Appetizer Meatballs
Mini meatballs are always a hit when I serve them. They can be an appetizer or served as a main dish with pasta and a sauce. They are easy to make and you can make a big batch and freeze some for later.
You can use ground beef, pork, chicken, turkey or a combination of ground meats. Maybe go outside the box a bit and use venison or bison.
These would make a great appetizer for any party and the the Superbowl right around the corner…..
So here is the recipe. There is always room to get creative and play with different flavors. I often take a small piece of the mixture and cook it, just to see if my seasonings are right. Easier to adjust before cooking them all. Enjoy!!
Classic Appetizer Meatballs (or Any Size You Like)
The essential ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, pork, chicken, turkey, or a combination
1 egg
½ c. panko bread crumbs
1 t. salt
The seasonings:
These might include fresh or dried herbs, spices, black pepper, garam masala, red pepper flakes, cumin, smoked paprika, Italian herbs. You can make your meatballs Italian, Greek, spicy, Asian or almost anything you want by playing with seasonings.
Alliums:
For more flavor and texture you can add minced garlic, shallot or onion. For small meatballs you have to mince them pretty fine. For larger meatballs you still want a pretty fine chop, but you can leave them a little bigger. They can be added raw, or try browning the onions a little first, or using roasted garlic.
Oil, optional, if you want to fry them
In a large bowl, gently combine all ingredients. Roll into 1-1½-inch balls. Transfer to a baking sheet. Broil until golden and firm, 7 to 10 minutes. Or fry in oil until deeply browned all over. Sprinkle with more salt before serving.
Sauces:
You can serve the meatballs with any number of sauces either for dipping or heating up and serving the meatballs in the sauce. Barbecue, sweet and sour, marinara, honey-mustard, gravy, chili sauce, salsa or spicy peanut are only a few of the options you have.
Easiest Chocolate Mousse
With Valentine’s day right around the corner you might be thinking about chocolate and chocolate desserts. Frankly, I think any time is the right time for chocolate. I was asked to do a demonstration of a chocolate dessert a few days ago. I wanted to make something that was really tasty, but also easy to make. This chocolate mousse certainly checks all the boxes. No real coo king required and no hard to find ingredients. So why wait? Here is the recipe. Enjoy.
Easiest Chocolate Mousse
½ c. semi sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips (3 oz. total)
1 c. heavy whipping cream, divided
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
¼ c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
½ t. salt
Optional toppings, shaved chocolate, berries or whipped cream
Place chips and ¼ cup of the whipping cream in a glass bowl and heat in the microwave for a minute. Remove and stir until chips are melted and mixture in smooth. Set aside. In a mixing bowl combine the cream cheese and sugar along with the vanilla and salt and beat with and electric mixer until smooth- 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chocolate mixture and continue beating until mixture is creamy and smooth. This takes 4-5 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl a couple of times. You can add the rest of the whipping cream two different ways. You can just add the rest of the whipping cream and beat it in until smooth. You can also whip the cream in a separate bowl and then fold it into the chocolate mixture. I have made it both ways and both worked. Spoon into serving cups and chill until ready to serve. Top with any toppings you like when serving or serve plain. Serves 4-6. Note: It keeps nicely for a few days, so you can make it a bit ahead of time.
Pepper Parmesan Rolls
These fun rolls came about after a chat I had with a friend about cinnamon rolls. We were talking about how you could roll up all sorts of doughs, sweet or savory. Same for the fillings. We also discussed what you would call them, since they wouldn’t really be cinnamon rolls anymore. This inspired me to make some non-cinnamon rolls. Since he was coming over for dinner the next day, I decided to make some savory rolls to have with dinner. I already had peppers and Parmesan cheese, so that is what I used. They came out great. I will definitely make them again. I can see adding different veggies and changing the cheese. He wants us to make them with mushrooms next time.
So here is the recipe for my Pepper and Parmesan Rolls. Hope you try them and enjoy them as much as we did.
Pepper Parmesan Rolls
2 c. flour
1 pkt. yeast
1 t. salt
¾ c. warm water
¼ c. oil
2 T. honey
1½-2 c. spelt flour
4 cups sliced sweet mini peppers
2 T. oil
3-4 green onions, washed, trimmed and sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
In medium bowl, combine flour with yeast and salt. In a small bowl combine the water with the ¼ cup of oil and the honey. Add to the flour mixture and stir to combine well. Stir vigorously for a couple of minutes. Start adding the spelt flour, stirring as you add the flour, until dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowls. I was using a pretty good size bowl, so I started kneading the dough right in the bowl. Knead the dough, adding flour if it gets really sticky. Knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough looks smooth. Cover bowl with a towel and leave until dough doubles in size, about an hour.
While dough is rising you can make the filling. I used those cute little sweet peppers, but any sweet peppers could be used. I seeded and sliced them and had about 4 cups. Heat oil in a pan, add the peppers and cook them over medium heat until they are nice and tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss in the green onions and cook a few more minutes. They cooked down a lot and I ended up with about 2 cups of cooked peppers. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl to cool down. Set aside. Grease an 8×8 inch baking pan and set aside.
Once dough is doubled, punch dough down and move to a lightly floured board. Roll out into a rectangle about 12×8 inches. Spread the pepper mixture over the dough, leaving a little space on the bottom. Then sprinkle ¾ cup of the cheese. Starting on the long side, roll up dough onto a tube shape. Using a serrated knife, cut the dough into 9 slices and place in the prepared pan. Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese and cover with a towel to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour. Preheat oven to 375 when dough is almost doubled. Bake for about 25 minutes or until bread is nice and golden around the edges. Makes 9 rolls.
Note: You can store them at room temperature for a day, but store in the fridge if it’s longer than that. I made these the day before I served them, so I covered them with foil and warmed them in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes.
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts are always a big hit when I make them. People can’t seem to get enough of them. The combination of salty and sweet, with the smokiness of the bacon, a little heat, and the crunch of the water chestnuts is a flavor explosion.
When I make them for parties, everyone loves them. OK, not my vegetarian friends, but everyone else does. There are never any leftovers.
What is it about the smell of bacon cooking? Maybe for you, like me, it is a childhood memory. We never had bacon for breakfast during the week. Not even every weekend. But on some magical Sunday mornings, I would wake up and smell bacon cooking. No one slept in on those mornings. Mom or dad would be frying the bacon in the cast iron skillet. If we had pancakes or waffles, I would dip my bacon in the syrup on my plate.
This recipe combines some of those flavors. You can assemble them ahead of time, then just cook when you are ready. You can also cook them a day or two ahead, then reheat before serving. I have even been known to freeze them. They are easy to make, too.
So here is the recipe that I use. You can adapt it to suit your taste. Perhaps make them spicier? I hope you try them for a party soon.
Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts
20 slices bacon, cut in half
40 water chestnuts, whole
Hot sauce
Maple syrup
Brown sugar
Roll ½ a slice of bacon around water chestnut and place rolls in a baking dish. Make sure the edge of the bacon is on the bottom, so it stays in place. It will save you from having to put a toothpick in each one. Cook in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes or until rolls are well-browned. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Return rolls to baking dish. Drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with brown sugar and hot sauce. Return to oven and bake until caramelized, about 10 minutes. Makes 40.
Reuben Bread
If you are looking for a twist on a Reuben sandwich try baking all the traditional ingredients into a loaf of bread. By using quick rising yeast, this bread can be ready to eat in right around an hour. It tastes amazing, and looks pretty impressive, too. Easier than you think, it will look like you spent all day making it. Plus, you can switch out the ingredients in all sorts of fun combinations. In class the other night we used ham and Gouda instead of the corned beef and Swiss for a cheesy ham bread. Added a grainy mustard to the bread, too. Came out so nice!
This would make a great bread to serve for your Super Bowl party. Fun for anytime. really.
Reuben Bread
3 ¼ c. all purpose or bread flour, you can add a little rye flour, too
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 package quick-rising yeast, or a scant tablespoon of yeast in bulk
1 c. hot water
1 T. oil
¼ c. thousand island dressing*
6-8 oz. thin sliced corned beef – or thin sliced smoked turkey for a Rachel
4 oz. sliced Swiss cheese
1 c. sauerkraut, rinsed and squeezed dry
1 egg white, beaten
Caraway seeds
Set aside 1 cup of the flour. Combine remaining flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in water and oil and gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Roll dough into a rectangle about 16 x 8. Spread dressing down center middle of dough. Top with meat slices, cheese and sauerkraut. Cut one-inch wide strips of dough from filling to edge on both sides. It will sort of look like fringe. Alternating sides, fold strips up and over the filling at an angle. Carefully lift loaf onto greased baking sheet and place at an angle. Cover with a towel and place sheet on top of a roasting pan half-filled with simmering water for 15 minutes. Brush with egg white and top with seeds. Bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers.
* You can make your own Thousand Island Dressing by combining equal parts of ketchup, mayo and sweet pickle relish.
Note: The variations for this bread are almost endless. Some favorite combinations are ham and Swiss with mustard, roast beef and cheddar, chicken, broccoli and cheese, Spinach with ricotta or feta and onions, pizza, assorted fillings. You get the idea. Use your imagination and have fun. Just be careful not to overfill, or the bread will be hard to move, use fillings that aren’t too runny and always use cold fillings.
If you want to use regular yeast use warm, rather than hot water. Also, don’t let dough rise over boiling water. After kneading cover dough and let rise 45 minutes. Punch down and assemble as in original recipe. Cover with a towel and let rise until dough looks puffy, about 40 minutes. Bake as directed above. These breads can also be frozen.
Extra Crispy Chicken Wings
I like a wing with very crispy skin. These wings are super crispy, even though they are baked in the oven, not fried. It may have to do with a rather unusual ingredient.
I got this recipe from a local television show and have made it a couple of times now. Thanks, David Moss, for this one. The wings are coated with a little salt and baking powder.
Yes, baking powder. I am not sure how it works, but the combination leaves you with wings that are super crisp on the outside and juicy inside. The only thing I changed from the original recipe, is that I use a little less salt.
These would be great served at a Super Bowl party.
Once the wings are done cooking, you can toss them in whatever sauce you like.
Extra Crispy Chicken Wings
3-4 lbs. chicken wings
2 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
Hot sauce and butter- or assorted dipping sauces
Cut wings into three pieces- discard tips, or use to make stock. Pat the wings dry. This step is important. The dry skin helps them to get crisp. Place baking powder and salt in a plastic bag and add the wing pieces, a few at a time, shaking to coat evenly. Continue until all the wings are coated. Place wings on a rack that is placed on a baking sheet. Bake wings in a preheated 250 degree oven for 30 minutes. Turn the heat up to 425 and continue cooking 45 minutes more. Remove wings from oven. You can melt butter, mix with some hot sauce and toss the wings in that mixture, or just serve the wings with your favorite sauce.
Chicken (or Pork) Lo Mein
Lo Mein is an easy dish to prepare and everyone seems to love it. I used cooked chicken in this one, but pork works great. too. The real trick is to not overcook the very fine pasta traditionally used in lo mein. Follow package directions, but cook a little under done. That way, when you mix all the hot ingredients together, the noodles get a chance to soak up all those flavors and not get mushy.
Chicken Lo Mein
1 onion, chopped
2 T. oil
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 c. green peas- you could also use green beans
2 c. diced cooked chicken- pork works too
8 oz. angel hair pasta -I use a very fine noodle I get at the Asian market
soy sauce to taste
Hoisen sauce or oyster sauce to taste- you could also use stir-fry sauce
sesame oil
chopped green onions
Heat water for pasta. Heat oil in skillet and cook onion until browned. Add water chestnuts and cook 1 minute longer. While onion is cooking, cook pasta. Add peas to onion mixture and stir to combine. Add the chicken and heat through. Drain pasta and toss into chicken mixture. Season with soy sauce and what ever Asian sauce you have on hand. Drizzle with sesame oil and top with green onions. Serves 4.
Groundhog Day Cookies!
Even if you don’t have a groundhog cookie cutter- and I would be surprised if you did- these is a really nice cookie recipe.
Groundhog Day is just around the corner. I like to celebrate this holiday by making up a batch of groundhog cookies. Not made from groundhogs, mind you, but shaped like them.
The recipe comes from my dear friend, Cindy Kotula, whose late husband Mike was from Punxsutawney, P.A. She also gave me a groundhog-shaped cookie cutter. Any cookie cutter works. These ginger-snap type cookies are good no matter what shape they end up as.
Groundhog cookie cutters are available at some baking supply stores and online. They come out a lovely groundhog brown and are positively yummy.
Spiced Groundhog Cookies
2 c. flour
2 t. cinnamon
1t. each ground ginger, ground cloves, ground allspice and baking powder
1/2 t. each baking soda and salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. molasses
1 egg yolk
Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. Beat sugar and butter until smooth and stir in molasses and egg yolk. Stir in dry ingredients and chill dough at least an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough 1/8-inch thick on lightly sugared surface. Cut out with cookie cutter and place cookies on greased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly before removing from baking sheet. Makes 12-15 large groundhogs or 3-4 dozen small ones.
Happy Groundhog Day!
Homemade Lemon Curd
Lemon curd is one of my favorite desserts to make. Lemon curd is such a versatile dish. It’s a sort of lemon pudding and can be served plain, or with a dollop of whipped cream. It is also great in trifle or served as a topper for any number of cakes and sweet treats. I especially like to make lemon curd to serve with scones. It is also really nice served with berry shortcakes.
It is easy to make and packed with fresh lemon flavor. Lemon curd is just a few ingredients, cooked over low heat until it thickens up. You can make a batch in under 10 minutes. The longest part of the prep time is just waiting for it to cool down after cooking.
So here is the recipe for the lemon curd. If you never made your own- you might want to give it a try. Certainly worth the effort.
Lemon Curd
1/2 c. lemon juice
zest from one good sized lemon- you should have 2-3 teaspoons
1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs
6 T. unsalted butter- cut into little cubes
In medium saucepan combine all ingredients. Whisk the mixture until the eggs are well blended. Cook over medium low heat, whisking often, until the mixture thickens. This will take 5-7 minutes. Whisk more often as mixtures warms and starts to thicken. Better to heat over lower heat and take longer than over too high a heat. You don’t want the eggs to scramble. Once the mixture is thickened , transfer to a bowl or jar. Cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap to keep the surface from developing a skin- like any pudding will do. Chill until ready to use. Makes about 2 cups. Will keep in fridge a week or two.
Sweet and Sour Pork
I have to admit to loving all things sweet and sour. It takes a bit of work- but it is worth the effort. I used a fresh pineapple, which I prefer, but canned pineapple could be used, too. You can buy sweet and sour sauce in most grocery stores, but I like my own better.
Make the sauce first, so you can just toss it over the pork and veggies when ready to serve.
The pork is cubed and marinated overnight in a mixture of soy sauce, cornstarch and an egg. The pork comes out very tender, when prepared this way. You could substitute cubed chicken, for the pork, if you prefer.
Sweet and Sour Pork
1-2 lbs. boneless pork
1 egg
1 t. cornstarch
2 t. soy sauce
Additional cornstarch for dredging
oil for frying
1 medium onion, chopped
1 sweet red or yellow pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cups peeled and cubed fresh pineapple, or 1 can pineapple in juice, drained, reserving juice for sauce
Sweet and Sour Sauce, recipe follows
Chopped green onions
Cut meat into cubes and place in bowl. Combine egg, 1-t. cornstarch and soy sauce and pour over the meat, stirring to coat. Allow marinating at least 1 hour in fridge, but best if done the day before, or early in the day.
When ready to cook, heat 1-2 inches of oil in a medium sauce pan to 350 degrees. Dredge the pork in corn starch to coat. Set aside. Heat 1T. oil in large skillet or wok. In wok, sauté onions on high until tender. While you are cooking the onions and other vegetables, start cooking the cubed pork in the sauce pan in the 1-2 inches of hot oil. It will take several batches to cook the pork. As the pork cooks- it will take about three minutes per batch- remove the pork from the pan and drain on paper towels. Continue to cook the pork in batches while finishing the veggies and pineapple in the wok. Add pepper to onion and sauté 3 minutes more. Add pineapple and cook until pineapple starts to brown a little. Add the cooked pork to the onion mixture. Then and some of the sweet and sour sauce and toss until coated. There is usually extra sauce for a later use. Serve over rice, and top with some green onions. Makes 4-6 servings.
Sweet and Sour Sauce- see note
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. pineapple juice
3 T. ketchup
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. cornstarch
1 t. dried minced garlic
1-t. fresh grated ginger
Hot pepper flakes to taste
In saucepan combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring as mixture gets hot, until sauce begins to bubble. It will also get much clearer. Boil gently 1 minute, stirring constantly before removing You may also want to use only some of the sauce and save the rest for another use.from heat. Makes 1 1/2 c. Keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
Note: If you make the sweet and sour sauce ahead of time it will get runny when reheated if made with regular cornstarch. Either use modified cornstarch (Clear Gel ) or make sauce just before using.
