HOMEMADE MEATBALLS

These meatballs are really good for spaghetti and meatballs, meatball sandwiches, Swedish meatballs... or just eating plain. When I am making them, with plans to freeze some, I have to be careful about who might be sneaking around when they come out of the oven--they disappear almost as quickly as I make them.

This recipe comes from "The Stocked Kitchen" cookbook


1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. bread crumbs (I use Panko -- Japanese-style breadcrumbs)
1 T Italian seasons (I use Penzey's Italian Herb Mix)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 T dried minced onion
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

1. Mix all ingredients together. Using your hands to mix works best. I like to put my hand inside a plastic sandwich bag (makeshift glove) for easier clean up.

2. Roll into 2 inch balls.

3. Either cook in boiling sauce (marinara, barbeque, sweet & sour) for 30 minutes or bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes on a foil lined jelly roll pan topped with a cooling rack. If you use cooling rack, spray with nonstick spray.

4. Serve as desired or store in tightly sealed container in fridge. I have frozen them too. They warmed up great!

Note: recipe states that you can substitute ground chicken or ground turkey--I haven't tried either yet, but a nice way to cut some fat and calories!

BBQ Bacon-Chicken Bites

Counting calories? Vegetarian? Don't read further. You probably didn't make it past the title. But, if you're NOT counting calories--or at least not during parties you host or parties you attend, and if you're NOT afraid of a little chicken and pork dancing a jig in your mouth, then this recipe is for you!

You are well aware of how much I like Penzey's spices. This recipe hails from the Penzey's catalog. In addition to holding the ordering information for all of Penzey's products, the catalog also publishes little gems of recipes...and the following recipe is a gem! The product being highlighted in this recipe is Penzey's BBQ 3000. It is a dry spice combination--it smells like a dry rub you would use before grilling meat. For those of you who don't have access to a Penzey's store and are too lazy to get online and order up some of Penzey's wonderfulness, here is the list of ingredients on the back of the BBQ 3000 jar: salt, paprika, black pepper, nutmeg, mustard, allspice, citric acid, garlic powder, ginger, sage, thyme, white pepper, cinnamon, natural smoke flavoring. I am surprised that there is no mention of cayenne pepper, because there is a little "kick" to the flavor profile.

The assembly is the most time-consuming part of this recipe. Otherwise, these little bites are a super simple appetizer BIG on taste!

BBQ BACON-CHICKEN BITES

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb. sliced bacon
2 tablespoons BBQ 3000 (or whatever concoction you come up with on your own)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
Wooden toothpicks

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a cookie sheet with foil (to catch drippings).
3. Spray a cooling rack with non-stick spray. Place rack on top of cookie sheet.
4. Cut the chicken breast into small cubes (bite-sized...ONE bite...like 1" or so).
5. Combine the BBQ 3000 and brown sugar in a mixing bowl.
6. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. **It's easiest to do this BEFORE separating the pieces.
7. Wrap a bacon slice around each chicken cube and secure with a toothpick.
8. Drop each meat skewer into the spice/sugar mixture and toss gently to coat.
9. Arrange the skewers on the rack and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the topping is browned.


MY NOTES:

• When I first started wrapping the bacon, I could tell my chicken bites were too big. You'll know yours are too big if the 1/3 slice bacon doesn't fit all the way around.
• I had more chicken than bacon, so I cooked some of my cubes without the bacon--they were still very delicious.
• This recipe would also be good with some sort of honey-mustard combination to season (instead of the BBQ 3000).

Now find yourself to a party and bring these to share!

Blue Cheese Dip

I am a huge blue cheese fan, so when I came across this recipe in the Food Network Magazine, I couldn't wait to try it. The magazine suggests serving the dip with vegetable chips (also known as root chips). One of my favorite restaurants serves a very tasty appetizer called "Root Chips" --vegetable chips made from beets, sweet potatoes, radishes, etc--with a hot chevre dip. So I already knew I would like the combination.

While the Food Network Magazine gives the recipe for making the chips, I prefer to go the easier route and just purchase root chips at my local supermarket. If you can't find them in the chip aisle, try the specialty foods or organic section.


BLUE-CHEESE DIP
Food Network Magazine, (not sure what month) 2010

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 8 oz. container sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper


Blend the heavy cream in a blender until slightly thickened (I used a hand-mixer because it's easier to clean up). Add all the remaining ingredients except the salt and pepper. Pulse to combine (or beat on low speed with your hand-mixer). Season with salt and pepper.

A bit of advice: Always add salt and pepper in small amounts and taste as you go. You can always add, but never take back. The one thing that I would advise is that your freshly ground pepper is FINELY ground. I came across some larger pieces of pepper while eating the dip and they really bit my tongue.

A couple more notes: I didn't have scallions, so I used Penzey's Chives. This dip could be served in other ways: a topping to a grilled steak, blue cheese dressing for a wedge of lettuce, vegetable dip, baked potato topping, buffalo chicken wing dip, etc. You get the picture.

Yum.

Pesto

Mmmmmmmmm classic pesto. I stocked up on some basil at the farmers market today so that I could make this recipe. Just so happens I picked up this recipe at one of the vendors earlier this summer.

***

BASIL PESTO

From the Earthkeeper Farm stand (and they credit Simply in Season)

http://www.earthkeeperfarm.com/

***

1 cup packed fresh basil

1-3 cloves garlic (I always go big on the garlic)

1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts

3-6 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese

2 sprigs parsley

1/3 - 1/2 cup olive oil

***

Blend in food processor until smooth. Use immediately or refrigerate.

Tip: Freeze leftover pesto in ice cube trays. Store cubes in ziplock bag in the freezer and you can have fresh pesto all summer long.

***

The first time I made this recipe, I didn't have any parsley on hand. No big deal--not a necessity to make good pesto. It still tasted excellent. Here are 10 things you could do with a simple batch of pesto:

1. Mix with freshly cooked hot pasta. Eat immediately!

**

2. Spread on inside of bread (touching the cheese) to make Italian grilled cheese. Use a nice white melting cheese like mozzarella, fontina, or provolone as your cheese.

**

3. Mix with cold cooked pasta for a pesto pasta salad. Add some diced tomatoes, peppers, hard salami or pepperoni (whatever you normally put in a pasta salad).

**

4. Use as your sauce for making pizza instead of (or layered with) the red or white sauce you normally use. Especially delicious when making a chicken/alfredo/spinach pizza.

**

5. Jacked-up bruschetta: spread some pesto on small slices of crusty bread, top with ricotta, then add diced tomatoes that have been swimming in balsalmic vinegar for a while.

**

6. Stir into cooked rice for a burst of flavor to an otherwise bland starch.

**

7. Marinade: My husband marinated some chicken breasts in left over pesto, then grilled them.

After grilling the first side, he added a couple more tablespoons to the top of each piece. Holy cow--some of the best grilled chicken I've ever had. It would be fabulous on fish or shrimp, too!

**

8. Soup: Add a tablespoon to a bowl of tomato soup in the winter? Yum.

**

9. Alfredo sauce: For a twist on your normal alfredo sauce (either jarred) or homemade, add some pesto. Remember to go slowly and taste often. You can always add more, but you can't take it back!

**

10. Go Dr. Seuss: Make some green eggs and ham. Add a bit of pesto to your uncooked eggs before you scramble, or garnish your Italian omelet.