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!

Weeknight Cooking: Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

I am all about authentic dishes. Long, tedious prep times? Not scared. Multi-step recipes? No sweat. Head to the store to get a specialty ingredient I don't normally keep on hand? Why not! Except during the week. Monday through Friday during the school year I'm all about fast and furious. First, when I come home, I am famished. If I don't think a meal will be ready anytime soon, I am going to eat whatever is in sight--and it probably isn't low-fat. Second, I'm mentally and physically exhausted from a day of dealing with high school students. Third, I've got two very young children. Enough said.

So, while I would love to be making my own bread crumbs, pounding out chicken breasts, rolling up ham and gruyere cheese in them, lightly sauteeing them and then finishing the cooking process in the oven--like you might do if you were making authentic chicken cordon bleu--it's Monday night, people. Please.

Good thing I found a quick and easy recipe to fake it! I had barely begun and I was already done! (That rhymes by the way.) The original recipe comes from the Kraft Food & Family magazine. I am going to tell you the original recipe, then how I changed it, and why.

EASY CHICKEN CORDON BLEU
from Kraft Food & Family Magazine (not sure month or year)

2 cups Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken from the multi-serving canister
** I used a regular box of S.T. stuffing (6 oz) because it's what I had on hand.

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb.)
**I have a 6'4" husband and I like to have leftovers to take to work for lunch the next day, so I used 2 lbs.

4 slices Oscar Mayer Thin Sliced Smoked Ham
**I had leftover ham from the deli, so I used that. It wasn't smoked. No big deal. AND sinc I had more chicken, I needed more ham, too. If you're following my amounts, you'll need about 6 - 8 slices of ham.

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
**I doubled this part because we like to have plenty of sauce at our house.

1 tablespoon dijon mustard
**First I doubled the dijon, because I doubled the soup. Then I added 2 more tablespoons because the flavor wasn't coming through enough.

1 cup Kraft Shredded Swiss Cheese
**I used Meijer brand, which comes in a 6 oz. package, and I used the whole thing.


Regardless of what measurements you use, the cooking instructions will be the same:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.


2. Place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish; cover with ham. Mix soup and mustard; spoon over chicken. Top with swiss cheese. Spread prepared stuffing evenly over top.


3. Bake 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. (I had to cook an additional 10 minutes because the chicken breasts weren't small, and they were on the thicker side.)


4. Original makes four servings


5. OR the original would feed one hungry 6'4" husband + 1 wife + 1 picky 2 1/2 year old with NO leftovers.


6. If you follow my measurements, you can feed all of the above, and have one leftover portion size for wife to take to lunch and two decent-sized portions for the husband to eat at 11:00 p.m. while watching hunting shows!

Weeknight Cooking: Chicken Pasta Primavera

I may be passionate about cooking, however, I am also a full-time working mother of two young children. When I get home from work with a two-and-a-half year old and an 8-month old in tow, the last thing I have time (or energy) to do is intense food prep (like chopping vegetables) or intense cooking (like babysitting a roux on the stove). So...I have few go-to recipes that taste really good, but involve shortcuts that I wouldn't normally take if I were cooking for the FUN of it or if I were trying to IMPRESS someone.

I like this Pasta Primavera recipe because (a) it's super easy and quick, (b) you can customize it to your family's tastes, and (c) it's a one-pot wonder--you have a complete meal and you wouldn't need to serve anything else.

By the way, "primavera" means "(the season of) spring" in Italian and Spanish. Hence the presence of fresh vegetables in this dish.


CHICKEN PASTA PRIMAVERA

Chicken - I had some frozen chicken breasts that I defrosted in the microwave. Allow for about one chicken breast per adult that you're cooking for. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Saute over medium-medium high heat in olive oil until cooked through. Set aside until pasta and veggies are cooked.

Pasta - This particular time I used Butoni Three-Cheese Tortellini, which you can find in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. Prepare as directed on the package and set aside (or leave in the colander that you used to drain pasta).

Frozen Veggies - My favorite veggies are the carrot, cauliflower, broccoli blend. I buy the Birdseye Steamfresh because you can steam them right in their package in the microwave and they turn fork tender, but not at all mushy. Prepare as directed on the package.

Sauce - I like toss this dish in a cream sauce. Because it's weeknight cooking, I did not make my own alfredo sauce, which would have been fabulous, but I used our favorite jarred version: Classico Alfredo Sauce. If I had not had any on hand, a drizzle of olive oil and/or balsalmic vinegar would have been my go-to sauce for the evening. While the frozen vegetables are cooking, pour sauce in large saucepan or stockpot (mabye the pot you cooked your pasta in). Begin to warm over medium heat. Add cooked pasta, cooked chicken, and veggies. Toss to coat.

You're done! Serve it up and make someone else do the dishes!

Three Cheese Calzones

A bit of a twist on regular ol' pizza, these calzones are pretty simple to make. Just like pizza, you could fill them with anything that strikes your fancy. I didn't have any spinach on hand when I first made these, and it wasn't a problem at all. As long as you have the cheese filling, everything else is secondary! I personally think that 5 cups, even loosely packed, would be pretty spinach-y! Chicken and spinach is always a good combo--substitute chopped cooked chicken breast (maybe left over from a rotisserie chicken?) for the salami, perhaps. Other ingredient options might include carmalized onions, roasted red peppers, pepperoni, Italian sausage, ...


Three Cheese Calzones
Real Simple, November 2008

1 pound refrigerated pizza dough
1 cup fresh ricotta
1 cup grated mozarella (4 ounces)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
1 bunch spinach, thick stems removed, roughly chopped (about 5 cups, loosely packed)
Black pepper
1/4 pound thinly sliced salami
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup jarred marinara sauce

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll and stretch them into 8-inch rounds. Tip: if the dough is too elastic and shrinks back when you roll it flat into full rounds, let it rest for 15 minutes before trying again.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, spinach, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Layer the salami on one side of each round of dough and top with the cheese mixture. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges to seal.

Brush the tops of the calzones with the oil. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with sauce.

Sour Cream Enchiladas

I thought that I couldn't make enchiladas that remotely represented the ones served in authentic Mexican restaurants. But I can, thanks to this recipe and the fact that I will go to my grave using corn tortillas, no matter how much they flake and fall apart. These enchiladas, from one of Penzey's recipe cards that are free to take from their store, get as close as I've ever gotten to authentic taste.

SOUR CREAM ENCHILADAS

1 1/4 lbs. lean ground beef
1 c. sour cream, regular or light
1/2 c. chopped onion (1 small)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 4 oz. can chopped green chiles
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Chili Con Carne seasoning or chili powder
12 corn tortillas
1 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce
Vegetable oil for frying

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown the ground beef. Remove from heat and drain any fat. Add to the beef the sour cream, onions, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the green chiles and seasonings. Mix well and set aside. Fill a deep skillet with oil, about 2" deep, roughly 2 cups. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Dip each tortilla, one at a time, into the oil and cook until softened, 1-2 minutes. Then dip each fried tortilla into the enchilada sauce. Spoon 2-3 TB of meat mixture down center of each tortilla, roll, and place in an ungreased glass baking dish. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Sabrosas. (Delicious.)

Now, let's talk for a second...or I guess let ME type for a few more seconds. Here are some tips if you're making these for the first time:

1. Season everything to taste. Since the meat mixture is cooked, this is a great opportunity to make it taste exactly the way you want it. If you like onions or cheese, add a little more. If not, add less. I'm not a big green chile fan, so I don't go out my way to buy them for this recipe. Not a big deal. I didn't have Penzey's "Chili Con Carne" seasoning, but I did have their "Chili 9000" and it worked perfectly. The cumin is very important. I'm sure I use more like 1 - 2 teaspoons, instead of 1/2 tsp.

2. The one thing I would NOT recommend would be to use a package of orange taco seasoning.

3. Working with corn tortillas can be frustrating. They are dry unless you heat them, and even then they tend to break apart. I noticed that if my oil wasn't hot enough, the tortillas would break up in my tongs when I tried to remove them. The idea of dunking tortillas into a pool of oil didn't really sit well with me, so I just drizzled my pan with oil and added more as needed.

4. Make yourself a little assembly line. If you're flying solo, you'll need to heat tortilla, remove onto paper towel lined plate for a second, dip in enchilada sauce, fill, roll, and place in pan. Then start all over.

5. Since corn tortillas usually come in big packs of 30, it might be wise to double up the meat recipe and freeze some or give away to someone you really like.

6. Have more enchilada sauce and cheese on hand. Maybe you won't need to open it after all, but it's nice to have plenty and be able to cover your whole dish, especially if your husband likes extra sauce and cheese like mine does.

OK--es la hora de cocinar! (Time to cook!)

On The Lighter Side - Southwest Apricot Chicken

I have posted a lot of recipes that would be considered waistline splurges rather than waistline helpers. However, when I was searching for a chicken recipe, I came across this oldie-but-goodie and it's very much on the lighter side--and also VERY easy!

Southwest Apricot Chicken

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
10 oz. jar apricot preserves
10 oz. jar mild salsa
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken in bottom of pan, mix together remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve over rice.

Note: For smaller families, prepare in two 8 x 8 square pans and freeze one before cooking.

Three Ingredients + Almost No Prep = Winning Recipe

I found the following recipe in the Kraft Food & Family magazine. It is so easy it’s scary. Prep time is 10 minutes at the most. Cook time is 45 minutes. I made it for the first time two weeks ago and we liked it so much I made it last week, too. Both times my husband raved about how this recipe is a “keeper.” We’re not big pork eaters, but this can be our exception. The first time I made it, I only had four pork chops, and they were a little thinner than the ¾” called for in the recipe. We didn’t have any leftovers. The second time, the chops were thicker, and turned out a little juicier. I also used six chops so it served our family of three (2 adults and 22 mos. old son) for a dinner and then my husband and I were able to make one more dinner for ourselves from the leftovers.

1 can (21 oz.) Apple Pie Filling
1 package (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing (chicken flavor)
6 boneless porkchops (¾” thickness)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare stuffing as directed on box (only involves boiling water & butter or margarine and stirring into stuffing). Spray a 9 x 13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the apple pie filling over the bottom. Place pork chops in single layer on top of filling. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread stuffing evenly over chops. Cover with foil. Cook for 35 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 10 more minutes. Done!

EASY Chicken Lasagna Alfredo

This past weekend I purchased a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. In addition to eating the chicken as is, for your main course, there are so many uses for the leftovers...and here is one that turned out well. In fact, other than the chicken, I already had all of the ingredients in the cabinet, refrigerator, and freezer. Because the measurements depend on the size of your family, the amount of ingredients you have on hand, and the size of pan you are going to use, I am not going to include them. Plus, the best thing about a lasagna is you can pretty much "eye-ball" every ingredient and still turn out a masterpiece.

Lasagna Noodles
Jar of store-bought Alfredo sauce (1 jar for 8x8, but probably 2 for 9x13)
Cottage cheese or Ricotta
Diced cooked chicken
Frozen broccoli
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

I made an 8x8 pan of lasagna. This is a perfect size for my family (just husband, me and baby) because we still have leftovers, but not two weeks worth. The leftovers are gone before we get tired of eating them! I used the no-boil style of lasagna noodles to save some time, but FYI: you really don't ever have to boil the other type of lasagna noodles as long as you use enough sauce. Anyway, the Barilla brand is what I had on hand. After spraying non-stick cooking spray in your baking dish, pour enough alfredo sauce to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Spread a layer of noodles on bottom. Follow with a layer of cottage cheese, frozen broccoli, and chicken. Top with mozzarella and parmesan and a good pouring of the alfredo sauce. Repeat another layer. Finally, top the second layer with one more layer of noodles and a good helping of mozzarella cheese. I also poured any remaining sauce I had on top. Cover with foil (spray the foil with non-stick spray so the cheese doesn't bake onto it). Bake at 375 degrees for at least 45 minutes. When 20 minutes of cook-time are remaining, remove foil so cheese can get golden and bubbly. ENJOY!

By the way, there are all kinds of other things you could add--off the top of my head: sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers. Be creative!

Italian Beef Sandwiches

Both of my grandmothers made a huge impact on my love of cooking. My grandmother Olson (my father's mother) was known for her roasts--pork, beef, you name it...she was an expert in the roast department. And, try as I might, I will probably never be able to make gravy the way she could. My grandmother Hulce (my mother's mother) is known more for her baking--especially homemade bread. How fortunate for me to have gotten such a well-rounded "education" growing up cooking with my grandmothers.

A friend of mine recently noted that she would follow my blog if I were to post easy recipes. So here is an easy one--and always a crowd pleaser. Hopefully her husband is a carnivore:

ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES

3-4 lb. beef roast -- I like chuck the best
(Chuck, Round Bottom, and English cuts have all been recommended by various butchers that I have asked...and if you forget when you're at the store, just tell the butcher you want to make shredded beef in the crockpot.)

1-2 packages of Italian Dressing Seasoning

4-6 cups water

4-6 beef boullion cubes
(add one cube per cup of water, or follow the directions on package)

1/3 cup white vinegar
(This is optional, but rumor has it that white vinegar helps tenderize the meat while it cooks)

Put roast in crock pot. Add vinegar. Dissolve boullion cubes in water and add seasoned water to crockpot. The water level should be about 2/3 to the top of the roast. If you have extra, save it for later, should you decide to add more "juice" during cooking. (If you don't have extra, you can always add plain old water if you want to make more juice.) Pour Italian seasoning packets into water and on top of roast. Set crock pot on high. Cook for 4 to 5 hours. Check tenderness by sticking roast with fork and twisting to see how easy it is to break apart. If it is VERY easy, continue breaking up meat (can shred with two forks) and then allow to cook on low or warm until it is time to eat. If it is still a little difficult, allow meat to continue cooking on high until it IS easy to break apart. Then reduce to warm.

Serve on hearty bread that can withstand the juiciness of the meat!

This recipe really is fool-proof. It is difficult to mess up or overcook.

Leftovers are great, too. Mix leftover beef & juice with a cream soup (like cream of mushroom) and add to cooked egg-noodles for beef & noodle casserole--bake casserole for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.