Spaghetti and Meatballs

Meatballs:

* 1 pound ground beef
* 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
* 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 2 tbs. olive oil
* ½ cup of bread crumbs
* ½ cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
* 2 large eggs
* ½ tsp of oregano
* ½ tsp of basil
* 1 ½ tsp of salt

Cook onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a large bowl, add the onion/garlic mixture and all the other ingredients. Incorporate everything by hand until well mixed. Firmly form 2”meatballs by hand.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Brown meatballs and place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes in the oven.

Tomato Sauce

Prepare Tomato sauce while meatballs are baking:

* 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 medium onions, finely chopped
* 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1 tbs. of basil
* 1 tsp of salt
* 1 tsp black pepper
* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 cup of finely chopped parsley.

Cook onions and garlic in oil in a pot over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes with juice reserved in a separate bowl. Simmer sauce, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened for 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and half of the reserved liquid until sauce reduces for 5 minutes. *Add parsley at the end for garnish.

Putting it all together:

Cook a 1 lb box of spaghetti to al dente, drain, and plate it. Place a few spoonfuls of sauce on top of the noodles followed by a couple tablespoons of parsley and grated cheese. Place a meatball on top and serve.

Falafel and Tazikki

FALAFEL:

• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (I only used a tsp)
  
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 425.
   
2. In a large bowl mash chickpeas until thick and pasty; don't use a blender, as the consistency will be too thin. In a blender, process onion, parsley and garlic until smooth. Stir into mashed chickpeas.
3. In a small bowl combine egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir into chickpea mixture along with olive oil. Slowly add bread crumbs until mixture is not sticky but will hold together; add more or less bread crumbs, as needed. Form 8 balls and then flatten into patties.
4. Spray oil a baking sheet. Place patties on sheet and bake on the bottom rack about 25 minutes flipping once.
5. Serve in pitas with tzatziki sauce or hummus.

TZATZIKI SAUCE

• 1 (6 ounce) container plain yogurt
• 1/2 cucumber - peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients and chill for 30 minutes. We added a little extra dill and some lemon juice!

Frances' Bistro Roast Chicken

Frances "I make this on a regular basis. The prep is quick even though the cooking time is long. Sometimes I put this on time bake at 400 for 1 hour 15 min. Serve the roasted heads of garlic on the side. Squeeze out the pulp and use it as a spread on baguette slices or as a condiment for the chicken. You can omit the garlic if you want. Makes 2 servings."

Ingredients

2 chicken leg quarters (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 whole garlic heads
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.

Rinse chicken with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Loosen skin from thigh and leg by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Combine basil and next 5 ingredients (basil through pepper). Rub herb mixture under loosened skin. Place chicken on a broiler pan. Insert meat thermometer into meaty part of thigh, making sure not to touch bone.

Remove white papery skin from garlic heads (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap each head separately in foil; place on broiler pan with chicken. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450° (do not remove chicken from oven). Bake 30 minutes or until thermometer registers 180°. Cover chicken loosely with foil; let stand 10 minutes. Discard skin.

An Argument For Cast Iron

Cast Iron

Oatmeal Peanut Butter cookies

Oatmeal Peanut Butter cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup quick cooking oats
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup peanut butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add egg and beat well.
2. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir. Add oatmeal and stir.
3. Using a cookie scoop, make uniform cookie dough balls and then cut them in half down the center. Roll each half into a ball and place them onto a greased baking sheet pressing each mound down with the palm of your hand to 1/4 inch thick cookies. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 minutes, or until cookies are a light brown.
4. To Make Filling: Cream 3 tablespoons butter with the confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, and the cream. Fill the filling into a pastry bag or large ziplock bag (cutting the corner to make a make-shift pastry bag) and squeeze filling onto half of the cooled cookies, then top with the other half to form sandwiches. Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (you can use frozen, just make sure that you dry them as best you can)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1-2 tablespoons turbinado sugar for sprinkling (optional, but you should invest in some because it makes everything just that much better!)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper muffin cups and spray with Pam.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, toss the blueberries with about 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture. This will help them to stay afloat in the muffins instead of sinking to the bottom. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, using your paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and lemon zest on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Beating your sugar and butter together properly really does make your baked goods that much better.
5. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well, then mix in the vanilla extract.
6. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat just until moistened. Add the milk and beat just until combined. Do not overbeat!
7. Lightly fold in the blueberries using a rubber spatula, careful not to squish them. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups so that each one is 2/3 full. Sprinkle a small amount of turbinado sugar over the batter in each muffin cup for an extra special crunch (it makes the muffins so good, seriously).
8. Bake until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack or another surface to cool. Remove muffins from pan and let cool completely.

Breakfast Casserole III

INGREDIENTS

• 6 baking potatoes
• 1 pound ground pork sausage
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 teaspoons seasoning salt
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 12 eggs, lightly beaten
• salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2. Prick potatoes with a fork, place on a medium baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes, or until tender but firm. Remove from heat, cool, peel, and cube.
3. Cook and stir sausage in a medium saucepan over medium heat until evenly browned; drain.
4. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir potatoes and onion into saucepan, and cook until potatoes are browned and onion is tender, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with seasoning salt. Place potato mixture in the prepared baking dish. Cover with sausage. Sprinkle with cheese, top with eggs, and season with salt and pepper.
5. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until eggs are fully cooked.