Meatball Subs & Sauce

Meatballs:
1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs or crushed saltines
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey

To dredge the meatballs:
1 1/2 cups flour in a shallow baking dish

In a large bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients together EXCEPT the meat. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes so the breadcrumbs/crackers can soak up the liquid a little bit. Add the meat and mix well with your hands until all the ingredients are combined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease the foil. Form golf ball-sized meatballs and dredge them in the flour until lightly coated. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet about one inch apart. Bake for 20 -25 minutes until the meatballs are completely cooked through.

When the meatballs come out of the oven, let them sit for about 15 minutes. Gently scrape off any fat and place the meatballs in a 9X13-inch baking dish (or similar size). Pour the hot tomato sauce over the meatballs.

Sauce:
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar (this helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes on low. Keep warm until the meatballs are finished baking.

To assemble the sandwiches, slice the buns in half. Place 3-4 meatballs on each bun and cover with desired amount of sauce, top with Mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded. Serve immediately with lots of napkins.

*Note: When I make these, I often prepare and bake the meatballs earlier in the day. To reheat, I place the meatballs in the pot with the simmering sauce and let them warm up together. And since I know someone will ask, the meatballs freeze great. Freeze them, unbaked, on a baking sheet. Once frozen, they can be placed in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. Bake them (without thawing first), adding 6-7 minutes to the baking time. Incidentally, they also freeze great after they have been baked. Freeze them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag and reheat them in the simmering sauce until they are warmed through.

Taco Stuffing

2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups water
1 cup rice (white or brown)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

In a large pot, brown the ground beef or turkey with the onion and garlic and cook until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are translucent. Drain any accumulated grease. Add the water, rice, seasonings, tomato sauce, tomato paste and beans. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmeruncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, watching to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot (if you are using brown rice, it may need to simmer for up to 60-70 minutes). The mixture will seem very watery at first, but after simmering, it will thicken to perfection as the rice absorbs water and all the ingredients meld together.

Serve as the filling in a taco, ontop of a taco salad, dip with tortilla chips, sloppy joes, or freeze the leftover meat/rice mixture to defrost and reheat later.

Lemonade Cookies

I have yet to make these- but I will soon! I adapted this from a recipe in Parenting Magazine.

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. powdered lemonade mix
1 egg
8 drops red food coloring
1 3/4 c. flour
pinch of salt
1/4 c. pink decorating sugar
1 tbl. light corn syrup
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2-3 tbl. fresh lemon juice

In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, and lemonade mix. Beat until fluffy, about 3 mins. Add egg and food coloring, beat well. Gradually add flour and salt. Beat until dough begins to cling.

Gather dough into a ball and shape into a 7x 2 1/2 in. log. Wrap in wax paper and chill 3 hrs, until firm enough to slice.

Preheat oven to 360. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and place pink sugar in a shallow bowl. Brush outside of the dough log with corn syrup. Cut log into 1/8 in. slices (like a cookie) then lightly roll the edges in pink sugar. Place on cookie sheet. Score the top of cookies with the back of a small knife to make them resemble citrus segments.

Bake about 8 mins. Until edges are just firm. Let cool on a wire rack.

Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice in a ziploc bag. Snip a small hole in the corner and pipe icing onto scored lines Let stand until icing is set.

Makes about 2 1/2 doz.

Raspberry Limeade

12 oz. pkg. frozen raspberries
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. water
4 tea. grated zest and 1/2 c. juice from 4 limes
chilled club soda (I used 7up- the club soda was a bit too bland)
ice

Heat raspberries, sugar, and water in saucepan over medium heat about 5 minutes. Mash berries with a potato masher or whisk, then stir in lime zest & juice. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
Pour raspberry mix through fine sieve. You'll end up with a little more than 2 1/2 c. syrup. Discard solids. Refrigerate syrup until cool- 30 minutes (it will keep up to 1 week)
To serve, combine 3/4 c. soda and 3 tbl. syrup into a tall glass with ice.
For larger servings, 1 liter of soda will take about 1 1/2 c. syrup.

Creamy Green Enchiladas

Filling:
3 c. cooked, chopped chicken
2 (4 oz.) cans of green chiles, lightly drained
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese- softened
1 can black beans, rinsed

Sauce:
2 tbl. butter
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 tbl. flour
1/3 chicken broth
1/4 c. milk
1/4 tea. salt
1/4 tea. pepper
1 can (7 oz.) green chile sauce
1/2 c. sour cream

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8 taco sized flour tortillas
Handful of chopped fresh cilantro

In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and green chiles. Mix well. Add chicken and black beans. Stir to combine and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions. Stir occasionally until onions soften and become translucent. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, then the milk. Whisk around until flour becomes less clumpy and eventually smooth out. Add salt and pepper. Remove skillet from heat and stir in the enchilada sauce and sour cream.

Lightly grease a 9x13 dish. Spread 1/4 c. of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 c. of the chicken mixture. Top with a small amount of cheese and roll up, then place seam side down in the dish. Continue filling enchiladas until the dish is full.

Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with cheese. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle fresh cilantro on top and serve.

Week Full of Buttermilk Cloverleaf Rolls

Ok, I am in love. And while making bread is kinda hard- it sure does work out the arms!

3 c. buttermilk at room temp.
3 c. flour
1 tbl. yeast dissolved into 1/4 c. warm water (let proof for 2-3 mins.)
1/2 c. sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tea. salt
1/2 oil
1 tea. baking soda
5 c. flour, more or less

Mix the buttermilk. flour, and yeast/water mixture in a large mixing bowl. Let stand at room temp until it has doubled in size- about two hours.

Add sugar, eggs, salt, flour, oil, and baking soda. mix well and knead for 7-10 mins. Grease as many muffins as you want, then roll small dough balls (about 3/4 in.) and place three balls into each tin.

Place the rest of the dough into a covered container and place it in the fridge. It will keep for up to seven days (a whole week's worth of rolls for dinner!)

Let rolls rise until double in size- about 1-2 hrs. (dough from fridge will take longer because it's cold) Bake at 350 for 10-12 mins.

Lemon Sugar Cookies (with or without poppy seeds)

This recipe from my new favorite recipe blog, Mel's Kitchen Cafe, called for poppy seeds. But I didn't have those just lying around, and I needed to use up some buttermilk hanging out in my fridge. These cookies are simply divine without the poppy seeds!

2 c. flour
1 tea. baking powder
1/4 tea. salt
1/4 tea. baking soda
1 tbl. poppy seeds (I see these as optional)
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 tea, vanilla
zest of one lemon

In a med. bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking powder, and poppy seeds. Set aside.

In a lrg. bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest then mix. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Mix it good!

Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake 9-12 minutes, until the edges are set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.