One of our favorite combinations are sweet and spicy in the same dish, I have a number of recipes that are like that and they are always a hit wth my family. This meatball recipe is no exception. The flavors start sweet then you get a little heat at the end! This was an instant favorite in our house. I served them more as an appetizer, but you can easily serve this over rice or buttered noodles. This made about 30 one inch meatballs and I did not have one left over!
UPDATE~ this is my original recipe that I submitted to Taste of Home Magazine and has since been published.
MEATBALL INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds meatloaf mix (ground beef, pork, veal)
2 eggs
15 crushed buttery crackers (I used Ritz)
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 cup 1% milk
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup of honey
1/4 cup Frank’s Buffalo Wing sauce
1/4 cup orange apricot marmalade (can use just apricot)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil. Mix all of the meatball ingredients together until well combined. Roll into one inch balls and place on the baking sheet. Do this for all of the meatloaf mixture. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until lightly browned. While the meatballs are baking add all of the sauce ingredients together in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce thickens slightly, roughly 7-10 minutes stirring often. When the meatballs have cooked for ten minutes transfer them to a slow cooker add the sauce on top of the meatballs and cook on low for 2 hours. Serve warm as an appetizer or over rice or buttered noodles.
Enjoy!
Happy New Year! My holiday decorations are put away and I am ready to start the new year! One of the things I did after cooking my turkey this year was to make turkey broth in the crockpot! You can use chicken, beef and even fish to make broth. We have all heard about the benefits of broth and how it helps in digestion and gives our immune system a boost, but it has become so popular there is even a take out window in NYC that serves just broth. It is also a main staple in the LA Lakers diet!
I have never made broth in a crockpot and could not wait to give this a try. Let’s face it throwing everything in the crockpot and letting it go for 18-24 hours does not get much easier. I started this in the evening and by morning my house smelled fabulous. Anyone walking by the crockpot that day was drawn to the slow cooker…it smelled just so good! I did add some chicken base to my broth to boost the flavor a little more. Adding this is certainly up to you and the amount you add is totally up to you as the flavor of the broth will not always be the samel I add this by taste at the end of my cooking time. I also added roasted garlic paste to my broth at the end of the cooking time. If you use the chicken base be careful adding salt as the base has salt in it already.
I also added 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, why you ask? Well the vinegar allows the minerals to be extracted from the bones and using apple cider vinegar has many of its own health benefits. You could also use freshly squeezed lemon juice. The recipe below is what I used, but you can add any root vegetables and seasoning you like.
NOTE
When the broth has been stored in the refrigerator it will be almost jello like, that is what you want this means that you have gotten a significant amount of nutrients in your broth. This is a great base for any soup or stew you might be making!
INGREDIENTS
1 turkey carcass, most of the meat cleaned off
1 onion, quartered
3 carrots, roughly chopped
3 celery, roughly chopped
3-4 garlic (or garlic paste added at the end of cooking time)
2 bay leaves
1-2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
Cold water
Chicken or turkey base to taste, added at the end of cooking time
DIRECTIONS
Using a large slow cooker turned on low, add all ingredients except the chicken base. Fill the crockpot to the top with the cold water to the top. Cover and let cook on low for 18 to 24 hours. In the last hour of cooking add the chicken base and roasted garlic if you are using that and/or any other herbs or seasoning you would like. Cover, let cook another hour and check for seasoning, adjust if needed. Shut slow cooker off, remove top and let cool. When it is cool enough to handle strain the broth. I used a colander that I lined with cheesecloth and store in mason jars in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Are you looking for something to do with that leftover stuffing? Last year I wrapped my sausage stuffing in bacon and drizzled it with maple syrup. This year I will spare you a few calories! My sausage stuffing has a lot going on in it so these are simply mixed with cheese and egg to help bind it and then rolled and baked I served these over a bed of gravy. The texture and flavor does change. The outside is crispy and the inside soft with hints of cheese!
INGREDIENTS
3 cups of leftover stuffing
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 eggs
Leftover gravy, warmed
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all of the ingredients except the gravy and mix well. Roll the stuffing into about one inch balls and place on a prepared baking sheet. Do this until all of the stuffing has been rolled. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the tops are slightly browned. Remove from oven and serve over warm gravy.
Enjoy!
The holidays are upon us and so are all the thoughts of what to make and also what to make with those delicious leftovers! This was an instant favorite but, then again what is not to love about deep fried turkey and stuffing all wrapped up together…right?! I was not sure if I wanted to add the cranberry sauce in the roll but decided to use it as a dipper for the rolls! Excellent! My husband’s favorite holiday and food is Thanksgiving, but I think he might like the day after just as much for this recipe alone! He hid the extra rolls in the fridge so no one else could find them!
NOTE – I used leftovers so I don’t have the total amount used. If you don’t have turkey leftovers, grab a rotisserie chicken and use that!
INGREDIENTS
Canola oil
Roasted turkey, shredded
Stuffing (your favorite recipe, cooked)
Gravy (your favorite recipe)
Egg roll wrappers
Jellied cranberry sauce, stirred and warm
DIRECTIONS
Fill a large wide skillet with canola oil about half way up the skillet. Heat to 350 degrees or until a wooden spoon handle put in the oil started to have bubbles on the side of the spoon handle. Taking one egg role wrapper at a time add about 2 tablespoons of shredded turkey, the same amount of stuffing and 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon of gravy. Roll the wrapper up according to the package directions. Do this for each of the rolls you are making. When they are all rolled and the oil is hot add a few rolls at a time to the oil. Be sure not to crowd the pan and let them brown on one side, flip to brown the second side. When both sides are golden brown remove the rolls to a paper towel lined plate and continue this for all of the rolls. If you are making a large batch these can be kept warm in a low temp oven. Place the rolls on a baking sheet with a baking rack on top so the heat circulates around the rolls keeping them crispy. Serve warm with warmed jellied cranberry sauce.
Enjoy!
I love roasting shrimp and rarely cook shrimp any other way, and that is how I started this recipe! I served this over jasmine rice because that is what I had on hand but you can serve it over any white rice. This dish comes together very quickly and the flavor is terrific with butter, lemon, a little bit of cream… what is not to love about that!
UPDATE- This is an original recipe I submitted to Taste of Home magazine and has since been published.
INGREDIENTS
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
Juice from one lemon
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2-3 Tablespoons of heavy cream (to taste)
1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce or your favorite hot sauce
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Rice
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook rice according to package directions. In a large skillet add garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, stir in Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile add the shrimp to a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and roast for 8-10 minutes until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Add the butter to the rosemary lemon sauce stirring to melt the butter and incorporate all of the ingredients. When the butter is melted, remove the rosemary sprig from the pan and discard. Add the heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste. When the shrimp,is cooked through, add it to the lemon butter sauce coating all of the shrimp. Serve warm over rice.
Enjoy!
