserole dish with cooking spray.  Layer the ground beef mixture on the bottom, top with all of the corn and then spread mashed potatoes on the top. Be careful not to "pull up" the corn while spreading the mashed potatoes.  Run a fork lightly across the top of the casserole to create little valleys.  Drizzle with melted butter.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes and then broil for 3-4 minutes until top is golden brown.  Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Apple Chutney. Oh my!

I may be dating myself but I'll always remember Peter Brady, from the Brady Bunch show, lisping Pork Chops and Apple sauce in his best Cagney impression.  When I think of pork chops that line goes through my head every time.  In fact, you can see Peter say this famous Brady Bunch line on youtube.com. 

So what does apple chutney have to do with applesauce?  Think of it as the grown up version of the stuff spooned out of a jar.  Apple Chutney pairs perfectly with pan seared pork chops and elevates a quick week night meat to new heights. Yum!

Ingredients:
3 granny smith apples, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, minced
1/2 a red onion, chopped
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp jalapeno jelly (optional)
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper

The Method:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the jalapeno and onion and saute until softened. Add the remaining ingredients and cover with a lid.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the apples are slighty soft but not mushy.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Master Chef Submission Picture

This Sunday I will attend an open casting call for a new show called Master Chef.  I'e decided to bring Teriyaki glazed Mahi-Mahi with ginger cream sauce and mango salsa.  Mark and I spent the weeked either testing the recipe or shopping for containers to keep the food warm for 4+hours.  Once you get called you only have 5 minutes to plate the dish...no time to reheat or cook.  We found different sizes of thermos food containers that claim to keep food hot for up to 7 hours.  We did a test and tried the cream sauce and rice after 4 hours and both were still hot.  Very cool.  Now, I just need to finish the 10 page application and pack everything up I'll need.  Sunday morning will be a challenge as I have to cook the dish, which included BBQ'ing the Mahi-Mahi before heading out to San Francisco around 9am.