Food For Friday: Homemade Meatballs

We combined elements from several different recipes to create our favorite meatball recipe.  We love to eat meatballs with fresh pasta and we also really like to make meatball sandwiches with fresh baguette bread.  My next Food for Friday post will be a bread dough recipe we have become big fans of and use to make meatball sandwiches.  Please, please use fresh mozzarella cheese and grated parmesan (that you grate yourself or purchase already grated in a bag in the shredded cheese section).  Do not use that powdery white stuff that they sell as parmesan cheese!  The fresh cheese makes such a huge difference and takes the meatballs to a much fresher, tastier level!

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs lean ground beef (we use 94% lean organic)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/2 cut Italian breadcrumbs (we use fresh ones that I make in the food processor with some Italian seasoning)
4 cloves minced or pressed garlic
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh chopped Italian parsley
1 heaping tsp. kosher salt
fresh ground pepper (a few turns of the grinder)
olive oil
1 jar of roasted garlic pasta sauce (I use Classico)
fresh mozzarella cheese (I usually use the "log" of fresh mozzarella from Costco that comes in a 2 pack)
pasta (we like fresh linguine)

Put all of the ingredients from the lean ground beef down to the fresh ground pepper into a metal or glass bowl and mix well.  Form into 1.5 inch balls.  (We use a metal cookie dough scoop sometimes to speed up the process and make them more uniform.)  Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a deep saute pan over medium heat.  Add the meatballs and turn them several times to brown the exterior of the meatballs.  (Don't worry about cooking them through at this point.  You are just browning the outside to add a "crust.")  Pour in the jar of pasta sauce, cover with a lid & simmer on medium to medium low until the meatballs are cooked through, usually 30 to 45 minutes.

Slice the mozzarella cheese and lay over the top of the meatballs and sauce.  Cover for a minute or two until the cheese is good and melted.  Serve over pasta.  Our favorite is to serve it over fresh linguine.  If you don't want to make fresh pasta at home, Buitoni fresh pasta in the refrigerated aisle is a great option.  If you happen to have fresh basil growing in an herb garden this summer, some thin ribbons of basil sprinkled on top is a delicious addition too!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Earlier this month we celebrated my birthday.  I was actually at a Campus Crusade for Christ staff women's conference in the mountains on my birthday, which made it unusual to start with.  It quickly became even more unusual when I woke up at 4 am the morning of my birthday with severe chest & arm pain that lasted for 3 hours.  After a call to my OBGYN, they wanted me to come in just to check and make sure everything was ok, so I left the conference early to head to the doctor.  The baby sounded great, and other than my blood pressure being high, nothing was concerning, so we went home to rest for the evening.  (I've since had an appointment with a cardiologist and everything looks fine with my heart, which was great news!)  I think my surprise gift was getting to hear Lilo's heartbeat on my birthday!

Because I was supposed to be at the conference, we had planned to celebrate my birthday with a fun dinner date that weekend, so a couple of days later, I got to head downtown with my handsome hubby to enjoy a fun evening out and a delicious dinner!  Because we haven't been able to get out much during my pregnancy, it was an extra fun date night! 

With beautiful flowers from my hubby before we left for dinner

Opening his sweet card at dinner (which is one of my favorite parts of celebrating any special occasion!)

 

My handsome date

 

My birthday dessert as big as my head (peanut butter and chocolate cookie!)

Right before I left for the conference, I got an early birthday package from my mom and it was the BEST surprise!  Hydrangea are one of my most favorite flowers, and she sent me two hydrangea plants for our yard.  Nearly all of our landscaping beds were completely filled with rocks when we purchased our home, so I am slowly trying to add beautiful flowering plants and I can't wait to cut my first hydrangea blooms to bring into the house. 

It is wonderful, but also crazy, to think that next year I will be celebrating as a mom!

Food For Friday: Spinach, Chicken & Cream Cheese Lasagna

When I think of lasagna, I usually think of a time-consuming, labor intensive process.  I was surprised by how quick and easy this lasagna was to assemble.  It had a great flavor & smooth texture, and I like that the spinach adds nutrients too!  I adapted this recipe from Faithful Provisions with a few changes and additions.  It will definitely be added to our regular list of recipes and I think it will freeze well too.

Ingredients:
6 lasagna noodles
1 jar roasted garlic pasta sauce
4 oz. cream cheese (I use lower fat neufatschel cheese)
1 cup chicken broth or stock
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 cup packed fresh baby spinach
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the lasagna noodles.  Cook noodles until tender (following the instructions on the box.)  Drain.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

While the noodles are cooking, shred your 2 cooked chicken breasts.  (If I am making several recipes in a week that call for cubed or shredded cooked chicken, I like to cook a whole pan of chicken at the beginning of the week and put the cooked whole breasts in a container in the fridge.  This saves me time later in the week, and cold chicken is easy to shred with your fingers!)

Heat one cup of chicken broth or stock over medium heat.  Add the cream cheese and mix until the cream cheese is melted.  Using a spoon or a whisk, get out most of the lumps.  The sauce will seem very liquidy at this point.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until the sauce thickens.  Remove from the heat.

Use an 8x8 or 9x9 glass baking dish & spread enough pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan to make a thick layer to coat the bottom of the dish (so your noodles will not stick.)  Lay one layer of cooked lasagna noodles in the dish.  (I used kitchen shears to cut my noodles to fit.)  Make sure you have a layer of noodles that totally covers the bottom of your dish.  Spread 1/2 of the cream cheese sauce over the layer of noodles.  Top with a layer of spinach and spoon pasta sauce over the spinach to cover well, using about 1/2 the jar.  Sprinkle 1/2 of the shredded chicken on top & sprinkle with a layer of mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup).  Add a 2nd layer of noodles and repeat the layering, ending with mozzarella cheese on top.  Use the rest of the mozzarella to cover the top well.

Cover with foil and bake 20-25 minutes.  Reduce heat to 400 degrees, uncover, and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned and bubbling around the edges.  Remove from oven.

Let sit for about 10 minutes to allow the lasagna to firm up before slicing.

This would be a perfect recipe to double and make two of simultaneously....one to eat and one to freeze or drop off to a friend.  You could also double the ingredients and use a 13x9 dish if you have a larger family or are entertaining.

Mystery Dinner Date

Yes, it is April, and yes, I am writing about Valentine's Day!  I was beginning to show and thought it was noticeable enough in some of our photos that I didn't want to post about our Valentine's date until after we shared our pregnancy news.  I am finally getting around to sharing our night out with you!  We had a gift certificate to the Dinner Detectives Murder Mystery Dinner Show and we thought Valentine's Day would be a perfect time to enjoy it!

When we received our table assignment, we smiled at the table number we were assigned to:

I've wanted to go to a murder mystery dinner theater ever since I was in high school, but I've just never actually made it happen, so I was really looking forward to it.  Truman really likes figuring out clues and putting pieces of a puzzle together, so it was right up his alley too. 

 

Throughout the evening, scenes unfolded in the dining room and clues were collected and passed to the tables for review.

All of the clues were gathered on a "clue table" for further review as the guests worked to solve the mystery.

My handsome hubby worked hard to figure out whodunnit and he successfully solved the mystery!  I, on the other hand, had no idea who the murderer was until he explained his theory to me.  Figuring out mysteries, or movie plots for that matter, is not my forte!  But I enjoy myself trying.

We had a great time and it was a fun and unusual way to spend a night out together! 

A New Addition!

My blogging has been on the back burner for the past 3 months because I've been busy working on an even sweeter project, the best addition we've ever made to our home....

We are expanding our family by two feet!  Meet Baby Lo!

Lilo, our nickname for "Little Lo," will be here in mid-September.  We are praising God for the blessing of this sweet life!

You may remember me sharing in past posts that 13 is a special number for our family.  Truman was born on December 13.  I was born on April 13.  We were married on May 13.  And Lilo is due on September 13!  We'll see if baby Lo carries on the tradition!

Our 1st ultrasound at 7 weeks

I have had a rough first trimester, so my days have been filled with hour upon hour of resting on the couch, naps, Sprite, and watching every show on On Demand and our DVR.  My amazing husband has been busy doing all of our grocery shopping, preparing dinner, doing laundry, and cleaning, while I watch from the couch.  But, we are so incredibly thankful for this little life and know that this season of sickness is a small price to pay for a lifetime as parents!

Our 1st belly shoot at 13 weeks

Lilo was the size of a peach at 13 weeks

I am 14.5 weeks pregnant and hoping that the 2nd trimester will bring less time on the couch and more time in my craft room!  I have a whole stack of fabric waiting to be turned into baby gifts for friends who have welcomed new additions to their families, and ideas for a baby scrapbook for Lilo swimming around in my head.  I will continue to share pregnancy news and photos of my growing belly, but I hope to be sharing new craft projects soon too!  And of course, I'm sure there will be some nursery photos in the coming months as we prepare for Lilo's arrival!

Food For Friday: French Dip Sandwiches

Are you ready for one of the easiest crockpot recipes ever?  These French Dip Sandwiches are way more delicious than the effort you need to put into them!  They have the perfect juicy roast beef flavor and leftovers warm up just as good, if not better, than the first night you make them. My husband and I both love these sandwiches!  They are perfect for a busy day when you have just a few minutes to toss something into the crockpot in the morning and just a few minutes to get it on the table at dinner time.  Crockpot to table will take you 10 minutes, tops.

Ingredients:
1 beef roast of your choice (I recommend a chuck roast)
1 can beef broth (I use low sodium organic)
2 & 3/4 cups water
5 beef bouillon cubes
1 pkg dry Italian seasoning

1 package bakery sub rolls
1 package of sliced provolone cheese

Cut your roast into 2 or 3 large chunks.  Put all of the ingredients from the roast down through the Italian seasoning into your crockpot.  There is no need to dissolve the bouillon cubes before adding them.  Just throw them into the liquid in the bottom of the crockpot.  Cook on low for 8 hours. If your at home, flip the chunks of beef over once or twice during the cooking time.  To serve pull out the beef roast and shred into a bowl.  Skim any fat off the top of the au jus juice left in the crockpot.  Drizzle the shredded roast beef with a little bit of the au jus juice and stir together. 

Cut each sub roll in half lengthwise if not presliced.  Lay open and top with 2 slices of provolone cheese.  Bake in the oven or toaster oven at 350 until bread is warm and cheese is melted.  Fill bun with shredded roast beef and serve with a side of the au jus.  The au jus is so, so good!  I didn't include it in the photograph because au jus just doesn't photograph well.  My husband also likes to add a little horseradish sauce to his sandwich.

Note:  To store leftovers, I put the shredded roast beef in a separate container from the remaining au jus.  After you have refrigerated the au jus, you will be able to skim additional fat off the top.  To reheat, put the amount of roast beef in a bowl that you desire, drizzle with some of the au jus, and warm in the microwave until hot.  Put a side of au jus in a small bowl and heat that through in the microwave as well.

Food For Friday: Baked Potato Soup

I have been craving potato soup for weeks and finally put it on the menu for last week.  I didn't have a favorite recipe already, so I combed a few websites and browsed for ideas, then created my own version of Baked Potato Soup.  It was a success and we'll definitely have to make it once more this winter before "soup weather" is over and spring comes to stay!

Ingredients:
4 large or 5 medium organic potatoes, peeled & cubed
2 tbsp. butter
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
4.5 cups lowfat organic milk
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 + 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 + 1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we used triple cheddar with sharp, mild & white cheddar)
1/2 cup organic light sour cream
cooked, crumbled turkey bacon
extra cheddar cheese for garnish
sliced green onions (scallions) for garnish

Scrub and peel the organic potatoes.  You can peel roughly leaving some skin on for texture if you'd like.  Dice the potatoes into similar sized 1 inch cubes, which will help them to cook evenly.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and boil the cubed potatoes until they are fork tender.  Drain them in a colander.

While the potatoes are cooking, chop 1/2 a package of bacon (we used turkey bacon) into small pieces.  Saute them over medium heat until crispy, them remove them to a paper towel covered plate.  Wash the green onions and chop the dark green ends into thin scallions.  Put aside.  

Dump the cooked potatoes into a large bowl and mash them until they are mostly smooth but with some chunks left throughout.  I use a potato masher, which makes the job easy.  You could also remove some chunks with a fork and puree the rest in a blender or food processor.

In the large pot that you cooked the potatoes in, you are going to create a roux to start the soup.  Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat and add in a few tablespoons of milk.  Slowly add the whole wheat flour and whisk it in to create a thick paste.  If it is getting too thick or lumpy, add more milk until it is the right pasty consistency.  After all of the flour has been whisked it, slowly begin the whisking in the milk to make a sauce.  The trick is to add a little milk at a time, whisking it in and letting it simmer to keep the sauce from getting too thin as you add the milk.

Add in the onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and mix well.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Mix in the cheddar cheese and sour cream until it has melted into the sauce.

Add in the potatoes and stir together until combined.  Heat through.  You can adjust the consistency now, adding more milk if the soup is too thick, or simmering for longer if you need it to thicken.

Ladle into the serving bowls and top with a handful of shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon & scallions.