STEAK N' CHEDDAR MEATBALLS

Hi friends! It has been a few weeks, (or rather several!).  I wanted to pop in to share a recipe with you that I made yesterday for the super bowl.  This recipe was adapted from a recipe featured in People magazine way back in 2011.  The article states that the recipe took home a blue ribbon at the NYC Wine & Food Festival that year.  One bite and you'll understand why.  Carson (now 2 1/2) was a big fan of these and ate several, Dominic (9) was not at all interested.  So are they kid friendly? Let your kids decide.  :)

INGREDIENTS:

1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 medium onion, minced
4 oz. raw bacon, diced
1 lb. ground beef
3oz. cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 C bread crumbs (mine were Italian seasoned)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Spray the bottom of a 8X8 glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and bacon and sauté until golden.  Transfer the onions and bacon to a small plate lined with a paper towel.  Allow to cool.  Then in a large bowl, combine the bacon, onions and the rest of the ingredients and mix well until thoroughly combined.  Roll the mixture into 25 meatballs.  Be sure to pack the meat firmly. Place them into the prepared 8X8 (five rows of five fit really well) and roast until cooked through, about 18 minutes.  Allow the meatballs to cool for five minutes before transferring to a serving dish.  Place one toothpick into each meatball and serve.  ENJOY!

Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread

I've been slightly thrown out of my groove for the past week and a half (I blame the oh so cute, mommy please cuddle me, sick kid) and I haven't been doing much creative cooking (besides the Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie the other night).  So, I've decided to share an oldie but goodie!  This Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Bread looks impressive and works excellent as a take along for any get together or potluck.  I've made this recipe several times and it doesn't usually hang around very long . The kids seem to enjoy it just as much as the adults. Although it does take some time to prepare, most of these ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen! I like to serve this bread with a batch of "Perfect Pizza Sauce". (I've posted a recipe for that as well.)

INGREDIENTS:

2tsp. active dry yeast
1 1/3C warm water (110 degrees)
2 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/ 4 C melted butter
1 TBSP dried parsley flakes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast and the water.  Allow it to sit for 5 minutes until the yeast foamy.  Mix in the olive oil, salt, and flour.  On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until the dough is elastic, 7-10 minutes.  (If you don't want a great arm work out, a stand mixer with a dough hook can be used, knead for 5-6 minutes.)  Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel.  Allow the dough to rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Just before your dough is done with the rising process, prepare your butter sauce.  In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, parsley flakes, and minced garlic.  Set aside.

When the dough is finished rising, punch the dough down.  Tear dough off into small pieces (roughly the size of a medium spoon).  Coat each piece in the butter mixture and place in the bottom of a bundt pan.  Repeat this process until you have one layer of dough balls.  Sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese.  Continue layering the dough balls and cheese until you have three layers.

Cover the pan with a clean towel and allow to sit until the dough has doubled in size, 20-30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown.  Serve hot with a side of marinara or pizza sauce.  ENJOY!

Buffalo Wings

 

 

 Man food at its best!  No Super Bowl party is complete without these! :)

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

2.5lbs. chicken wings/drummettes

2 TBSP veggie oil

1 TBSP kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 C Frank's red hot Buffalo sauce

Celery sticks (optional)

Ranch Dip (I'll try to get a recipe for this out to you soon!)

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set a wire rack inside of a large foil lined baking sheet.  In a large bowl place the veggie oil, kosher salt and black pepper; add the chicken and toss to coat.  Then place the wings on the prepared rack and spread out in a single layer. Bake wings until cooked through and the skin is crispy, about 45-50 minutes. When finished, place the wings into another large bowl and pour on the Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce.  Toss to Coat.  Allow to sit a few minutes before serving.  Serve with celery sticks and Ranch Dip.  ENJOY!

 

 

 

 

 

Brownie Batter Dip

For our "Second Annual Kid-Friendly Super Bowl Party", we had to one up our most popular appetizer of the peanut butter ball with this Brownie Batter Dip.  It was a hit!! I personally, really enjoyed using the marshmallows as dippers.  So yummy!

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. Neufchatel cheese, softened
4 TBSP butter, softened
2C. powdered sugar
5 TBSP all-purpose flour
5 TBSP cocoa powder
3 TBSP brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
 3 TBSP milk
 Mini Chocolate chips, for garnish (optional)
Pretzel snaps
mini marshmallows


DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, whip the cream cheese and butter together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Next, add the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, vanilla and milk. Mix until smooth. Garnish with mini chocolate chips, if desired. ENJOY!

Adapted from: stickafork.net

Mexican Tortilla Rolls

I am very proud of this photo.  It looks like a true food blogger photo, don't you think?

Appetizers are something I struggle with due to the fact that I don't like to try anything new on people unless I have tried it for myself.  Pretty understandable, right?  Appetizers are not something I typically make at home just because.  So if I don't make appetizers at home but I need one to bring to a party, how am I supposed to know what to make???  I usually end up bringing the same things over and over. So, last weekend I took a leap of faith and I decided to use a recipe that I had never made before to bring to my sisters shindig.  To my surprise, it turned out great!  My version ended up looking much like the one that came with the recipe, which I thought was a good sign.  And it tasted exactly like I expected it to. Yummers!


4 thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can Ro-tel diced tomatoes, drained
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
1C Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tsp. ancho chili powder, divided
1 tsp. cumin, divided
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 C cilantro, chopped
6 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
6 wraps (I used the Mission brand Jalapeno Cheddar flavor)

In a small bowl mix the salt, half of the cumin, and 1 tsp of the ancho chili powder.  Sprinkle the seasoning mix onto the chicken breasts.  Place the chicken to a skillet and add about 1 cup of water. Cover and cook on med-high until it is cooked through adding more water if necessary. Once the chicken is cooked, cool slightly and chop into small pieces. (You can also shred it with two forks, but I find that chopping it up small works just as well and is a much faster process)

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, drained tomatoes, cheese, remaining spices, garlic, cilantro and green onions. Mix together well. Add cooled chicken and stir together until combined.
Lay out the wraps and divide mixture evenly in the center of each. Spread into a thin layer leaving the edges clean. Roll each wrap tightly leaving the ends free. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1" thick slices.  Place onto a serving dish.  Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Enjoy!
*The ends of the roll will likely come unraveled, you can discard them or enjoy them for yourself! :)

Recipe adapted from: homeiswheretheholmansare.blogspot.com

Avocado Yogurt Dip

Every Tuesday for the past few months I really look forward to 12:45pm. That's about the time I go to check the mail. Sitting in the mailbox is where I find the weekly sales ad for one of our local grocery stores. And t...hat my friends, is where my menu planning begins!

This week avocados were on sale for $1 each. Not bad! I heart avocados. Actually, I more than heart them...I freaking LOVE them!!! So I stocked up! And then I made this recipe. :)

*Note*...I know my photos aren't the best. My thing is food, not photography. So please bear with me. :)

 

 

 INGREDIENTS:

1/2 C plain Greek yogurt
2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped
1 TBSP chopped Jalepeño (with or without seeds. I used seeds)
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients with an immersion blender, in a blender or with a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a servicing dish. Serve with cut up veggies, pita chips or tortilla chips. Enjoy!