Meatball Meltdown

Recipe Courtesy of Sandra Caraway

 

Ingredients

1 bag frozen meatballs
1 jar marinara sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup Italian blend cheese, shredded
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1 loaf fresh Italian bread, sliced

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place entire bag of meatballs in pot with sauce (can also add other seasonings if desired: garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste - With my ingredients, I didn't need to) and cook over medium heat until warmed completely through, about 10 minutes, stirring as needed. 

 

Place meatballs into a 9x13 baking dish, layering cheeses on top, ending with the parmesan. Slice the bread and top with butter and a little garlic salt.  Line the dish with slices of the Italian bread, as shown in the picture.

 

Bake approximately 25 minutes or until melted and bubbly. 

 

My thoughts:

The tastiness of the dish is completely reliant on the meatballs and sauce. So it is important that those two ingredients are very yummy and high quality.  I used Trader Joes Italian Style Meatballs (2 bags).  They were tender and delicious.  Ideally, it would be great to make your own!  But I haven't found a good meatball recipe yet.  If you know of one, send it my way! 

 

For the sauce, I used Rao's Homemade Marinara.  It was a lot pricier than the other marinara, but really good!  I got it at Target.  Same with the marinara, I'd love to have a recipe for making my own.

 

Concerning the bread, you need a crustier bread than normal French bread, otherwise it gets soggy in the sauce.  I chose a crusty baguette, but it was a couple days old and a bit too crusty.  Next time it needs to be fresh.

 

Lastly, if the bread is getting too brown, lay a piece of foil over the top during baking.  This saved my bread from burning.

Chicken Parmesan

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Jane Maynard

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded very flat
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup fresh shredded parmesan
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. pepper
- 1/8 tsp. paprika
- 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. dried basil
- 2 eggs
- slices of fresh mozzarella

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

Whisk the eggs in a large, shallow dish. In another large, shallow dish, mix together the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano and basil. Dip each raw chicken breast in the egg to coat, then place in bread crumbs and coat well. Place on lined cookie sheet.

Cook for about 20 minutes, until they are JUST cooked through. Top with mozzarella cheese sliced and cook until cheese is melted, about 2-3 more minutes.

Serve on top of pasta noodles and cover with marinara sauce.

Easy Cheesy Lasagna

Recipe based on Kraft's Classic Cheese Lasagna
Photo Courtesy of Kraft

INGREDIENTS
32 oz ricotta cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce
12 lasagna noodles (cooked or oven ready)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix ricotta cheese, 2 1/2 cups mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan, parsley and egg until well blended.
Spoon some spaghetti sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with 3 lasagna noodles and 1/3 of ricotta cheese mixture. Repeat layers of sauce, noodles and ricotta cheese mixture 2 more times. Cover with remaining noodles and sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake 45 min. or until heated through. Cover if top browns too much. Let stand 15 min. before cutting to serve.

Recipe can be halved and baked in an 8x8 pan.

Herbed Chicken Parmesan

Recipe Courtesy of Cooking Light

4 Servings

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 pound chicken breast tenders
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 cups bottled fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce (or your own homemade sauce)
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded or sliced provolone cheese

DIRECTIONS
Preheat broiler.

Combine 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Place egg white in a shallow dish. Dip each chicken tender in egg white; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Set aside.

Combine 1/8 teaspoon salt, pasta sauce, vinegar, and pepper in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; vent. Microwave sauce mixture at HIGH 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Pour the sauce over chicken in pan. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Parmesan and provolone cheese. Wrap handle of pan with foil, and broil 2 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Serve with pasta.

Sausages with White Beans

As I was making this tonight, Ryan commented over and over how weird this meal looked. Out of the entire cookbook, what could have ever possessed me to choose this meal? As we ate it, Ryan commented it was fairly good, and if I made it again, he would eat it. Later, I caught him eating more straight from the pan. I guess it's a keeper.

It is a weird dish, but can be strangely comforting, especially on a cold day. Serve with crusty garlic bread. Yum.


Recipe Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma
Modified Slightly




INGREDIENTS
4 Hot, mild, or sweet Italian sausages
1 cup white cooking wine
2 Tbls Olive Oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 large, red bell pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
Oregano (2 Tbls fresh or 1 tsp dried)
3/4 cup chicken broth
Salt and Pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook the sausages - Prick sausages with fork and cook in 1/2 cup white wine. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn down to med-low. Simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover, raise heat to med-high, and cook the sausages until well browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Cook the veggies - While the sausages cook, in a separate pan, cook the onion and pepper in the oil until softened (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add beans, oregano, broth, and remaining 1/2 cup wine. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until half of the liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes.

3. Finish the dish - Add the sausages to the beans (slicing the sausages first melds the flavors together nicely - the presentation is not as pretty but it makes the dish easier to eat) and simmer to warm through. Season with salt and pepper.

Pizza Margherita

The Origin of Pizza Margherita (Courtesy of inmamaskitchen.com):

In about 1889, Queen Margherita, accompanied by her husband, Umberto I, took an inspection tour of her Italian Kingdom. During her travels around Italy she saw many people, especially the peasants, eating this large, flat bread. Curious, the queen ordered her guards to bring her one of these Pizza breads. The Queen loved the bread and would eat it every time she was out amongst the people, which caused some consternation in Court circles. It was not seemly for a Queen to dine on peasant's food.

Never the less, the queen loved the bread and decided to take matters into her own hands. Summoning Chef Rafaelle Esposito from his pizzeria to the royal palace, the queen ordered him to bake a selection of pizzas for her pleasure.

To honor the queen who was so beloved by her subjects, Rafaelle decided to make a very special pizza just for her. He baked a Pizza topped with tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, and fresh Basil (to represent the colors of the Italian flag: Red, white, and green).

This became Queen Margherita's favorite pizza and when word got out that this was one of the queen's favorite foods, she became even more popular with the Italian people. She also started a culinary tradition, the Pizza Margherita, which lasts to this very day in Naples and has now spread throughout the world.

INGREDIENTS

Olive Oil
Minced Garlic
Salt (preferably coarse)
Pepper
RIPE Sliced Tomatoes
Mozzarella cheese, sliced
Fresh Basil Leaves
Pizza Crust

DIRECTIONS

Pre-cook the Pizza Crusts according to the recipe. Meanwhile, place sliced tomatoes in a shallow dish and coat in olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Allow to marinate at least 10 minutes.

To build the pizza: Brush some of the garlicky olive oil on the crust. Top with the sliced tomatoes, bits of cheese, and chopped basil. Drizzle with some of the remaining olive oil. Bake at 425 degrees until the cheese is melty and the crust is golden, about 10 minutes.

Pizza Sauce

Recipe Courtesy of OBB

INGREDIENTS

1 6-oz. can tomato paste
6 oz. water (just use the empty tomato paste can)
3 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning
1 Tbsp. sugar or honey
3/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Mix ingredients and allow to stand until ready to use. Covers two average-sized pizzas. Freezes extremely well.

Lisa's Breadsticks (and Pizza Dough)

Recipe Courtesy of: Kate's (OBB) friend, Lisa

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl (the bowl of your mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

Add salt and stir. Add 1 1/2 c. flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.

Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough in the bowl.

Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

For Breadsticks:

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.

Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape over your forefinger and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining 11 pieces of dough. Try to space them evenly.

Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes.

When there's about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks (just put a ziploc bag on your hand, grab some softened butter, and have at it) and sprinkle with powdery Parmesan cheese and garlic salt.

For Pizza Dough:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. While oven is heating, punch down dough and shape into a disc. Spray your work surface, rolling pin, and pizza stone (or pan) with non-stick cooking spray. Place dough disc onto work surface. Roll and shape into a circle. Very gently transfer the dough onto your pizza stone and continue to shape up to the edges of the stone.

Using a fork, prick several holes in the crust. Drizzle crust with a little olive oil...and brush all the way up to the edges. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Both oiling and garlic salting the crust help crisp it up, give it a great flavor, and keep it from getting soggy in the middle.

Bake crust in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven.

Top with sauce, toppings, and cheese and bake for another 10-12 minutes.