Caprese Burgers with Pesto Mayonnaise

It's Summertime and you know what that means...grilling!  And farm fresh veggies!  Hooray!

With the first red tomatoes of the season rolling in from my CSA farm share I decided to make a very simple burger that would highlight the super fresh flavors.  And when I say "I" made this meal I really mean that I sent my husband outside in the heat to go grill up these burgers :D.  Yet another reason grilling makes the menu...it's group participation from the hubby!

The original recipe called for sliders but we had a pack of leftover pre-made patties so ours were regular sized burgers.  Personally I think it works out better because the size of the tomato and mozzarella is a better match, anyway.  This was a great quick meal that will have you spending virtually no time to make and you can use any extra topper ingredients to make a fast Caprese Salad on the side.  For the salad, just layer the mozzarella, tomatoes, basil then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vineagar.  Season with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt and you're good to go!

Caprese Burgers with Pesto Mayonnaise

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced
• Fresh basil leaves
• Burger buns
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (As usual I used Fat Free Greek Yogurt instead)
• 1/4 cup pesto

Directions

1. Mix salt and pepper into beef (or if using pre-formed patties, season each side of the patty).  Place on a hot grill and cook through, flipping once.  Near the end of the grilling time, add cheese.  Cover grill and cook for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the mayonnaise and pesto in a small bowl.  Set aside.
3. Place burger onto bottom half of bun.  Top with tomato and basil.  Spread pesto mayonnaise on top half of bun.  Serve.

Source: I was Born to Cook 

Spicy Beef and Basil Vermicelli Noodles

By facebook fan request,  I'm sharing today recipe.  I know I said I'd share it on Friday but things got a little hectic in my household.  I'll make it up to you all by sharing a decadent dessert next week, how's that? :)

This dish is where worlds collide and have a balance of ying and yang.  There's hot and spicy meat mixed together with crispy, cool raw vegetables.  The lime gives it a fresh pop while the fish sauce gives it savory oomph.  It has AMAZING flavor overall and is a bit unique to my tongue.  The closest thing that I've eaten is Singapore Mei Fun (another favorite Asian noodle dish of mine!).

This dish is more meat than noodle but you can always adjust that to your tastes.  Personally I've been advised by my doctor to make sure baby gets plenty of protein and am still watching my carbs because I reallyyyy don't want to develop gestational diabetes or have to deal with the glucose test again.  That was awful!

I highly recommend you give this one a try if you're looking for something different!

One Year Ago: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Stuffed Cinnamon Rolls and Stuffed Crust Pizza
Three Years Ago: Slow Cooker Carnitas
Four Years Ago: Szechuan Chicken

Spicy Beef and Basil Vermicelli Noodles

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (really, any ground meat would work...I had turkey and pork so that's what I ended up using this time) 
• 1 Tbs. Chinese 5-Spice (Start with this much but add more to taste if you like a spicier, more pungent flavor!)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs. freshly minced ginger
• 3 Thai chiles, minced
• 1 zucchini, cut into a small dice
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into a small dice
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup freshly chopped basil
• 1 lime
• 3 oz vermicelli noodles
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Cook the vermicelli noodles in boiling water, then drain and rinse under cool water.  Set aside.
2. While the noodles are boiling, brown the beef in a medium skillet until cooked through. Drain most of the grease.  Add the Chinese 5-Spice and a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté another minute. Add the garlic, ginger and chiles, sauté another minute.
3. Add the zucchini and sauté another 2 minutes. Add the fish sauce and toss to combine. Add additional salt to taste.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cooked vermicelli noodles, the beef mixture, diced red bell pepper, basil, parsley, scallions and a heavy squeeze of lime juice. Toss to combine. Serve with more lime slices if desired.

Source: Barely modified from Bev Cooks

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

I've had this recipe bookmarked for quite some time now.  It's one of Sarah's most popular recipes and now I understand why.  Not only is it a great weeknight meal but the flavor is one that the whole family will love, too.

Have you ever noticed that ground beef pretty much never comes in one pound packages unless you buy the rolls?  I always end up with 0.1, 0.3, and so on pounds of beef leftover and then I end up freezing it.  Eventually, I have enough collected to create another meal and that's where this recipe came in.  To stretch my ground beef further, I "beefed" it up with some mushrooms.

Then, to add more zest and to further copycat a flavor I love at my favorite Philly Cheesesteak joint, Penn Station, I substituted some tangy banana peppers for the green bell peppers.  Last but not least, I found the filling juices to be a bit too runny so I recommend to reduce the beef stock.  It was also lacking in flavor to me.  Maybe it's the type of steak sauce I used?  Sarah recommends A-1 but all I had was generic store-brand sauce.  I amped mine up by adding additional steak sauce, Worcesteshire sauce, and garlic powder.  All of these changes are reflected below.

If you want to simplify the recipe further, you could always put provolone cheese slices directly on top of the filling instead of creating the sauce but it's not nearly as melty this way and you can't go totally crazy with the cheese like I did.  But either way, go ahead and dig in...these are super sloppy and I recommend a fork!

Two Years Ago: Pierogi and Kielbasa Bake - Another easy weeknight meal.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

For the Filling

• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1 softball-sized onion, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup banana peppers, chopped
• 4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons steak sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcesteshire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 cup beef stock
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

For the Cheese Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup (4 ounces) provolone, shredded (I used 5 slices of pre-sliced smoked provolone)

For Serving

• Rolls or buns of choice
• Mayonnaise (optional)

Directions

1. In large skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes. Drain the majority of the grease then add the onion, green pepper, banana pepper, and mushrooms and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender. 
2. Stir in the steak sauce, beef stock, Worcestshire sauce, and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper to taste then bring up to a simmer and cook about 2 minutes. 
3. Split open rolls and remove most of the soft insides, leaving a bed to hold the meat mixture. Toast the rolls and set aside. 
4. While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium-size pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute until foaming. Whisk in milk, bring up to a simmer and let thicken slightly, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the cheese.  Continue to stir until melted through. 
5. To serve, smear some mayonnaise on the top of the rolls.  Place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.

Source: Modified from A Taste of Home Cooking

Spicy Three Bean Beef and Chocolate Chili

Happy National Chili Day!

This might be one of my favorite foods...especially when it comes to my beloved Cincinnati-style Skyline Chili.  For those not from the area, it's said to be an acquired taste.  It is Greek influenced so is velvety smooth, no beans or veggies, rumored to have chocolate and cinnamon as key ingredients, and served on top of noodles or tiny little hot dogs.  Typically it is then topped with a *mound* of finely shredded cheddar.  It's the bomb and if you want to give the concept a try at home, you can try to recipe for Cincinnati-Style Chili.  Though it's not Skyline by any means, it's still pretty good in a pinch.

I'm celebrating today by sharing a more traditional chili recipe that intrigued me because of its use of chocolate in the chili.  I wondered whether it would reflect some of the flavors that I love most about Cincinnati chili.  This one, it's a spicy one!  And I upped the chocolate so that the flavor came through more. All in all, not bad.  But again, NOT Skyline lol :).

LAST CHANCE!  My Kona Coffee giveaway ends at midnight (EST) today so make sure to get your entries in!

Spicy Three Bean Beef and Chocolate Chili

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground beef 
• 2 large onions, chopped (2 cups) 
• 6 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2-4 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped 
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder 
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin 
• 1 29-ounce can tomato sauce 
• 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 pint of grape tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups beer, water, or low-sodium beef broth
• 1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 15-oz can chili beans, in sauce 
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro 
• 3 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped 
• Crushed red pepper, if desired 
• Sour cream, shredded cheddar, green onions, cilantro, additional jalapeños and/or corn chips for topping

Directions

1. Brown the beef in a large Dutch oven set over medium heat. Drain off fat if necessary. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeños, and green peppers and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
2. Stir in the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomato paste, and beer/water/broth and increase heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the beans simmer for 15 to 20 minutes longer. 
3. Remove from heat and stir in salt, cilantro and chocolate. Continue stirring until the chocolate has melted. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve with desired toppings. 

Source: Modified from Spice is Nice

Recipe Swap: BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf with Caramelized Onions

Anytime the Blogger's Choice Swap comes along I jump at the chance to participate.  It's always fun to explore someone's blog and pick the perfect recipe to make from a collection of hundreds.  I spend far too many hours drooling over the blog and debating what to cook!

This week, I received The Jey of Cooking.  There were many recipes which I considered including this simple yet delicious looking Pasta with Tomato Marscapone Sauce and Chicken and Gnocchi Soup.  What always stands out on a blog though is an original recipe so that's what I ultimately went with.

It was super tasty...borderline addictive maybe.  It was a nice combination of sweet and salty with bursts of caramelized flavor from the onion and barbecue sauce.  I used ground turkey because that's what I had on hand and it was good but I'm sure it would be phenomenal with beef.  My husband especially liked the crunchy french fried onions on top.  And, I'll admit I picked them off the top of the leftover meatloaf because no sense in wasting the crunchiness which would inevitably turn to mush with microwave reheating :).

Thank you Jey for sharing and Sarah at Taste of Home Cooking for hosting.  Check out the blog hop below to see what everyone else made!

Two Years Ago: Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Hoagies and Chinese Scallion Pancakes with Asian Beef
Three Years Ago: Grandma B's Chicken a la King and Cream Biscuits

BBQ Cheddar Meatloaf with Caramelized Onions

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Lbs. Ground Beef (I used ground turkey instead)
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
• 3/4 Cup Uncooked Oatmeal
• 1 Egg, Beaten
• 1 Cup Barbeque Sauce, divided
• 1/4 Cup French Fried Onions (from a can)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.  When hot, Add the onions and let cook until golden and soft, about 35 minutes, stirring just a few times.
2. Preheat oven to 375.
3. Meanwhile, add the ground beef, half of the cheddar cheese, oatmeal, egg and half of the BBQ sauce to a large bowl and, using your hands, mix until combined.  When onions are finished, add to the bowl and, with a wooden spoon, fold in until well mixed.Add meat mixture into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray and form into a loaf shape.  Top with the remaining BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven, add french fried onions and return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Source: The Jey of Cooking

Recipe Swap: Taco Dip

Football season is upon us. Sadly, the only sport I actually enjoy watching is hockey and they are still on lockout (BOO). And to be honest, when it comes to watching sporting events, my favorite event is the epic eating fest of foods that are just far too bad for you. When else is it considered acceptable to park yourself in front of a tv and eat tons of greasy chips, dips, and other unhealthy yet awesome foods?

This recipe swap theme was Game Day and I submitted the Outback copycat Blooming Onion with Dipping Sauce recipe. I received a traditional Taco Dip from Nicole at Cookies on Friday. It's a recipe of unknown origins that has been handed down through the family.

Though I've eaten taco dips many times before, I've never made one.  Since there was no game for me to watch, after having a few generously dipped chips and staying true to the recipe, I ended up turning this into a taco salad dinner. Somehow this made me feel like it was an acceptable meal but I still ate far to much of it. It's like crack. So creamy and addicting even with fat-free and low-fat substitutions!  It's also amazingly simple to put together.  Yum.

Checkout the rest of the swap submissions in the blog hop below and thanks as usual to Sarah at Taste of Home Cooking for hosting!

One Year Ago: Cheesy Chili Mac
Three Years Ago: Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Taco Dip

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or turkey 
• 1 package taco seasoning (I used a low-sodium version)
• 15 ounce can refried beans (I used a fat-free version)
• 1-1/2 cups sour cream (I used a low-fat version)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese 
• Toppings: Sliced olives, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, red onions, jalapeno peppers
• Tortilla Chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Have a large pie plate ready.
2. In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef over medium high heat. Drain the meat and add the taco seasoning as the package directs. Allow to cool slightly.
3. Spread the refried beans in the pie plate. Top with the ground beef. Top with a layer of sour cream and then with the cheese.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are heated through. Top with desired toppings before serving. 

Source: Submitted by Nicole at Cookies on Friday

SRC: Brat Burgers with Drunken Onions

It's time for another Secret Recipe Club (SRC) reveal!  I can't tell you how excited I am to be a part of this club.  It has provided wonderful exposure to some new blogs for me to follow and, I'm sure I've gained a few readers myself (Hello out there!  Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think!).  Reveal day is especially delightful because you never know what someone will have chosen to make!  I love secrets :).

This month I received Debra's blog at Eliot's Eats.  I was impressed by the wide variety of recipes that I found on her blog and love how many of them were family and/or original recipes.  That's refreshing because honestly I feel like sometimes the food blog world is a bit incestuous with popular recipes making their rounds on the blogs that I follow.

I chose this particular recipe because it was one of her originals and the Summer grilling season is in full force.  Plus, I absolutely love the flavor of brats and drunken anything.  Oddly enough I don't really drink alcohol but add it to foods and I'm all about it!  This recipe did not disappoint.  It was wonderfully flavored and not unlike something you'd get at a fancy pants burger joint.  Something as simple as toasting the buns makes homemade burgers a little more special.  Since this recipe makes a lot, I'm also excited to have 4 more burgers in the freezer for when I need a quick meal in the future.

As usual a special thank you to April of the blog Angel's Homestead, our new SRC ring leader and Angela of the blog Big Bear's Wife, our Group C Hostess!

One Year Ago: Banana Sour Cream Pancakes
Three Years Ago: Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce

Brat Burgers with Drunken Onions

Ingredients

• 5 T. olive oil, divided
• 2 large red onion, cut in half and sliced thin (I used 1 red and 1 sweet yellow)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bottle Dunkel (Munich style) beer, or other dark German beer
• 1 T. red wine vinegar
• 2 t. Tabasco sauce
• 1 t. celery seed
• 1 t. mustard seed
• 1 1/2 t. fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 t. grey sea salt
• 1 lb. fresh Bratwurst
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 Kaiser rolls, split
• 1/4 c. whole grain mustard

Directions

1. Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a medium sauce pan. Cook onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add beer, vinegar, Tobasco, celery seed, mustard seed, pepper, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the brat burgers.  Take brats out of casings and mix with ground beef, bell pepper, and 1 Tablespoon of “Dunkelized” onion sauce. Form into six patties and season with salt and pepper.  (Hint: Use your fingers to make a dent in the center of the pattie to keep it flat after cooking!)
3. With preheated grill set at 350 degrees, place patties on grill and grill for about 5 minutes on each side.
4. Brush rolls with remaining olive oil and toast them the last minute of grilling burgers.
5. To assemble, place about 2 teaspoons of mustard on bottom-half of Kaiser roll. Add burger and top with cooked onions. Top with top-half of roll. Serve.

Source: Eliot's Eats

Tex-Mex Meatloaf with Chipotle-Tomato Glaze

Hi friends.  Did you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with food, friends, and family?  I know I certainly did...as evidenced by my lack of posting last week.  I had myself THREE Thanksgiving meals (yikes!) and surprisingly (and proudly) found myself still having an ab line and the scale was still within normal fluctuation the follow day.  I guess that Jazzercise session pre-Thanksgiving helped lessen the blow ;).  Plus, I was having far too much fun holding my adorable cousin's baby, Michaela, and watching her first crawl, too!  What did you do for Thanksgiving?  What did you eat and who did you spend it with?

Today's recipe that I'm sharing is a twist on an American classic.  It is a little tangy and a lotta spicy.  Definitely a fun change.

Tex-Mex Meatloaf with Chipotle-Tomato Glaze

Yields: 6-8 Servings

Ingredients

For the glaze

• 1 c. crushed canned fire-roasted tomatoes  
• 1/2 to 2 canned chipotle in adobo
• 2 TBSP lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 2 cloves garlic
• Salt, to taste

For the meatloaf

• 1/2 TBSP vegetable oil
• 1/4 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb. chorizo, removed from casings
• 1/4 c. chopped cilantro
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c. finely ground tortilla chips, crackers, or combination of the two (I highly recommend using chips)
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Either line a large baking sheet with greased foil or grease a loaf pan.
2. To make the glaze, combine all ingredients except salt in a blender or food processor and puree.  Add salt to taste.
3. To make the meat loaf, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the onion and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic and salt and cook 30 seconds more.  Slide the onion mixture into a large bowl.  Add the all remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly by hand. Form the meat mixture into a loaf and move to the baking sheet.  Alternately, gently press into a loaf pan.  Spread half the glaze on top of the meatloaf.  Place in the oven and bake 50 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and spread the remaining glaze on top.  Place back in the oven10 minutes more.  When done, remove meatloaf from the oven and let sit 15 minutes.  Slice with a serrated knife and serve. 

Source: Lisa Fain, The Homesick Texan Cookbook as seen on Apple A Day

Recipe Swap: Cheesy Chili Mac

Recipe swap time again!  This time I received a recipe that I had bookmarked earlier and was wanting to make anyway so was very excited to see this One Pot meal show up in my inbox.

This is very rich and very cheesy as the name promises!  I decided to leave out the extra cup of shredded cheese in the pasta sauce because I was concerned it'd be too much (crazy considering how much I LOVE cheese) and it was still plenty cheesy.  This is essentially homemade Hamburger Helper.  Yum!

This week I submitted a recipe that I received in a previous swap: Pierogi and Kielbasa Bake.  The Cookaholic Wife had made a very similar version previously and her husband liked the recipe even more WITH my addition of the veggies!  See the full round-up at Taste of Home Cooking.


By the way, I think I'm officially going to try to make Fridays a series of posts: Fast Fridays.  Meals that you can make in 30 minutes or less.  What do you think?  And, any great recipes to share so I can build my repertoire?

Cheesy Chili Mac

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 Onion, minced
• 1 Tbsp Chili powder
• 1 Tbsp Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 4 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp Brown sugar
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 2 cups Water
• 1 15 oz can Tomato sauce
• 2 cups Pasta (I used about 3 cups Penne since noodles are bigger and so they don't pack as well)
• 1 15 oz can Black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained (used diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers)
• 4 oz Cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups Shredded mexican cheese blend (I used a sprinkling of sharp cheddar)
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Heat a 12" skillet over medium heat and add oil.  Heat until shimmering.  Add the onion, chili powder, cumin, and salt to the pan.  Cook, stirring frequently until the onion is soft, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the garlic and brown sugar and cook an additional 1 minute.  Add the ground beef and cook through.
2. Stir in the water and tomato sauce then add the pasta and stir again.  Cover and increase heat to medium-high.  Cook until al dente, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the tomatoes and black beans, then the cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese is incorporated.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and for extra cheesiness, add 1 cup of shredded cheese.  Stir until combined.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and cover.  Let stand for 2 minutes until the cheese has melted.  Top with cilantro and garnish with sour cream, if desired.

Source: Adapted from Jey of Cooking

Cheesy Italian Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

Happy 11/11/11!  There's only one more time this century that a date with all the same numbers will happen and that's on 12/12/12.  When I bookmarked this recipe and put it on my menu plan I had every intention of making this in the crockpot.  But, apparently when you forget to do the pre-work ahead of time before going to work you end up making it in old fashioned way to speed things along.  Thank goodness for dual oven and crockpot directions on this one :).

I learn all sorts of meatball tricks on Joelen's blog.  Previously with Swedish Meatballs recipe I learned that instead of pan frying your meatballs you can put them in a (mini-)cupcake pan and bake them.  Now from this recipe I learned you can also just put your meatballs on a plate and nuke them.  How amazing and easy is that?!  I love tips and tricks that make your life easier and the thing I particularly love about Joelen's blog is that most recipes have make-ahead tips so they're perfect for new parents and folks with busy lives.

These meatballs were cheesy as promised and a definite crowd pleaser!  Everyone knows that marinara sauce freezes perfectly, too.


Cheesy Italian Meatballs with Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped fine
• 2/3 cup tomato paste (equivalent to one 6 oz can.)
• 8 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/4 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• Minced fresh Italian parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, tomato paste, 6 garlic cloves, oregano, pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until golden, about 8 minutes.
2. Transfer half of onion mixture to large bowl; set aside. Add wine to pot with remaining onion mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, then transfer to slow cooker.
3. Add 1/2 cup Parmesan, mozzarella, sausage, eggs, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining garlic to bowl with reserved onion mixture. Mash with potato masher until smooth. Add beef and cream to bowl and knead with hands until well combined. Form mixture into twelve 2-inch meatballs.
4. Microwave meatballs on large plate until fat renders and meatballs are firm, 4 to 7 minutes. Nestle meatballs in slow cooker, discarding rendered fat. Cover and cook on low until meatballs are tender and sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 hours. Skim fat. Stir in basil and remaining Parmesan. Season with salt. Serve over pasta and garnish with minced parsley if desired.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Prepare the directions as noted above for sauce however allow the sauce cool and set aside. Prepare the directions as noted above for the meatballs however nestle meatballs in an oven- and freezer-proof baking dish discarding rendered fat; allow to cool. Alternately, you can cool the meatballs and place in a gallon sized freezer bag. Cover the meatballs with the cooled sauce (either in the baking dish or freezer bag). Cover/seal and freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost.

If making in the oven - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking dish with foil and place baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir in basil and remaining Parmesan. Season with salt. Serve over pasta and garnish with minced parsley if desired.

If making in the slow cooker/crockpot - Place contents of freezer bag in a slowcooker/crockpot. Cover and cook on low until meatballs are tender and sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 hours. Skim fat. Stir in basil and remaining Parmesan. Season with salt. Serve over pasta and garnish with minced parsley if desired.


Source: Originally from Cook's Illustrated/Cook's Country as adapted by and seen on What's Cookin, Chicago and The Piggly Wiggly

Spaghetti Pie

This is a recipe that I made awhile back in either the winter or early spring (hence the not-so-awesome night-time lighting) but never got around to posting before the weather got too hot to justify using the oven.  Now that we had our first official freezing temperature of the season, I feel like I can dust it off of my "drafts" and share it with you all.

As you know, I aspire to make a pie on my 23 Things in 2011 list.  But, I'd consider it cheating if I counted this dish because the whole purpose of my making a pie was really to challenge myself to make a homemade crust.  And besides, I have a different recipe set aside for that ;).

What I love about this dish is how it tastes a lot like a lasagna to me (because it uses all the same delicious components) but is served in a fun, unassuming way and takes way less time to assemble since there aren't so many layers.  Heck, it kind of even looks like a deep dish pizza, really.  You can change it to suit your tastes (for example, I added basil, cracked red pepper, and some leftover Italian sausage for a boost of flavor and to meet Chris' meet requirements) and while I don't have kids, I have a feeling that this could please the entire family.

Two Years Ago: Cheesecake cupcakes - These remind me of when I was growing up because mom used to always make them.  Nilla wafers form the base of a bite-size cheesecake treat!

Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients

• 8 ounces spaghetti
• 2 large eggs 
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsps plus 1 tsp olive oil 
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 pound ground beef or turkey or Italian sausage (optional)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp cracked red pepper
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and liquid removed
• 1 15 oz container part skim ricotta
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella
• Black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put water on to boil.  LIghtly grease a 10" pie plate with olive oil or cooking spray then set aside.
2. In a saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil.  Add onions, garlic, and meat if using.  Cook until the meat is browned (breaking meat up into small crumbles as you cook) or if not using meat then until onions are translucent.  Add diced tomatoes with their juice, oregano, basil, cracked red pepper, and tomato paste.
3. Place ricotta in a bowl and combine with spinach.  Add black pepper to taste then stir to combine.
4. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti until just al dente, drain and toss in a large bowl with 1 tsp olive oil.  Whisk eggs with a fork in a small bowl with 1/3 cup shredded parmesan.  Toss with spaghetti.  Add spaghetti to prepared pie plate.  Shape into crust shape by using fingers to flatten the center and pressing up the sides of the plate.  Add the spinach-ricotta mixture to the indentation in the center.  Top with tomato meat sauce  and bake, uncovered for 25 minutes.
5. Top with shredded mozzerella and remaining shredded parmesan cheese.  Bake an additional 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Remove from oven.  Let cool for 10 minutes.  Then, slice into wedges and serve.

Source: Modified from REC(cession)IPIES

Asian Lettuce Wraps

There are some people that L.O.V.E. the restaurant P. F. Changs.  I, however, am not one of those people.  Personally I find the restaurant to be an overpriced version of any run-of-the-mill Americanized Chinese food and usually, it's way too salty.  But, I do love Asian lettuce wraps...and that's something they serve that's a bit more authentic.  People go gaga over these wraps there...and for good reason!

There's something about the contrasting flavors and textures of this meal: crisp, cool lettuce versus the hot (and if desired, spicy) meat filling.  Essentially, it's Asia's version of the taco.  It's also great for low-carb dieters because there's no tortilla, just a lettuce cup holding all the meaty goodness inside.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

For the sauce:

• 1½ tsp. hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• ½ tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce

For the filling:

• 2 tsp. canola oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• ½ tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
• 2 cups mixed vegetables 
• ½ green apple, finely chopped

To assemble:

• Butter lettuce leaves, washed and separated
• Shredded carrots for topping (optional)

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and mix to blend.
2. To make the filling, heat a skillet on high heat with cooking oil.  Once the pan is hot, add the garlic, ginger and green onions to the pan, and stir fry for a few seconds, just until fragrant.  Add the ground turkey or chicken, breaking into small pieces, and cook until almost cooked through.  Add the vegetables to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Mix in the sauce and cook for about 1 minute until thickened slightly.  Add the apples to the pan and toss to coat.  Immediately remove the pan from the heat.
3. Serve the filling in lettuce “cups” and top with shredded carrots, if desired.

Source: Originally from Steamy Kitchen as adapted by and seen on Annie's Eats

Recipe Swap: 7 Layer Taco Pie with Cornmeal Crust

Confession: I just may have gone a little crazy with modifications on this week's recipe swap.

Usually I stick as close to the original recipe as possible (swapping in things here in there due to preferences or just not having an ingredient on hand).  With this one, I saw so much potential.  As an aside, I recently took a "test" called StrengthsFinders and found one of my top strength themes is Maximizer.  Essentially someone with this strength likes to take something from good to great.  So, my mind went to concocting something grand...

I noticed that this recipe used a pastry puff crust but to me, that didn't feel very Mexican.  Valerie at Love Through the Stomach never claimed it was authentic anyway.  But then I thought...why not make a cornmeal crust instead?  And while we're at it, let's bake it in a tart pan so it looks pretty (and heck, my lovely tart pan deserves to be used more than once since it's arrival at Christmas time!)

Crust figured out.  Now for the filling.  I'm sure everyone's familiar with 7 Layer Taco Dips.  They're cold dips and usually the base layer is refried beans doctored up with taco seasoning and then there are 6 other layers...usually sour cream, guacamole, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and/or olives are somewhere in that mix.  It's really not all that much of a recipe as just layering whatever sounds good.  And that's where I drew my inspiration for this filling.  Which just by chance happened to be 7 layers once I put them in and counted.  Just my luck!

Ooooh, layers!

What resulted was something extremely comforting and soooo filling.  I quickly realized we could have used some help to finish eating this one because this was one literally heavy pie!

For this week's swap, I submitted Roasted Tomatillo Enchiladas and the swap round-up as always can be found at A Taste of Home Cooking's blog.

7 Layer Taco Pie with Cornmeal Crust
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Ingredients

For the Crust

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optionally added for a little "kick")
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 large egg yolks

For the Filling

• 1 pound lean ground turkey or beef
• 1 packet low-sodium taco seasoning
• 4 oz (1/2 package) Neufchatel low-fat cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz reduced fat sour cream
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 
• lettuce, shredded (in this case I had leftover Cilantro-Jalapeno Slaw so that's what I used today)
• 1 small tomato, diced
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

For the Crust

1. Whisk flour, cornmeal, salt, and cayenne pepper in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend. Beat in egg yolks. Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended. Roll dough into a ball then flatten into disk shape. Wrap dough disk in plastic and refrigerate 20 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before using.)
2. Preheat oven to 375F.  Lightly grease a 9" diameter tart pan with removeable bottom (if you don't have one, a springform pan or pie dish will also do).  Unwrap dough disk; press onto bottom and up sides of tart pan.  Blind bake for 15-20 minutes, until crust is lightly golden brown.  Set aside to cool.

To Assemble the Pie

1. While the crust is cooling, brown the ground turkey or beef.  Drain fat and add taco seasoning, preparing per package directions.  Cover and set aside.
2. Combine cream cheese and sour cream in a bowl.  Spread an even layer into the bottom of the cooled pie tart.  Add a layer of browned beef followed by black beans.  Continue layering rest of ingredients.  Serve by cutting into slices and enjoy!

Source: A Christine's Kitchen Chronicles original drawn from many inspirations including my swap partner Love Through the Stomach, cornmeal crust modified from Bon Appetit, December 2000, and 7-Layer Taco Dip filling inspiration from All Recipes.

Recipe Swap: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Sarah (oct11bride) of Taste of Home Cooking organized another recipe swap due to the smashing success of last time's swap.  It looks like its going to be a weekly thing which is really cool!  The theme of this one was "Pasta".  I submitted Cincinnati Style Chili (because I simply cannot resist sharing this stuff with the world!) and in return I received Displaced_Kiki's Spaghetti and Meatball recipe.  Check out Jey of Cooking's write-up of my beloved chili in her blog...such a great pic for something I know doesn't exactly photograph so well!  Guess it's all in the talent of the photographer :).

When I got the recipe I was both excited and disappointed at the same time.  As I alluded to in a recent post, I recently accumulated a stockpile of about 40 boxes of free (yes, free) pasta.  See...this is what 24 boxes of free pasta (and a few other items which I purchased for a total of just over $4) looks like.  Now imagine 16 boxes more...

Yep...we've got a lot of pasta to work through.  So, the fact the theme itself was pasta made me excited to start and I couldn't wait to get all sorts of new recipes to try out as I worked my way through the stock.  Then I got my recipe.  My heart sunk a bit when I saw spaghetti and meatballs because it was so familiar and I already had a great recipe from my mother-in-law that I frequently make.  But, I looked at the bright side of things and figured in the spirit of trying new things and possibly finding something better, I'd give it a shot.

I was intrigued by the addition of spinach in the meatballs but ended up leaving it out because I didn't want to buy a whole bag of fresh spinach just to throw in a handful of it.  I'm not sure what trio meat is nor how much was in "1 package" so I just used what I had on-hand which is 1/2 pound ground turkey and 1/2 pound ground mild italian sausage.  I figured if it made 12 meatballs this amount of meat seemed about right versus what I'm used to in my normal recipe.  The amount of egg (3) called for though seemed a bit much.  Still, I powered through and had faith.  I probably should have gone with my gut though because after adding all the meatball ingredients together I found it to be extremely wet/mushy and it wouldn't hold its shape.  I ended up adding a couple slices of shredded bread pieces.  I probably should have added more because they were still a bit soft and after baking my meatballs were more like meatmounds.  They didn't hold their shape as I had hoped and once I added them to the sauce they disintegrated into the sauce and kind of became meatsauce.  I also  ended up with over 20 meatballs (roughly 2" in diameter) so I'm still scratching my head over where I went wrong.

The sauce was a bit better.  I added a couple glugs of red wine for depth and cracked red pepper for heat.  I still craved more flavor from the sauce after it simmered.  I think this version tasted more fresh and acidic versus I'm used to and prefer a more deep, slightly sweet slow cooked flavor from simmering for hours.

Overall it was fun to try a new version but I think I'm still sticking with my tried-and-true family recipe.  Below is the original recipe submitted to me, without any of the modification of the ingredients I mentioned...just in case I did something wrong and there's operator error!  I did re-write the directions to reflect how I prepared this recipe.

By the way, time is running out to enter my 2nd Blogiversary Giveaway!  Don't miss out on this opportunity to win an autographed version of Pioneer Woman Cooks!

One Year Ago: It was a Dinner Club Brinner (Breakfast for Dinner) Theme with Bacon Egg and Toast Cups, Belgian Waffles, Pancake Syrup, Strawberry Topping, and Country Fried Steak!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

For the Sauce

• 1 big can crushed tomatoes
• 1 regular size can tomato sauce
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• garlic, salt and pepper,  basil, thyme, oregano, and parsley to taste
• 2 bay leaves

For the Meatballs:

• 1 package trio meat
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• hearty handful of baby spinach
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 red pepper
• small handful of fresh basil
• about a tbsp each of fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano, and parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a large rimmed cookie sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine ingredients for sauce in a dutch oven or large pot.  Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer.  Allow sauce to simmer while you prepare the meatballs.
3. Add spinach, onion, pepper, and spices in a food processor.  Pulse about 5-6 times until finely chopped.
4. In a large mixing bowl, using your hands mix together processed vegetables and remaining ingredients until combined.  Shape meat into balls and place onto cookie sheet.  Bake for about 20-25 minutes.
5. Add meatballs to the sauce and serve.

 Source: Displaced_Kiwi

Swedish Meatballs

This was a perfect meal for a cold night.  It's not at all healthy but hey, that's what makes it so delicious and so comforting.  Sweet, spicy, and creamy.  The flavor was wonderful!

I loved Joelen's tip about using a mini-muffin pan to bake the meatballs in a single large batch.  Sadly, I don't own a mini-muffin pan so decided to take my chances on just putting it on a rimmed cookie sheet.  Worked like a charm except that only the bottom (the part touching the pan) had a golden crust to it.  I'd imagine the same would be true even if I had used a muffin pan and they are covered in sauce anyway so who's looking.  This was a huge time saver and convenience so you can bet that I'll be using this method in other meatball applications :).

Now, I only had spaghetti noodles at the time but I think traditionally you'd serve this over more of an egg or broad flat noodle.  Good thing I have my giant 40 box stockpile of free pasta to work through so that next time I can do it right :P.  Yeah...remind me to tell you about that story sometime...

By the way...my 2nd blogiversary is coming up on April 9th!  I'm going to have my FIRST EVER give-away in honor of that so check back later this week for a post on how you can enter to win!

One Year Ago: The Easiest White Bean Chicken Chili


Swedish Meatballs
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Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup half & half or heavy cream
• 2 medium sized dinner rolls, torn into small pieces
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 small onion, grated on large holes of box grater
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 pound ground beef (80-85% lean)

For the sauce:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 1 cup caramelized mushrooms (optional)
• 1/2 cup half & half or heavy cream (optional)
• 2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon 

Directions:

1. Whisk egg and cream together in medium bowl. Stir in bread and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat pork, onion, nutmeg, allspice, pepper, brown sugar, salt, and baking powder on high speed until smooth and pale, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl as necessary. 
3. Using fork, mash bread mixture until no large dry bread chunks remain; add mixture to mixer bowl and beat on high speed until smooth and homogeneous, about 1 minute, scraping bowl as necessary. 
4. Add beef and mix on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl as necessary. 
5. Using a small or medium ice cream scoop, form  meatballs with wet hands and set aside; repeat with remaining mixture to form 25 to 30 meatballs.
6. Spray a mini-muffin pan or rimmed cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Place individual meatballs into each muffin well or evenly space them on the cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Transfer browned meatballs to paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
7. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add butter. When foaming subsides, add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is light brown, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in broth. Add brown sugar and caramelized mushrooms and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream (if using) and return to simmer.
8. Add meatballs to sauce and simmer, turning occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Source: As modified by and seen on Joelen's Culinary Adventures from Cook's Illustrated

Ragu a la Bolognese

This was good again for a change of pace but I still prefer the Marinara Magnifica recipe and just adding some browned beef or sausage for when I want a meat sauce.  That sauce recipe I think is just going to be very hard to top!  I did get a pretty good photo of this sauce this time.  I think the fresh basil leaves gave it that real gourmet look and contrasted beautifully with the redness of the sauce :).

To be honest, I didn't even realize that Bolognese sauce isn't even meant to be a tomato based sauce!  Guess it's been way Americanized from its original intent.  I couldn't tell you how authentic this recipe is because I guess I've never had a true Bolognese sauce until this, perhaps.  As far as I can tell from doing some research on Google, it seems to be authentic as very little tomato is actually used in the recipe, it uses the multiple in-between cook times which are needed to help build the complex flavors, and milk is used to tenderize the meat.

The original recipe says to let the sauce simmer for 2 hours in an oven heated to 350 degrees but since I wasn't sure that I had a large enough oven-proof vessel to handle this, I did my simmering on the stove and am showing my modified cooking method below.  Speaking of, I really should invest in a dutch oven given all the cooking I do.  What brand do you recommend?  You can click on the source link to see the original method if you'd like to try that.

Like almost every Italian sauce that I've ever made, this recipe makes a lot (I'd estimate that it makes a good 4-5 meals for 2 people as a sauce over noodles).  But, given the long simmering time, you might as well just make a big pot and let it go then freeze the leftovers in small portions for the future. 

I don't think it'll be going into my personal rotation because I prefer more tomato flavor.  If anything it almost reminded Chris and me of Cincinnati-Style Chili!  I think it might be because it consisted of a beef sauce simmered for a long time and maybe the nutmeg in the sauce that made it a little similar.  Either that or it's because I love that chili so much my mind was being tricked into thinking it was eating it.  Strange, huh?

Ragu a la Bolognese
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Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound mixed ground pork/beef (Used mild italian sausage)
• 7 oz bacon or pancetta, sliced (Used turkey bacon)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 2 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 1/2 cups beef broth*
• 2 1/2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• pinch of dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil

*Note: A dry red wine can be substituted for the beef broth.  I ended up using 2 cups (1 can) broth and then 1 1/2 cups of red Shiraz wine.

Directions 

1. In a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt butter and oil.  Add the bacon and cook for 4 minutes.  Add the vegetables and garlic then cook an additional 5 minutes.  Crumble the ground meat into the pot and cook for 8-10 minutes, until browned.
2. Pour in milk and nutmeg.  Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
3. Add the diced tomatoes, broth (and/or wine), fresh and dry basil, bay leaves, pepper, and salt.  Bring the sauce back to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. After sauce as rested for a little while, skim the grease off the top of the sauce.  Adjust seasonings as needed and serve over hot pasta. 
5. If desired, divide leftover portions into containers and freeze.  To re-used, put frozen sauce container in fridge the evening before you plan on serving it.  This will allow it time to thaw before you re-heat it on the stove or in the microwave.

Source: Delicious Magazine, June 2009 as seen on Kayotic Kitchen

Meatball Subs

This one's easy and another one of those multipurpose meals.  You take something old and create something new.  It's so easy Chris asked me "are you really posting this to your blog?" because you pretty much don't even need directions.  From a single batch of Grandma B's Spaghetti Meatballs I was able to make dipping sauce for Pizza Bites, 4 meals worth of traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs (3 portions which were coveniently portioned into 7 meatballs with sauce for 2 and frozen for later use), and a couple of Meatball Subs!  In the past I've also used the sauce for Spinach Sausage and Cheese Manicotti (but if you do that, you'll either want to make fewer meatballs or more sauce so your ratio isn't all messed up!).

I wanted to make homemade sub bread but wasn't able to find a suitable recipe in time and was feeling a bit lazy (*gasp*).  Do you have a tried and true sub recipe that I can try?  If so, leave a comment so I can give it a whirl!

I've been making a concious effort to make meals based on what's on sale for the week and then reusing either ingredients or even leftover meals to create something completely new for later in the week.  Whenever I do this, I'll make sure to point out the possibilities.  How's that for easy meal planning? :)

Prefer chicken?  Try this Chicken Parmesan Meatball Sub from Rachel Ray!

Meatball Subs
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Yields: 2 6-inch sub sandwiches

Ingredients

• Approximately 12 Meatballs and some spaghetti sauce
• 1 Foot store-bought take-and-bake sub sandwich bread
• Shredded mozzerella cheese

Directions

1. Slice bread lengthwise then into two equal 6 inch pieces. Bake according to package directions, underbaking by about 3 minutes.
2. If needed, heat meatballs and sauce on stove over medium heat.
3. Turn oven onto broil.  Spoon 6 meatballs and some sauce onto each sandwich then top with shredded cheese.  Put sandwiches back into oven and broil until cheese is brown and lightly toasted.  Serve hot.

Tacos in Pasta Shells

I'm a little behind on posting recipes.  This one was made for dinner last week.  Wanted Mexican but didn't want to go the old stand-by Taco Salad route.  This one sounded interesting so thought I'd give it a try. I figured anything pasta has to be good :).  It was pretty good but a little more effort than I would have liked so probably wouldn't make the regular rotation.  Still looking for that perfect weeknight Mexican dinner!

Tacos in Pasta Shells
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Prep Time: 30 Min
Cook Time: 30 Min
Ready In: 1 Hr 
Yields: 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 18 jumbo pasta shells
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cups salsa, divided
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips (omitted)
• 1 cup sour cream (used non-fat plain yogurt)
• onions, diced (optional)
• black olives, sliced (optional)
• tomatoes, diced (optional)
• jalepenos, sliced (optional)
• lettuce, sliced (optional)

Directions

1. In a large skillet, brown beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add cream cheese, 1/2 cup salsa, salt and chili powder; mix and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Toss cooked shells in butter.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Pour about 1/2 cup of salsa into botom of 9x13 baking dish.  Fill shells with beef mixture and arrange in baking dish; pour remaining salsa over shells. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
5. Remove dish from oven and top with Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and tortilla chips; return dish to oven to cook for 15 minutes more.
6. Top with miscellaneous taco toppings and serve.

Source: Modified from All Recipes

Cincinnati Style Chili

Anybody that knows me would know that I am a HUGE fan of Skyline Chili.  Eating Skyline is seriously a ritual for me: While waiting for my order to arrive, dash a bit of hot sauce on the oyster crackers and eat a few.  The 3-way quickly arrives (sometimes half vegetarian (black beans & rice mixture)...which often confuses the waitresses!) and I first eat the shredded cheese off the top until a thin melty layer remains, then cover the dish with lots of hot sauce, then cut the noodles into a column followed buy cutting that column into a row, eat a square of delishness, repeat until all that remains is a bit of chili juice on the plate.  Ahhh.  Heaven. 

I always joke that one reason that I could never move away from Cincinnati would be that I would have Skyline withdrawal.  Sure, you can buy Skyline in a can or frozen but it's not the same.  Even further off from the real deal but still good in its own way is the powdered Cincinnati-style chili mixes.  There's something about the consistency of the chili at the restaurant (velvety smooth and not too runny!) and the huge and flavorful mound of Skyline cheese (yes, I swear they have their own special cheese!) that really makes the dish.

Tonight, I tried my hand at making Cincinnati Style Chili from scratch.  I found several recipes and this just might be a series of posts until my quest for the best recipe is complete.  (If you have one you love, please share!).  This particlar one was good but not GREAT.  Very similar to the Cincinnati-Style (Blue) Powder packets that you can buy in the local groceries but with a weaker spice in my opinion.  Definitely NOT Skyline.  Alas, that secret recipe lies with the Lambrinides Family...if only I had thought of asking them to share it with me when they were my parent's neighbors!

Brief tutorial for Cincinnati Chili Virgins (ha, no pun intended!):
One-way: Chili only
Two-Way: Spaghetti noodles topped with chili.
Three-Way: Spaghetti noodles, chili, finely shredded mild cheddar cheese
Four-Way: Spaghetti, chili, cheese, and red kidney beans OR finely chopped white onions
Five-Way: Spaghetti, chili, cheese, beans AND onion.
Coney: Mini hot dog in a bun with chili; mustard and onions optional.
Cheese Coney: Mini hot dog in a bun with chili and shredded cheddar cheese; mustard and onions optional.
Pizza: Not really a traditional usage but sometimes I like to mix things up a bit.  You can use a regular pizza dough and top it with chili for the sauce.  Top with cheddar cheese, onions, and cut up hot dog pieces.


Cincinnati Style Chili
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Photo credit: Delicious Melicious

Yields: 6 pints

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. lean hamburger, DO NOT BROWN!
• 2 qts. water
• 2 lg. onions, finely chopped
• 29 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 5 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tbsp. vinegar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate squares (or 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 10 drops Tabasco sauce

Directions:

1. In a large pot whisk together hamburger, water and onions until beef is broken up; Turn stove on and bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Then add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 2 or 3 hours, uncovered.
3. Serve it your way, as per tutorial above.

Source: Modified from Delicious Melicious