Italian Wedding Soup

This dish is Italian American and not Italian. Its name comes from a mistranslation of minestra maritata ("married soup"), which is called that because the meat and vegetables are well married. The original soup is much heavier than the American version. This is a great soup to make this time of year. It is hearty, but healthy. So if you are still on a honeymoon with your New Year’s resolutions, then make this delicious soup!

You will fall in love with this soup!

Servings: 6-8
Hardware: A cutting board and knives, measuring spoons and cups, a mixing bowl, un-powdered latex gloves, a stock pot, a wooden spoon,
Time: Prep: 15 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes

Chicken meatballs
Ingredients:

•  ½ pound ground chicken
• ⅛ cup bread crumbs
• 4 teaspoons milk
• 4 teaspoons Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons pesto
• 1 tablespoon mayo

1. This is easiest to do with your hands. Put on latex gloves. Combine all the ingredients in the bowl and mix with your hands. Make small ½ inch meatballs.

Soup:

• chicken meatballs
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ small onion (¼ cup)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 carrot (½ cup)
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup baby spinach leafs
• 1 cup small pasta (I used ditali)
• 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan + more for garnish
• S&P

1. Wash the spinach. Remove the stems and roughly chop.
2. Wash the carrot. Dice the carrot, onion, and garlic.
3. Heat the oil in the pot on medium high. Add the carrot, onion, and garlic. Allow to sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions are clear.
4. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the meatballs and pasta. Allow the soup to return to boil. Reduce the heat to medium.
5. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. The pasta should be firm (al dente) and the meatballs should be cooked through. Stir in the spinach and Parmesan cheese. Cook for another 2 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.
6. S&P to taste. Garnish with more Parmesan.

Chicken Meatballs

These meatballs are as tasty as any made of pork and beef. They are healthier because they are made from lower fat chicken and baked instead of fried. So you can enjoy your favorite food and stick to your resolutions to take better care of yourself.


Servings: 12 meatballs
Hardware: Measuring spoons and cups, a mixing bowl, un-powdered latex gloves, a baking sheet, foil
Time: Prep: 10 minutes Cooking: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground chicken
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• ⅛ cup milk
• ⅛ cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon pesto
• 1 egg
• cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 375°
2. This is easiest to do with your hands. Put on latex gloves.  Combine all the ingredients,except spray, in the bowl and mix with your hands. Make golf ball sized meatballs.
3. Cover the baking sheet in foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray.
4. Bake the meatballs for about 35 minutes. Check the largest meatball to see if it is cooked through.

You can drop these meatballs in sauce or soup. You can use them to make sandwiches or use them alone as an appetizer. You can cook the meatballs, allow them to cool, and place them in a single layer on a plate. Freeze them for about an hour and then freeze them for long term storage with a food saver system.

Mudbug Chowder

Crawfish, or craw daddies, or crayfish, or mudbugs…these freshwater crustaceans have many names. The guy at the fish market called them miniature lobsters. They don’t go by that name. He was being pretentious or maybe flirting, I don’t know. I said, “Yeah, whatever. Give me two pounds of mudbugs.” We used to find these in the ditch behind our house. Their lowly station cannot be improved by calling them lobsters. However, their wonderful flavor cannot be improved upon because mudbug or not, these things are good.


Serves: 4-6

Time: prep: 15 minutes cook: 30

Hardware: measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knives, a can opener, a large stock pot, sauce pan, a whisk, a wooden spoon

Ingredients:

• 4 slices bacon
• 1 small onion (about 1 cup)
• ½ small green pepper (¼ cup)
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 pounds of potatoes
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (I like Zatarain’s)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1-15 oz can whole kernel corn-drained
• ½ stick of butter
• 1 pound cooked crayfish tails (you can buy these already boiled from the butcher)
• S&P to taste

1. Dice the bacon.
2. Wash and dice the onion and pepper.
3. Peel and cube the potatoes. Try to make the cubes the same size. This will allow them to cook evenly.
4. Sauté the bacon, onions, and pepper in the pot on medium high. Cook for about 5 minutes. Every thing should be bubbling, but not browning.
5. Stir in the stock, the potatoes, and the Cajun seasoning. Boil until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
6. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil over medium in the sauce pan until it begins to sizzle. Add the flour and stir constantly until there are no lumps and the flour is a nice buttery color. This should take about 2 minutes. (This is called a roux.)
7. Slowly whisk the roux into the stock.
8. Add the half-and-half, butter, drained corn, and crayfish tails. Cook until everything is heated through (about 5 minutes.)
9. DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.
10. Season with S&P.

Offer your guests oyster crackers and hot sauce.

Happy 2012! Champagne Cocktails

Good-bye 2011!  Invite over some friends, pop a cork or two, pass around the munchies, and find someone to kiss when the ball drops!

These recipes will help make the last night of this year more memorable. When making Champagne cocktails it isn’t necessary to use the good stuff. Any sparkling wine will do. Chill the champagne flute first. Always pour the mixers in first and then top with the Champagne. These cocktails don’t need to be stirred.

Raspberry Royale:  Add 1 ounce of Chambord to a chilled flute and then top off with Champagne.  Garnish with frozen raspberries.

Mimosa:  Add 1 ounce of orange juice and ½ ounce of triple sec to a chilled flute.  Top off with Champagne and garnish with a twist of orange.

Poinsettia:  Add 1 ounce of cranberry juice and ½ ounce triple sec to a chilled champagne flute.  Top off with champagne and a few frozen cranberries. 

These munchies, much of which can be made ahead, will compliment the cocktails and make your guests very happy! These quick bites also contain protein, which will keep your guests from becoming too happy.

Phyllo Bites

Pecan Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Dip
Baked Egg Rolls with  Sweet & Spicy Hoisin Sauce
Roasted Baby Peppers with Herbed Goat Cheese
Cranberry Bacon Cheese Spread with crackers

Christmas Rib Roast

You cannot go wrong with a rib roast. Ridiculously simple to prepare, your guests will be impressed and very happy! Merry Christmas!

Servings: 8

Time: Prep: 5 minutes; Cook: 2 ½ -3 hours

Hardware: roasting pan, meat thermometer, a plate, tinfoil, cutting board, knives

Ingredients:

• 5 lb Prime Rib Roast
• ½ stick butter
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

1. Allow the rib roast to rise to room temperature. This is very important, because it allows the roast to cook evenly.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 425°.
3. Place the ribs in the roasting pan fat side up. Rub the cut ends with butter and sprinkle the entire roast with salt and pepper.
4. Place the roast in the oven and allow it to cook for 15 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 325°.
5. Cook for 20-30 minutes per pound. Remove the roast from the oven when the thermometer, inserted into the middle of the roast, reads 135° for medium rare, 145° for medium, 155° for medium well, and 165° for well done. (Please do not cook this beautiful cut of meat to well done. Just eat something else!)
6. Place the roast on the plate and allow it to rest for 20-25 minutes loosely covered in foil.

To carve, place the roast on a cutting board, fat side up. Remove the meat from the bones by slicing horizontally. Then cut slices vertically from the fat side down. The pieces closer to the end will be cooked more then those toward the center, so guests that want less pink will be happy, too. 

Serve with horseradish cream sauce. So good!

Suggested menu:
Prime Rib Roast
Caesar Salad
Feta Mashed Potatoes
Steamed Broccoli
Rolls
Black Forest Cherry Cake

Horseradish Cream Sauce

God is in the details.  Having a good sauce often elevates an ordinary dish to something amazing.  This sauce will make your steaks .....I'm at a loss for words.

Servings: 1 ½ cups

Time: prep: 5 minutes; rest: 4-24 hours
Hardware: Measuring cups and spoons, a whisk, a bowl, a storage container with a lid
Uses: Excellent on steak or prime rib roast


Ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup prepared horseradish
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Whisk everything together. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Stir before serving. This can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

You got your cheesecake in my pumpkin pie.
Well, you got your pumpkin pie in my cheesecake.

Two great tastes that taste great together!

Servings: 6-8

Hardware: Measuring cups and spoons, spatula, pastry brush, mixing bowl, mixer, foil
Time: Prep: 20 Cook: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 + 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1-8 ounce package cream cheese
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg

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• 1-15ounce can pumpkin puree (not pie filling-I use Libby’s)
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon allspice

---------------------------

• 1 deep dish pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Bake the pie crust for about 5 minutes. Brush the inside of the pie crust with 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup. (This is to keep the pie crust from getting soggy.)
3. In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, syrup and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Blend in the egg. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Spread evenly with the spatula.
4. Mix the pumpkin, remaining sugar and eggs, sweetened condensed  milk, and spices together and beat until smooth.
5. Pour the pumpkin mixture carefully over the cheese mixture.
6. Cover the edges of the pie crust in foil. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until center of pie is set. Remove the foil the last 5 minutes of baking.

Cool on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold. Top with caramel sauce to make this sinfully wonderful.