Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Marvelous Mozzarella Meatballs

I honestly never really liked meatballs, but when I came across a recipe for mozzarella stuffed meatballs, I instantly wanted to give them another chance.  The recipe sounded delicious & let me tell you... they are the most mouth-watering meatballs I've ever had.  One of my favorite things about making the dish is that it usually serves as 2 meals for my family-spaghetti & meatballs & then meatball subs the following day.  So make sure you make more than enough.  You'll be glad you did come lunchtime.

To make the mozzarella stuffed meatballs you'll need marinara sauce, 1-1/2 lbs. of lean ground beef, 8oz. of mozzarella cheese(not shredded), minced garlic or garlic powder, dried basil, 1/3 c. breadcrumbs(I use italian breadcrumbs), 1/3 c. parmesan cheese, & 1 egg.  Mix all ingredients together except the mozzarella.  Roll the mixture into 1 in. meatballs. Then cut the mozzarella into 1/3 in. pieces.  To get the mozzarella into the meatball, just make a small pocket in the meatball with your thumb, add the cheese, then close the pocket by forming the meatball around the cheese.  Make sure you cover the mozzarella completely or the cheese will come out when the meatballs are cooking.  Once you are finished preparing the mozzarella stuffed meatballs, drizzle some olive oil in a pan on medium-medium high heat.  Add the meatballs & sear them on all sides, turning them as the cook.  You'll see them get dark on the outside.  Once all sides of the meatball are seared, drain any excess oil & then add your choice of marinara sauce.  I like to use a plain traditional sauce.  I always add a little brown sugar to mine to take out the tanginess of the sauce.  Let the meatballs finish cooking in the sauce on medium-medium low heat for at least 15-20.  You're delicious meatballs are then ready for you to add to over favorite pasta.

For the mozzarella stuffed meatball subs, get some sub rolls from the bakery section of your grocery store.  Cut the sub rolls to look like a boat to put the meatballs into.  I like to bake the rolls for a few min. at 400 degrees, just to get them toasty.  Warm the meatballs & sauce, then add to your roll.  Add a little more mozzarella over the top of the meatballs, if you have extra.  When you bite in you'll quickly see why these meatballs are a favorite of mine.  The mozzarella in the middle of each juicy meatball is a little surprise with each bite!

Like with any recipe, you can change this one to your taste.  Using ground sirloin is a great variation.  Also, using all fresh ingredients such as fresh basil, garlic, & mozzarella make these meatballs out of this world good.  Either way you make them these marvelous mozzarella meatballs are sure to be a hit!


Sunday, September 26, 2010

Spicy Spuds

I'm always looking for a new & easy way to get dinner on the table, so when I saw how hassle free & delicious my mom's roasted potatoes are to make I knew I should watch closely to see just what they were all about.  To my surprise it's basically just potatoes & spices you might already have in your pantry.  With potatoes being so inexpensive this is a very affordable way to provide a tasty starch at dinner time!

To make roasted potatoes you need to preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  A high temperature is needed to get a crisp outside, but soft inside on the potato.  Dice potatoes (however many you need depending on how many you're cooking for) into 1/3 inch pieces.  Put the potatoes in a baking dish & lightly drizzle olive oil over the potatoes for flavor and to keep the seasonings on the potatoes.  Sprinkle the oiled potatoes with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, & spicy montreal steak seasoning (McCormick's).  Toss the potatoes to make sure they are all evenly covered and then they are ready for the oven.  At 450 degrees they shouldn't need more than 20-25 minutes.  About 10 minutes into the cooking process give them a stir to keep them from sticking to the bottom and to get an even brown on all sides of the potatoes.

These have become my husband's favorite way to have potatoes.  Maybe they'll become yours as well.  Remember, you can usually change a recipe to suit your own taste.  You may not care for spicy food, so use regular montreal seasoning.  Or rosemary is an simple substitute for steak seasoning all together.  Once you try these potatoes you'll see an endless amount of ways to make this flavorful side.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Something simple, something sweet

If you know me then you know how much I enjoy to cook & eat, if you don't you soon will know.  I love just how simple cooking can be if you just look at it as being a simple task.  You'll find that you enjoy what you've made & the time spent making it.  I encourage all who consider cooking a difficult, job like task to give it another try with just a different outlook. 

A simple, but promising dessert recipe, that is old & trusty, is one that I got from my husband's Nanny. It's fruit cobbler.  Any fruit is applicable here.  Whatever you have, or is on sale, or what you love most is perfect.  You could use fresh, can, or frozen fruit.  I like to sweeten the fruit with sugar or sugar substitute if you're using fresh or frozen. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Mix together 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, & 1 cup of milk.  Then pour the mixture over 2 cups of fruit.  Bake until the top is golden brown-approximately 20 min.  You will then have an old fashion cobbler in just minutes that everyone will enjoy & bring happiness to all.  I like to add cool whip or ice cream.  :)

The more you cook the more you'll realize how you can change a recipe to suit your taste & diet.  That is one of my favorite things about cooking.  I hope you enjoy this recipe or at least reading my thoughts on this simple & sweet good eat!