Creamy Pasta & Swedish Meatballs

I originally found this recipe in Rachael Ray's cookbook. I tired it out for the first time and it was quite easy and tasty. So tasty that my brother kept coming back for more...3 days in a row he ate the leftovers. 


Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min


Ingredients
1 pound mixed ground beef, pork or veal

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/4-1/3 cup cream or sour cream
• 1/4 cup white onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg (eyeball it)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons of your choice: lingonberry preserves, red currant or grape jelly
• 1 pound egg noodles, cooked to al dente
• Finely chopped fresh dill, for garnish
• Finely chopped parsley, for garnish
• 1/2 cup cornichons or baby gherkin pickles, finely chopped (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 400ºF.

In a bowl, mix meat with egg, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup cream, onion, mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and arrange on a nonstick baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes.

Heat a saucepot over medium heat. Melt the butter, whisk in the flour and cook for a minute or two. Then whisk in stock and thicken for 6-8 minutes. Stir in sour cream and jelly and warm through. Season the finished sauce with salt and pepper.

Carefully remove the meatballs from the baking sheet with a thin spatula.

Mix meatballs and egg noodles with sauce and garnish with dill, parsley and finely chopped cornichons 

or baby gherkin pickles, if using.

This recipe was fairly easy and was quick.  I did feel like something was missing though. Maybe it's because I didn't have any pickles to garnish at the end. It would have added a nice crunch to the dish. Also there were too many meatballs for the amount of pasta so next time I will make less. Overall it filled our bellies and was a great leftover.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Recipe courtesy: rachaelray.com

Christy

Simple Crepes

Saturday morning means a big/different breakfast morning. Christy knows that in our household growing up, we ate crepes, like a lot. And they were gooooood, and even better, they require 3-4 ingredients.


My uncle makes these every single time we visit his country home in Sutton, Quebec, from ever since I can remember. We eat about 10 of them each (we are 7 in our family), and he just keeps making them until we are about ready to pass out. Our little brother Guillaume was always the one who ate the most, and it was so annoying since he was just another person in our crepe line-up who never beat it! You see, to make the perfect crepes, you need a cast iron or a crepe pan. My uncle had one, and therefore make each crepe one at a time, and there were about 10 of us sitting around the table waiting out turn.


Let me tell you, it was always worth the wait. Top that with REAL (non of this Aunt Jemima business) Canadian Maple Syrup.




1 cup eggs (usually 4 large eggs)
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk


Mix ingredients together thoroughly in a blender or with a whisk (but you may have clumps of flour, no worries they will still be delicious).


Heat you pan on medium high (more of the medium side than on the high). Melt some shortening on there between every crepe. Poor about 1/4 cup of batter and quickly turn the batter around the pan until it coats it barely, one layer. It may take a few tries to get the perfect amount of batter, but you want as thin of a layer as possible. if I have too much, I just poor the excess batter back in with the rest of the batter. You fry it for about 30-45 seconds, flip it and fry on the other side for 15-20 seconds.

Warning: your first crepe will be a disaster.

If you succeed, let me know how it went! You will have become a REAL french canadian cook.

This should yield about 8-9 crepes.

Rating: if done right, a perfect 10.

Cathy

Crockpot Chili

• Prep Time: 25 min.
• Cook Time: 8 hrs.

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans tomato puree or sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can corn, trained
• 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne Pepper
• 
  

1. Place the beef in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain grease.
2. Place the beef in a slow cooker, and mix in onion, celery, green bell pepper, garlic, tomato puree, kidney beans, and cannellini beans. Season with chili powder, parsley, salt, basil, oregano, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
3. Cover, and cook 8 hours on Low.
4. Top with cheese, green onions, sour cream and tortilla chips.

Rating: 8.5/10


I love chili. I love easy recipes. And I love crock-pots. 


Speaking of crock-pots...one night as my husband and I were laying in bed he leaned over towards me, gave me a kiss and a hug and then said the following words... 


"I love you my little crock-pot"


Now I do not know where he got this term of endearment from, but I thought it was halarious. Now whenever I use the crock-pot I think of my husband's oh so romantic words to me.


Christy

Abi Approved Sweet Tator Soup

This is a "hubby original." He is quite the cook, I must say. We had a massive sweet potato, and then he came up with this amazing soup. Our 1 year old daughter couldn't get enough, and we called it the above name. Enjoy!

• 1 1/2 - 2 Cups Sweet Potato (one big mama sweet potato)
• 1 Big Carrot
• 1 1/2 Cups chicken stock (I used chicken bouillon cubes)
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• Couple cloves garlic(finely chopped)
• Small piece of ginger (finely chopped)
• 2 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 2 Tbs brown sugar

• 1/2 Cup milk
• 1/2 Cup cream (or more milk if you don't have/to keep healthier)
• 1/2 Teaspoon basil
• 1/2 Teaspoon parsley
• salt/pepper to taste

Boil the sweet potato and carrot together in a big pot. Once soft, drain some water until you have about 1 1/2 Cups left of water and then added the chicken bouillon cube. Let cook one more minute for bouillon to dissolve and then put in blender to puree. (You could avoid the need to use a blender if you have an immersion blender)

Put the butter, onion, garlic and ginger in the same pot you used to cook the sweet potatoes/carrot and cook 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir until clumpy. Now add the milk and stir together in the pot until no longer clumpy!
Add the sweet potato and carrot puree back to the pot. Add whatever else I forgot to mention or is left on the list. Cook for a few more minutes and wammo, you got yourself some sweet tator soup fer dinner.


Cathy & hubby
Did I fail to mention that he also wrote this post?? Hence the nice descriptive description, ha!

I'm no Veganator, but..

This stew is flippin' amazing. Now, it's delicious and hearty as-is, but I would even go as far as adding some ground or sliced sausage to give it even more of a punch. I will do that next time and let you know :)

This recipe was found in January 7-9th, 2011 edition of metronews in the metrofood section. There was no title, so I will call it:

The Veganator Mediterranean Stew

Time: 1 hour start to finish
Servings: 6 big ones
My rating: 9.5




Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 shallots, finely chopped 
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 28 ounces can chopped tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
• 4 cups vegetable broth 
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1.5 cups pearl barley
• 12 ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips (I make my own using 1 red pepper, broiling it until the skin gets blackened, then peeling the skin)
• 5 ounces of fresh baby spinach
• Half cup of castelvetrano olives, pitted and sliced (I used the regular green jar olives, and it was great)
• 1 cup water
• Salt and black pepper

Step 1: In a large saucepan over medium, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, shallots, and onions, and saute until soft and translucent, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Step 2: Add the tomatoes, broth, rosemary and barley, then bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to cook until the barley is tender, about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Step 3: Stir in the roasted red peppers, baby spinach, olives and water. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper.

Bon appetit!
Cathy

Crepes for Dinner?

I am french Canadian, and we ate crepes A LOT for breakfast. My uncle was the crepe master, and we had them every time we visited him in Quebec. So, I decided to venture out and make some dinner crepes.

These took a LONG TIME (over 2 hours--yea my kids were cranky and so was I), so I would suggest breaking it up by making the crepes ahead of time, separating them with parchment paper, and refrigeration or freezing them.


Chicken Crepes with Asparagus and Mushrooms

For filling

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped shallot

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken (9 oz)

3 tablespoons medium-dry Sherry (I used apple sauce)

1 lb thin asparagus, trimmed

For crêpes

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1 1/4 cups whole milk (I used 1%)

1 whole large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

For topping

1 large egg yolk

5 tablespoons chilled heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter


Preparation

Make filling:

Heat 5 tablespoons butter in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until foam subsides. Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Gradually add milk and broth, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking. Reduce heat and simmer gently, whisking frequently, until velouté sauce is silky and thick, about 25 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup sauce for topping.

Cook shallot in remaining tablespoon butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Stir into velouté sauce along with chicken and Sherry.

Cut tips from asparagus and set aside. Cut enough stalks into 1/4-inch pieces to measure 1 cup, reserving remainder for another use. Cook tips in a saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water with a slotted spoon. Scoop out tips and drain on paper towels, then reserve for topping. Cook and drain chopped asparagus in same manner and stir into velouté sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Make crêpes:

Sift together flour, salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste into a bowl. Whisk together milk, whole egg, and yolk in a small bowl, then gradually whisk into flour mixture. Force batter through a fine sieve into a bowl.

Heat a dry 7- to 8-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot, then brush very lightly with some melted butter. Spoon about 2 tablespoons batter into skillet, tilting to coat bottom. (If batter sets before skillet is coated, reduce heat slightly for next crêpe.) Cook until underside is lightly browned, 6 to 10 seconds, then loosen crêpe with a spatula and flip. Cook until just cooked through, about 20 seconds, and transfer to a plate. Make 15 more crêpes in same manner, brushing skillet with melted butter as needed and stacking crêpes on plate.

Assemble and bake crêpes:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spread 1/4 cup filling across center of 1 crêpe and roll into a cylinder. Transfer, seam side down, to buttered baking dish, then assemble more crêpes in same manner, fitting them snugly. Bake in middle of oven 15 minutes.

Make topping while crêpes bake:

Stir together yolk, 2 tablespoons cream, and reserved 1/2 cup sauce until smooth. Beat remaining 3 tablespoons cream with a whisk until it holds soft peaks, then fold into yolk mixture.

Spoon topping over crêpes and broil 5 to 6 inches from heat until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

Heat butter in skillet, then add reserved asparagus tips and toss until warm.

Put 2 crêpes on each of 8 plates and top with asparagus tips.

Recipe from Epicurious.com

Yea so these were delicious, a 9/10 rating. I took off a point because of the length of time it took, and how rich it was. I ate 1-2 crepes and was stuffed! enjoy :)Yea so these were delicious, a 9/10 rating. I took off a point because of the length of time it took, and how rich it was. I ate 1-2 crepes and was stuffed! enjoy :)


Cathy

Best Jambalaya, ever.

To our 1.4 million fans, HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!! I went to bed at 12:01 and spent the night at home relaxing with my hubby and kids. Everything I wanted. I woke up grumpy though, I best get some good food in me to brighten my mood up!

Thanks to Emeril Lagrasse from the foodnetwork, you get to enjoy the best jambalaya I've ever tasted! FYI, it's officially called "Cajun Jambalaya."

Ingredients

• 12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
• 4 ounces chicken, diced
• 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 3/4 cup rice
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 5 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced (any sausages will do)
• Salt and pepper

Directions

In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.

Per Serving: Calories: 402; Fat: 16g (Saturated Fat: 4 grams); Protein: 24g; Carbohydrates: 38g; Sugar: 4g; Fiber 0g; Cholesterol: 97mg; Sodium: 800mg

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

What I would do different:

No added salt. Oh man it was a tad salty, so I would allow everyone to add their own. Also, seeing as how my husband eats, like a lot, I would double the rice, broth, and veggies.


My rating: 8.5/10