Category Archives: cooking

Thanksgiving 2018: Accardo Style!

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Below you will find the recipes used for thanksgiving our way!  Hardware used was as follows:

Aluminum foil roasting rack for turkey with supports.  Large foil for stuffing.  Two smaller foil pans with kids for Mac and Cheese and Chex Mix.

Laurelin’s Gravy:

Salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, oregano, 1 cup milk with good amount of cornstarch.  Boil drippings, add seasonings, whisk cornstarch and milk together then add slowly to pan while whisking gravy.

Good Eats Turkey:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe.html

Changes: 

No seasonings, whole head of garlic cut in half, leave plastic leg thing on, 500 for 35min for 20 lb turkey

Ingredients

Roasting pan (foil or otherwise)
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil

Directions
2 to 3 days before roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you’d like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey’s cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, also featured in Food Network Magazine

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe.html?oc=linkback

 

Apple Almond Cranberry Salad:

Dressing found from, no cheese used, or apples, so basically salad with cranberries and almonds.

http://lecremedelacrumb.com/2014/10/apple-cranberry-walnut-salad.html

  • 1 cup apple juice
  • 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar in a pinch)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • scant ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ cup oil

Fannie Farmers Mac and Cheese:

http://www.food.com/recipe/fannie-farmers-classic-baked-macaroni-cheese-135350

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.
  3. In a large saucepan melt butter.
  4. Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.
  5. Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly.
  6. Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).
  7. Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.
  8. Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.
  9. Turn off flame.
  10. Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.
  11. Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.
  12. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
  13. Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.
  14. (You can also freeze this recipe in zip-lock bags for later use – once you have mixed the macaroni along with the cheese sauce allow to cool to room temperature before adding to your freezer – I generally pull it out the night before and allow macaroni and cheese to reach room temperature; I then add the macaroni and cheese to a buttered baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs and then bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling.

 

Cranberry Relish:

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cranberry_relish/

Changes: 1.5 times the fruit, 1/4 cup sugar.  Really good mixed into vodka, gin, etc

Ingredients

  • 2 cups rinsed raw cranberries
  • 2 skinned and cored tart green apples, cut into thick slices
  • 1 large, whole (peel ON) seedless orange, cut into sections
  • 1 to 2 cups granulated sugar (depending on how sweet you would like your relish to be)

Method

1 If you are using an old fashioned grinder, use the medium-sized grinder plate and set the grinder on the edge of a table with a large bowl or pan to catch the fruit mix as it is ground. Old fashioned grinders tend to leak juice down the grinder base, so you may want to set up a bowl underneath to catch the drips.

If you don’t have an old fashioned grinder, you can use the grinder attachment to a KitchenAid mixer, or you can use a food processor. If you use a food processor, be careful not to over-pulse! Or you’ll have mush instead of relish.

You can also just chop very finely by hand, but that’s difficult, especially with the cranberries.

2 Push the cranberries, orange sections, and apple slices through the grinder. Include the orange peel! Alternate the fruit as you push it through the grinder so that different fruits get ground together.

3 Stir in the sugar. (Start with less than a cup and keep adding 1/4 cups until you reach your desired level of sweetness.) Let sit at room temperature until the sugar dissolves, about 45 minutes. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Read more: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cranberry_relish/#ixzz3KOVx5R6x

The Neely’s Cornbread Stuffing:

Changes: Used bacon ends, cooked in advance, chopped finely and the follow.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/neelys-holiday-cornbread-stuffing-recipe.html

Ingredients
3/4 pounds bacon, cut into chunks
2 large onions, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 (16-ounce) bags dried corn bread stuffing mix
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 stick butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook bacon in a heavy skillet until crisp. Turn heat down and add onions and celery; saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the thyme and sage and saute until fragrant. Stir in pecans.

In a large bowl, add the cornbread mix, bacon and vegetables, and stir in the chicken broth. Add to a 13 by 9 by 2-inch casserole dish. Add butter slices to the top of the casserole and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes then remove foil and cook until top is crisp, about 15 more minutes.

Recipe courtesy The Neelys

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/neelys-holiday-cornbread-stuffing-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Candied Cranberries:

https://damndelicious.net/2013/12/22/sugared-cranberries/

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 2-3 minutes.
  2. Stir in cranberries until well coated.
  3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to wire rack; let dry for at least 1 hour.
  4. Working in batches, roll cranberries in remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar until well coated
  5. let dry for at least 1 hour.

Holiday Sangria:

Inspirational credit: http://decorandthedog.net/decorandthedog/2013/12/9/holiday-sangria#disqus_thread

Note: we doubled this for 10 people, with other drinks being served.  If in doubt double and drink more.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Orange
  • 1 Apple
  • 1 Cup Cranberries (Fresh)
  • 1 Bottle Sparkling Apple Cider
  • 1 Bottle White Wine (Moscato, Pinot Grigio)

Directions:

Night before mix wine and fruits in serving container, let marry overnight in refrigerator.  Prior to serving add in chilled cider to keep carbonation from flattening.

fresh tomato salad

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So simple, so juicy, so delicious. Fresh garden grown tomatoes are one of summer’s little pleasures. This past summer my brother planted a couple of plum tomato plants. The fruit yielded is large enough to work with, but small enough that sauce becomes an exercise in patience. Salsas are great because they allow you you to chop easily, but then you need tortillas and a slew of other ingredients. I am going to adapt one of my favorites here to what I had on hand, and it was delicious.

Ingredients:

  • Fresh plum tomatoes (roma, cherry, etc would also work)
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Olive oil
  • Oregano
  • Basil
  • Feta or Mozzarella

Tools:

  • Sharp French or Santoku
  • Cutting surface
  • bowl that will hold cut tomatoes
  • plate to serve

Preparation:

  1. Cut tomatoes into desired pieces
    1. I cut lengthwise then
    2. Skin down then
    3. Cut accross
      1. This prevents the fruit from getting squashed
  2. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar
  3. drizzle with olive oil
  4. season with basil and oregano to taste
  5. add half of the total amount of cheese that you wish to use
  6. put plate on top of bowl
  7. Flip the bowl/plate gently, this will mix the ingredients
  8. top with rest of desired cheese for texture and touch of seasoning.

Tips:

  • Don’t throw out the juice at the bottom!  You could…
    • dip bread in it
    • use on salad
    • brush on meat while grilling
  • Serving with bread can help to cut down the acidity of this dish

Enjoy!


Alton Brown’s Granola

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Ingredients:
• 2 cups 100% Oganic Rolled Oats
• .5 cups Sunflower Seeds
• 1 cups Almonds
• .5 cups Wheatgerm
• .5 cups Honey, 1 Tsp
• .25 cups Sugars, Brown
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• .25 servings
• .333 cups Raisins, Seedless
• .333 cups dried cranberries
• .333 cups Appricots, Dried
Instructions:
Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Ingredients:• 2 cups 100% Oganic Rolled Oats• .5 cups Sunflower Seeds• 1 cups Almonds• .5 cups Wheatgerm• .5 cups Honey, 1 Tsp• .25 cups Sugars, Brown• 2 tablespoons Butter• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract• .25 servings• .333 cups Raisins, Seedless• .333 cups dried cranberries• .333 cups Appricots, DriedInstructions:Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Basic Homemade Pasta

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Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour

2 large eggs

1 Tbs olive oil

1/4 cup water

Prep:

1. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, eggs, and olive oil.  Beat for 1-2 minutes.

2. Add the water in small increments (about 1 Tbs at a time) until the dough is able to form a dry ball.  The dough should stick together when you pinch it, but should not stick to your fingers at all.

3.  Roll the dough into a 2.5 inch round log.  Cut dough into 1/2 inch portions.

4. Use your pasta maker’s instructions accordingly.

5. Enjoy your delicious pasta with some yummy sauce.

Frutti di Mare (Mussel Version)

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If you love mussels and consider yourself to be human, you will love this recipe. On to the show.

ingredients:

  • between 1 and 2 pounds of mussels
  • white wine
  • 8 cloves fresh garlic
  • cilantro if you have it
  • butter
  • olive oil
  • oregano
  • basil
  • pepper
  • nice italian rolls
  • (diced bell peppers optional for color and flavor)

preparation:

  1. coat bottom of steel stock pot with oil, minced garlic, wine, butter and seasonings to taste
  2. bring to a simmer
    • while sauce is heating clean mussels with cool water
  3. add mussels
  4. cook covered until mussels are open and tender (4-5 minutes to be safe yet tender)

note:make sure that you have enough juice to prevent the pot from running dry and burning and to have sauce to dip your rolls in as you eat.

Mangi

Basic Tomato Sauce

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This is one of the Italian staples. You need to master this basic concept before you move on to the more advanced sauces and pasta dishes. The other beauty of this sauce is its broad appeal to guests and its low cost of preparation. Another advantage is that it can be made in as little as 45 minutes or left to cook for up to 8 hours. Think flexible.

Ingredients:

  • fresh garlic
  • can of crushed tomatos
  • 2 cans diced tomatos
  • olive oil
  • basil (dry or fresh)
  • oregano (dry or fresh)
  • salt
  • pepper
  • red wine
  • parmesan cheese
  • pasta of choice

Preparation:

  1. crush and mince fresh garlic
  2. saute in olive oil and wine
  3. add cans of tomatoes to garlic mixture
  4. coat top with basil, oregano, and dash of salt and pepper
  5. add splash of wine
  6. allow to simmer using cheese to adjust thickness
  7. boil water and prepare pasta al dente

Serving:
Plate and serve immediately. Serve with cheese and crusty bread or garlic bread if desired. Ensure if using a long

moka pot espresso

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Step 1:

Start boiling your water. I prefer to pre boil the water so that the grounds spend less time on the heat. This is controversial so I suggest trying both and utilizing the one that works best for you.

Step 2:

Fill the bottom chamber with the now near boiling water. Fill to just below the valve or the fill line, whichever your pot has.

Step 3:

Drop in the ground holder and fill to level with coffee of your choice, I honestly really like Maxwell House Columbian and the el cheapo Wegman’s house brand coffee.

Step 4:

Carefully, Super carefully, screw the top portion onto the the bottom assembly. I say be careful to avoid burning ones self.

Step 5:

Put the pot on LOW. If you go too high the coffee will spray out of the top and worse yet taste really really lousy.

Step 6:

Drink.

one pot greens and beans

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There is little that warms up a cold night, or fills the comfort food need without being terrible for one, like a big bowl of greens and beans.

ingredients:

  • 2 or 3 shallots
  • 3 cloves of fresh garlic
  • olive oil
  • large head of escarole
  • 2 cans of canellini beans
  • chicken stock
  • water
  • white wine
  • basil
  • oregano
  • finely grated parmesan

preparation:

  1. lightly coat the bottom of the pot with olive oil
  2. finely chop and sauté the garlic and shallots together
  3. add the escarole and a good splash of wine, don’t worry about the water on the escarole from washing, it will help to make broth. Only use the leafy parts of the escarole, avoid the hard structural stem pieces.
  4. stir the greens and garlic combination together until the greens are tendered and a rich dark green
  5. add the thoroughly rinsed beans to the mix
  6. add water and stock to taste and texture
  7. add basil and oregano to taste

serve:
Ladle into warmed bowls and serve sprinkled generously with the parmesan. Best enjoyed with friends and family, and then the next day for lunch!

egg white(ish) omelet

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This omelette is a bit of a cleaning out the fridge meal. Omelets are awesome for days when you don’t want to run to the store, and just want to eat something fast and delicious. The only problem is that omelets are quite high in saturated fat and cholesterol, things to avoid. Enter the egg white.

ingredients:

  • 1 smallish clove garlic
  • olive oil/canola oil
  • 1 whole egg
  • 3 egg whites
  • lowfat colby jack or cheddar
  • feta cheese
  • any thing else you like in an omelet

preparation:

  1. lightly drizzle oil into skillet
  2. sauté garlic and other items you desire into omelet (peppers, onions, meats)
  3. crack the whole egg into a bowl
  4. separate the egg whites and add to the other egg
  5. whisk eggs briskly and sprinkle a touch of cheddar or colby (this helps to bond the egg and adds a little more yellow color)
  6. add eggs to sauteed accompaniments, and allow to cook into a large thin cake
  7. once the eggs are cooked add the feta and any other fillers
  8. fold and serve

serve:
Serve on a plate with a cup of fresh coffee and dry wheat toast for a delicious breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I like mine with a good amount of hot sauce (Cholula is my favorite).

healthy boneless wings

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Buffalo wings are a big time favorite, and it is easy to see why. Spicy, delicious and All-American. However, they are greasy, fatty, and incredibly messy. Enter the boneless wing, however, in restaurants they are expensive and deep fried. That is where these lighter, healthier wings come in.

ingredients:

  • 1 pound chicken tenders
  • canola oil
  • franks Red Hot Sauce
  • white vinegar
  • buttermilk
  • flour (any kind)
  • cornmeal
  • cayenne pepper
  • marie’s brand blue cheese
  • celery
  • carrots

preparation:

  1. Mix 3 Tbs Franks Red Hot, 3 Tbs white vinegar, 3 Tbs buttermilk (milk, we use skim, with a dash of vinegar)
  2. Pour above mixture over chicken tenders in plastic container or ziploc bag and let marinade in fridge for 20 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, mix: 6 Tbs flour, 6 Tbs cornmeal in a pie plate for breading
  4. Heat large skillet with a coating of canola oil to frying temperature.
  5. Roll marinated chicken in the flour mix and add to pan
  6. Let the chicken fry and allow the breading to setup before moving and flipping
  7. Sprinkle cayenne over the chicken while it is breading
  8. Mix vinegar and Red Hot in a 1:1 ratio and drizzle over finished chicken tenders
  9. Serve

serve:
Serve on a large plate with dishes of Marie’s blue cheese and celery sticks and carrot sticks.

joey's alla olio

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Alla Olio is perhaps one of the greatest things that you can have in your Italian food toolbox. The first reason it is great, is that it makes a great starting place for other sauces. The second reason is that any self respecting cook can whip up a full meal using alla olio with what they have in about 15 minutes. The third reason is it will really impress guests. Be warned, this recipe has a serious case of a little bit of this, a little bit of that, so, I recommend that you make privately the first time!

ingredients:

  • fresh garlic
  • olive oil
  • basil (fresh or dry)
  • white wine
  • butter
  • parmesan or romano
  • pasta (linguine, fettucini, linguini fini, farfalle)

preparation:

  1. Start boiling your water for the pasta first
  2. Wait around for a few minutes while the water starts to boil
  3. Slice or crush some garlic (about 3 medium cloves)
  4. Heat olive oil and white wine in pan
  5. add garlic
  6. add basil and any other spices
  7. sprinkle conservatively with parmesan while stirring
  8. once garlic is tender and slightly golden pour over pasta
  9. toss
  10. serve

serve:
Serve on warmed plates or pasta bowls with nice cool water or a nice wine. Ensure that if using a long thin pasta that a spoon is provided for twirling. Sprinkle liberally with parmesan. A crusty piece of lightly toasted Italian bread goes great as well.

Mangi

making weak coffee (on purpose)

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As you have read here there are a lot of ways to make a good cup of strong, espresso-like coffee. There are also ways for those who do not like strong coffee to enjoy a cup. The most common method of brewing coffee here in the USA is the drip pot. Most of us are familiar with them. However, what happens is that drip coffee, when made with the correct ratio of coffee to water can be too strong for many drinkers.

The Bad

The most common way to weaken coffee is to just use less coffee grounds. While this does indeed make weaker coffee it also makes bitter coffee, this is bad.

The Good

The less common way to make good weak coffee is to make it out of the recomended strength and then add water to taste. An example of this would be to use the recommended amount of coffee for 8 cups of coffee and then add 4 cups worth of water to the pot prior to brewing. Adding the water first allows the water to warm on the burner and then also mix while the coffee drips out.

organic orzo

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Chicken Orzo is my ultimate comfort food. Some people have mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and pot roast. Not me, hand me a glass of wine with a nice steaming bowl of chicken orzo and I am one happy guy. Heres how to make it, as with most of my recipes it is a little bit of this little bit of that, but it is really easy to correct and as my family jokes, “season to taste.” Just keep in mind; don’t plan on going anywhere after this meal for two reasons. Primarily, you’ve now been drinking and that is bad. Secondly, the orzo is going to hit your stomach like you have never seen before, and you are going to curl up and go to sleep.

ingredients:

  • 6 large cloves fresh garlic
  • olive oil
  • basil (fresh or dry)
  • oregano (fresh or dry)
  • white wine
  • parmesan or romano cheese
  • 1 lb. orzo pasta
  • 6 organic, free range chicken drumsticks
  • 1 cooking onion
  • 1 large shallot
  • 2 Tbsp. better than bouillon organic chicken
  • 6 c. pure water (spring or filtered)
  • whole organic carrots
  • dash cayenne pepper
  • black pepper

preparation:

  1. finely chop onion, garlic, and shallot
  2. saute onion, garlic, shallot, basil, and oregano in oil and wine (in the soup pot) until tender
  3. in a separate pot boil water, once boiling add 2 Tbsp. of better than bouillon.
  4. add drumsticks (whole) to onion slurry and continue cooking, adding wine if necessary, allow to cook while stock forms
  5. when stock is at a rolling boil and completely dissolved add to chicken and onions
  6. add 3 diced carrots to pot
  7. add dash cayenne pepper, dash black pepper, basil and oregano to taste
  8. allow pot to simmer covered for at least 1 full hour (2 is better)
  9. remove chicken from pot and separate meat from bone and skin, re-add meat
  10. 20 minutes before desired serving time add orzo
  11. cook covered for 15 minutes, uncovering for last 5
  12. remove from heat and let stand covered until serving

serve:
Ladle into shallow bowls and top heartily with parmesan. Goes great with almost any wine (I enjoy with merlot). Pop in a favorite movie, prop up your feet and…

Mangi.

reheat:
Put desired amount into microwave/oven-safe plate. Microwave for 1 minute on high to loosen. Bake at 325° for 15 minutes uncovered for a delicious lunch.

orangeade

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This one is pretty simple, and most people will find that it is actually quite good:

ingredients:

  • 100% orange juice (not from concentrate, pulp level of your choice)
  • pure water
  • vanilla extract (optional and expensive)
  • ice

preparation:

  1. ice
  2. mix equal parts juice and water
  3. add dash of vanilla extract
  4. serve

about:
The idea here is to create a sweet and refreshing orange beverage that is similar to a lemonade. The advantage here is that there is no inordinate amount of sugar added and you get the vitamins of juice. Also, it works great for those who have a sensitive stomach like me!

cheap popcorn

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What is better than fresh movie theatre popcorn, not that waxy junk that comes in bags loaded with chemicals that most megatheatres have. Then along came microwave popcorn, great! Well maybe not that great, it is really expensive, and yet worse, it can actually be bad for you. Lets be honest though, paying close to 5 dollars for 6 bags of popcorn isn’t that bad, but what if I told you you could buy an insane amount of really cheap, healthier, that would tast even fresher? Well here it is…

Buy popcorn, the stuff in the bag on the bottom shelf that is 99 cents for 2 pounds. Drizzle a pan with a lid with cooking oil and throw in about 3 Tbsp. of kernels. Throw on medium high and cover and wait. Then, POP!

meatballs

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ingredients:


meatballs

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef
  • 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs
  • 1/3 c. water (more or less)
  • 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 an onion
  • 4 large cloves fresh garlic (chopped)
  • 1 egg and 1 egg white
  • black pepper

sauce

  • 2 large cans crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 6 cloves fresh garlic
  • dried or fresh basil
  • dried or fresh oregano
  • olive oil
  • parmesan

preparation:

meatballs:

Mix all ingredients together. Don’t add all of the water at one time. Mixture should be moist but not so that the meatballs fall apart.

Shape meatballs to desired size and place on a broiler pan (I wet my hands before shaping each meatball and it helps make a nice meatball.) Broil until outside is slightly brown on one side and then turn and broil the other side.

sauce:

Add the crushed tomatoes to the skillet with the meatballs. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes until proper thickness is achieved. Add scant olive oil for flavor and thickness. Add basil (add fresh basil in prior to simmering, add dried at the end). Dust top of meatballs and sauce with fresh parmesan and serve.

Based on http://southernfood.about.com/od/meatballs/r/blbb628.htm

black magic cake

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This is the cake that I grew up with as a child. Birthdays, graduations, mother’s and father’s day et al. A nice deep dark rich chocolate cake with a simple and delicious peanut butter frosting. mmmm.

Ingredients:

Cake Batter

  • 1 3/4 c. flour
  • 2 c. sugar
  • 3/4 c. cocoa
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 c. strong coffee
  • 1 c. buttermilk
  • 1/2 c. vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting

  • creamy peanut butter
  • +/- 1lb confectioners sugar
  • milk

Preparation:

Cake

  1. Mix cake batter ingredients for 2 minutes at medium speed
  2. Pour in greased and floured pan
  3. Bake 35-40 at 350°

Frosting

  1. Mix peanut butter, sugar and splash of milk
  2. (This part is all about experimentation, I recommend getting two boxes of sugar in order to practice, once you get the hang of it it is really quite easy)

Putting it Together:

  1. Let the cake cool for at least an hour uncovered
  2. Gently spread frosting evenly over cake
  3. Enjoy

grandma's chicken

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This is one of my all time favorite family recipes and once you make it you will see why. It is a light yet hearty (if that is possible) chicken and pasta dish that is just the best, and it is really quite easy to make. Historically it has been a little bit of this little bit of that recipe so you will have to bare with me.

ingredients:

  • chicken with skin and bones (drumsticks, legs, breasts)
  • small jar of manzilla olives (pimento stuffed)
  • olive oil
  • small spanish onion
  • small bunch celery
  • green pepper
  • basil
  • oregano
  • parsley
  • garlic
  • red wine
  • medium shallot
  • capellini (angel hair)
  • parmesan cheese

preparation:

  1. preheat oven to 350
  2. chop olives, pepper, 3 stalks celery, garlic, onion, and shallot in processor
  3. add olive oil to blend
  4. cover chicken with blend
  5. pour a hearty amount of wine over mixture in dish
  6. cover
  7. bake at 350 for 2 hours and then lower to 250
  8. prepare capellini and cover with sauce from chicken
  9. serve

serve:
place a huge bowl of pasta with a tray of chicken on table. Sprinkle with parmesan. Accompanied well by both red and white wines.

Mangi