Meatballs December 21, 2006

Ingredients
2 T. Dried Porchini Mushrooms
2/3 C. Warm Water
1 lb. Lean Ground Beef
2 Cloves Garlic (Finely Chopped)
4 T. Fresh Parsley
3 T. Fresh Basil
1 Egg
6 T. Plain Bread Crumbs
2 T. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
4 T. Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion (Finely Chopped)
1/4 C. Dry White Wine
Chopped Fresh Parsley (Garnish)

Method
1. Soak the dried mushrooms in the warm water for 15 minutes. Lift them out of the water and chop finely. Filter the soaking water through paper towels and reserve.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine meat with chopped mushrooms, garlic and herbs. Stir in the egg. Add the breadcrumbs and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Form into balls.
3. In a large heavy frying pan, heat the oil, add the onion and cook over low heat until soft. Raise the heat and add the meatballs, rolling often so they brown evenly. After about 5 minutes, add the filtered mushroom water and cook 5-8 minutes.
4. Remove meatballs from pan and deglaze pan with wine. Pour over meatballs and garnish with parsley

We really like meatballs and I think they are a pain in the butt to make just one dinner of, so I make a zillion at once on a Sunday afternoon. I multiply this recipe by 5! Instead of using all ground beef, I use 1lb each of ground lean buffalo, ground lean pork, ground chorizo sausage, ground lean turkey and lean ground beef. I also use a big KitchenAide stand mixer to mix everything because it’s too much to do well by hand. Instead of frying all zillion meatballs, I bake them at 350 degrees for 1 hour. It’s healthier and much easier when you’re making a whole bunch. I then freeze them and we always have them in the fridge for quick spaghetti and meatball dinners, rosemary and meatball pizzas, meatball subs, etc. When I am ready to use them, I thaw them first in the microwave, then cook onions in olive oil as the recipe states. I then reheat the meatballs on the cooking onions until heated through, then deglaze with wine as the recipe states. I then pour in a can of Hunts Tomato Sauce and some fresh basil and whatever other herbs I have. It makes a very yummy sauce. Cooking the meatballs on the onions is a very key step, as is the deglazing!! I don’t know why, but they just taste yummy this way. These meatballs can also be made small and used as an appetizer. This recipe comes from a book I mentioned I like, “Italian” by Carla Capalbo.

Eggplant Parmesan December 21, 2006

Ingredients
2 lb. Eggplant (Sliced)
Flour, for coating
Oil, for frying (I use Enova whenever I fry something, it helps with the guilt!)
1/3 C. Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 C. Mozzarella Cheese (Sliced Thinly) (I like to use Buffalo Mozzarella for this…)
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

For the Sauce…
4 T. Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion (Very Finely Chopped)
1 Clove Garlic (Very Finely Chopped)
1 lb. Tomatoes (Fresh or Canned, Chopped, With Their Juice) (I use the canned tomatoes with the added basil, etc.)
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Fresh Basil

Method
1. Wash the eggplants, cut into rounds about 1/2 inch wide, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain on paper towels about 1 hour. Flip and repeat.
2. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil, add the onion and cook until translucent, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the basil. Cook for 20-30 minutes, then puree with a handheld immersion blender.
3. Pat the eggplant slices dry with paper towels, and remove any remaining salt. Coat lightly in flour. Heat oil in frying pan and cook over low to moderate heat with pan covered until soft. Turn and cook other side. Repeat with remaining slices.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a wide, shallow baking dish. Spread a little tomato sauce in bottom. Cover with a layer of eggplant. Sprinkle with a few teaspoons of Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and cover with a layer of mozzarella. Spoon on some tomato sauce. Repeat until all ingredients used up, ending with a covering of tomato sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Sprinkle with a little olive oil and bake for 45 minutes.

DO NOT SKIP THE SALT STEP WITH THE EGGPLANT!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you’ve ever tried to make eggplant parm and had it turn out undercooked (no matter how many times you kept putting it back in the oven, or zapped it in the microwave…), not salting the eggplant is the reason why! It draws out the bitter tasting water in the eggplant and allows them to cook quickly and melt in your mouth. It doesn’t make the dish taste salty! Just be sure to wipe off any remaining salt before you fry. This recipe is to die for! I just made it for a pre-holiday get together and was able to put it together 2 days before serving, pop it in the fridge and cook the day of. It was great and super easy because it could be done so far in advance. The recipe is from a cookbook I mentioned I love, “Italian” by Carla Capalbo. Enjoy!

Pomegranite Martini December 13, 2006

Ingredients
2 Shots Pomegranite Liquor
2 Shots Cranberry Vodka
Splash of Pomegranite Juice

Method
1. Combine in shaker with ice, shake and enjoy!

Lemon-Drop Martini December 13, 2006

Ingredients
Juice of 6 Lemons
4 T. Sugar (I made them the other night with Splenda and they were fine!)
6 Fresh Mint Leaves
4 Shots Lemon Vodka

Method
1. Combine in shaker with ice and shake! Rub rim of martini glass with lemon, then sprinkle with sugar. Add martini to glass and enjoy!

Holiday Crunch Granola December 13, 2006

Ingredients
3 C. Rolled Oats
1/2 C. Whole Almonds
1/2 C. Pecan Halves
1/2 t. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 t. Nutmeg
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Honey
1 C. Dried Fruit
1/2 C. Water
1/3 C. Oil
2 t. Vanilla

Method
1. Combine oats, nuts and spices. Mix well.
2. In another bowl combine brown sugar, honey, water, oil and vanilla. Add to oat mixture, stirring to coat well. Spread in greased pan.
3. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely and stir in dried fruit. Store in airtight container.

Makes a great gift!

Peamutt Butter Dog Biscuits December 13, 2006

Ingredients
2 T. Corn Oil
1/2 C. Peanut Butter
1 C. Water
1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
2 C. White Flour

Method
1. Knead into firm dough (a food processor or stand mixer will make your life much easier here!). Roll out and cut into shapes. Bake 20 minutes.

I love my dog very very much and he is incredibly spoiled! He gets homemade dog biscuits every Christmas, as do the dogs of all our friends. It’s a cheap and easy gift and dog people really like it. You can package them all pretty in Chinese food takeout boxes. BUT, make sure you make the card out to the person’s dog from your dog and write DOG BISCUITS. The first time I mailed these to my Aunt for Christmas, she opened the package, grabbed one and ate it. Then she spit it out and picked up the phone to tell me how yucky my cookies were when she realized they were dog biscuits. They won’t hurt anyone, but they taste very bland and gross to humans!

Tsatsiki (Greek Cucumber Yogurt Dip) December 13, 2006

Ingredients
1 Small Container of Plain Yogurt (Drain off any liquid)
1 Clove Garlic (Minced)
2 T. Olive Oil
1 Cucumber (Seeded and Grated)
1 t. Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper

Method
1. Mix together and let sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

This is really good with hunks of bread as a dip, and it’s also the topping for Gyros. Bryan calls it “The Greek Ranch Dressing.” You could use it in place of a creamy salad dressing…it’s really yummy and very good for you! I use nonfat yogurt and it tastes just as good.

Crock Pot Holiday Turkey December 13, 2006

Ingredients
5-6 lb. Turkey Breast
2 T. Butter
1 T. Soy Sauce
1 T. Parsley
1/4 C. Garden Veggie Whipped Cream Cheese
1/2 t. Basil
1/2 t. Sage
1/4 t. Pepper
1/4 t. Garlic Powder

Method
1. Place turkey in crock pot. Combine remaining ingredients and brush over turkey. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Nothing could be easier than this turkey! The first time I made it was for a weekday dinner. We couldn’t believe how good it was! Bryan asked if I could make it for Thanksgiving next time. The bird stays incredibly juicy and has so much flavor. AND, you don’t need to do anything to it while it cooks. It doesn’t take up any space in your oven either! Great if you have a small kitchen or are making most of the holiday meal and only have one oven. Also, if your family and friends aren’t big fans of dark meat, you save lots of money by just buying the breast. It’s the only way I can justify the uber expensive free range organic turkeys at the holidays!

Peppermint Bark December 12, 2006

Ingredients
2 lbs. White Chocolate (Chopped)
12 Candy Canes
1/2 t. Peppermint Oil

Method
1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Melt the chocolate. Crush the candy canes. Stir the candy and the peppermint into the chocolate.
2. Remove from heat and pour onto baking sheet, spreading evenly. Chill 1/2 hour in the refrigerator. Break apart.

This is super duper easy and really pretty. You can make the recipe with a different type of chocolate and you can substitute the candy canes for some other type of candy or even nuts. You could replace the peppermint oil with a different type of oil. Dark chocolate with almonds and almond extract would be divine!

Melt In Your Mouth Sugar Cookies December 12, 2006

Ingredients
2 Sticks Unsalted Butter
1 C. Sifted Confectioner’s Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 t. Vanilla
1/4 t. Salt
2 1/2 C. Flour

Method
1. Cream butter with sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla, salt and flour.
2. Roll out and cut into shapes. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Do not allow to brown!

A few Christmas’ ago we were visiting Bryan’s family in Boston for the Holidays and we went to party # 3000 at his Aunt’s Brother’s house. They had these perfectly decorated Santa sugar cookies that literally melted in your mouth. I must have eaten 40 of them. My brother in law ate the rest. Right after Christmas, my brother in law came to visit us and while Bryan was at work, Brendan and I tried to recreate those sugar cookies. After looking at a bunch of recipes we realized that maybe those cookies had been made with confectioner’s sugar rather than granulated sugar, hence the melt in your mouthness. We found this recipe for Peppermint Candy Cane cookies that were sugar cookies made with confectioner’s sugar, omitted the peppermint and food coloring and voila! Success! They taste perfect. I’m making these for Christmas this year and hoping my first attempt at decorating them goes well…!