Baked Meatballs

I know what you're thinking... really, a mini muffin tin for meatballs??  Trust me though, this method is genius!  It's from one of my favorite chefs, Alton Brown.  His recipes are always delicious, precise (which I like because that means I can replicate them!), and well thought out.  Using a mini muffin tin is perfect for meatballs- not only do the meatballs stay round, but they get cooked on all sides without sitting in any pools of grease (which is not good eats, as Alton Brown would say!).

Meatballs are one of my husband's favorite foods, and these quickly catapulted into his #1 favorite meatball slot.  He told me that if I didn't already have this muffin pan, it would be worth buying just for this recipe!  This one is from Pampered Chef.  Another tool that makes this recipe easy is a large cookie scoop, for portioning out the meat.  I have a large (3 tbsp.) Pampered Chef scoop.

Thank you Alton Brown for this recipe, wherever you are!

Baked Meatballs
Printable version here

1 1/2 pound ground meat (I use a combination of beef & pork)
5 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly (half of a 10 oz. package)
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp. table salt)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you want it
1/2 cup bread crumbs, divided (I prefer Panko bread crumbs)

1. Preheat the oven to 400º.  Lightly spray a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, pork, spinach, Parmesan, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs.  Using your hands, mix all ingredients until well incorporated.  Use immediately or place in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

3. Place the remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs into a small bowl.  Using a 3 tbsp. cookie scoop, portion into 20 meatballs (if using a scale, they will weigh 1.5 ounces each).  Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds, roll in the bread crumbs, and place the meatballs in individual, miniature muffin tin cups.  Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Yield: 20 meatballs

Recipe Source: foodnetwork.com

Why I love it? They're not too difficult or time consuming, and they taste PHENOMENAL! I have never had a better-tasting, more perfectly-textured meatball! 

My New Vitamix

 As most of you know, my family has been busy lately for a pretty good reason.  A week ago today, on March 19th, my husband donated a kidney to his dad.  The surgery went perfectly and my father in law now has great kidney function, meaning he can stop dialysis!  There are no long term issues for my husband now having only one kidney; the main thing is that we just need to keep him (and us) in overall good health.  The good ol' diet and exercise!

A family member gave us a generous gift for having donated the kidney, and we decided to put that towards this new Vitamix blender.  I had seem them at Costco before and always LOVED how well they worked, and how they could transform regular ingredients into something special. Buying this with the gift is one way to commemorate the surgery and to help our family eat healthier.

I have already used this 9 times in 2 1/2 days.  I have made fruit/veggie smoothies, frozen coffee drinks, and pancake batter.  It is easy to use, should last forever (including the 7 year warranty), and is enabling our family to eat better!

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!  This is the Vitamix 6300. (Costco's price was better, of course!)

Click to enlarge

Most importantly, I should add, this passed the Kid Test!  These smoothies are delicious & filling, and you can't even taste the vegetables!

Garlic Breadsticks

For someone who used to be "afraid" of yeast recipes, they are now one of my favorite things to make.  Nothing compares to the smell of warm yeast bread, straight out of the oven!  The taste can't compare to store bought bread, they're healthier (less sodium & preservatives), and they're cheaper!

So, it's a no-brainer to me that I would make my own breadsticks.  I had not found a breadstick recipe that I LOVE until I came across this one!  They are soft, buttery, and garlicky! I cut the original recipe in half to make the amount that my family eats in one dinner, but you could certainly adjust the recipe size to fit your needs.

Recipe Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com 

Garlic Breadsticks
Printable version here

In a small bowl, combine and let rest for 15 minutes:

• 1 tsp. instant yeast
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. warm water

Meanwhile, combine the following in the bowl of a stand mixer:

• 2 1/4 cups flour (I normally use half wheat flour & half all-purpose flour)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 2/3 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp. butter, softened

 Add the yeast mixture to the bowl (the yeast should be dissolved and puffy).  Knead on speed 2 for 5 minutes.  Remove bowl from mixer, cover with a towel, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Remove dough from bowl and place on a nonstick mat or a lightly floured surface.  Divide into 8 portions, and roll each portion into a stick shape (mine were 8" long).  Alternately, roll into a rectangle and slice into 1" thick portions using a pizza cutter.  Place on a greased baking sheet (I grease it with some of the butter that I have out for the recipe).  Cover with a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.  Let rise for 1 hour.

Towards the end of the rising time, turn on the oven to 375º.  Also, combine in a small bowl and microwave until melted:

• 1 1/2 tbsp. butter
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Brush on the risen breadsticks.  Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom.  Brush remaining butter mixture over the breadsticks, then sprinkle with kosher (or regular) salt.

Yield: 8 breadsticks
Recipe Time: 2 hours (or just under)

Why I love it? It is a soft, flavorful, easy to make breadstick! The texture is great, they browned nicely, and really we just all loved them!

Creamy White Chicken Chili

I first had this chili at a little church in Burbank, WA.  When we go to eastern WA we like to visit our friends (the Cagles) and go to their church if we can.  The husband, Dan, is the pastor there.  Anyway, last time we picked a good time to visit, as it was their annual chili cook-off!  This was the winning chili, and me and several other people asked the lady who made it for the recipe.

I just made it for the first time, and I was reminded why it won!  It starts as a regular white chicken chili, but then it gets some magical ingredients added at the end- sour cream and heavy cream!  They make it so creamy and good!  It also helps balance out the spiciness from the cayenne pepper.  I reduced the amounts of these two things a little bit, and you can certainly play with the amounts, too (what's written below is the amount I used).  I used light sour cream and heavy cream, but you could also try it with fat free sour cream and maybe even half & half instead.  If I try those sometime, I'll update here!  

[Update- last time I made it I used fat free sour cream and half & half, and it was still delicious and creamy! Good to know!]

Creamy White Chicken Chili
Printable version here

1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 pound boneless chicken cut into 1/2 inch cubes*
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15 oz.) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups (or 1 can) chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup heavy cream or half & half

(*or you may substitute 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; add chicken and onion.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink.  Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.

2. Add beans, broth, seasonings, and chilies (and shredded chicken if using).  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

3. Stir in sour cream and heavy cream and serve.  Serves: 4-6

[I haven't tried this yet, but this chili should freeze just fine, as long as you set aside the portion to freeze before adding the sour cream & cream. Those ingredients don't freeze very well, but you could just add them in after thawing and heating the frozen chili.]

Why I love it? It tastes fantastic- it's a little spicy, creamy, flavorful, and dense! It's chock-full of protein and fiber!  It's also a reasonably quick dinner, as it takes an hour start to finish (and half that time is just simmering).