The Meatball Memoirs: A Wildwood Easter

Why is it that family gatherings come complete with an extra few pounds? Because moms and grandpas know how to make comfort food at it's best! In southern Jersey, they don't have pork chops - they have a side of pork. They don't have bread, they have these great Italian rolls. Meals aren't just food - they are an event. Not just because of the quantity and comfort of the food presented, but because 20 people are trying to be fed in a kitchen meant for four! As they say, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen :)

Now - why I have 2 extra pounds from my trip:

Friday night:

• a huge whole roasted turkey complete with stuffing
• potatoes, onions and carrots roasted in the pan with the turkey
• roasted asparagus topped with Parmesan
• wonderful Italian rolls from Amoroso
• gravy, butter, au-jus and all the other stuff to make it even more fattening
• mom's cheesecake! this time with cool color swirls!

Saturday morning through afternoon:

• bacon and whatever you want with bacon
• more bacon
• turkey club sandwiches (turkey, creamy garlic dressing, a little smear of cranberry sauce, bacon, lettuce and tomato on an Amoroso roll)
• did I mention bacon?

Saturday night:

• a whole pork leg
• potatoes, onions and carrots roasted in the pan with the turkey
• roasted asparagus topped with Parmesan
• wonderful Italian rolls from Amoroso
• gravy, butter, au-jus and all the other stuff to make it even more fattening
• more of mom's cheesecake! each slice has it's own custom swirl pattern!

Sunday morning:

• Grandpop's famous peanut butter and banana French toast (oh, yeah)

Sunday afternoon:

• burgers on the grill (it was a gorgeous day!)
• a slice of Wildwood boardwalk pizza... on the boardwalk (the boards were open and we took the kids up to walk around - oh, yeah!)

Sunday evening:

• leftover turkey with stuffing
• leftover roast pork
• leftover potatoes, onions and carrots
• leftover asparagus
• more rolls
• gravy, butter, au-jus and all the other stuff to make it even more fattening

Ok - this is not even mentioning the number of peeps, jelly beans and malted milk eggs in between.

PEEEEEEEEEEEEPS!!!! My nemesis! It's a love-hate thing.

Healthy recipes and bento boxes are on the horizon!

Why, hello Mr. Treadmill :)

Chard Tacos - Vegan/Low Fat/Low Cal Section

---As Stolen & modified from Allrecipes---

Disclaimer: These sound like they would be terrible - but they were awesome!!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• Some green onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, tough stems removed and leaves cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch slices
• 1 pinch salt
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese or any cheese <------non-vegan
• 3/4 cup salsa
• Cooked whole grain rice <-----I added that since I was out of salsa

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion. garlic and red pepper flakes, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth, Swiss chard, and salt. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until chard is nearly tender, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to medium, stirring until the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. I use a pancake skillet, Crisp up the tortillas in the skillet for about 1-5 minute per side. Fill the warmed tortillas with the chard, and top with the queso fresco cheese, salsa and/or whole grain rice.

I don't know about you, but any excuse to celebrate food works for me.
Not only is today Echo's birthday (AND Chuck Norris' birthday) but is also Blueberry Popover Day! Now I know what will be in Echo's birthday care package next year :D

For a food holiday everyday, check out this link:
FOOD HOLIDAY CALENDAR

CAUTION: Can cause spontaneous urges to "ooooh - I gotta try that". Could also result in a time-sucking vacuum until all 12 months have been thoroughly perused.

Baked Ziti ... aka the Lazy Lasagna
This evening I decided to make baked ziti...

1 lb. box ziti pasta
1 26 oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 bag Italian shredded cheese
Parmesan cheese (the kind you use for spaghetti)
1 small can mushrooms (drained)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees... meanwhile...

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon basil
dash garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 or 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Brown sausage with onion in olive oil;
then add basil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, & set aside.

Start (kosher) salted water to boil for pasta...

15 oz. ricotta cheese
dash of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
dash of basil

Mix the above 4 ingredients together & set aside.

Boil pasta as directed on the package to firm,
Do NOT over cook your pasta...
After you have drained your pasta, put in a bowl & mix with mushrooms & 1 cup pasta sauce.

Now: take out your casserole dish (I always spray my dish with vegetable spray),
& put a 1/4 cup of pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan to cover:
add a layer of the sausage mixture;
a layer of pasta mixture;
a layer of the ricotta cheese mixture;
spoon some sauce over;
sprinkle with Italian shred cheeses & Parmesan cheese;
& repeat.
Add remaining shredded cheese on top & bake for 25 minutes.
After you remove the baked ziti from the oven, let stand 10 minutes...

Then Eat & Enjoy!

Fillet of Sole and Garlic Shrimp

The Fillet of Sole recipe I borrowed from Emeril Lagasse. It is called Fillet of Sole Escabeche. Start by getting the sole into the marinade.

1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup lime juice (I used lemon because I didn't have lime.)
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (I didn't have this ingredient either. Cilantro has a unique flavor that cannot be replaced, but I substituted some basil and parsley.)
1 small jalapeno, finely chopped (I added a little extra because Nate loves jalapenos!)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic

Allow the fish to marinade in the fridge for about an hour. Next, season some flour (about 1 cup) with salt and pepper. Take the fish out of the marinade and coat with the flour.

The recipe calls for the fish to be cut into cubes, but I decided to leave the fillets whole. I later discovered that was a mistake because the fish won't hold up in the oil, so I suggest cubing the fish. Heat some vegetable oil in a large skillet. To test if the oil is hot enough to begin frying, drop a pinch of flour in. If the flour sizzles, it is ready.

Fry the fish in batches until golden brown. Remove the fish from the oil and place on a plate covered with paper towels to soak up the extra oil.

Now, time for the shrimp. Start with 1 pound raw shrimp that has been peeled and deveined with the tail on. If you have to devein yourself, use a small paring knife and slice about 1/4 inch deep down the back of the shrimp. Use either your fingers or the tip of the knife to pull the vein out. If you don't see a vein, leave it alone.

The recipe comes from a Taste of Home cookbook. Besides the shrimp, you will need 3 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 3 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 cup of white wine. Cook the garlic and pepper flakes in the butter for about 1 minute. Add the shrimp, and cook until pink.

Remove the shrimp and add the wine. Reduce the wine by half. Return the shrimp to the pan and cook until heated through. I steamed some zucchini to add to the plate and garnished with some parsley.

Don't know why that picture is showing up sideways, but you get the drift. :) Enjoy!

Seafood Pasta

To get started, I needed to come up with sauce recipe. I wanted a white sauce that wasn't going to over-power the flavor of the seafood. Here is the recipe I came up with:

1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan. Saute the garlic until golden. Add the cream, wine, and cheese. Simmer for about 6 minutes. Whisk in the rest of the butter.

Cook about a half of a package of spaghetti according to the directions. Set aside.

Add about a half pound of uncooked, peeled shrimp to the sauce. Cook until the shrimp turns pink. Mix in 2 cans of clams, 1 can of whole oysters (I like to break them up, but they can be left whole), and either lump crab meat or imitation crab meat if you are short on cash. Let the ingredients simmer in the sauce to allow the flavor to combine.

While the sauce simmers, steam some fresh broccoli and spinach. Then, add the vegetables to the sauce. I also added a can of diced tomatoes, drained. Toss in the pasta, and you are done! Serve with grated Parmesan on top.

Kimchi Time!

Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish consisting of fermented vegetables. There are many kinds of kimchi, but we will focus on the most commonly known napa cabbage version. Since Kimchi has been around for hundreds of years, it's kinda like spaghetti sauce or lasagna: every family seems to have their own recipe handed down through generations. So this recipe is by no means the ONLY way to make it. In fact, I have a couple of different versions depending on the season. This recipe will take a couple of days to make, and will sit longer than that, depending on how sour you like your kimchi.

OOPS!!! Wrong picture...

You'll need:

Napa Cabbage - They vary in size, so you can decide how much you want to make. I used two this time.

Korean hot pepper flakes (Pictured above).

Garlic - At least one head

Ginger - The store was sold out of fresh, so since I was going to mince it up anyway, I just got the tube of pureed ginger, which works just as well.

Salt - At least 3 cups

First, pick off all the wilted layers off the napa cabbage. Then cut off enough of the stem to get rid of the dried brown end, but leave enough to hold the cabbage together.

Then quarter the cabbage:

In a large bowl, lightly salt the inside edges of the the napa quarters, gently lifting the leaves to get the salt deep into each layer. When all the quarters are done, pack them in the bowl or a pot big enough to hold them and add enough water to cover the napa by an inch. Keep in mind that they will float, so push them down to get true depth. Add another half to 3/4 cup of salt to the water to create a brine. Place a plate on top of the napa, and something heavy on top of the plate to completely submerge the cabbage into the brine and leave overnight, no refrigeration required.

The next day, reserve 2 cups of the brine, and drain the rest out.

Take each quarter and cut into 1-2 inch pieces including the core and place in a large bowl.

Peel and finely mince garlic and ginger (if fresh).

Add ginger, garlic and about a cup of the red pepper flake to the napa cabbage and mix. If more heat is needed, you can always add more pepper flake later. After all the "dry" ingredients are mixed in, add the reserved 2 cups of brine.

If you like fresh kimchi, you can let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and then begin to eat it right away. If you like sour kimchi, you need to let this sit out for a few days before refrigerating to begin the fermentation process. Do NOT add vinegar to try to imitate the sour taste...it'll be gross ya'll...

We found a large, ex-artichoke jar from Costco in which to pack ours...

Good Luck!!!

Stuffed Flounder

We went to the Whole Foods grocery store and got some flounder that was on sale (always looking for a bargain!). After brainstorming together, Nate and I decided to cook together! Trust me, if you have a significant other, cook with them. It is so much fun! If you don't, invite a friend over and come up with ideas together.

Finally, we decided to stuff the flounder with steamed spinach and squash. We have been getting into making sauces, so we decided to create a creamy sauce to pour over the flounder as well.

First, we make the sauce. We didn't have a recipe to follow, so it was very interesting. Starting off, Nate remembered that we had some cream from the top of our milk saved in the fridge. We sauteed some garlic and onion powder in the cream. Then, we added about a tablespoon of flour to create a roux. A roux is a combination of fat and flour cooked slowly and used to thicken a mixture. Next, we poured in some milk, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, parsley, and paprika. We simply put in a pinch or two and tasted until it was the flavor we wanted. Have fun with it!

Finally, we added a splash of white wine and a couple tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Bring that to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes until the desired consistency is reached. Set aside and begin steaming the veggies.

We used spinach and squash, but you can use just about anything to stuff your flounder. Steam the veggies until they begin to soften. Don't over do them or they will become soggy.

Salt and pepper the flounder fillets on both sides. I sprinkled mine with a little Parmesan cheese to compliment the sauce. Place some of the veggie mixture on each fillet.

Gently roll the fillets over the veggies. Place the rolls into a glass casserole dish. Pour the sauce over the rolls.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

We had a few left over flounder fillets that we simply cooked in the skillet with the leftover sauce.

Meanwhile, Dynah and Pete went into a fish coma. They went a little crazy when we first broke out the fillets, but soon passed out...from excitement, I assume.

Voila! Stuffed flounder! ...and it was delicious!

What to do with Extras

Here is a great link on what to do with extras: Extras.

Mi Casa es Tu Casa

Tonight, I'm a little short on ingredients. When this happens, I use this handy-dandy Web site:  Supercook.com. It doesn't always give you what you're looking for, but it is a useful tool to get your gears grinding.

Step 1:  Find a starting point. I knew I wanted to make a Mexican dinner because my boyfriend loves Mexican food and I have a ton of tortillas in the fridge. On Supercook.com, I entered chicken, spinach, refried beans, cheese, and tortillas and found a recipe for Chicken-Spinach Quesadillas. Step 1 is officially out of the way. On to...

Step 2:  Work with what you know and what you have, and make changes accordingly. The recipe calls for frozen spinach, but I have fresh spinach. This doesn't require any change because fresh spinach will wilt fast. Also, Nate loves sour cream. I have to fit that in...this is also an easy change. Just plop some on top when it's done.

Step 3:  Have all the ingredients out and ready to ensure you have everything you need. Nothing worse than starting a recipe only to find out you're missing an ingredient. Don't forget, there are always substitutions! In my case, unfortunately, I am fresh out of peppers and onions. I'm going to use crushed red pepper and onion powder to get that flavor in there.

Step 4:  Cook the chicken. My chicken was not pre-cooked, so I need to cook it myself. The recipe calls for cubed chicken, but we prefer ours shredded. I have a few chicken tenders left, so I'm going to just throw those in a skillet with some olive oil.

When they are done cooking, sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper. This is also a good time to throw in my substitutions, onion powder and crushed red pepper. Place in a bowl and use 2 forks to shred them up. If you like, toss in a bit of hot sauce. Don't be scared to get in there. Use your hands if you have to.

Step 5:  Assemble the quesadillas. This recipe uses pesto. I happen to have prepared pesto on hand, but if you do not...here is a simple recipe:  Pesto. Spread the pesto on the tortilla shells, about 2 tablespoons per shell. Top with spinach, cheese, and shredded chicken. I'm just going to eyeball how much of each ingredient I want on my quesadilla. I think I'm going to add some diced tomatoes...a little hot sauce...yeah, that's it.

Top with another tortilla shell and press firmly.

Step 6:  Get 'em cooking! Now, this step can be different depending on what you're more comfortable with. The recipe I found uses a skillet on the stove top. Normally, I would put the quesadillas on a cookie sheet covered with foil and bake them at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted. Since I'm feeling frisky, I'm going to give the skillet thing a try. Here goes....

Lightly spray the skillet with Pam so it doesn't burn, and place the quesadilla gently into the skillet. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Now, the fun part (or, perhaps, disastrous). I'm going to let Nate flip the quesadilla...hands free! Yeah, I'm going there....and....

SUCCESS! He did it...I sure did pick a winner! :)


Whew! Now that that's over...I can explain the little fiasco that is Pete. Pete is one of our cats...that decided to jump over the counter and slide into the kitchen.

In the process, he managed to knock the other quesadilla onto the floor...but we saved it. We lost one tortilla...so the second quesadilla looks kind of like an omelette. Still tasty though.

Quesadillas are done. I'm going to let them cool before adding the dollop of sour cream. Just quesadillas would be too boring for us...so I'm going to whip up some cheesy nachos and chicken/bean burritos to go with it. Nothing fancy. Just put some tortilla chips on a cookie sheet covered with foil and bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted. A little leftover homemade salsa for dipping.

For the burritos, I'm using the leftover shredded chicken, a can of refried beans, cheese, spinach, and hot sauce.

All I'm doing is putting it all on a shell and rolling it up. These can be made early and microwaved whenever, or you can bake them just like the nachos, 350 degrees until the cheese melts. You can even put a little extra cheese on top before you put them in!

Enjoy your mini Mexican Fiesta!

Echo...

Deanie's Chili

Just want to add my award winning chili...

I won Hottest Chili at the Chesterfield Chili Cook-off with this recipe...

Deanie’s Chili

5 lbs ground beef

2 – 12 oz tubes of fresh beef chorizo

Brown ground beef, drain & rinse.

Brown chorizo & add beef to chorizo.

1 large onion, chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded & finely chopped

2 hot finger peppers, finely chopped with seeds

3 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, finely chopped

3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Sauté all of the above in EVOO, until ¾ cooked; then add to beef & chorizo.

2 – 40.5 oz cans kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 – 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies

1 or 2 – 6 oz can tomato paste

2 – 28 oz cans diced tomatoes

1 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

2 cups water (or beer if you prefer)

½ tablespoon crushed red pepper

7.5 oz of chili powder

3 tablespoons sweet paprika

½ teaspoon white pepper (ground)

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 teaspoons cumin

2 tablespoons dried cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together; put in a crock pot & let set for 6 hours (or more) on low, & enjoy.

The longer it sets the better it tastes, & the hotter (spice) it gets.

Enjoy!

Sangria ...

Now, for the amusement of everyone...
Let's make a drink! (I'm the sister that doesn't drink often enough).
I have found that, basically, Sangria is a drink made of wine & fruit.
That there is no great "secret" or "special" recipe to making it.
Your friends & Family will love it!
The best way of making this recipe is to use fruits that are "in season", not "out of season", & your favorite wine.
As the saying goes... "If your not going to drink it, you shouldn't cook with it"
(although I have found that sometimes that's not so true, anyway...)
You can find alot, & I mean alot, of Sangria recipes...

But here is my simple Sangria recipe:

2- large bottles dry red wine (about 3-4 liters total)
2- 20 oz bottles of lemon/lime soda
1 orange
1 lime
1 lemon
3/4 lbs of grapes
2 peaches

Wipe the orange, lime, & lemon off & then slice them into rounds. Peel the peaches & slice them into small wedges & then half the wedges. Remove the grapes from the stems, rinse, & drain.
Place all into a punch bowl (or something that will hold liquid for drinking), then pour the wine over the fruit (just enough wine to cover the fruit) & let this sit covered in the fridge for 4-6 hours. Just before serving add the lemon/lime soda, & the rest of the wine & enjoy!

As a variation...
Our Grandma Dot use to take a bag of frozen blueberries & frozen peaches, & mix them with her favorite wine! very quick & easy.

Enjoy!
Deanie

Honey Chicken

I just so happened to have accidently made an amazing recipe this evening. It started off as a quick and easy dish, but turned out fabulous! Honey Chicken:

1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger
about 10 chicken tenders

Mix all ingredients in a gallon zip lock bag. Let it marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Take the chicken tenders out of the marinade, and place in a glass casserole dish. Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Flip the tenders over. Cook for another 15 minutes. Done!

Let me know what you think if you try it, or any suggestions to make it better.

The Meatball Memoirs: Chili Episode

It was the week of the Superbowl, so what better to make than chili! Ok, maybe nachos or wings or something like that but you get my drift.

Step 1. Find a chili recipe.

So, we know what we are making but what recipe to use? In saying "I'm making chili", you would think that would explain it. But no. I think my only requirement for chili is that it uses chili powder. Everything else is left to interpretation. There's basic red chili, white chili, vegetarian chili, Cincinnati style and more. Then there are the questions of what vegetables to add, whether to add beans, what kind of beans, what kind of meat and more. I decided that my favorite way to do chili is to start with a basic ground beef, tomato base recipe and let what's in the fridge decide how fancy or plain it will be.

I searched and found a good basic recipe (<- This is a link. Click to find a good basic recipe) to use as a base. As I said before, veggies can be added (butternut squash, rutabagas, ...), meats can be changed (beef, chicken, tofu even - that's right, I said it), beans can be changed or omitted altogether. I tend to find that I like green pepper and onion, ground beef, tomato based chili with some kidney beans (but not too many). I always add either some beer or whine... ahem, I mean wine to my chili. I never cook the same recipe twice. My variations depend on what's on hand that day. Could be chipotles. Could be sun dried tomatoes.

Step 2. Find a safe place for your 6 month old daughter to watch you cook. Here's the setup with Carly in the bassinette in the kitchen. Works out awesome! (Insert cheap bragging opportunity here).

Step 3. Gather ingredients and prep. I'm the kind of gal that likes to have everything out and ready to go when I start cooking. Here are the ingredients for the basic recipe and a shot of the extras I'm adding this time: about 1/2 cup of leftover wine and some leftover homemade barbecue sauce.

Step 4. Sautee veggies until start to soften. Stir in spices and let warm to toast. MMMMM - I could eat some just like this.

What do you think Carly? Carly. Hmmmm. She seems to have lost interest.

Step 5. Add remaining wet ingredients - tomatoes, can of beans (or home cooked with liquid), beer or wine. I like to add enough liquid to require reducing. Let simmer until it has reduced to the right consistency. I prefer thicker chili but have never had to add thickener. If necessary, you can mix a little flour and butter to form a paste and stir in small amounts at a time to thicken. While I did mine on the stovetop, it can all be done using a crock pot.

Step 6. Plate and serve with your favorite accouterments. Cheese, chopped onions, parsley, sour cream.... the list is endless.

Step 7. Gather the family or invite some friends over to share. Food always tastes better with company. It's easy and tasty - ENJOY!

Stay tuned for our next Episode: Kimchee

Support Local Farmers

Find a CSA near you to support your local farmers. Use this link to help you find the nearest community supported agriculture:  http://www.localharvest.org/

Chang Food Porn

A video of the Chang's food porn has been added to the Food Porn page! Check it out!

Food Porn

Check out the new Food Porn page! I couldn't make the movie actually play on the page, but it will take you to a page that will show it. Please let me know if there are any problems viewing the movie. Enjoy!

Under Construction

This blog is still under construction, but feel free to ask any questions. I plan to add more features, and I hope to have everything completed by the end of next week. Please give me any suggestions that you think will make for a better blog. My sisters and I will begin with some cooking series shortly. Thank you for visiting!