Spaghetti and Meatballs

We're cooking up a storm in OKC! While tornadoes and hail storms circled Oklahoma City, my mom and I made tomato sauce and meatballs from scratch! We paired it with a great light herb salad and garlic bread.

Homemade Tomato Sauce and Spaghetti

My family has made this sauce several different times, each time tweaking it a bit to make it better. I love a nice kick to any dish, however my mother does not, so we half the spiciness so I don't miss it, and she doesn't start sweating in the middle of dinner.

My big tip for this recipe is to invest in the can tomatoes we used. They are only found at William-Sonoma, but they are filled with flavor and regular canned tomatoes just do not compare to these. The brand is Solonia, San Marzano Tomato and they are well worth the trip!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 2 Tbl fresh thyme (or 1/2 Tbl dried)
• 2 Tbl fresh oregano (or 1/2 Tbl dried)
• 1 Tbl red pepper flakes (don't use this if you don't like spicy food, or half the amount for medium heat)
• 1 medium carrot, finely grated
• 2 bay leaves 
• 2 (28-oz) cans peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes
• Salt and pepper
• Spaghetti, cooked al dente
• Whole basil leaves for garnish
• Grated fresh Parmesan

Directions:

Have two bowls ready. In the first bowl, strain the tomato juice. Crush the remaining tomatoes by hand and strain the juice into the first bowl. Put the pulp into the second bowl. Set both aside.

 

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. add garlic and cook 3-5 more minutes, until soft and light golden brown.

Add the thyme, oregano, carrot, and red pepper (I put about 2 teaspoons into my sauce), and cooked 5 minutes more, until the carrot is soft.

Add the tomato juice and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the remaining pulp and cook another 30 minutes, until the consistency is like oatmeal.

Use an immersion blender to adjust the consistency to your preference. If you like a chunky sauce, skip this step like I did!

Season with salt and pepper. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves over pasta. You'll have so much of this sauce left over, so make sure to store it in your fridge for up to a week, or freeze it for up to 6 months.

Top the spaghetti with the sauce and meatballs (recipe below) and serve with garlic bread and a side salad. Enjoy!

Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 lb. pork sausage
• 3/4 lb. ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large shallot, minced
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of ground cloves
• Fresh oregano leaves, chopped, plus whole
    sprigs for garnish
•   1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Olive oil, as needed 

Directions:

To make the meatballs, in a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs and milk and mix well. Add the sausage, beef, egg, ricotta, one-third of the Parmesan cheese, the shallot, nutmeg, cloves, a good sprinkling of marjoram and garlic clove. Mix briefly with your hands just until the ingredients are well distributed. Season well with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into small balls 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter.

In a large fry pan over medium heat, pour in the olive oil to a depth of 1/4 inch. When it is hot, add the meatballs (in batches, if necessary) and brown well on all sides. Transfer to a paper towel-lined tray to drain.

Herb Salad

Since our dinner had so much flavor, we went simple on the salad. I bought a package of fresh spring lettuce mix and mixed it with some herbs from our herb garden.I think its very important to always have an herb garden in your home. It's so easy to maintain, and doesn't take up a lot of space. Currently, we have basil, thyme, flat-leaved parsley, rosemary, lemon thyme, mint, sage, and oregano. It's really fun to use, and fresh herbs at the store are usually very expensive.

To make the dressing, I used an old glass jam jar. It's a good way to reuse a jar, it easy to mix all the ingredients together, and it keeps the dressing fresh and easy to store.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbl apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbl honey
• 2 Tbl lemon juice
• 1 Tbl coarse-grained dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 walnut oil (or hazelnut oil)
• 1/2 cup evoo

Directions:

Mix all together and blend with the herb salad!

 

Broiled Parmesan Tilapia and Green&Red Salad

I'm an official graduate of Baylor University! I just moved out of my house in Waco, and into my parent's house in Oklahoma for the summer.

My family made dinner tonight, it was really beautiful outside, so we ate outside. One of the best parts of being home is having a full stocked kitchen, very different from my home in Waco.

 Broiled Spicy Parmesan Tilapia

One of the best parts about this dish is you can add whatever spice you want. I like it a little spicy so i added red paper flakes. I used a lot a spices I had on hand.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 Tbl low fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp salt (or celery salt if you have any on hand)
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• Old Bay Seasoning, enough to cover fillets
• 2 pounds tilapia fillets

Directions:

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, and light mayonnaise. Add all the seasonings (except the old bay). Mix well and set aside.

Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Lightly cover both sides of the fillets with the Old Bay Seasoning. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. 

Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 1-2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork, make sure you watch them carefully, they brown quickly. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

G

Green and Red Salad

We made this yesterday with chicken and had it as our main dish. Tonight we added extra tomatoes to the left overs and had it for our side to the tilapia. I think this dish, if used as the main dish would be great with chicken (which is what we used) and salmon or shrimp.  

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup pesto
• 2 Tbl white wine vinegar
• 1/4 tap plus 2 Tbl salt
• Pinch of freshly gound pepper
• 3 Tbl olive oil
• 3/4 lb orzo pasta
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1/2 lb cherry tomatoes, halved 
• 6 oz baby spinach

Directions:

Make the vinaigrette: In a large bowl, whisk together the pesto, vinegar, the 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until smooth.

Cook the Orzo: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons salt and the orzo. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the pasta is al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain again. Add the orzo to the vinaigrette and toss to coat evenly.

Assemble: Add the chicken, tomatoes and spinach to the orzo and toss gently to combine, then serve!

Citrus Rice Salad and Bow-Tie Cookies

Wednesday was the LAST Wino Wednesday of college. Mills, Lau, Deana, Val, Lis, Grace, Annie, Ryan, Camille, Britney, Deboard and I all hung out at the house and ate really good bow-tie cookies with a delicious chocolate dipping sauce!

We graduate in 16 days! I can't even believe it. Wino Wednesday is something I want to continue next year. We all won't all be right down the street from each other, but it'll be a great and easy way to make sure we all stay in touch! Plus, who doesn't like food and wine?! 

Annie and I made dinner, Annie made Chicken Picatta (recipe already on website) and I made a Citrus Rice Salad that was delicious! It's perfect for either lunch or dinner.

Citrus Rice Salad 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups brown basmati rice, rinsed
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 medium orange, zested
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
• Vinaigrette recipe follows

DIRECTIONS:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly golden. Cool completely, about 15 minutes

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock, salt and oil to a boil over medium-high heat Stir in the rice. Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat, and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 40 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Using a fork, fluff the rice and place in a large serving bowl. Add the parsley, orange zest, half of the lemon zest, green onions, and 1/4 cup of the almonds. Toss well.

For the Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a blender, combine the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, and cumin. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the vinaigrette over the rice mixture and stir well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with the remaining lemon zest and almonds.

Bow-Tie Cookies with Chocolate Dipping Sauce

This was our 'snack' during Wino Wednesday, I need to start having healthier snacks! Haha but for now, these cookies are so delicious and the left-over chocolate sauce can be used as pudding for the next night dessert! If you decide to use Filo paper (which I did) instead or pastry dough, the filo paper cooks A LOT faster, so it only needs 6-10 minutes instead of 14 minutes using pastry dough.

INGREDIENTS: 

• 1/2 a (17 1/4-ounce) package frozen puff pastry (1 sheet)
• 1/2 cup homemade almond paste (or store bought if you can find it!)
• yields about 2 cups
• 1 lb blanches almonds
• 1 (16 oz) package confectioner sugar
• 3 eggs whites
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 egg yolk, white reserved
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 1 egg white
• Sugar, for sprinkling
• Chocolate Dipping Sauce, recipe follows

DIRECTIONS:

Let pastry stand at room temperature for 20 minutes or until easy to roll. Unfold pastry on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 14-inch square. Cut square in half with a fluted pastry wheel.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Almond paste: I couldn't find almond past anywhere in Waco, and when I looked it up online. It was really expensive. So I looked up a recipe for it at the store (thanks to my IPhone!). Grind almonds in a blender. Thoroughly mix in confectioners sugar. Beat egg whites slightly, then stir into the almond mixture. Add almond extract, using your hands to blend the heavy mixture.

For filling: crumble almond paste in a small mixing bowl. Add egg yolk, brown sugar, and milk. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed. Spread filling over 1 pastry half . Place remaining pastry half on top of filling. Using the fluted pastry wheel, cut dough crosswise into fourteen 1-inch-wide strips. Then cut each strip in half crosswise to make 28 pieces.

Twist each piece twice. Place twists about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets lined with foil or parchment paper. Brush twists with slightly beaten egg white. Sprinkle with sugar (coarse sugar if available).

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Transfer to wire racks to cool. Serve with Chocolate Dipping Sauce.

Chocolate Dipping Sauce:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 (1.5-ounce) milk chocolate bars
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 egg yolk, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a saucepan stir together sugar, cornstarch and salt. Crumble candy bars in 1 at a time. Gradually stir in cream. Cook and stir over medium heat until chocolate is melted. Temper egg yolk with 1/2 cup of hot sauce. Add back to pot and cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and pour into a serving bowl. Any remaining sauce can be poured into custard cups, refrigerated and served as pudding. ENJOY!

SAE: My last meeting

Tuesday was my last SAE meeting ever! I am so sad that it is over, this has been one of my favorite parts of my college career. Definitely my favorite part about senior year! We announced the new Sweetheart later that night, and Elizabeth will do a great job! She's one lucky girl!

For my last meeting :( I made jalapeno poppers (because the boys love them), a tip I have for those is to make sure you only wrap the bacon around the jalapeno once, otherwise the bacon gets too thick and won't cook evenly. I also made spicy Mexican mini quiches, dog-food queso, and this incredible pineapple cake!

Spicy Mexican Mini Quiches

 INGREDIENTS

1 lb hot Italian sausage 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz) 1/2 cup mozzerella cheese (2 oz) 1/2 cup choped jalapeno chiles, seeds removed 6 eggs 6 Tbl Salsa 1 box refrigerated pie crusts DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a skillet, cook sausage over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned and no longer pink; drain. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, mix both cheeses and chiles. Stir in cooled cooked sausage. In another medium bowl, beat eggs thoroughly with fork. Stir in salsa. Remove pie crusts from pouches; place flat on work surface. With rolling pin, roll each crust into 12-inch round. With a round cutter, cut around 40 mini rounds from the crusts, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Press each round into ungreased muffin cups or fluted tartlet pan. (I made this with a mini muffin tray, but you can make it with a regular sized muffin tin.) Spoon one heaping teaspoon (tablespoon for regular size) cheese mixture into each mini crusted-lined cup. Top each with about one teaspoon (tablespoon for regular) egg mixture, divide any remaining egg mixture between cups. Bake 14-18 minutes or until filling is set. If you want, garnish with fresh cilantro. Enjoy! Dog-Food Queso This is a little twist to regular queso. INGREDIENTS: 1 lb ground beef 1 (8 oz) packaged cream cheese, room temperature 1 (8 oz) jar prepared salsa 1 (1 lb) Velvetta cheese, sliced DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring to crumble, until no longer pink, I seasoned it lightly with a grill seasoning. Drain off grease. Spread the cream cheese in an even layer in the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish. Spread a layer of salsa over the cream cheese, then cover with a layer of ground beef. Top with slices of processed cheese and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until heated through. Serve hot. Pineapple-Vanilla Cake This cake is so delicious and moist. You can make your own cake from scratch if desired. But since I was cooking for 60 boys, I took short cuts to make cooking easier and quicker. INGREDIENTS: 1 (18.25 oz) box yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare 1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple 1 1/3 cups sugar 1 (3.4-oz) box French vanilla pudding, plus ingredients to prepare 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or premade whipped cream) 1 cup flaked, sweetened toasted coconuts INGREDIENTS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare yellow cake mix as directed using a greased 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. While cake is baking, combine the pineapple and 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove cake from oven and using a fork, pierce holes into cake. Pour pineapple mixture over hot cake and set aside. Prepare pudding according to package directions. Spread pudding over cake and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Whip heavy cream and remaining sugar until stiff. Cover top of cake with whipped cream and sprinkle toasted coconut on top.  To toast the coconuts, put the oven on broiler and lay the flakes on a cookie sheet. Put the coconut flakes in the oven and watch closely, take out when they start to brown. Enjoy! My last SAE meeting was so much fun, I will miss being sweetheart so much! I can't wait to come back to watch them in Sing, I heard it's going to be a good one this year!

SAE: Three Appetizers!

Only two more meetings left! :( I looked up a ton of new recipes this week and made three different appetizers for SAE. I think I am the first sweetheart to ever make a seafood dish, and it was delicious.

When I am searching for recipes for SAE meetings, I look for flavor, easiness, and quickness. I need something that the boys will enjoy, but also that I'll want to make again.

My favorite part about cooking today was when Ryan and I made homemade pastry shells!

HEB ran out of pre-made pastry shells, so I bought fillo paper and we made them from scratch. They are pretty easy, but really messy. We just followed the directions (for the most part) on the box and came out with some pretty good looking pastry shells and pastry crackers (aka: wantons for another recipe!).

First, we cut up the paper into squares, we had different sizes because we weren't sure which size worked. We dipped them in butter and wiped off the excess butter. Then we formed the paper into the mini-muffin tins and baked for 10 minutes! We thought it wouldn't turn out at all... But they did!

The three appetizers I made for this meeting were:
1. Spicy Seafood Shells
2. Cheese Blintzes
3. Blue Cheese Biscuits

Spicy Seafood Shells

This was so delicious, and the favorite of the guys at meeting. In the future, I think I might add a little more spice. But still so delicious this way!

 Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped onion (about half an onion)
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp hot pepper sauce (tobasco)
• 3-5 dashes Old-Bay Seasoning
• 1 (4 oz) small shrimp, frozen and thawed, or canned and drained (if you want to use a little more... Go ahead!)
• 1 (8 oz) can crab meat, drained and flaked
• 3 (2.1 oz) packages mini fillo tart shells
• paprika 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, mix together mayo, Parmesan cheese, Swiss cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce, spice, and hot pepper sauce. Gently stir in shrimp and crab meat.

Form fillo dough into shells. Fill shells with the mixture.

Arrange stuffed shells on baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 7 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. 

Sprinkle with paprika before serving. 

Cheese Blintzes

The best words to describe this sweet snack is heavenly. I know the sour cream sounds weird, but when you mix it with the blintzes when they're hot out of the oven, they are to die for. They were so good, I even forgot to take a picture of them... Ryan and I are already planning on making them at the lake next weekend!

Ingredients:

• 1 (1 lb) loaf white bread
• 4 Tbl white sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2 tsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 pint sour cream

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. 

Trim crusts from bread and roll the slices flat. 

In a small bowl combine sugar and cinnamon to make a mixture. 

 

In a large mixing bowl, mix softened cream cheese, milk and vanilla until smooth. Spread this mixture onto each slice of flattened bread. Roll each bread slice up. Dip bread/cream cheese rolls in melted butter, roll the blintzes immediately in the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Cut rolls in half. Arrange the blintzes on the prepared cookie sheet. 

  

Bake for 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream. 

Blue Cheese Biscuits

These little biscuits are really easy and inexpensive. I had all of the ingredients on hand, and although I used blue cheese... You can try this recipe with any kind of cheese, that melts well. It was a great snack/appetizer, but you could also make it as a side/roll substitution.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 (10 oz) package refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 5 oz blue cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate, or baking sheet, with non-stick cooking spray. 

Slice each biscuit into quarters, arrange then in the prepared pie plate. Pour melted butter over the biscuits, then sprinkle the biscuits with blue cheese. 

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. 

ENJOY!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Raspberry Butter

Happy Easter! I just got back from Sea Island, Georgia with my family. It was absolutely incredible. The weather was perfect, the food was delicious, and the view was amazing. We went deep sea fishing, golfing, laid out on the beach and we're busy all weekend.

Here is a picture of me teeing off, pretty much, into the ocean.

But back to the cooking. I bought poppy seeds for the salmon burgers and had a ton left over, so I got the idea to make lemon poppy seed muffins.

 Lemon poppy seed muffins

 Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus 1 teaspoon for sprinkling
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tbl poppy seeds
• 1 tsp lemon zest

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard 12-well muffin pan or a jumbo 6-well muffin pan.

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and lemon juice.

Make a well in center of the flour mixture and pour the buttermilk mixture into the well. Add the melted butter and use a rubber spatula to blend with quick strokes, being careful not overmix the batter; it should still be slightly lumpy. Gently stir in the poppy seeds and lemon zest. 

 Spoon batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each well 3/4 full. Bake until slightly puffed and golden, 20 to 22 minutes. 

Lightly sprinkle sugar over the tops of the muffins, if desired. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool slightly on a wire rack. 

Serve the muffins warm, with Raspberry Butter.

Raspberry Butter:

 Ingredients:

1 (6-ounce) container fresh raspberries, picked through
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons honey
Pinch salt

Directions:

Place raspberries in a food processor and pulse until completely pureed. Place raspberry puree in a fine-meshed sieve set over a medium bowl, pressing to extract all the juice from the puree. Discard the seeds and pulp.

 Pour the strained puree into a medium saucepan and add the lemon juice and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, and cook for 2 minutes, or until the mixture slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and cool puree completely.

Cream together the butter, honey, salt, and cooled puree until smooth and well blended. (This may take up to 5 minutes on high speed.) Place butter in molds or onto sheets of plastic wrap and roll into logs. Refrigerate until well chilled and firm.