One-Pot Pasta & Meatballs (Homemade Spaghettios II)

This pasta was delicious and a hit with the fam.  It was pretty easy, too.  The hardest part is finding the correct pasta shape, which is very important to me! Lol.  You need anelletti for this, and I have a hard time finding it here in Italy, even!!  Maybe it's more common in the South.  I had a bag of it in my pantry from somewhere- I have no idea where I bought it, unfortunately, or I would go back and buy a lot more.  It's such a fun shape! I made a similar recipe many, many years ago, but with a creamier tomato sauce.  I think I might revisit that one and make it meatless next time.  Back then I got the pasta from Trader Joe's.  I have no idea if they still carry it. 

One-Pot Pasta & Meatballs (Homemade Spaghettios II)
adapted from The Kitchn

1 pound uncooked Italian bulk sausage (not links)
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 to 3 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounces dry O-shaped pasta (2 cups), also known as anelli or anelletti
For serving: Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes

1.  Divide the sausage into 32 (1/2-ounce) portions and roll each one into a tablespoon-sized meatball. (I used a cookie scoop that held one tablespoon for this.  My 7-yr old also helped with this part and loved it.)

2.  Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a 10-inch high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. The meatballs might not be completely cooked at this point. Transfer to a plate.

3.  Return the pan to medium-high heat and melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the onion, salt, and pepper, and cook, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the tomatoes, 2 cups of the water or broth, vinegar, sugar, and oregano. Stir in the pasta and meatballs, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Bring to a boil.

4.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and the meatballs are cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes, adding more water or broth as needed if you want a soupier consistency. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, if desired.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Hungarian Meatballs

I've had this recipe bookmarked forever, and finally made it when the weather started changing to fall.  We all enjoyed these tasty Hungarian meatballs.  These make me want to try other Hungarian foods. I used veal, which is readily available here, but one could use beef, or a mix of beef and pork. We had these over homemade German Spaetzle.

Hungarian Meatballs
adapted from The Daring Gourmet

For the Meatballs:
1 pound ground veal (or beef, or meat of your choice)
1 egg
⅓ cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
2 tablespoons sunflower oil for frying

For the Sauce:
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced, optional
3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth
1 cup cream (lower calories: substitute evaporated milk)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1½ tablespoons fresh chopped dill
½ cup sour cream

1.  Place all the meatball ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and knead to thoroughly combine. Shape the mixture into 1-inch balls or whatever size you prefer. (*You can form the meatballs ahead of time and place them on a dinner plate.  Cover with plastic wrap and cook when ready.)

2.  Heat some oil in a skillet and once hot add the meatballs, browning on all sides. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and discard all but a tablespoon or so of grease.

3.  Add the onions to the skillet and fry until translucent and golden brown. Add the garlic and fry for another minute (don't fry garlic too long or it becomes bitter). Add the mushrooms, if using, and fry until they've released their juices and they're mostly evaporated. Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl and set aside.

4.  Add the butter to the skillet and melt it. Add the flour and whisk until dissolved. Continue whisking vigorously for another minute or two until the flour mixture is a deep golden brown. 

5.  Pour in the hot broth while continually whisking to prevent clumping. Continue to whisk while bringing the mixture to a simmer. Add the cream and whisk until combined. Continue to simmer for another minute or so until the sauce is thickened. Return the onion mixture to the sauce and add the pepper, salt and paprika. Stir in the sour cream and dill.

6.  Return the meatballs to the sauce, stirring to coat them, and simmer covered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7.  Serve over hot buttered egg noodles, Spätzle, potatoes or rice.  Garnish with some chopped fresh dill if desired.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Vietnamese Meatball Banh Mi Sandwiches

My husband and I LOVED these sandwiches.  They were so, so good!!  All of the flavors together- creamy, spicy mayo, crunchy, sweet/salty picked veggies, the rich meatballs, the cilantro- oh my gosh- SO good!!!  I really need to make these again ASAP.  I used a bake-at-home baguette for the bread, and it was perfect.

This is only my second Vietnamese recipe on here.  I need to try more! I love the flavors. So fresh and flavorful.  Next time I'd throw some fresh mint leaves on with the cilantro.

Vietnamese Meatball Banh Mi Sandwiches
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

SPICY DRESSING:
2/3 cup mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt (I used a mix)
1 tablespoon hot sauce (like sriracha) or sweet Thai chili sauce
1 green onion, white and green parts finely chopped

RELISH:
2 large carrots, coarsely grated or cut into thin matchsticks
1 English cucumber, coarsely grated or cut into thin matchsticks
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil

MEATBALLS:
2 pounds ground pork, ground turkey or beef, or a combination
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce or sweet Thai chili sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons sesame or vegetable or coconut oil, for browning

SANDWICHES:
4 to 6 (6-inch) baguettes, or cut a long one into pieces
Bunch of fresh cilantro

Fresh mint leaves, optional

1.  In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing. Cover and refrigerate. This can be made several days in advance.

2.  For the relish, toss together the carrots and cucumber. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, vinegar, salt and sesame oil. Pour over the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate. The relish can be made a day or so in advance.

3.  For the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the ground pork (or turkey), basil, garlic, green onions, fish sauce, hot sauce, sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Scoop the mixture into 1- to 2-inch meatballs. Heat the oil in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and rippling. Add the meatballs in a single layer and brown on all sides.

4.  Transfer the browned meatballs to a foil-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining meatballs (adding additional oil if necessary). Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes. (Some greasy red-tinted juices might be on baking sheet- it's from the Sriracha).  Remove from the oven (I like to place the cooked meatballs one by one on a layer of paper towels to absorb any excess grease). 

5.  To assemble the sandwiches, slice the buns or baguettes in half. Spread the dressing on the top half of the bread. Layer cilantro to taste on the bottom half. Place 3 or so meatballs (will depend on how big you made them) on top of the cilantro. Drain the relish and place a heaping spoonful on top of the meatballs. Press on the sandwich top and devour.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Cooking Class: Meatballs, Fresh Pasta, Focaccia & More

Last week we had some friends in town and we did a cooking class with them and some of our local friends.  It was a wonderful class; delicious food, and the group was really, really good- fun and got along well.  (I did another one yesterday, too, which I'll talk about some other time).

For this class, we made tomato focaccia bread (with potatoes in the dough), meatballs with a red sauce over polenta, fresh pasta with a creamy tomato sauce, and a strawberry tiramisu.  Everything was SO GOOD!!!

Here is the recipe for Tomato Focaccia bread.

Recipe for the meatballs.  (We fried them first for a few minutes before adding to the tomato sauce.) We made a tomato sauce with canned tomatoes and I can't find it on his website.  It might be similar to this one, just using canned tomatoes instead of the fresh.  We ate the meatballs over white polenta cooked with Gorgonzola.  It was delicious.  My polenta pics didn't turn out.  Here in Italy, meatballs aren't eaten over pasta.

Next up is the fresh Semolina pasta we made.  The dough is only egg and semolina pasta.  It was kind of hard to press it out and get it through the pasta machine, but the results were amazing, tasty fresh pasta.

The six photos above are of us making the Creamy Grappa Tomato Sauce.  (Grappa in place of Vodka).  We got to watch the grappa being lit on fire, which was awesome.  Some of us almost got our arm hairs burned off.  First, you saute onions with pancetta and olive oil.  Then add the grappa and light in on fire until it burns off.  The onions will be flavorful and caramelized after.  Then add one tube of tomato paste and a can of diced Italian tomatoes.  Next, add in your freshly boiled homemade pasta.  Serve with cheese and oregano.

The strawberry tiramisu isn't on his website yet- this cooking class was the first time he's made it for a class.  (And it was my idea- yay!)  For this tiramisu, you don't use coffee.  Instead, you can use orange juice, limoncello, or ginger ale for dipping the ladyfingers.  Then you add an egg and mascarpone custard with lots of fresh strawberries.  It was so light and delicious.  I can't wait to make it for the kids.

Afghan Kofta Kebabs, Noni (Naan Bread), and Yogurt Garlic Sauce

This meal was totally awesome!!  I've made a handful of Middle-Eastern dishes before, but have never made any any Afghan food before.  A few years ago, I read the book A Thousand Splendid Suns, and am about to read it again for a book club.  When I read the book before, I loved anytime food was talked about.  It all sounded so delicious to me, especially the Kofta (meatballs or other shapes made with ground meat).  I looked online for recipes back then, but nothing looked promising.  Recently, though, I came across an Allrecipes version with many rave reviews.  I made it almost right away, serving it with fresh veggies, yogurt-garlic sauce, and noni (naan) bread.  

When making the bread, I baked half of it on a hot pizza stone and my husband grilled the rest.  The whole fam preferred the grilled version; they were much softer and able to be wrapped around the Kofta easily.  I know it's November, but we grill all year around these parts.  ;)  You can make these inside; bake the Kofta and cook the Noni on a griddle or frying pan.  Also, don't be scared of all the spices.  They are wonderful together.

Afghan Kofta Kebabs

adapted from Allrecipes

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1 pound ground lamb or beef
3 tablespoons grated onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
15-20 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Fresh cucumbers & tomatoes, for serving

Afghan Noni Flatbread, recipe follows

Yogurt-Garlic Sauce, recipe follows

1.  Mash the garlic into a paste with the salt using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a chef's knife on your cutting board. Mix the garlic into the lamb or beef along with the onion, parsley, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper, ginger, and pepper in a mixing bowl until well blended. Form the mixture into 28 (or so- I made a lot less) balls. Form each ball around the tip of a skewer, flattening into a 2 inch oval; repeat with the remaining skewers. I fit 3 on each skewer.  Place the kebabs onto a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours.

2.  Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil grate.Cook the skewers on the preheated grill, turning occasionally, until the lamb or beef has cooked to your desired degree of doneness, about 6 minutes for medium.  We grilled longer; make sure no pink remains inside.

Afghan Noni (Naan) Bread

adapted from About

1 package active dry yeast

2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup warm water
2-3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
melted butter for brushing

1.  In a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), .  To yeast, add sugar and warm water.  Let yeast sit for 5-10 minutes or until "bloomed".

2.  To yeast mixture, add 2 cups of flour and salt.  Add yogurt and ghee and knead until a dough forms.  Add yogurt and ghee (or vegetable shortening)and begin to knead for 5-10 minutes until a dough forms. Add more flour if necessary.

3.  Place dough in bowl coated with oil and turn dough around to evenly coat. Cover bowl with towel and allow to rise in a warm area for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled.

4.  Preheat oven to 400. (Or pre-heat and oil and outdoor grill to grill these, which I prefer.)  Divide dough into 10-12 pieces and roll out on floured surface into circles. Place rolled out dough on greased cookie sheet or baking stone and brush with melted butter.  Cook in oven for 8 minutes or until lightly browned and puffed up.  Serve noni immediately with Kofta and yogurt sauce.

Yogurt Garlic Sauce

adapted from About

16 oz. plain cold yogurt (I used full-fat Greek)

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt to taste

1.  In a small mixing bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Mix well. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com **

Swedish Meatballs

These were very good.  The recipe is supposed to be a Weight Watchers recipe, using Neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese, but for some reason, Neufchatel seems to be unavailable here anymore, so I had to use full-fat cream cheese.  By all means, use Neufchatel if you can get it!  I'm sure they will taste just as good.  This recipe has Allspice in it, which made my kids not want to eat the meatballs, but they loved the gravy.  They're weird about spices like that in savory dishes, although most of them love it when I make Indian food- go figure. 

The recipe calls for straining the broth before making the gravy, and at first I was not going to, but there is a lot of little bits of meat "residue" after simmering, so it's best to.  Also, using an immersion blender doesn't work too well here; better to use the regular blender.  Vent the lid and cover it with a cloth though, because hot liquids in a blender have a tendency to explode the lid off.  Just be careful. 

The first time I made this, we had it with dried German Spaetzle noodles, pictured above.  The next time, we had it with these mashed potatoes.... soooo good!  (For the taters- I used 2 oz of cream cheese for this meatball recipe and just threw the rest into the potatoes.)  They are so much better with the mashed potatoes.  When making the gravy, I had to thicken it with a small amount of flour/water slurry and then cook until thickened- no big deal. 

The second time I made these, there was no ground beef at my store, AT ALL.  Not even frozen.  Not even ground turkey.  So I did something I've never done before- picked up a small bag of pre-made, frozen meatballs and used that.  Not nearly as good as homemade; they tasted ok but had a too-soft, spongy texture, and were very salty.  But still, with the homemade gravy and mashed taters, the meal was very enjoyable. 

Swedish Meatballs
adapted from Skinnytaste

1 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, minced (or a few shallots)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 celery stalk, minced (optional; I didn't have)
1/4 cup minced parsley (or 1-2 TBS. dried)
1 lb 93% lean beef
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp allspice
2 cups reduced sodium beef stock
2 oz light cream cheese

1.  In a large deep saute pan, heat oil on medium heat, add onions and garlic; sauté until onions are translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add celery and parsley and cook until soft, about 3-4 more minutes. Let cool a few minutes.

2.  In a large bowl combine beef, egg, onion mixture, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and allspice. Mix well and form meatballs with your hands 1/8 cup each (fill 1/4 cup then divide the meat in half).

3.  Add beef stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and slowly drop meatballs into the broth. Cover and cook about 20 minutes. Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside in a serving dish. Strain the stock, add to blender with cream cheese and pulse until smooth. Return to pan and simmer a few minutes to thicken, then pour over meatballs. If gravy does not thicken, make a small amount of flour/water slurry and add to mixture; cook and stir until thickened.  Garnish with parsley and serve over noodles, mashed potatoes, or with toothpicks if you want to set these out as an appetizer.

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Lebanese Meatballs (Dawood Basha)

I really don't make meatballs very much, but there was that Spanish Meatball Soup recently, and I've had my eye on this recipe for a long time!  (I guess I'm just attracted to exotic meatball recipes from other countries, lol.)  Anyway, I'm glad I finally took the time to make these Lebanese meatballs, because they were so good!  I loved the rice too- a nice, buttery Basmati.  I loved the mix of spices in them (cinnamon and allspice), and the carmelized onions and the pine nuts. 

You must make the meatballs tiny; the size of marbles.  Just allot yourself some time for this part; it is fairly easy, just time-consuming.  The kids (all of them) loved this dish and especially loved how small the meatballs were. 

After making these, I realized the recipe called for beef and not ground beef, like I had thought; however, I did use ground beef and it turned out well. 

This recipe comes from the blog Taste of Beirut; I have a lot more recipes from that blog bookmarked to make; everything looks so good!  It is a joy to look at.  :)

Lebanese Meatballs (Dawood Basha)

slightly adapted from Taste of Beirut

1/2 pound of beef, 96% lean
1 small onion+ 2 large onions
1 egg yolk (optional)
1/3 cup of pine nuts
3 tbsp. of tomato paste
2 cups of beef stock or chicken stock
1 1/4 cup of Basmati rice
1/2 lemon, juiced
3 tbsp. of butter (for the rice)
Spices: 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. of allspice or 1 1/2 tsp. of seven-spice

1.  Soak the rice in warm water with a dash of salt for 30 minutes or longer (after rinsing it a few times under running water)

2.  Chop the small onion and douse it in salt and let it spit out its water for a few minutes. Place the meat in the food processor, add the spices, egg yolk, drained onion and process until smooth. Form marble-sized balls and either bake them in the oven for 5 minutes at 350F or pan-fry them.  (I baked them.  And.... I made the meatballs ahead of time to cut down on prep time closer to dinner.  I formed the meatballs and placed them onto a foil-lined baking sheet (I lightly greased the foil) and stuck it in the fridge-covered w/plastic wrap.  When ready to bake, just heat the oven and bake them!  Or, pan-fry in hot oil when ready). 

3.  Slice the large onions in rings and pan-fry them in some olive oil until translucent and golden; add the meatballs and 2 cups of beef stock along with the tomato paste (if desired). Let the mixture simmer gently for 25 minutes until the liquid is reduced and thickened and the meatballs are thoroughly cooked.

4.  Pan-fry some pine nuts in a little butter and add to the meatballs at the end.

5.  Drain the rice and boil in several cups of water till tender. Drain and rinse the rice. Place 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan and let the butter melt, add 1/4 cup of water to the butter. Place the rice over the butter and water and with the handle of a wooden spoon, dig holes in the rice in 3 places; cover the pan and let the rice steam for 30 minutes (my water was all gone in about 10 minutes, so I just took it off the stove then), first on medium-high heat, then on very low heat. Uncover after 30 minutes to check and add more butter to the rice if desired. Serve with the meatballs.

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Catalan (Spanish) Meatball Soup

This recipe- Sopa de Albóndiguillas Catalana- is yummy and a little bit different- a brothy, tomato-y soup filled with pasta and small pork meatballs, and flavored with fresh mint and white pepper.  I decided, once again, that I needed to make more recipes from my Spanish cookbooks.  This recipe looked fun and easy enough. 

This recipe comes from Catalonia, Spain- the Northeastern part of the country.  Like many countries, the cooking of Spain is very regional, so even though I lived there, I never came across (or noticed) a soup like this.  If you don't like white pepper (the taste is very distinct here), just substitute black.  If you can't find fideos noodles, you can use broken vermicelli.  I used all ground pork for this- make sure you buy plain ground pork and not sausage.  Also, I didn't bother peeling my tomatoes.  I kinda sorta removed most of the seeds, though.  I usually don't worry too much about stuff like that.

I made a very simple Spanish bread that we enjoyed with this; I'll share that recipe later.

Catalan (Spanish) Meatball Soup
adapted from Spanish Country Kitchen

5 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons tomato puree
4 tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup fideos noodles,
fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
mint leaves, to serve

Meatballs:

8 oz. ground pork
8 oz. ground beef or veal (can use all pork OR all beef- 1 lb.)
1 small onion, peeled and grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
A pinch of cinnamon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Plain flour for dusting
2 tbsp olive oil for frying

1.  To make the meatballs, put the ground meats in a bowl with the onion, garlic, egg, mint, parsley, breadcrumbs, cinnamon and seasoning.

2.  Using your hands, mix into a smooth paste, then make into 1.5cm (½ inch) balls.  Coat lightly in flour. Fry the meatballs in hot oil to give a little colour and to firm up, shaking the pan to ensure even colour and to stop them sticking. 

3.  Put the stock in a large pan and bring to the boil, add the tomato purée, tomatoes and fideos or vermicelli and seasoning. Add the meatballs and simmer gently for about 5 minutes until the noodles and meatballs are cooked through.

4.  Scatter with mint and parsley leaves to serve.

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April Fool's Day

I had fun making these cupcakes today.  Once again, I had my little 4-year old helper in the kitchen with me when I made these- he LOVED it!!  (We did these while the older kids were at school, to surprise them when they came home).  Thanks to the book, "Hello, Cupcake", I have access to tons of cute ideas for creative cupcakes, and so many ideas for April Fool's!  These are "Spaghetti & Meatballs" cupcakes- but everything on them is made of something sweet- there's a cupcake, topped with "spaghetti" frosting, strawberry jam for the tomato sauce, a Ferrero Rocher chocolate for the meatball, and white chocolate grated with my microplaner for the Parmesan cheese on top!  (A cheese grater would also work, I think). 

Vegetarian cupcake eater?  Have picky eaters in your house, who prefer to just have plain spaghetti with parmesan?  (No sauce, and no meatballs?)  Well, we have cupcakes for those eaters, too!  (See below.  Actually, I just ran out of the chocolate "meatballs", lol, and was too lazy to do more jam). 

Spaghetti & Meatballs Cupcakes

from "Hello, Cupcake"

10-12 vanilla cupcakes (a recipe suggestion is below)

2 cups vanilla frosting (you will have some leftover)

1/4- 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (add smaller amount first, and add more if needed)
3 drops yellow food coloring
11-13 hazelnut chocolates (Ferrero Rocher), unwrapped
3/4 cup strawberry preserves, warmed for 5 seconds in microwave and whisked
2 tablespoons grated white chocolate (I just grated some over each cupcake)

1. Tint the vanilla frosting with the cocoa powder and yellow food coloring and spread a thin layer on top of the cupcakes. Arrange the cupcakes on a serving platter so that they are touching.

2. Spoon the remaining frosting into a ziplock bag.  Press out the excess air and seal the bag. Snip a 1/8-inch corner from the bag.  (Or, use a piping bag and tip.  I used a small Wilton tip, I think it was number 3.  It was either 2 or 3; use what looks right to you (how big you want your spaghetti to be).)  Pipe the frosting all over the cupcakes to make the spaghetti, piling it high and allowing some of the spaghetti to hang over the edges.

3. Place the hazelnut chocolates and the strawberry preserves in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Spoon some of the preserves on top of the cupcakes. Place 1 hazelnut chocolate on each cupcake and 1 on the platter (if desired... I didn't have enough). Top the cupcakes with the remaining strawberry preserves. Sprinkle with the grated white chocolate.

I used this recipe for the cupcakes only, and left out the lemon so I would have vanilla cupcakes.  I was out of sour cream, but I did have some plain, full-fat Greek-style yogurt on hand, so I used that.  These cupcakes were just delightful.... light, flavorful, great, soft texture, etc.  This might be my go-to recipe for vanilla cupcakes from now on, and I love the use of yogurt.  I have made the recipe stated the original way, with lemon zest and lemon frosting, and they're wonderful that way as well.  When I made these today, I cut the recipe in half, and it still made 15 cupcakes!  Lol.  Double the recipe below if you want 30.

Yogurt Cupcakes
Adapted from Allrecipes
Makes 15 cupcakes

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain, Greek-style yogurt, or sour cream

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line 15 muffin cups with paper liners.

2.  In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with Greek yogurt sour cream (batter will be thick). Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter.

3.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Meaty Eyeballs on a Bed of Guts

Happy Halloween!!  I wanted to make a fun, gross-out dinner tonight, so we had these eyeball meatballs on a bed of large, hollow pasta (guts), with pasta sauce (blood).  This was a huge hit with the kids, although one preferred his without blood. 

For the meatballs, I used my fave meatball recipe, Fast & Friendly Meatballs, from Allrecipes.  Google Meatball Eyeballs and you'll find different versions and pictures of these everywhere.  After I formed each meatball, I stuck a pimento-stuffed green olive into each one.  Make sure you get it kind of deep in there, or it'll pop out during cooking.  If you're not intrested in the gross-out version of these meatballs, I still encourage you to try the meatball recipe without the olives, because it is really good, and so easy. 

I only had a 16 oz. package of ground turkey on hand, so I used that, along with one egg, and a heaping 1/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs.  It worked out wonderfully, and it made exactly 12 meatballs that fit in my 9x13 glass baking dish.  I used my cookie scoop to scoop the meat mixture, and perfected the ball by shaping it with my hands. 

Fave Meatballs, or Meaty Eyeballs
adapted from Allrecipes

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
12-18 green olives stuffed with pimentos, if making Meaty Eyeballs

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with the olive oil, and place it in the oven while preheating.

2.In a medium bowl, mix together the ground turkey, egg, and bread crumbs using a large spoon or your hands. Using an ice cream scoop if possible, form the meat into golf ball sized meatballs. If making Meaty Eyeballs, insert one green olive into each meatball now.  Place about 1 inch apart in the hot baking dish. Press down to flatten the bottom just slightly.

3.Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn them over, and continue baking for about 5 more minutes, or until somewhat crispy on the outside. Serve with pasta and sauce or however you'd like.

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Spaghetti and Meatballs

The kids have enjoyed watching "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" lately.  Like, almost every day.  It's almost too much for me.  Anyway, I thought it'd be fun to make them Spaghetti with Meatballs.  They were a big hit, except with my pickiest child, who found the meatballs to be "too spicy", due to the Italian Sausage used.  It's ok though.. I think he thinks garlic powder is too spicy!  My youngest sat at the table, long after everyone else was done, and proceeded to eat every last meatball in the pan. 

I had to adapt this recipe to what I had (or didn't have) around the house. 

Spaghetti and Meatballs
adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced, as desired
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine (or, in my case, water)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 lb ground chuck
1 lb bulk italian sausage
2 eggs
3 cloves garlic, finely minced or made into a paste
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup dried parsley
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper (I didn't add any salt)
spaghetti noodles

1.Heat oil over medium in a large pot. Saute onion until clear then add garlic and cook until soft.

2.Add tomatoes and season with some salt and pepper. Simmer while making the meatballs

3.In a large bowl, use a fork to thoroughly mash and combine beef, sausage, eggs, garlic, bread crumbs, parsley, and parmesan cheese.

4.Form walnut sized meatballs and sear in a large, hot skillet. (To form meatballs, I found it helpful to use my medium cookie scoop.  Scoop us the meat, and then form a round, somewhat packed ball with your hands).  Once all sides are browned, deglaze with a splash of red wine (or water, or beef broth).

5.Add meatballs, gently, to sauce to finish cooking. Add red wine (water, broth, etc) and parmesan cheese to sauce.

6.Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a handful of salt and spaghetti noodles.

7.Once noodles are al dente, 8-12 min depending on your noodles, reserve 1 cup of water from the pot and drain.

8.Add water to sauce as needed to thin (I didn't need any). Taste and season with salt as needed. Serve!
 

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/**

Turkey-Ricotta Meatballs

We had these turkey meatballs last night for dinner, from the blog, Eating, Etc, and they were very good!  My whole family ate them up and wished there was more.  My 3-year old took more than his share; every chance he could, he swiped another one from the baking sheet they were on!  These were very simple to make, too.  I would suggest sauteeing them in a non-stick pan so they don't stick too badly.  We had these with Eating, Etc's homemade marinara sauce. 

Turkey-Ricotta Meatballs

Makes about 2 dozen meatballs
from Eating, Etc., via Cooking Light

1lb ground turkey meat (not breast-only)
1/2c part-skim ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2c seasoned dry breadcrumbs
1/4c fresh basil, finely chopped
Italian seasoning (I eyeballed it and probably added 2-3tsp)
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp ground black pepper

1) Preheat oven to 375°F.

2) In large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey with remaining ingredients & mix well.

3) Shape into about 2 dozen meatballs.

4) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.

5) Add meatballs and brown on all sides.

6) Transfer meatballs to a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

7) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until done.

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **

Wednesdays- My Daughter's Day to Cook Dinner

Recently, my 6-year old daughter has started cooking dinner on Wednesdays. Okay, it's only been 2 Wednesdays so far, and she "cooks" with a ton of help from me. She absolutely loves it though. I almost forgot about it this week, but she reminded me on Tuesday. She said "What day is it?" I replied "Tuesday." And she said "That means tomorrow is my day to make dinner!" She said she wanted spaghetti and meatballs, but we made that not too long ago, so I suggested homemade spaghettios. I bought some cool ring-shaped pasta from Trader Joe's a little while back and have been really wanting to make homemade spaghettios.

I wanted to make spaghettios with mini meatballs, so I used this recipe from Allrecipes. I didn't have any breadcrumbs, so I had my daughter crush some goldfish crackers and we used that instead. I used a melon baller to make little tiny meatballs. My daughter scooped up the mixture, I took it out, and kind of squished it together with my fingers to make a ball. (I wouldn't let her touch the raw meat.... maybe next time. I'm passing on my squeamish-ness to her). We made a whole jelly-roll pan full of mini meatballs, and then made the rest of the mixture into larger meatballs, using my cookie scoop. I didn't manage to get a good pic of the mini ones. It was kinda hectic in the kitchen, with my 3-year old crying because he wanted to have a "special cooking day", and my one year old baby crying and hanging on my pant leg just because I wasn't paying attention to him. Therefore, I didn't get as many pics of everything as I wanted. I did get some "aftermath pics" though, and I'll have to share those in a minute.

I looked around the web for a homemade spaghettio recipe, and one really stood out. I found a great recipe on the blog Feed Your Vegetarian. Of course, mine were non-veggie with the meatballs, but this recipe would be delicious without them, too. (And take way less time!) The only changes I made to that recipe were to omit the onion, use a little less cheddar, and add a handful of Italian 3-cheese blend.

The sauce is easy, starting with a roux. It was almost like making mac and cheese with tomato sauce thrown in! When the tomato and dairy mixed, it got a little curdled-looking, but it all worked out in the end. The taste was great. It was like spaghettios, but way better. My daughter had a second helping. She said "I didn't know if I was going to like this, because I think spaghettios from the can taste kind of funny. I like this a whole lot better!" I think she's only had "real" spaghettios one time, and it was over 2 years ago, BTW. My one-year old couldn't get enough of this; I finally had to cut him off! We had broccolini with it; keeping with the mini theme. (Well, just mini meatballs, I guess nothing else was mini!)

This is how my two little guys finally managed to entertain themselves. In my house, it's a good idea to wash cookie cutters before usage. And the garlic press, egg slicer, funnel, etc. After we ate dinner, my baby reached up to the open bag of pasta on the counter and pulled it down, spilling the rest of it on the floor. Little O's, everywhere.... I'm kinda sad because Trader Joe's is an almost 2-hour drive from here. I did get a pic of that but it's not very good, so you'll just have to imagine it.


Homemade Spaghettios
adapted from Feed Your Vegetarian

1/2 lb ring shaped pasta
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cup milk
6 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 8-oz can of tomato sauce
1 6-oz can of tomato paste
1/2 medium onion, finely diced, optional
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste
cooked mini meatballs, optional

1.  Cook pasta in boiling water, according to package directions, until al dente.

2.  While the pasta is cooking, melt butter under medium flame in a saucepan. Add flour and stir about 2 minutes. Add onion to the saucepan, and stir to combine. Cook for 2 more minutes.

3.  Whisk in milk, oregano, basil, and parsley. Bring to a gentle boil.

4.  Whisk in the tomato sauce and tomato paste. If the sauce is too thick, add a ladelful of pasta water. Bring to a simmer.  Stir in the shredded cheese. Salt and pepper to taste

5.  Finally, add the cooked, drained noodles and stir to combine well.  If using meatballs, add them with the pasta and heat through.

Serves 4.

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