Swedish Meatballs

This is another Publix "Apron's" recipe. My stash of my favorite meatballs was running dangerously low. I always keep them in the freezer to pull out for a quick and delicious dinner. So I decided to make a new batch, but pulled out enough of the mixture (sans raisins) to make 6 Swedish Meatballs (weighing 50 grams each). I served it on top of egg noodles with some steamed broccoli on the side. This recipe served 2 (plus leftovers for The Girls).

SWEDISH MEATBALLS

1/2 Tbsp butter

4 oz sliced mushrooms

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp flour

7 oz beef broth

1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (this was a bit heavy for me....I'll try 1 tsp next time)

2 Tbsp sour cream

1/2 lb fully cooked meatballs (OH! I thought I had posted the BEST meatball recipe, but now I can't find it.....stay tuned.....I'll do spags & meatballs soon and show you these wonderful concoctions!)

4 oz wide egg noodles

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp water

Bring water to boil for noodles.

Preheat large saute pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes. Place butter in pan, then add mushrooms, salt, and pepper; cook and stir 5 minutes or until mushrooms are browned. Stir in flour, cook and stir 2 more minutes.

Whisk in broth, Worcestershire, and sour cream; bring to boil. Add meatballs, cover, and return to boil; boil 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Cook noodles following package directions.

Combine cornstarch and water until well blended. Slowly pour into meatball mixture, stirring until thickened. Drain noodles. Serve meatball mixture over noodles.

NOTE: I would have preferred more sauce than this made, so I think I'll double the sauce recipe next time I make this.

Vegetable Stir Fry

On with my mission to clean out my frig/freezer/pantry. I actually bought this stir-fry mix the other day at Publix because they were on sale ($1). I thought I was getting all broccoli, but when I got home I noticed it was a stir-fry mix. OK, one more thing to use up.

I sauteed some garlic and ginger in a bit of canola oil until tender then added 1/2 pound of diced chicken breast until done. Then I added about 1/2 of a sweet onion (julienned) and the stir-fry mix which had broccoli, carrots, and snow peas. Just before it was done, I added some of my favorite Soy-Vay Veri Teriyaki Sauce. That was it. I served it on jasmine rice with plum halves.

Tri-Color Pasta Salad

My resolve this week (and, hopefully, beyond) is to use at least one item out of my freezer or pantry (I'm trying to thin it out a bit). So, going back to Superbowl Sunday, I still had a bunch of those wonderful mini Italian egg rolls I wanted to experiment with. Now when I made them (the batch I made made 60 egg rolls) they were just a tiny bit labor-intensive. Or maybe I just felt that way because I was preparing 5 or 6 different appetizers and the clock was ticking. My original recipe said they could be cooked, frozen, and reheated. I did freeze the uneaten egg rolls, but I also froze some of the uncooked egg rolls. So this morning, I took the uncooked ones out of the freezer to thaw in the frig. These take less than 5 minutes to cook in a Fry Daddy. For the frozen, cooked egg rolls, I heated the oven to 375 (maybe 350 next time) and cooked for about 12 minutes. They got a bit dark, so I'll turn down the heat and check them at ten minutes.

Point being......both experiments came out great! So anytime you're in the most for these fantastic appetizers, know that you can prepare the entire batch, cook some or all, and freeze whatever you have leftover, cooked or not. I mean, how much more perfect can an appetizer get??!!!

OK, so back to tonight's recipe. I needed something to go with the egg rolls. I was just going to do some pasta with marinara, but had been holding onto this creamy pasta salad recipe for a while and decided to try it. I just happened to have everything on hand (some more clearing out of frig!) so I went with this. It all went together very nicely.

TRI-COLOR PASTA SALAD (Serves 2)

6 oz tri-colored rotini, cooked and drained
10 grape tomatoes, quartered, or 1 large or 2 small Romas, diced
1/2 small can sliced olives, drained
2 Tbsp red onion, finely diced
heaping 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
3 large basil leaves, julienned
2 Tbsp basil pesto
1/3 cup creamy Caesar dressing
S&P to taste
garlic powder to taste
1/4-1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Combine Caesar dressing and pesto, whisk together. Cook pasta and coat with dressing mixture while pasta is still warm (I didn't use all of the dressing.....add a bit at a time until it is the consistency you like). Add the rest of the ingredients except pine nuts. Top with toasted pine nuts.

CREAMY CAESAR DRESSING

1 1/2 cups mayo (I used 1/2 regular, 1/2 low-fat)
2 garlic cloves, minced (I use large cloves because I want to taste it!)
coarsely ground black pepper (I just sprinkled it until it looked right)
1 Tbsp anchovy paste
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp dijon mustard

Whisk together well, then keep refrigerated.

Zucchini Side Dish

Over the last week, I haven't been making many new dishes because looking back on the blog, I've kinda been repeating some dishes that simply appealed to me at the moment. So while this one isn't an entree, it's a wonderful, colorful side dish that will go with just about anything.

There are six never-varying components:
EVOO
Chopped onions
Minced garlic
Zucchini, sliced thick then cut in half
Yellow crookneck squash, sliced thick then cut in half
Grape tomatoes, cut in half

Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil under soft. Then add the zucchini and squash. Stir well and cook over a medium heat (covered) for just a few minutes.......I like the center to just begin to cook and the outer parts to be a bit crisp. About a minute before it's to your liking, throw in the tomatoes just so they heat throughout.

I generally season with salt and pepper and one of my seasonings: Nunu's or Joe's Hot Stuff. Once my herb garden is up and running, I generally throw in one or two fresh herbs.....depending on what my entree will be.

This is so quick, easy, beautiful, nutritious, and delicious!

Carrabba's Chicken Bryan

This is a dish Jim ordered at Carrabba's a few weeks ago. It was wonderful. I found a copy-cat version on-line and decided to give it a try. My favorite part is the goat cheese, I just love it. I think I'll tweak it a bit next time I try it....this recipe (cut to Serve Two) calls for 1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, I'll cut that in half next time. And instead of melting the chevre on the chicken while on the grill, I think I might try just stirring it into the tomato mixture to make a creamy tomato topping for the chicken. Either was, this is a fantastic flavor combination. I served it with steamed asparagus and my favorite Rosemary/Salt rolls from Fresh Market.

CARRABBA'S CHICKEN BRYAN (as found on food.com...this is their recipe which I'll alter next time I try it) Serves 2.

1/3 Tbsp minced garlic

1/3 Tbsp minced yellow onion

2/3 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup cold butter, sliced

1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (I'll go for 1/4 cup next time)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

2 chicken cutlets (4-6 oz each)

EVOO

S&P

2-3 oz crumbled goat cheese

Saute garlic and onion in 2/3 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat until tender.

Stir wine and lemon juice into skillet, increase heat to medium high, and simmer to reduce by half.

Reduce heat to low and stir in cold butter, one slice at a time.

Stir in tomatoes, basil, kosher salt, and white pepper; remove from heat; set aside. (At this point, I would add the goat cheese to melt into the tomato mixture.)

Brush chicken with EVOO & S&P.

Put chicken on grill. As soon as there are marks on one side, turn. Cover with goat cheese and close grill until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked throughout.

Plate and spoon tomato mixture over chicken.

Easy Mango Chicken and Rice

So easy. So good. So Carribbean. This will definitely be a staple around here this summer.

EASY MANGO CHICKEN AND RICE

1/2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast

Cumin to taste

Lemon Pepper to taste

1/2 can corn, drained

1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup Mango Salsa

Put chicken in a small crock pot. Add spices and about 1 cup chicken broth. Cover and cook until tender (I cooked it for about 2 hours on high, turned down to low for less than an hour.......If you increase the recipe, you may need more cooking time). Shred chicken on a plate. Remove about half of the broth and set aside. Return the chicken to the crock pot.

Add corn, beans, and salsa. More salsa can be added to taste. If mixture seems dry, add some of the reserved juices.

Serve over coconut jasmine rice (I used half a can of coconut milk in the water). Garnish with cilantro or parsley.

This recipe would make 3 large or four smaller servings.

**Substitute regular salsa for a Mexican taste and serve over regular rice or tortilla chips.

MANGO SALSA

20 oz jar mango slices, diced

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup finely minced red onion

1/2 c red pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

Mix together. Keep refrigerated. Makes 2-3 cups.

Mini Italian Egg Rolls

This was my absolute favorite Super Bowl appetizer. There are several incredible bonuses to this appetizer. The biggest: this is something that can be made the day before and then cooked in an instant. Another, they can be cooked, frozen, and reheated in the oven (I'm also experimenting by freezing some uncooked eggrolls and try cooking them in a day or two). And it makes a BUNCH! The package of wonton wrappers I bought had 60 wrappers and the recipe below almost filled every one (I had a few bites of sausage mixture left to snack on). Oh, and they are absolutely delicious!!!!!!

MINI ITALIAN EGG ROLLS

1 package wonton wrappers (6)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 medium green pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 lb hot Italian sausage

1 (10 oz) package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed

1/4 cup Parmesan

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/4 tsp garlic powder

oil for frying

Brown onion and green pepper wtih sausage, add minced garlic. Cool completely (this is important or you will get big clumps of melted cheese in the mixture instead of shredded pieces). Add spinach, Parmesan, mozzarella, and garlic powder.

Heat 3" of oil in wok, fry pan, or Fry Daddy (this is what I used.....I could easily fry 10 egg rolls at a time with plenty of room). Oil should be 350 degrees.

Spoon filling into the center of the wonton wrapper. Fold up the bottom and then the sides as to make an envelope. Roll envelope-shape into a cylinder. "Glue" top flap with a small amount of water. Fry mini egg rolls until skins get golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

(To make ahead, fill the wrappers with the sausage mixture and seal each egg roll. Lay on a flat plate. If you need to make layers of uncooked egg rolls, place a sheet of plastic wrap or waxed paper between each layer. Cover tightly with several layers of plastic wrap.)

5 MINUTE MARINARA

1 Tbsp EVOO

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (crushed in mortar with pestle to release flavor)

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 32-oz can crushed tomatoes

S&P

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

Add olive oil to a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper. When the pepper snaps and the garlic sizzles, add the tomato paste, cook for a minute, then stir in the crushed tomatoes. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for five minutes.

UPDATE: OK, so I froze the uneaten cooked egg rolls, and then froze 10 of the uncooked egg rolls. I thawed the uncooked egg rolls in the frig and then cooked them in the Fry Daddy for about 5 minutes. As good as the original batch. And I put the frozen cooked egg rolls in a 375 oven for 12 minutes......maybe a bit too high of a temp and a few minutes too long because they got a bit dark, so next time I'll try 350 and check them at 10 minutes. But they were still crisp and delicious. So if you're going to make a batch as big as mine and want to do so ahead of time, DO IT!!!!! What a fantastic recipe, all the way around!!!!