Meatballs and Polenta

Meat mix: 3 lbs meatloaf mix (beef, veal, pork)
1 package thick-sliced smoky bacon, uncooked, raw
2 whole eggs
⅓ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
½ cup finely diced yellow onion
8 garlic cloves, minced
Herb mix: ¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, 2 tbsp chopped oregano, 2 tbsp chopped rosemary

Combine above ingredients and mix well, kneading the mixture with your hands like dough.

⅓ cup  bread crumbs
½ cup whole milk

Slowly add milk to bread crumbs, stirring until the mixture has the consistency of wet sand. Immediately add to the meat mixture,  and mix well.

olive oil for browning
about 12 cups good-quality tomato sauce, kept warm over low heat
finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
two rolls of polenta, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape meatballs, preferably using an ice-cream scoop (to reduce air inside meatball). In a large skillet, heat about a quarter-inch canola oil until very hot. Working in batches, brown all sides of each meatball.  As they finish, transfer browned meatballs to a deep, ovenproof casserole. Cover meatballs with tomato sauce. (Don't skimp — they must be totally submerged.) Place in oven and bake until well done, about 1 ¾ to 2 hours.   While they are baking: brown polenta in oil, turning occasionally, lay on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

To serve: Spoon sauce & meatballs over polenta (2 or 3 per person), top with grated cheese, and pass crusty bread. Makes 25 to 30 meatballs. Buon appetito!!

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Sarah's Mom's Chicken Paprikash

I have never had a more delicious chicken paprikash, and I assure you I've made an extensive search!

Ingredients
2-3 large chicken breasts, cubed and sprinkled with lemon juice
2 large onions, chopped
Butter 2-4 tbs to taste
16 oz carton sour cream
Paprika 2-3 tbs to taste
Spaetzle, Dumplings, Noodles or Rice

Directions
Melt the butter in the pan and saute onions until translucent.  Add the chicken and cook on medium until fully cooked.  Scoot the chicken and onions to the side and add the sour cream.  Stir in the paprika until everything is a light orange.  Mix thoroughly.  Add the spaetzle or dumplings and heat to warm all ingredients, or spoon over noodles or rice.  Serve and enjoy! Buon appetito!

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Golabki (Stuffed Cabbage)

Ingredients

2 c. cooked rice
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. raw ground beef
1/4 c. diced, minced onion
1/4 tsp. salt & pepper
1 med. green head of cabbage

For the Sauce

1 can tomato soup

2 tbs sour cream

1 tsp paprika

Technique

Mix together the rice, meat and onion.  Core the cabbage and boil it, only for a few minutes to loosen the leaves.  Remove one leaf at a time and fill wilt 2 tbs of mix.  roll it over, folding in the ends and place in a large casserole dish.  Cover and bake at 350* for 1 hour.  Once finished spread the sauce over the golabki and serve!  Makes 6-8 servings. Buon appetito!

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Eggplant Parmsean

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplant (about 2 1/4 pounds), cut into 1/2-inch-thick round slices
• 5 cups fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive Oil for frying
• Flour for dredging
• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 7 cups or two jars of your favorite marinara sauce
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan, divided
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions

Arrange the eggplant slices on several baking sheets and sprinkle generously all over with kosher salt. Set aside to let the juices weep from the eggplant, about 1 hour.

Transfer the eggplant to a colander in the sink, and rinse well under cold running water. Transfer eggplant to a work surface and blot very dry with paper towels.  The more water you get out the better they will fry
In a large bowl, mix together the, breadcrumbs, oregano, and season with pepper.
In another medium bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dip it in the egg, and finally dredge it in the breadcrumb mixture. Shake off any excess breading and transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining eggplant. In a large straight-sided skillet, pour the oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium heat until it registers 400 degrees F on a deep frying thermometer. (The oil must be heated to 400 degrees F. so that the breaded eggplant, when added, will drop the temperature of the oil to the proper frying temperature of 375 degrees F.)
Working in small batches, fry the eggplant slices, turning once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet and season with salt to taste. Repeat with the remaining eggplant.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a 15 x 10- x 2-inch-baking dish with olive oil.  We are going to layer it like a lasagna.  Cover the bottom of the baking dish with 1/3 of the marinara sauce and arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Cover the eggplant with another 1/3 of the sauce. Scatter half of the Parmesan and half of the mozzarella over the sauced eggplant. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, sauce, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Bake until hot and just beginning to brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.  Buon appetito!!



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Chicken Noodle Soup

When I get a craving for soup, I make it, and I make a ton! To freeze or distribute at will...

You can use leftover chicken, or bake 2 pounds of chicken thighs (they're the best!) or like me, cheat and get 2 roaster chickens from the grocery!

2 pounds of chicken or two roaster chickens

1 Bunch of carrots, chopped

1 Bunch of celery, chopped

1 Large onion, chopped

1 Bag frozen corn

10 cups of chicken broth

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a stockpot and simmer for 1 hour, serve with your choice of noodle! Easy Peasy!

*You'll notice I didn't say anything about the "Noodle" portion.  I make my noodles separately and then add them when I'm ready to eat.  It works out nicely when you want to freeze the soup!  Buon appetito!!

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Gnocchi with Italian Sausage

Delicious and easy gnocchi is one of mine and my husband’s favorite kinds of pasta.

Ingredients

3 pounds russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, extra large
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups vegetable marinara
1 ½ pounds fresh Italian sausage

Technique

Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through vegetable mill onto clean pasta board.

Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups near boiling water.

Make a well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using all the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.

Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Drop these pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water. Toss with 1/2 cup olive oil and set aside.

Cut the Italian sausage into 1 inch sections and place in sauté pan.  Adding a small amount of water to the bottom to prevent sticking/burning cook sausage thoroughly or until crispy brown.  Add sauce right before serving.  Pour sausage/marinara mixture over gnocchi and serve.   Buon appetito!!

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Italian Beef Stew

This stew is so delicious. The beef is very tender and the sauce is thick without the use of a typical thickening agent. Served with a crusty bread, this warms you up on a cold evening!

7 tsp. olive oil, divided

1 1/2 c. chopped onion

1 T. minced garlic

1/4 c. flour

2 lbs. boneless chuck roast, cut into cubes

salt and pepper

1 c. dry red wine

2 lbs. plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 c. low sodium beef broth

1/2 c. water

2 t. chopped fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 pkg. baby portobello mushrooms, quartered

3/4 c. sliced carrots

2 T. chopped basil

1 T. chopped parsley

Heat 1 tsp. oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and chopped carrots. Saute about 8 min. Add garlic stirring constantly, about 1 min. Remove from pan.

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper; dredge in flour. Add 1 T. oil to pan. Saute beef in oil in 2 batches until browned, about 6 min. each batch. Remove beef from pan.

Add wine to pan, scraping browned bits. Cook until reduced to about 1/3 cup. Return meat and onion mixture to pan. Add tomatoes, broth, water, thyme, bay leaf, and mushrooms. Cover and simmer about 45 min., stirring occasionally.

Stir in carrots and simmer uncovered about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in basil and parsley.

Adapted from Cooking Light (Jan/Feb 2011)

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Amatriciana Sauce

This is easy enough to be a go-to dinner, but tasty enough for company. I first had Amatriciana sauce in Murano, Italy and knew that I had to find a recipe so that I could relive the experience back home. Giada came to the rescue with this delicious and easy sauce.

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

8. oz. pancetta, diced

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Pinch of dried crushed red pepper flakes

1 28 oz can of tomato puree, or crushed tomatoes

1/2 t. sea salt (or just salt if you don't have sea salt)

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1/2 c. Pecorino Romano cheese

In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in the can of tomatoes and salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, on medium low until the sauce thickens, between 15 and 20 minutes. Stir in the cheese. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

~I recommend using a long pasta for this sauce. In Italy it was served with Bucatini, but I can't find that anywhere near me. I use spaghetti or linguini.

~Serve with a salad and enjoy!

~Original recipe can be found in Everyday Italian by Giada de Laurentiis
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The incomparable peanut butter kiss cookies!

It was a shock to me that I became known for these cookies where I used to work. It would go "oh wow, you're a great baker! You make those peanut butter cookies with the kisses right?". I would dumbfoundedly respond that yes I do make those, but think to myself, "who doesn't?". Therefore, I decided that this recipe was worthy of a post.

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened

2/3 c. creamy peanut butter

1 c. sugar

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 t. vanilla

3 c. flour

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

2 9oz. packages milk chocolate candy kisses (unwrapped)

extra sugar for rolling

How:

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and set aside. In an electric mixing bowl, cream the butter and peanut butter on medium. Gradually add the sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well in between. Add vanilla. Add the dry ingredients mixture gradually.

Shape the dough into 1 inch balls (you'll want to stick to this size so that you maintain a good ration of dough to chocolate later on). Roll each dough ball in the extra sugar to coat. Place the dough balls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and press a kiss into the top of each cookie and return to the oven for 2 more minutes. Cool completely on wire racks.

~Adapted from a recipe on food.com by MizzNezz. See title link for original recipe.

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Macaroni and Cheese BONANZA!

Yes my three year old asked for macaroni and cheese for his birthday.  

Yes mommy went overboard.  

Basic Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

            1/2 pound elbow macaroni

            3 tablespoons butter

            3 tablespoons flour

            1 tablespoon powdered mustard

            3 cups milk

            1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced

            1/2 teaspoon paprika

            24 ounces sharp cheddar {shredded}

                       

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes.

Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Pizza Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

SAME as Basic plus…

            1 1/2 cups pizza or spaghetti sauce

            Black olives, pepperoni, optional garnish

Directions

Spoon half the Mac n' Cheese into a large casserole dish; spoon pizza sauce around edge of dish.  Spoon remaining Mac n' Cheese into center of pizza sauce.  Garnish top with optional sliced black olives and pepperoni. Top with remaining cheese.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

SAME as Basic plus…

            1 small onion, finely chopped

            2 stalks celery, finely chopped

            3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

            2 cloves garlic, minced

            3/4 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank's)

            2/3 cup sour cream 

            1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

            2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, add sour cream and cook until warm about 1 more minute.

Spread half of the macaroni in the large casserole dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Top with remaining cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Garnish top with blue cheese and parsley.

Chili Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

SAME as Basic plus…

            2 cups chili
            1 small can chopped green chilies

Directions

Spoon 1/2 the Mac n' Cheese into a large deep pie plate; spoon chili around edge of dish. Spoon remaining Mac n' Cheese into center of chili.  Bake for 30 minutes.   Garnish top with chilies. Top with remaining cheese.

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Cream of Potato Soup

Ingredients

5lbs. potatoes; peeled and coarsely chopped
1 sm. onion; chopped
8oz. cream cheese; softened
3-14.5oz. cans reduced sodium chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4t. pepper and salt
GARNISHES:
crisp bacon; crumbled
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
sliced scallions

Technique
Add all ingredients (not garnishes) to large stockpot. Simmer on low for 2-3 hours or until potatoes are fork tender. I like mine a little thicker so you can mash up some potatoes or add instant potatoes to make it heartier. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and the cheese & bacon. Sprinkle with sliced scallions. Buon appetito!




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Chicken and Corn Chili

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 teaspoon salt, optional
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 jar salsa
1 can great northern (cannellini) beans
1 can whole kernel corn, drained

Techinique

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add chicken and cook 10 to 15 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients. Simmer about 30 to 45 minutes or until chicken is tender, stirring occasionally. Serve with sour cream and cheese. Buon appetito!




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Chicken, Corn and Potato Chowder with Corn Muffins

A perfect cold weather dinner!









Corn Muffins

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk

Technique
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin pan, or use muffin cups. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the honey, eggs and salt. Mix in flour, cornmeal and baking powder. Stir in milk until batter is smooth. Spoon into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes.  Yield 12 muffins.



Chicken Corn Soup

Ingredients
1-2 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts chopped into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cans or one large box or chicken stock
2 tablespoons dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 potatoes, washed and diced
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels or 2 cans fresh corn
Half pint heavy cream

Technique
Pour olive oil into large pan or stock pot, place chicken in and sauté until almost cooked through. Add onions and cook until onions are soft. Add chicken stock, and stir in parsley, salt, pepper, potatoes and corn. Simmer 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked and corn is tender. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Serve with corn muffins! Buon appetito!



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City Chicken

Ingredients

2 lbs of cubed pork, threaded onto skewers
½ cup of flour
1 tablespoon Garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 package onion soup mix
1 can chicken broth
1 cup water

Technique

Combine the flour, garlic powder, and black pepper on a plate. Roll skewers of pork around in the flour until fully coated. Melt butter and heat oil in a large skillet. Brown skewers on both sides for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle soup mix over pork, add water and chicken broth and simmer for 1 hour or until tender. Reserve the liquid in the pan as juice for potatoes or rice. I serve mine over mashed potatoes! Buon appetito!




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Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups bite-size pieces chicken
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (9-inch) pie crust, in a pie pan
1 prepared pie crust top


Techinque

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large heavy skillet. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add broth slowly, while stirring, and bring to simmer. Stir until thickened, then add chicken, cream, and salt and pepper.

Using a slotted spoon, fill pie crust with chicken and vegetable filling. Pour in any remaining liquid until crust is almost filled to the top. Moisten edge of pie crust with water and arrange pie crust top on top, sealing the edges with a fork. Cut slits into the top of the pie. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until pie crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Set aside to let rest for 10 minutes, then serve. Buon appetito!



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Anna's Meatloaf

One of my moms' classics! I served it with mashed potatoes.




Ingredients

1 package of mixed ground beef, veal, pork
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon Worchester sauce
2 cloves garlic finely chopped

Topping:
3 tablespoons BBQ sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Technique

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. PAM a loaf pan and put the meat mixture inside. Mix the ketchup, BBQ sauce and brown sugar together and spoon over meatloaf. Bake at 350* for 1.15 hours.



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Mary's Italian Lasagna

This recipe makes two full lasagnas, you can freeze one or give it to a friend! I like to jazz mine up with a little more spice.











Ingredients

1lb Italian sausage
1 package Barilla no-bake lasagna noodles
1 white onion chopped
4-6 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 bunch parsley finely chopped
2 eggs
1 (32 oz) container ricotta cheese
8 cups shredded mozzarella
2 spaghetti sauce


Technique

>Preheat oven to 375*

Prepping the ingredients: Cook the sausage until no pink remains, cut into bite size chunks, or I like to put it in the food processor! Set it aside. In the same pan you cooked the sausage in sauté onions and garlic, until soft, add to meat and set aside. In a separate bowl whisk eggs, add parsley and ricotta and mix well.

Building the Lasagna: PAM the whole pan if you’d like to keep your sanity. On the bottom of the pan spoon out enough sauce to cover the entire bottom.
Layer 1: Sauce, Noodles, Ricotta Mixture, Cheese, Meat Mixture
Layer2: Sauce, Noodles, Ricotta Mixture, Cheese, Meat Mixture
Layer3: Noodles, Sauce, ALL the rest of the cheese.

Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for 30 min or until bubbly around the edges. Remove the cover and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is starting to brown. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

*If you’re giving your second lasagna to a friend I would recommend not cooking it, let them bake it up, this increases the yummy factor! :)

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