Spaghetti and Meatballs

We've basically gone through our leftovers from Christmas by now. We were ready for something different for dinner tonight so Spaghetti and Meatballs it was! I've leaned toward making a Bolognese style sauce lately because it readily appeals to kiddie palates.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (28 oz.) tomato puree*

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste*

2 T. brown sugar

1/2 c. chicken broth

1 c. milk

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/4 c. red wine

1 T. Penzey's Spices Pasta Sprinkle

1 pkg. (20 oz. or so) pre-made frozen meatballs

*Substitution: 1 jar of store bought spagetti sauce.

In a dutch oven (I use Le Creuset) over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat for a minute. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes until lightly brown. Next add the tomato puree, tomato paste, brown sugar and chicken broth. Heat for a few minutes, stirring gently. Follow with the milk, nutmeg, red wine (I used Merlot tonight) and Penzey's Spices Pasta Sprinkle, stir well. Finally, add the meatballs and heat over low-to-medium heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot thin spaghetti (my boys' favorite).

Quick Cheesy Garlic Bread

1 small loaf of Italian bread, sliced in half length-wise

mayonnaise

spreadable butter

garlic powder

grated Parmesan/Romano cheese mix

Penzey's Spices Old World Seasoning

Spread a layer of mayonnaise and spreadable butter onto each length of Italian bread; score the bread into smaller pieces for easy tearing. Generously dust the bread with garlic powder and grated Parmesan/Romano cheese mix and sprinkle a bit of Penzey's Spices Old World Seasoning. Bake in a 350F oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden brown.

We served a Caesar salad with dinner using torn hearts of Romaine lettuce, Naturally Fresh Caesar Dressing and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan/Romano cheese mix and croutons. Finish with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Christmas Fried Rice

Well, what do you do with all of the leftovers from La Noche Buena and Christmas Day? At our house, we make fried rice (see my recent post for the method). We had lechon asado (Cuban style roast pork) leftover from Christmas Eve and Honey Baked Ham from Christmas Day so that's what we added to our fried rice tonight! Tasty with a side of maduros (fried sweet plantains) too!



Honorable Mention

We finished off our Christmas Day dinner with gorgeous and absolutely delicious cupcakes from Cami Cakes.

Ropa Vieja "Old Clothes"

Tonight we had Ropa Vieja for dinner, which my boys just LOVE! I'd call it a tomato-based pot roast that's shredded at the end of the cooking process.

Ropa Vieja

3-4 lbs. boneless chuck roast

1-2 T. extra virgin olive oil, Spanish style

1 c. sofrito (see below)

1 can chicken broth

1/4 c. red wine

1 tsp. cumin

1-2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown the chuck roast in the extra virgin olive oil. Add the sofrito, chicken broth, red wine, cumin and bay leaf(ves), stirring well. Bake in a 350F oven for several hours until the meat is tender. Take 2 forks and shred the meat. Serve over hot steamed rice.

Sofrito

It's easiest to make a big batch of sofrito and then freeze it in ziploc baggies containing about 1 cup of the mixture.

2 T. extra virgin olive oil, Spanish style

2 onions, peeled and skinned, chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and skinned, minced

4 medium green peppers, chopped

8 tomatoes with skins removed, coarsely chopped

In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, saute the chopped onions and minced garlic cloves in the extra virgin olive oil until the onion is soft and tender. Add the green peppers and saute for 3-4 minutes. Finally, add the chopped tomatoes and cook over low to medium heat for 20-30 minutes to reduce the mixture a bit. Cool before bagging and freezing.

Fried Rice

One of my favorite one skillet dishes is fried rice. Use your leftover rice and add a little meat, veggies and scrambled eggs -- whatever's leftover in the fridge. We used Chinese sausage, shrimp, ham and green onions in this version. The key is to fry your rice in a bit of vegetable oil over medium-high heat stirring and tossing frequently to remove as much moisture as possible; just keeping frying until the grains of rice become loose and separate. Add soy sauce to achieve the desired color of light golden brown, stirring well and then add your meat, veggies and scrambled eggs. Finish with a drizzle of sesame oil; we use the Kadoya brand in our home.

Lately, my son loves and asks for the Pineapple Fried Rice from our favorite Thai place, Thai Emerald, so I've been sprinkling some Madras Curry Powder into our fried rice, along with some pineapple tidbits and cashews, and doing my own version of Pineapple Fried Rice at home.

Thanksgiving Morning

My friend, Jennifer, turned me onto this sausage hashbrowns casserole. My husband and brother ran in a half marathon this morning so I made this casserole and had it ready for them when they returned home. It was a good hearty start to our Thanksgiving morning.

Sausage Hashbrowns Casserole

1 pkg. breakfast sausage patties (vegetarian option: Morningstar Breakfast Sausage)

1 pkg. Ore Ida Hash Browns Potatoes O'Brien, thawed

1 can Campbell's Cream of Celery plus 1 can of water

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. paprika

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven 325F. In a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown and crumble the breakfast sausage until browned. Add the package of hash browns, stir and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Next, add the cream of celery, water, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika and mix well, cooking for another 1-2 minutes. Pour the sausage hash browns mixture into an oblong baking dish (9x13) and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

The Scents of Fall

Fall is my favorite time of year, evoking memories of apple picking, hayrides, leaf "peeping" and of course anything baked with apples. I love the scents of fall: the crisp air, apple pie baking, and the fall rain, which we're getting plenty of in Northern Georgia!

We recently went apple picking for Golden Delicious and Rome Beauty apples in Ellijay and while there we also picked up goodies from the orchard's bakery and store: apple fritters, apple cider, and fried pies (apple, blackberry, peach, chocolate and my favorite, coconut -- which I've never seen before). I filled my Longaberger baskets with apples to display around our kitchen and then delivered some to beloved friends and family. After packing the boys' lunches with an apple each day for several days, I baked some Apple Gingerbread Muffins this morning; the scent filled our home with hints of cinnamon, allspice, ginger and molasses -- mmm, can't you just smell it now?

Apple Gingerbread Muffins

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

4 T. unsalted butter, melted

1/2 c. light, mild molasses

1/4 c. milk

1 egg

2 medium-size Golden Delicious apples, peeled, finely chopped

1/3 c. chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly spray muffin pan with Pam baking spray. In a medium size bowl, combine the first six (6) dry ingredients and mix well. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients (butter, molasses, milk, egg) and blend until smooth. Add the butter-molasses mixture to the dry ingredients and blend until smooth; batter will be fairly thick. Fold in the apples and fill muffin cups half way. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

New Slaw Recipe

I was shopping in Trader Joe's one day and they had this wonderful slaw recipe featuring their TJ's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette. It's been a big hit with my family and I've added my own little twist.

Thai Style Slaw

1 pkg. shredded green cabbage

1 pkg. shredded carrots

1/3 c. TJ's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette

1 T. sesame oil

1-2 T. toasted sesame seeds, optional

In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients and toss gently to coat evenly. Chill for 2 hours. Serve cold.

Summer Road Trip to New England

My boys and I have just returned from a month long summer road trip to New England to visit college friends and old haunts. There are some very apparent changes in Boston and Cambridge but much of it remains the same. My favorite part of the trip was reliving memories through food native to the area. We dined on things as mundane and ubiquitous as pizza but their local pizza joints produce some of the most flavorful red sauces that make you want to devour the entire pie!

On a visit to see friends in Arlington, MA, I was taken to their Penzeys Spice retail store (www.penzeys.com). It was an aromatic experience. There were numerous variations of a single spice such as chili powder, paprika, cinnamon -- just to name a few. I fell in love with one particular fragrant blend, Sunny Paris, which consists of purple shallots, chives, green peppercorn, French basil, French tarragon, chervil, bay leaf and dill weed. It's delicious on sauteed chicken and pork.

We dined on clam chowder and lobster salad in Newport and lobster rolls and clam cakes in Galilee, RI. Also in RI, we had their local weiners from Weinorama (yes, that's what the place is called!).

On a day trip to Cape Cod, we were treated to a wonderfully creative field greens salad with corn dusted bay scallops with a horseradish dressing from the Belfry Inn & Bistro in Sandwich, MA.

On the sweeter side of life, we relished handfuls of fresh blueberries and strawberries from area farms -- the fruit was succulent and refreshingly sweet. We devoured pignoli cookies -- almond macaroons topped with pine nuts -- from a local Italian bakery -- mmm, that brought back fond memories of dining with friends in the North End.

We drove to Waterbury, VT to visit Ben & Jerry's factory store, which was great fun for the boys. They have a Flavor Graveyard featuring retired flavors. New England has some of the best ice cream such as Christina's and Toscanni's in Cambridge and Newport Creamery and Brickley's in Rhode Island, just to name a few of the places we visited. It must be the fresh air and green pastures -- a bovine heaven.

Crumbs Bake Shop in Westport, CT (www.crumbs.com) was a gem we stumbled upon in search of tasty cupcakes. It was a place that made us happy! Each cupcake was made of truly moist cake and topped with delicious, decorative icings. Some favorite flavors: Oreo, Smores, Coconut, Red Velvet and Chocolate with Chocolate Mousse filling.

Mexican Night

One of our favorite things to do is to host Mexican Night for our small group.  This "tradition" started with my husband's parents who would host their small group over some saucy taco meat and fixings and La Tiara taco shells.  These taco shells are the best I've ever had and are made in Gladstone, Missouri. Try them, you'll LOVE them!

La Noche Buena

We invited friends to our home to celebrate Christmas and decided to serve food we used to eat on La Noche Buena (Christmas Eve): puerco asado (roast pork), arroz moros y cristianos (rice with black beans), yuca topped with onions and garlic sauteed in olive oil, and flan. It was fun sharing our Chinese-Cuban (hence China Latina) foodie experiences with everyone.

Puerco Asado

Arroz moros y cristianos

Yuca

Flan