Meatballs

Meatballs

2/3 c (2 slices) fresh breadcrumbs,

 Seasoned with:

1 tsp seasoned salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp red or black pepper

2 cloves minced or pressed garlic

1/4 c minced onion

1/2 lb ground beef

1 egg

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

In food processor, make and season breadcrumbs; remove these to large bowl before tossing onion and garlic into the food processor to mince, then reintroducing breadcrumbs; pulse to combine.

Mash all ingredients together by hand in large bowl, then form superball-sized balls and (non-stick) pan fry in a bit of olive oil, turning each meatball at least 3 times for browning. Simmer in marinara sauce for flavor.

Serve over spaghetti noodles, or on hoagie rolls (with cheeese) for a meatball sub. 

Pasta Alfredo with Blackened Chicken

Pasta Alfredo with Blackened Chicken

(Creamy-without-the-cream and fortified with broccoli and tomatoes, this classic restaurant-indulgence dish just became your weeknight backup, it's so easy!)

Put salted pasta water on to boil, readying

1 lb mezze penne, or your preferred pasta

Heat a grill pan or iron skillet on med high, and ventilate cooking area.

Filet 2 chicken breasts into cutlets (time saving, spicier) and season each side with some of the blackening spice mixture:

2 tsp Old Bay or seasoned salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp mixed dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne

Drizzle the chicken breasts with olive oil before searing about 2 min. each side, cooking to 165f..

4 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper (for the taste of it)

1/3 cup italian-blend shredded cheese

2/3 cup grated or shredded parmesan

Add garlic to melting butter in a large non-stick skillet, and with your silicone-covered whisk (don't tear up your skillet), whisk in the flour, and cook this garlicky roux until golden over medium heat. Whisk in milk gradually, eliminating lumps as you go. (Put pasta on to boil) Season sauce and let thicken while stirring frequently. When sauce is gravy-like, remove from heat and add cheese, stirring to melt. Finally, mix into sauce:

3 Tbsp diced sun-dried tomatoes (start with packaged julienned sun-dried tomatoes for ease)

Stir into boiling pasta at t-minus 2 min:

1 head of fresh broccoli, trimmed

Drain pasta and broccoli well before combining with sauce. Slice chicken breasts against the grain just before serving.

Bacon and Shrimp Egg Rolls with Duck Sauce

Bacon-Shrimp Egg Rolls & Duck Sauce

(I serve these with a side of General Tso's chicken.)

20 egg roll wrappers

20 large raw shrimp, thawed, cleaned, and butterflied lengthwise for length

4 slices bacon, cut into bits

1/4 cup julienned carrot

(2 bags) finely sliced cabbage

6 green onions, sliced (of course no tops)

2 medium cloves garlic, same amount of fresh ginger, garlic-pressed (or minced)

2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 Tbsp mirin (more if rice vinegar isn't seasoned)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp+ sriracha

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

This happens fast, so get it all ready first.

Fry bacon bits in large non-reactive skillet that has a lid for it. Remove cooked bacon bits from pan, reserving grease. Toss in carrots, then mound of cabbage, aromatics on top, then pour on seasonings, top with lid, and cut the heat. Stir 2 min after adding cabbage, and take off heat in no more than 4 min, with cabbage just translucent in the thin parts.

Roll 'em up: lay wrap in a diamond shape, lay a shrimp horizontally, corner to corner. Use tongs to squeeze a bit of the liquid from the filling as you fill the roll with about 3 Tbsp of cabbage, arranged same as shrimp. Now fold the two short corners over the filling, and rolling one long corner over the filling, tucking just a bit to seal as you fold the filling over onto the remaining long corner, like a burrito. Moisten the last corner with a bit of sauce or water and set aside on a wire rack or parchment paper, 1 in apart. Work quickly, and while you roll up the last few, heat 4 cups of oil in a 4qt pan to 350f. Fry them quickly to a golden brown, allowing the oil to come back to 350 between batches of 4 or 5. Watch and actively turn them gently with tongs to make sure they don't fry on one side only. Oil temp too low= overcooked shrimp. Drain on wire racks, and eat right away (or should I say, "Don't burn yourself!"), serve with sauce.

Duck Saaauce

(It seems like a lot when you make it, but not a lot when you eat it)

Whir in a little food processor:

1 c apricot-pineapple preserves

1/4 tsp sriracha

4 tsp seasoned rice vinegar, OR

1 Tbsp rice vinegar+1 tsp sweet mirin

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake

(A 'shortcake' is not a short cake- it is a shortbread made sweet. "Short" refers to shortening, an ingredient sponge cakes shouldn't have. Strawberries on sponge or pound cake is a different dessert, which you are welcome to, but here's how to make the real thing)

Slice up:

2 quarts of strawberries

Stir to cover with:

1 c sugar

Let this sauce sit in the fridge

Preheat oven to 425f.

In the cuisinart, spin:

1 1/2 c. soft wheat flour1/3 c sugar2 1/2 tsp baking powder1/4 tsp salt

Cube into flour mixture quickly to keep cold, then process to a sandy texture with butter lumps no bigger than rice grains:

6 Tbsp butter

Pulse just 1-3 times after adding:

1/2 cup buttermilk

Dump wet+sandy mixture out on generously floured board, and bring together while kneading to a very soft dough, only 5-6 gentle turns after dough has come together. Shape dough as desired, using a light hand. Square and slice into squares or triangles, or cut rounds out with biscuit cutter, dipping in flour between. Place finished shortcakes on slightly greased pan 2 inches apart, and bake for 13-15 minutes until golden on top. Cool or don't. Once you plate the shortcake and drizzle with 1/4 c strawberries-and-juice sauce, and top with (I won't look how much):

Whipped cream

And eat it right away! Like snow in spring, this ephemeral dessert melts quickly.

Banana Pudding

Banana Pudding

(Not a banana-flavored pudding, this is rather a traditional layered dessert of vanilla pudding, vanilla cookies, and fragrant, ripe bananas)

Get steamy in saucepot over med-low heat:

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups milk

Whisk together and add, whisking into warm stovetop mixture:

Another 1/2 cup milk 

3 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

Switch to using a silicone spatula, and stir constantly until thick enough for furrows to remain a few seconds.

Temper by gradually adding a bit of hot pudding to:

3 egg yolks

Thicken everything back up, stirring constantly. Add in off the heat:

3 Tbsp cut-up soft butter 

2 tsp vanilla

Pour pudding through a mesh strainer, and layer in a dish with:

18 nilla wafers 

3 ripe bananas, sliced

Refrigerate, with cover touching pudding, to prevent skin.

Serve with whipped cream!

East Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches

East Carolina Pulled Pork BBQ

 (from your dutch oven)

3 lb boston butt pork roast, bone-in and fat on, dried off with paper towels

In a gallon size ziploc bag, shake the magic together:

1/4 c brown sugar2 Tbsp seasoned salt1 Tbsp paprika2 tsp garlic powder1 tsp onion powder2 tsp crushed sage (1 tsp powder)1/2 rsp black pepper1/2 tsp red pepper (cayenne)1/2 tsp chili powder1/4 tsp cumin powder1/4 tsp allspice

Once spice rub is thoroughly combined, add in the roast to the ziploc, sealing shut before distributing spice rub to every corner of the roast. Stick that pork bag in the fridge for overnight. Next morning put a tsp of oil in the bottom of an iron dutch oven with an ovensafe lid, dump the roast in (Important: turn roast so fat cap is up) and put the lid on. Put it in the oven, and set the oven to 300, because this is sparta, and then walk away. The oven will preheat, for a nice blast of heat, and then even off at low and slow. Check it 4 hours later, with the small pull test. It needs to pull like butta, not like a chicken breast. Depending on the shape of the meat, sometimes 5 hours. When it is done, a lot of liquid will have come out, even filling 1/3 of the crock, and the entire fat cap will be soft and slidey (rendered). Let it cool some before carefully transferring the melting meat one section at a time to a large bowl, picking out the remaining fat cap and any recognizably-anatomical parts to a tray (the Gambler's Tray), and leaving behind the fat and other liquid in the crock; pour off half of this. When the meat has been separated, it can be pulled, either with a stupid fork, or by hand, which is the right way. After pulling, the meat needs to be doused in the remaining crock juices and also in (bear with me if ya ain't from 'round here…) BBQ sauce:

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar1 Tbsp or more red pepper flakes(also, 2 tsp sriracha; do it)

Stir that stuff up and, trust me, dump it on. Stir it into your pulled pork to distribute the pepper flakes. Try not to eat too much while testing for seasonings, because it is best served on a potato roll, with dill chips and coleslaw as toppings. Serve with spicy sweet potato fries, baked beans, or southern potato salad.

Ginger Snaps

Ginger Snaps

Your friends will be snapping these spicy cookies up for their great ginger bite, but you'll make them because they're done in a snap!

2 c flour (soft)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cin
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger

  ^v^v^

1/2 c butter, soft
3/4 c packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp molasses
2 tsp fresh ginger
1 egg

  ^v^v^

Optional:

3 Tbsp candied ginger
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Oven 350f. Parchment lined cookie sheets. Cream butter and brown sugar; drizzle in molasses while it goes. Whisk dry ingredients together. (Use microplane for nutmeg first, then fresh ginger) Mix fresh grated ginger and egg into butter and sugar, then add in flour mixture. Drop teaspoonfulls of batter onto parchment cookie sheets, and bake for 15 minutes. For snappier snaps, bake 3 min. longer and keep them away from humidity.

My Own Meatloaf

My Own Meatloaf

(One extra-saucy mini meatloaf for everybody)

4 slices bread- crumb in food processor
1 Tbsp seasoned salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika

1/2 large onion- mince in food processor after crumbs
2 cloves garlic- mince with onion

2 lb ground chuck or sirloin2 eggs1 Tbsp ketchup (plus 1/3 cup for sauce)2 tsp worcestershire (plus 1 Tbsp for sauce)1 tsp tamari soy sauce1 tsp sriracha

Preheat oven to 350f. Make breadcrumbs in food processor, season with spices above. Remove to large bowl. Don't bother to clean the processor, instead mince wedges of 1/2 onion and cloves of garlic in it. Remove these to same large bowl. Mix 1/3 cup ketchup with 1 Tbsp worcestershire in small bowl for topping sauce, and set aside. Add remaining ingredients to large bowl, and work into meat thoroughly with hands. When no chunks of meat or breadcrumbs are visible, work the meat a bit more. Line a two-part roasting pan with foil, and grease the grate. Form six little 6oz loaves, flattening them a bit to accommodate more sauce later, and place evenly spaced on grate of roasting pan. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven to spoon on sauce. Think 'icing cookies' not 'icing cake': carefully create a border and fill in with delicious sauce! Put loaves back in oven for 10 minutes, or until thermometer reads 160f. Serve these with homemade mashed potatoes, and a green vegetable, for homey goodness!

Rainbow Mini Scones

Rainbow Mini Scones

Prepare mix-ins ahead of time to keep your butter cold!

Dry ingredients:

2 cups flour (White Lily)
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Butter:

1/2 cup butter, cold, cubed

(use butter wrapper to grease pan)

Dairy:

1/3 cup cream
1/3 cup buttermilk

Also:

Extra flour for rolling out dough

Mix-ins

Colored sugar sprinkles

Preheat oven to 425f.

Measure dry ingredients into food processor (you can use pastry cutter or forks instead, but work over ice bath to keep butter cold) and mix. Cut butter into mixture until sandy, with no lumps of butter bigger than rice grains. Pour dairy over your crumb, working it in with hands, or just get it started with a few slight pulses of processor (do not overwork). Pour out onto flour and finish blending dairy in with hands, working the dough as little as possible. Divide dough into six, forming sortofa gondola of each, ready for the mix-ins:

Red: 2 Tbsp chopped dried cranberries
Orange: 1 Tbsp candied orange peel
Yellow: 1 Tbsp candied ginger
Green: 1 Tbsp scissor-sliced chives
Blue: 2 Tbsp dried wild blueberries
Purple: 1/8 tsp vanilla

Sprinkle mix-ins evenly, and fold in only a few times to distribute, but again, do not overwork dough. Form 4 inch squares, about 1/2 inch thick, working quickly and chilling as needed to keep butter cold. After all squares are uniform, use a large knife to cut into triangles with an 'X.' Cover in each correct color of sugar. Place carefully on lightly greased baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 13 minutes, until some edges or corners are golden brown. Enjoy fresh with friends the same day! Find out their favorites to make whole batches of later!

Quick Chili

Quick Chili 

(Iron-packed ground beef weeknight good food solution)

1 pkg ground chuck (1 to 1 1/2 lb)
2 cans kidney beans
2 small/1 large can (petite) diced tomatoes
1 can chili beans

Chili spice mix:

2 tsp seasoned salt
2 tsp chili powder (sweet, not hot/mexican)
2 tsp sweet hungarian paprika
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne

Optional kicks:

2 tsp worcestershire
1 Tbsp sherry
2 tsp sriracha
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 can seasoned black beans
1 small can drained corn

Garnishes:

Grated cheese
Sour cream
Perfect Cornbread

Simply brown ground beef in 4 quart pot, sprinkle with chili spice mix. Pour liquid off the top of cans, but don't drain them before pouring over cooked beef and spices. Add any extra kicks. Cook the chili until you just have to dive in, or until the cornbread is done.

Dang Quesadillas

Dang Quesadillas

1/2 cup chopped fajita filling
5 burrito-sized tortillas
1 pkg mexican-style shredded cheese

Serve with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole

In iron skillet on medium, place one tortilla open, and working quickly, sprinkle cheese in a half-moon shape on half of the tortilla. Evenly scatter a spoonful of chopped fajita filling over cheese, then top off with a smaller sprinkle of cheese, and fold tortilla shut (quick before it crisps up!) Let it finish browning on the first side, compressing it a bit with spatula while it cooks. Flip the folded quesadilla *on the fold* and let it brown on second half until cheese is melted. Place on wire rack while you finish up the other four. In any case, rest your 'dillas a minute or two before cutting to avoid over-ooze. Cut into four wedges each with pizza cutter or scissors, or a big ole knife. These reheat well in the oven.

Fried Burritos

Fried Burritos

1 cup chopped leftover fajita filling
10 burrito-sized tortillas
1 can spicy chipotle refried beans
1 can seasoned black beans, drained
1 can preferred nacho cheese sauce
1 pkg mexican blend shredded cheese

2 cups frying oil, tongs

You'll also be wanting garnishes:

2 cups sour cream
1 cup guacamole
Shredded lettuce
Sliced olives

Warm burritos in damp dishcloth in microwave for 30-45 seconds; keep wrapped in towel during assembly. Mix chopped fajita filling with drained black beans, warm together in skillet before wrapping for best results. Smear a spoonful (2T) of refried beans where the smile would go on a smiley face. Top with same amount nacho sauce, then same amount shredded cheese. Finally, top shredded cheese with a spoonful fajita black bean mixture. On each tortilla, fold in both sides, then roll short side over filling, tucking under filling, then rolling up long side to seal 'envelope.' Try to make sure no filling leaks out during rolling, especially whole beans, as the beans pop if exposed to hot oil. When rolled, burritos can be stored in the refrigerator (ideally, each in a sleeve of parchment paper, and all in a covered cake pan). They can also be frozen, each in a sleeve of parchment, a cover of tin foil, and in a freezer bag. Reheat frozen burritos in their vented tin foil cover in 300 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, before frying. Reheat refrigerated burritos in covered cake pan in 300 degree oven for 20 minutes.

These burritos contain all ready-to-eat food, so they are perfectly good baked, (or even possibly microwaved…) or eaten as is when you roll them. But try them fried once, just to live!

Freshly rolled burritos are ready to fry! Heat oil to 350 degrees in a 4Qt pot, then fry burritos a few at a time, carefully turning with tongs as they become golden brown on the underside. Place into oil seal-side down at first gently with fingers. Usually frying the seal first prevents it, but if they begin to unfurl, prop against other burritos, the side, or hold shut with tongs until time to turn it. Three or four turns, 1-2 minutes a side, pull them out onto a wire rack, greasiest side up! Then try to contain yourself until the rest are fried, and you get some garnishes, but do go ahead and eat these right away. If you plan to have leftovers, please don't fry 'em till you're ready to try 'em!