Meatballs

Tawny loves meatballs. She loves homemade meatballs. There is no way to sneak a frozen meatball past her lips. She knows. She always knows! Lots of people say they know... but lots of those same people really don't. They can be tricked. But not Tawny.

She left for college last week and Spaghetti & Homemade Meatballs was on her list of dinners she'd like me to make before she leaves.

So I made homemade meatballs.

They really aren't much work. I have no idea why, more often than not, I resort to frozen meatballs. Well, yeah I do. They are WAY faster on a work night. But that's no excuse for using frozen more often than homemade. I could take a little time on the weekend, make my homemade meatballs then freeze them and store them in the freezer in FoodSaver bags. Then they'd be just as easy as frozen wouldn't they?

Ok... I'm done arguing with myself.

Homemade Meatballs! They are easy and can be just as convenient as frozen!

Most of these measurements are approximate.

Meatballs
2 lbs. ground beef (or beef/veal/pork combo)
1 medium onion, grated
3 - 4 large cloves of garlic, grated
2 TBLS Italian herbs
1 C Parmesan/Romano/Asiago blend, grated
2 C bread crumbs
1 C tomato sauce
1 egg
salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients until well mixed.
Roll into balls. I usually do 1 inch meatballs, but these are 2 inch meatballs. Place on wire rack in a baking sheet with sides. Bake at 350F 20 - 30 minutes, depending on how big you make your meatballs. You just want them to be cooked through. Now they're ready to eat! I always simmer mine a in a pot of sauce after I take them out of the oven.

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Mix it all up!




Roll into balls.

I usually like to make 1 inch balls. Then they fit perfectly in a Meatball Sub. Tawny wanted big meatballs. So these are big. I guess they'd be nice cut in half in subs. Anyway... this time I made big ones, at least 2 inches.



Bake them until cooked through.


I don't know why I started baking them. My mom always cooked her meatballs IN the sauce. Most of the recipes I see online call for frying them. I remember baking them when I first moved out on my own. It started as just baking on a baking sheet. But I think the little puddle of grease around them grossed me out, so I started baking them on a rack.



If I was going to make a big batch and freeze some for later. This is where I'd stop and flash freeze them, then put them in vacuum-sealed bags.

Now into the pot of sauce!




They're ready to serve with whatever you like!


Enjoy!

Dying for Lasagna!

I was on the phone with my sister on Father's Day and asked her what they were doing for dinner. Apparently they had a meat sauce cooked up for a lasagna that never got cooked, so even though it was wicked hot, they were making lasagna.

As soon as she said that... I wanted some! I would have gone to her house for dinner, but it's a 10 hour drive.

So I just kept craving it.

But even though it was wicked hot here too, I couldn't hold out for cooler weather.

I wanted lasagna! I was able to wait almost a week before I made some!

There's no specific recipe for this. None of the amounts are exact.

I imagine it's pretty much how my mom made it.



Lasagna
1 box lasagna noodles
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 lb Italian sausage (I used both hot and sweet)
24 oz ricotta cheese
3 - 4 C shredded provolone & mozzarella cheese
1/2 - 1 C shredded asiago/parmesan/romano cheese blend
1 egg
a couple palm fulls of Italian seasoning
1 medium onion, diced
several cloves of garlic, minced
salt & pepper
6 - 8 C Spaghetti Sauce, your favorite recipe or prepared sauce

Brown ground beef & sausage in a pan with onions & garlic. Drain off fat, add a palmful of Italian seasoning and some salt & pepper to taste; add spaghetti sauce and simmer.

While that's simmering, boil lasagna noodles according to the directions on the box, rinse in cold water.

In a bowl, combine ricotta, provolone & mozzarella (reserve 1 - 2 C provolone/mozzarella), asiago/parmesan/romano cheese blend, egg, a palmful of Italian seasoning and some salt & pepper. Combine well.

Now the noodles, meat sauce and cheese mixture are all ready to be assembled.

Reserve 1 - 2 cups of meat sauce. Put a little sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan. Top that with a single, overlapping layer of noodles. Then evenly spread half of the meat sauce over the noodles. Next evenly spread half of the cheese mixtures over the meat sauce. Top with another layer of of overlapping noodles and repeat. When you get to the top layer of noodles, cover with reserved sauce and reserved cheese. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes. Let stand for 15 - 20 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!!

So that's the jist of it.

Now when I was making this lasagna, I was totally yackin' on the phone with my sister. I was VERY excited because I found out that my schedule WILL allow me to attend my cousin Annie's wedding in August. Unfortunately Jon's schedule isn't going to allow him to go with me, but Tawny & Bobby will definitely go too. In addition to that, my cousin Charlie will be there WITH his daughter Nadia! I was VERY VERY excited! Can't wait to go to the wedding, can't wait to see Charlie, can't wait to finally meet his beautiful daughter in person, can't wait to see everyone who will be at Annie's wedding!

Sooo... excited and blabbering on the phone equals not paying too much attention to what I'm doing in the kitchen!

I was taking pictures, but totally forgot the onion and garlic with the meat.

So brown up the sausage & beef, with onions & garlic.
(Wanna add peppers or olives? Go for it! Toss in whatever you like!)

Drain and add sauce. I used canned sauce this time.


At this point I realized I forgot the onion & garlic, so I added onion & garlic powder with the Italian seasoning.


Let that simmer.

Boil your noodles according to the directions and don't forget to add salt to the water!

Mix up your cheeses!




Rinse the noodles in cold water.


Time to assemble!







Now into a 350F degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Pull it out of the oven and let it rest for at least 15 - 20 minutes. If you cut it too soon, the pieces will slide apart.



Take that time to throw some garlic bread in the oven and toss a big garden salad!

Now it's dinner time!!

Mmmmmm.... big meaty cheeses pieces of lasagna!




Jon likes it even better the next day.




Four minutes in the microwave and it's time for wicked good leftovers!


Sometimes it's worth being in a wicked hot kitchen when you just have to have some lasagna!!

Super-Tuscan White Bean Soup

I picked up Progresso Soups & More Magazine; October 20, 2009 edition.



I flip through these little magazines at the grocery store all the time. It's rare that I can resist them. I usually end up buying a few a month.

Jon says I need to make at least one recipe from every one that I buy.

So here's the one from this one!

Actually... there are a couple others I'd like to try too.



Super-Tuscan White Bean Soup
Soup:
4 slices bacon, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, cut coarsely
1 medium carrot, cut coarsely
1 medium celery stalk, cut coarsely (I used two)
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed (I used four)
4 15oz cans cannellini beans, drained
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 C dry white wine
4 C chicken broth

Topping:
2 TBLS olive oil
1 TBLs garlic, finely chopped (I used more)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 basil, sliced
salt & pepper

In a dutch oven or stock pot, cook bacon, onion, celery, carrot and garlic for 5 minutes.

Add beans, wine, broth and bay leaf. Cover and cook for 20 - 25 minutes; until veggies are tender.

While that's cooking, heat olive oil in a hot skillet. Add garlic and cook until just golden. Add crushed red pepper; cook for a minute. Add basil and cook until wilted.

When veggies in the soup are tender, blend soup with a stick blender, until there are no chunks of anything left.

Ladle into bowls, top with a big pinch of basil mixture and enjoy!

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Cook veggies and bacon for about 5 minutes.


Add broth, wine, beans and bay leaf.




Cover and cook for 20 - 25 minutes or until veggies are tender.


While the soup is cooking, make the topping.



That only took a few minutes... so while you're waiting for the soup to finish cooking you totally have time to whip up a couple of refreshing POM Spritzers ala Gypsy Girl Gourmet.

So the soup should be done now.

I used my stick blender for this, but you can definitely use your food processor.

Don't forget to pluck out the bay leaf.


Now let 'er rip!






It's the consistency of pea soup when it's all blended.

Ladle it into a bowl and top with some of the basil topping.


I served it with Scallion Cheddar Panini. I love love love those little cheesy scallion sammies!


Jon and I really enjoyed the soup. He said he would have preferred whole beans in his bean soup, but still liked it. Bobby is pretty picked and he didn't like it; but I didn't expect him too. Tawny said it "smelled like meat"... "kielbasa or something". I told her it was the bacon and she'd probably really like it. I think she got kielbasa stuck in her head (she is not a fan) and didn't like the soup... however she does LOVE the little sammies!

This soup is definitely a winner. Thick, hearty and warming. A perfect meal as the nights start getting colder.

I'm not the only one with soup on the stove. If you're ready for some satisfying fall soups, here are few that caught my eye!

There's Potato Onion Soup simmering on Joanna's stove over at go ahead and snicker.

Heather from girlichef has the wonderful aroma of Orecchiette, Sausage & White Bean Soup wafting through her house.

Dajana over at Baker's Corner... somewhere in my kitchen can't make enough of her Chickpea Cream Soup, because it's such a family favorite.

There is no shortage of FABULOUS soups coming out of Natashya's kitchen at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies... Vietnamese Chicken Pho, Autumn Barley Soup, and Thai Coconut Chicken Soup, just to name a few... but Natashya has DOZENS and you should really browse through.

Cathy over at Accountants can cook? has a hearty Gumbo ready to take the chill off.

I could go on and on! Are you ready to get your soup on?