If you have followed me only for a short time you know how much I love the show “The Chew” with Clinton Kelly, Daphne Oz and celebrity chefs Michael Symon, Mario Batali and Carla Hall. I have this show on my DVR so I don’t miss it!! Over the holiday I made three recipes that I saw on the show and I have to say, I loved all of them! This particular recipe comes from chef Michael Symon and we just loved these meatballs! I served them over egg noodles, but you could also serve them as is, with mashed potatoes.  If you are entertaining after you cook them and make the sauce, place in a slow cooker and serve as an appetizer. This became a family favorite after just one bite!

INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, peeled and minced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups white bread, finely diced
1/2 cup of milk
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
Pepper

SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cups mixed mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed (shiitake and cremini, thinly sliced)
1/3 cup all purpose flour
3 cups low sodium beef broth
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup sour cream
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Preheat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the butter, onions and garlic.  Cook stirring occasionally until the onions have softened and start to brown slightly. Season with salt. Pour into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool. In another bowl add the bread and pour the milk over the bread, soaking the bread. When the bread has soaked up the milk strain the liquid out of the bread and set aside. When onions are cooled, add the ground beef, ground pork, soaked bread, bread crumbs, nutmeg, eggs and salt. Stir to combine and season with pepper. Roll about 2 Tablespoons of the meat mixture into round balls and place on a foil lined baking sheet. When you have rolled all of the meat mixture, place in the oven and bake until almost cooked through about 20 minutes.

For the sauce-
Preheat a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of butter. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden and crisp. Add the remaining butter and once that has melted add the flour and stir to combine. Slowly whisk in the beef stock trying not to break up the mushrooms too much. Bring the mushroom mixture to a gentle boil, reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally and cook for about 20 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper add the Worcestershire sauce and whisk in the sour cream. When the meatballs are done baking add them to the gravy to finish cooking, just a few minutes.
Serve warm.

Enjoy!

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img_7980I am so excited to share the new Taste of Home book with you! Although I was given a complimentary copy all of my opinions are mine. This is one of the most family friendly cook books that I have seen, and I love it for so many reasons. This book is not only packed with recipes but it’s full of ideas about how to bring the family back together around the table.  Lots of great ideas for starting conversations or removing distractions all around a busy family schedule. This week I am sharing three recipes from the book from three different categories and I’ll talk more about the benefits of this terrific book. The recipe I’m sharing today is from the CHICKEN AND TURKEY category.  It’s also a Fast Fix.  This category is a great place to find dinner ideas for those crazy weeknight meals. I chose the Thai Chicken Tacos to make and share with you. These were fabulous, we loved the flavor combination with the peanut sauce and the fresh vegetables on top. Although this recipe said it served six my rotisserie chicken gave me a little less than six servings, I would buy two rotisseries next time as we loved it that much! On to the recipe!
NOTE- we used both hard and soft taco shells

img_7944THAI CHICKEN TACOS

INGREDIENTS
12 Taco shells
1 Rotisserie chicken, skin removed and shredded
1 bottle Thai peanut sauce, divided
1 medium cucumber, julienned
1 medium carrot, julienned
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS
Heat taco shells according to package directions. Meanwhile in a large skillet combine chicken and 1/2 cup of peanut sauce stirring and heating through. In a small bowl mix the cucumber, carrot and cilantro. Serve chicken in taco shells topped with the cucumber mixture. Add a drizzle of peanut sauce on top. Serve warm.

PER SERVING – 2 Tacos equals 434 cal., 21g fat (4g sat. Fat).,
62mg chol., 589mg. Sodium, 31g carb. (14g sugars, 1g fiber),
29g pro.

Enjoy!

Mom Can You Make Thai Chicken Tacos
Family Around the Table Ultimate Fudgy Brownies
Jolene’s Recipe Journal Waffle Monte Cristos
Red Cottage Chronicles  Apple Pie Oatmeal Dessert

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This is a dish that just happened with what I had on hand. I will sometimes add the “hot” Jimmy Dean Sausage into my pasta plates for that extra bit of flavor but I did not have any, but I did have one pound of original Jimmy Dean Sausage. After giving it a bit of thought I decided to make it on the sweet side and added a little bit of pure maple syrup to the sausage while I cooked and crumbled it. As it turned out everyone loved it!

INGREDIENTS
6 ounces of cooked spaghetti
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
2 large eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound Jimmy Dean original sausage roll
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I used Ragu)
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

DIRECTIONS
To make the “crust”… in a large bowl combine cooked spaghetti, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, eggs, salt and pepper.  Spread the mixture into a greased pie plate forming the crust. Set aside. In a skillet on medium high heat cook the sausage, onion and garlic crumbling the sausage as it cooks. When the sausage is cooked about half way through, drain any excess fat and add the pure maple syrup coating the mixture. Continue cooking until the sausage is cooked through. When the sausage is cooked through, add your pasta sauce mixing well. When the sauce is warmed through spread the sausage mixture over the spaghetti crust in an even layer. Top with both cheeses and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

 

 

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 Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday season!

I will be back in 2017!

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img_7860I love a tasty one pot meal and this fits the bill! This is also a recipe that you most likely have all the ingredients on hand. The Rotel tomatoes really add a boost of flavor to this dish! I served this with a nice crusty garlic bread and Caesar salad.  Simple and delicious!

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INGREDIENTS
1 box of thin spaghetti, broken in half
1 can of original Rotel tomatoes
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup Vidalia sweet onion
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Sal and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the onion and sauté until soft then add minced garlic and continue to cook and stir for a couple minutes. Add Rotel tomatoes (not drained), Italian seasoning, sugar, water, and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Stir to combine. Add the dry spaghetti to the skillet, coating the noodles with the liquid. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Set the broiler to low and once the noodles are cooked through add both of the cheeses making an even layer. Place the skillet under the broiler,  and broil until the cheese is melted and just starting to turn a golden brown.
Remove from oven and serve warm.

Enjoy!

 

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