Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Spears

You know what goes nicely with Andrea's Buttermilk Spoonbread? You know what would make a tasty appetizer?

Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Spears.

Cooking really can be that simple, my friends.

I made this combo for dinner the other night and it reminded me of a grown-up version of breakfast for dinner. Truthfully, my husband hates breakfast for dinner (a.k.a. brinner), so this was a genius move on my part.

XOXO,
Amy

Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Spears

Equal number of asparagus spears and prosciutto slices
Melted butter or olive oil, couple tablespoons

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Trim asparagus. My mom has a friend who taught her how to trim the right amount and I think of Mom's friend every time I make asparagus. So with your sharp knife start at the very bottom of the asparagus and tap your way toward the top until you feel a slight give. When you feel the give, that's where you cut.

Wrap one piece of prosciutto around each stalk.

Brush each stalk with melted butter or olive oil.

Place in oven until asparagus is roasted and prosciutto is crispy, about five minutes.

Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Spears

The ladies of Hot Dinner Happy Home clearly have zucchini on the brain. Last week, Andrea posted these tasty Zucchini Pancakes, and today I'm sharing a recipe for Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Spears.

With a cheesy, crisp crust, these veggie spears will trick you (and your unsuspecting family) into thinking you're eating a decadent side dish. But feel free to have an extra brownie for dessert, because these Zucchini Spears are as healthy as they are delicious. Zucchini cancels out brownie, right? That's what I keep telling myself.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Crispy Parmesan Zucchini Spears
Adapted from these Asparagus Fries

3 small zucchini, cut into spears 1/2" wide by 2" long
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss zucchini with oil, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. You may need to press the mixture onto the zucchini to make sure it sticks. Place zucchini in a single layer on a large, rimmed baking dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes, flipping carefully halfway through baking, until zucchini is dark golden brown.

Cincinnati Chili

Every time we visit Cincinnati, we make at least one visit to the iconic chili parlor in our old neighborhood. Chili is this Ohio city's signature dish and I've been trying to recreate the exact taste for years.

My husband grew up eating this soup-like meat sauce served over spaghetti and topped with a gigantic mound of finely shredded cheddar cheese. This is the 3-way. Add onions on top for a 4-way; add beans to make it a 5-way. You must sprinkle on some oyster crackers (or 'Cincinnati crackers' as my son Sam calls them) before you eat this meal. The crackers soak up the sauce that the spaghetti doesn't catch.

You can also ladle this chili onto a hot dog in a bun and load it with cheese for a coney.

Cincinnati-style chili originated with immigrants from Macedonia and Greece who created the dish to appeal to more customers.

My boys have been eating this chili since they could hold a spoon. My first exposure came when I was in college, and the taste has grown on me ever since.

What sets Cincinnati chili apart is the tenderness of the ground beef (achieved by cooking the meat in water) and the blend of spices, which I'm still trying to perfect.

This recipe is the closest I've come to mimicking the flavor of my family's favorite brand of Cincinnati chili. (If you want to try the real deal, look for cans or frozen packages of Skyline Chili or Gold Star Chili in your grocery store.) What's served in Cincinnati's chili parlors does not have onion or beans cooked with the meat, but we like it that way. If you want to be more traditional, save the onions and beans for topping.

Lots of online resources debate whether the original recipe used bay leaves or cumin. We'll probably never know the secret blend. If you have ideas or tips on how to tweak the spices, tell us!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Cincinnati Chili

2 cups of water
20 ounces ground beef (cut the fat and use 1 pound 90% lean ground sirloin and 4 ounces 80% lean ground chuck)
1 large or jumbo sweet onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 ounce can plus 3/4 cup tomato sauce, unsalted
3 teaspoons tablespoon cider vinegar, divided
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 to 1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 bay leaf
1 15 ounce can of unsalted dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 pound to 3/4 pound spaghetti, cooked to package directions

Toppings:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped onion
Warm kidney beans
Oyster crackers

Using a Dutch oven or other sturdy large pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add ground beef, breaking up and stirring to crumble the meat into very small pieces.

Stir in all other ingredients (using 2 teaspoons of the cider vinegar) up to and including the bay leaf. Return contents to a low simmer and then partially cover. Cook between 1.5 and 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until sauce just starts to thicken. You want to maintain a nearly soup-like consistency.

Add in kidney beans and cook for another 5 minutes or until heated through. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar and remove from heat.

Fill bowls with about 1/2 cup of spaghetti. Add about 1 cup of chili. Top with shredded cheese, onions, kidney beans and oyster crackers to taste.

Cooking Chicken 3 Ways on Fox 46's Good Day Charlotte

Consider the following post a bit of a #humblebrag.

We at Hot Dinner Happy Home have been grinning ear to ear and virtual high-fiving all weekend. You see, Charlotte's Fox affiliate asked Amy to come on Good Day Charlotte and demonstrate a recipe in a "What's Your Dish?" segment that features local food bloggers. Ever the overachiever, Amy opted to show three recipes: her signature Amy's Roasted Chicken, Slow Cooker Chicken Stock and Pressure Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup. 

(VIDEO): What's Your Dish? Amy George Makes Roasted Chicken

Our favorite line in the three-and-a-half  minute segment: "Do not fear the whole chicken." As Erin put it in one of many group texts between your three Bringers of Hot Dinner: "That's our message on HDHH. Just get in the kitchen  and don't be afraid! BRAVO!"

Thank you, dear readers, for keeping up with our culinary adventures and indulging us as we say, "Yay, us!"

XOXO,

Erin, Andrea & Amy

PS: Amy's family -- husband, Jeff,  and daughters,  Lucy and Penny -- tagged along for moral support. The girls even  got to be in a promo spot in which the anchor said they were studying up to come back and cook with Mom! A good day in Charlotte, indeed!

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

You guys. Thanksgiving is less than three weeks away. I. Am. So. Excited.

Are you hosting this year? Going to your mom's house? Maybe heading to the neighbors' for Friendsgiving? And the most important question...what are you making for the big day?

This is the first year since 2006 that I'm not hosting Thanksgiving, and I'm pretty psyched to be taking a back seat. It'll be a nice change of pace, especially with the baby and all. Babies aren't conducive to cooking all of the things. I'll be putting all of my Thanksgiving culinary love into the cranberry sauce. And then I'll just enjoy the hard work of my sister-in-law and brother-in-law.

Today's Slow Cooker Turkey Breast is perfect if you're feeding a small group for Thanksgiving. Or if you're not hosting, but you'd still like some turkey to slice for sandwiches the next day. This is easy, set-it-and-forget-it cooking. Plus it frees up your oven for the stuffing, green bean casserole, rolls, apple pie...

Let's get cooking!
Erin

P.S. Like the idea of a turkey breast, but looking for a more traditionally cooked bird? Look no further! Check out this recipe for a brined and oven-roasted turkey breast.

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

6-7 pound bone-in, skin-on turkey breast
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
1 large onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
3 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Sprinkle salt and poultry seasoning evenly over turkey breast. Place onion, carrots, and bay leaves on the bottom of the slow cooker and pour the broth on top of the vegetables. Top with turkey.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours, until turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Allow turkey to rest for 10 minutes. The skin gets a little soggy, so I recommend removing it before slicing and serving the turkey.

Zucchini Pancakes

Yes, I'm using zucchini in yet another recipe. The prolific vegetable is the ideal blank slate or accompaniment for so many meals, as evidenced by it's frequent appearance in our happy homes.

Zucchini's mild taste and Mom-approved nutritional value make it a great food for healthy eaters.

One medium zucchini with its skin provides about 7 grams of carbohydrates, including 2 grams from dietary fiber and 3 grams from sugars. It also has 2 grams of protein and lots of vitamins and minerals, such as potassium.

Some of my favorites? Blueberry Zucchini Bread and Zucchini Rice. And of course these tasty pancakes. I try to use as little flour as possible so that the zucchini takes charge.

These savory bites are just the thing when you need a vegetarian main course or a fun side dish.

And who can say no to pancakes served up with a dollop of sour cream?

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Zucchini Pancakes

2 medium zucchini, shredded
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 large egg
1/2 a yellow or white onion, finely chopped (or use 1 bunch green onions, finely sliced)
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 to 6 tablespoons flour (white, whole wheat or gluten free)
Several tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
Several tablespoons butter

Place zucchini in a strainer and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Let drain for about 10 minutes. Press with wooden spoon to squeeze out moisture.

Whisk egg in a bowl. Add zucchini, onion, cheese, nutmeg, pepper and flour. Mix until well combined. If the batter is too wet, add another tablespoon of flour.

Now you're ready to fry up your fritters — in batches.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a 10-inch or 12-inch skillet (cast iron works well here) until hot. Drop heaping tablespoons of zucchini batter (about 1/4 cup) into skillet and flatten just a little with a spatula.

Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until browned. Transfer pancakes to a plate lined with paper towels.

Wipe out skillet if needed and repeat the cooking process until you've used up all of the batter.

Serve with sour cream.

Zucchini pancakes freeze really well. After thawing you can reheat them in the oven. Place on a cookie sheet and broil for 1 or 2 minutes.

Sausage and Mint Stuffed Tomatoes

I brought this recipe back from France 20 years ago. Gosh, that makes me feel very grown-up. Not old, just grown-up.

Anyhow, back in Fall 1995 I was living in Paris and interning at the Associated Press. The woman I boarded with made these sausage and mint stuffed tomatoes. She'd also pick up lamb or a whole fish from the outdoor market and do nothing in the way of prep, literally just throwing them in the oven. But when dinner was ready, it was incroyable. Until I met Francoise, I'd never seen anyone cook so simply and so wonderfully at the same time.

I still haven't made a whole fish, though it is on my culinary bucket list. But I have made these tomatoes beaucoup. Merci, Francoise.

XOXO,
Amy

Sausage and Mint Stuffed Tomatoes

4 red tomatoes, beefsteak are ideal
3/4 pound to 1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage
1/3 to 3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
Handful of mint, roughly chopped
Salt, pepper to taste

First, remember that all quantities are approximate. All depends on how large your tomatoes are, how much you like mint, how bready or meaty you like your sausage stuffing and how many people you are feeding. While big beefsteak tomatoes are best, heirlooms won't work due to their odd shapes, which make it hard to form a big hole inside the tomato to fill with the sausage stuffing.

The last time I made this dish, which was for this blog, I had smallish vine ripened tomatoes (see photo), which weren't ideal, but I made do. I used 3/4 pound of sausage and 1/3 cup breadcrumbs. While the meat and bread crumb ratios will change depending on the size of your tomatoes, you can pretty much always get away with using just one egg.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Hollow out your tomatoes so there is a hole for the sausage stuffing. Place tomatoes in baking dish.

Combine sausage, bread crumbs, egg and mint. Add salt and pepper to your liking.

Stuff tomatoes. Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the sausage should be brown and crispy and the inside should be barely pinkish.