Traditional Italian Meatballs

Meatballs – easy to make and easy to use. And oh so easy to eat. Pop a few on top of spaghetti or pizza, bake some into a lasagna or cover them in cheese inside a warm submarine roll.

Meatball subs are exactly what my family eats on frenetic nights when we are rushing from after school meetings, to sports practices to church activities and somehow need to sandwich (pun intended) in a quick and tasty meal.

One thing I love about making meatballs is that my boys can help. They get a kick out of rolling the meat mixture into golf ball-sized yumminess. My youngest, Sam, helped me with our latest batch. Meatballs freeze well, too. After one recent Christmas, my freezer was stocked-full for months with the dozens of meatballs left from the 90(!!) prepared by my Mom and Grampy.

So make a double batch and store some for later. When you need a fast meal, warm in the microwave, in the oven or in a pot of your favorite tomato sauce.

This is my family's traditional Italian meatball recipe, with one slight change. My Mom uses 1 cup of breadcrumbs for every 1 pound of meat. Too bready for me, so I use fewer breadcrumbs. Feel free to add your own touches here by using ground turkey or chicken, adding chopped onion, experimenting with different seasonings or swapping out some of the dry herbs for fresh herbs you have on hand.

Meatballs are very forgiving and fun – and that's the point!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Traditional Italian Meatballs & Meatball Subs

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground veal (you can replace with beef or pork)
4 eggs
1 1/2 to 3 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 tablespoons garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Place meat in large bowl and make a well in the center. Add all other ingredients into the well and mix thoroughly. I recommend using your hands. The consistency should not be too wet or too dry.

Form large or small meatballs and place in foil pans or pans lined with aluminum foil. This is where the kids can help. If you make the meatballs the size of a golf ball you should get about 36.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or longer if your meatballs are larger.

If you plan to serve these meatballs with tomato sauce, let them simmer in the sauce for a bit before eating. This nicely flavors both the sauce and the meatballs.

Meatball Subs

4 submarine or hoagie buns or a large baguette (a softer bread works a little better here)
3 to 4 golf ball-sized meatballs per sandwich
Tomato sauce
Sliced or shredded provolone and/or mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice buns lengthwise. Scoop out some of the inner breading to make a pocket for the meatballs.

Place buns on cookie sheet. Put 3 to 4 meatballs and some sauce inside each bun. Top with cheese.

Toast sandwiches in oven until cheese melts. Enjoy with a green salad.

Flour & Wine ... Yes Please

Great Place, Great Food, Great Company – Flour & Wine

 

So if you are ANYTHING like me you LOVE going out to eat.  It is one of my favorite things to do (especially for brunch or dinner) and I spend countless hours doing “restaurant research” to scout out new places to try.  One of the biggest honors is having someone ask me for a recommendation of a place with some good eats!  Living right outside of Chicago is great, because the restaurant industry there is fantastic … and only getting better!  From hole in the walls to trendy spots opened by famous chefs and Top Chef alums … there is NO shortage of new and exciting places to try.  Yet lately delicious restaurants have been migrating to the burbs --- THANK GOODNESS, because sometimes you don’t want to brave the traffic, wait a month to get a reservation, or you simply want to support your local community!  So now I wish to share with you one of my favorite places and recent addition to downtown Glen Ellyn, IL that serves up fresh ingredients, homemade mozzarella cheese and pizza dough and an extensive wine and beer list.  While I recognize this may not apply to ALL readers I feel like it’s an opportunity for you to share some of your favorite, local HOT SPOTS and give some of our readers some ideas when they venture across this country in search of mouthwatering spots to grab some grub!  Plus … as the weather warms I am going to try one of the recipes out and attempt to recreate my FAVORITE dish (so stay tuned).  And now … for FLOUR & WINE!

Now to start, flour and wine is designed with sharing in mind.  Now some of us (MZ … cough cough) would rather eat the entire plate of butternut squash tortalacci without worrying about a fork sneaking across the table OR if you’re like my father … you are just DOWN RIGHT CONFUSED!  “Wait, I can only eat a bite of this?  How will I get full?  Why is my plate so small?”  But for a group of about four girlfriends or a couple out on a date night … it works out PERFECTLY!  And keep in mind they have plenty of gluten free options, which works out GREAT because I have several friends who are often limited with gluten free intolerant menus!

Here are just a few of my FAVES … let the drooling commence!

Zucchini Fries – MZ, Brittney and I order these EVERY time without fail!  They are the perfect thing to munch on as you sip a good wine and peruse the menu while trying to narrow down all of the delicious choices!  They aren’t greasy or heavy, come with a homemade ranch dipping sauce --- and make sure to ask for fresh grated parmesan cheese to be shredded on top.

 

Rock Shrimp & Crab Fritters – OMG!  Now my dad is allergic to ALL seafood so it was only when I was older that I realized those sea creatures were the most delicious things around!  This was the only dish my out of town mother said she wished she could have hogged all to herself.  They are FULL of shrimp and crab meat, not too bready, and come with delicious sautéed spinach and butternut squash.

 

Prosciutto & Mozzarella – Now this may seem simple, but do not be deterred!  As I previously mentioned, they make their own mozzarella IN HOUSE!  Now if you haven’t had fresh mozzarella you will be astounded at the difference in taste.  And thanks to the influence of my lovely sister … nothing is better than prosciutto.  PLUS the bread comes already perfectly toasted and drizzled with olive oil.

 

And the PIZZAS … OMG the PIZZAS!  They are thin brick oven pizzas that taste smoky and warm!  The fresh ingredients have an explosion of taste and are all interesting yet delicious combinations (don’t worry they have the classics too).  Now I don’t have any pictures because they tend to get snatched up THAT FAST!  However, I highly recommend the ROCKETMAN (which features fresno chilis) and the PARMA CLASSIC (umm prosciutto and arugula … HELLO!)

And now for my favorite … simple, delicious, a little different and something I can’t wait to try to make at home THE GRILLED ROMAINE – it consists of half a head of grilled romaine lettuce, giving a warm, smoky taste.  Combine that with tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese, leeks and pancetta …. Ummm … done and done!  It is fabulous shared or get it for yourself if you’re feeling rather selfish!  This is one dish that as soon as the grill gets rolled outside I am testing out for myself!  Do you think it will be as good made at home as it is at the restaurant?  Stay tuned to find out!

 

So if you are in the area, close by or just visiting … check this spot out!  I promise it won’t disappoint!  Because sometimes we all just need a LITTLE break from cooking! :)

 flourandwine.net

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Do any of you have a weekly tradition?  I remember when I was in college “The Office” had just started and we would all meet in the common area every Thursday to watch it together.  Now MZ and I hit up a local restaurant for reverse happy hour every Thursday night at 8 for live music and split a wedge salad and fried pickles (although MZ usually looks at me with disdain as I peel off the dill infused breading and eat the pickle in its purest form).  But one NEW weekly tradition I started this year spans both of the aforementioned weekly rituals and combines my greatest loves… Reality TV, good food and even better company --- Monday “The Bachelor” Night!

I’ll admit I have never really been a big Bachelor/Bachelorette fan.  I am much more of a Bravo/E! person, but when my friend Jessica started a “The Bachelor” bracket and Susan suggested we meet at her house and have food and start late to be commercial free I said, “SIGN ME UP!”  Plus, Susan’s incredibly witty husband had hilarious aside comments (one of my favorites involved describing AshLee’s look to the wicked witch of the west) and we got to cuddle Jessica’s new adorable baby girl… AKA MZ holding her like a football because as she attests “When I have kids I think I’d just like to have them back when they’re two.”

One night I asked if I could test out a new recipe, mostly because I knew Susan owned a food processer and it was a necessary part of the recipe (sorry, I promise I wasn’t just “using” you, Suze!)  Plus it is gluten free and that worked with Susan’s dietary restrictions… done and done!  When I said I was making pizza with cauliflower I received some skeptical looks, but in the end all agreed it was DELISH!  What we didn’t agree with was Sean’s final choice … although we definitely appreciated Lindsay taking off her shoes and walking away while telling him to stop following her.  Can’t wait for next season … and the next recipe!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Servings: about 2 Servings

For the crust:
2 cups grated cauliflower (about 1/2 a head)
1/2 cup yogurt
1 egg
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Dash of sea salt
For the topping:
3/4 cup of your favorite store-bought or homemade marinara sauce
1/2 cup of part skim mozzarella
Choice of cooked vegetables (optional)

Tools:
1 large baking sheet (about 11×18 inches)
Parchment paper

What to Do:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a food processor, prepare the cauliflower by pulsing florets until they take on a grainy or grated texture.  Place 2 cups of the grated cauliflower into a clean, thin dish towel. Wrap it up in the middle and twist closed, squeezing out all the moisture.

Place the dry cauliflower into a bowl and add the yogurt, eggs, and spices.  Fold the mixture until everything is evenly combined.

Place the cauliflower “dough” onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread the mixture with your hands until it is about 3/4-inch thick. Tadaaah… you’ve got yourself some crust!

Bake the crust for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and firm enough to hold its shape.  Remove the crust from the oven and top with marinara sauce, shredded mozzarella, and your choice of veggies. (If using raw vegetables like we did, I’d suggest cooking them slight at first until they have the desired consistency since they won’t be in the oven much time.)

Pop the pizza back into the oven for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted, take some to the couch in front of the tv and ENJOY!

 

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Remember back in June when we made Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken? That was delicious, wasn't it?

The day we made it, the husband and I ate Barbecue Chicken with Simple Cheese Grits. The next day we shredded the chicken and made barbecue chicken sandwiches. Both were delicious, but we still had leftovers. So I popped it into the freezer until later.

Later being last weekend.

Just so you know, the Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken froze wonderfully. I thawed it in the microwave and shredded it with two forks. Then it was time to make Barbecue Chicken Pizza. And, oh man, was it good.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza
Serves: 4

1 pound pizza dough
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups leftover Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken, shredded or cut into cubes*
1/4 cup chopped cilantro**

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven to preheat as well. Preheating the pizza stone or baking sheet helps to ensure the bottom crust of the pizza is nice and crispy.

While the oven preheats make sure all of your ingredients are prepped and ready to go. Once you start making the pizza on the hot baking sheet, you want to move quickly.

Carefully remove your hot baking sheet from the preheated oven. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to fit the shape of your pan. If you're like me and rolling pins terrify you, don't be deterred! Simply use your hands to gently stretch the dough to the shape of your pan. It doesn't need to be perfect. Place the dough onto the hot pan. (You'll notice that the dough starts to cook right away. This is why it's important to have everything ready to go.)

Spread the barbecue sauce over the dough, leaving about a 1" border around the edges. Sprinkle with cheese and then leftover Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken.

Bake for 16-22 minutes, until cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. Top with cilantro and serve.

*Don't have leftover Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken? No problem. Snag a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store on your way home from work. Then shred it or cut it into small cubes and stir in a bit of barbecue sauce. There you go!

**You may notice that the cilantro is missing in my photo. That's because I thought I had some at home, but, alas, I did not. And I was too dang lazy to back to the store to buy any. That's true life.

Pita Pizza

When I was in college, our cafeteria was pretty clever with leftovers. The day after they served gyros, when I was lucky (and by that I mean when there was leftover pita bread), was pita pizza day.

Back then I appreciated how delicious pita pizzas were. Now that I'm a grown-up in charge of making my own meals, I also appreciate how stinkin' easy they are to make. It's seriously ridiculous. You pile stuff on top of a pita bread and bake it until the cheese melts. Done. Dinner is served. Eat it while it's hot.

The husband and I are pretty simple when it comes to pizza toppings: pepperoni for him, pepperoni and kalamata olives for me. But feel free to use whatever you'd like to add pizzazz to your pizza. Mushrooms? Absolutely. Peppers? Sure. Anchovies? You go right ahead and live on the edge.

Pita Pizzas
Serves: 2

2 pita breads
1/2 cup tomato sauce (I've used spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce, and both works perfectly.)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni, olives, or other pizza toppings of your choice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place pitas on a baking sheet. Evenly divide tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings between the pitas. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve warm.