Porcupine Meatballs

When I was growing up, my mommy dearest would make the most wonderful, amazing meatballs.  I loved them!  They were huge and full of rice and covered in a tomato-y sauce.  I thought she spent hours on these things, she had to have, they were so tasty!

I grew older (not up), moved out and kind of forgot about them.  As I was working on my own recipe book, I remembered those delectable meatballs.  I asked my mom for the recipe, thinking it would be for special occasions or weekends when I had some time to spend in the kitchen.  How did I not ask her about these sooner?  They are so easy!  Now they are a regular staple for the boys and I to enjoy.  They are still incredibly special but can be made any day of the week.

Porcupine Meat Balls

1.5-2lbs  Ground Beef or Ground Turkey
2 eggs
1c. Instant Rice (white or brown)
1/3c. Water
1 clove Minced Garlic (or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
Salt and Pepper

1-2 cans Tomato Sauce (depending on how much sauce you like)

Mix all ingredients (minus the Tomato Sauce) together and form into balls.  Depending on the fat content of the meat, you may need to alter the amount of water.  You want the mixture to be wet (the rice will soak up a lot of the moisture)  but it needs to be able to form into fist-ish sized balls.  Place in deep baking pan about an inch apart.

Bake at 375 for 10-20 minutes.  Once the meatballs have a decent crust on them, pour the Tomato Sauce over the meatballs and bake until done.  About 20 more minutes.

I usually serve these with more rice on the side and some yummy veggies.  So tasty!

Success!!!

Last Christmas, my gift for people was scarves.  I started knitting away and asked my Sweetie if he would like one for when he went riding on his bike (the kind with the motor).  He got to pick out the pattern, with my help, and the yarn.  The pattern looked a bit challenging, which was perfectly fine, but as I was running late on gifts for friends and family, his project was put on the back burner.  Finally, one chilly February day, I began what has become the most difficult and involved knitting project I have yet attempted.

The scarf is a take off the OBEY Giant sticker campaign that we found on knitty.com.  It entailed two techniques that I had never really tried before and wanted to: intarsia and fair isle knitting.  I had to look up a few tutorials on the 'net and in some of my books to get a feel for what I was supposed to be doing and then I really just winged it from there.  Let me tell you, it was quite the project.  There were times where I wanted so much to just put it away for good, but I stuck through it.

I am happy to announce that as of Sunday morning, November 6, 2011, after nine months of knitting (and letting it rest) I have finished my Sweetie's Andre the Giant OBEY scarf.  Just in time for winter!

I am sure that to a more seasoned knitter, it is not perfect by any means, but to me, it is the coolest thing and  I am so proud of this masterpiece.  I learned a lot while knitting this scarf.  I am so glad I kept with it and finished it.  I can't wait to see him with this baby wrapped lovingly around his neck (for warmth).

Pretzel Party!

The Boy and I recently made a batch of pretzels.  It was a total YUM experience.

The recipe as published on Allrecipes.com:

Golden Brown and Delicious!

Buttery Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•  
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

I have used this recipe as published before.  It was very good, but at the time, it was a bit time consuming and "labor intensive".




This is what we did instead:

Throw all ingredients in bread machine on the dough setting.  (all but the soda, hot water and kosher salt)

Divided dough into 12-16 equal pieces

Twisted and dipped in the soda water, 

Sprinkle with kosher salt

Baked in 450 degree oven for 8 minutes

MUCH EASIER!

These chewy delights were gone in one evening!  Not only were they delicious, but we had so much fun playing with the dough together that the next weekend we hosted a pretzel party with the neighborhood kiddos.  We threw in a double batch of dough and had the Crazy Girls and Jaden come over to help. The Boy insisted on everyone wearing an apron so everyone picked their favorite and we got to work.

The Boy and Jaden

I think that Jaden seemed to work the hardest on his.  He was really fun to watch him try to get the perfect snake and the nicest twist to his.  The Boy did really well too.  Since he had already done them the previous week, he looked like a pro to the other kiddos, which, of course made him feel awesome.

The kids had such a great time.  They were the twisters.  It took a bit for them to get the hang of making the big long snake of dough, but once they did, they were unstoppable.  We ended up with over two dozen delicious twirled up bits of heaven.

The little Crazy Girl Having a blast!

The little Crazy Girl and I decided that we needed to have some sweet ones as well.  We experimented on when to add the cinnamon sugar and how to adhere it to the dough.

*We found that baking the dough after dipping it in the soda water, immediately brushing with butter, and adding the cinnamon sugar was the best route.  (We tried to add the topping prior to baking but the sugar melted all over the pan and didn't stick to the dough.  Not nearly as tasty and it was more difficult to clean up later)

Once all the pretzels were finished and cooled, the kiddos got to take some home and show their folks what they made.


 All in all, it was a complete success!  Happy Faces All Around.  We will definitely be doing that again.

Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce

A friend of mine made this dish for me a few years ago.  The first time I tasted it, I was in love!  The flavor of this dish is bold in just the right ways and subtle in just the right ways.  It is a Thai peanut pasta with pea pods and broccoli.  Once we tried it, we couldn't get enough of it.  Sometimes in this type of recipe, the peanut butter flavor, though adored in my house on a sandwich or in a milkshake, is too much to take.  The sweetness of the peanut butter is balanced nicely with rice vinegar and lime juice.  The heat of the dish can be controlled simply by adding or subtracting red pepper flakes and ginger.  (Note: as the dish sits, the spiciness will increase)

I have made this for the boys, my sister and BIL and my in-laws, all with raging success.  As with every recipe, I alter it slightly with each time I prepare it.  Yesterday, I think I found a solid version that I will make again.

The RECIPE (as published):
12 ounces Spinach Linguine or Whole Wheat Spaghetti
2c. Broccoli Florets
2c. Snow Peas
2c. Sugar Snap Peas
1/2c. Unsalted peanuts
1/2c. Creamy Peanut Butter
1/4c. Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
1/4c. Water
2T. Rice Vinegar
2T. Fresh Lime Juice
1 Scallion
One 3/4 inch piece Fresh Ginger, peeled and grated
2T. Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1/4 t. Red Pepper Flakes (or more to taste)

Cook the pasta as directed. Drain and rinse with cold water.
While the pasta is cooking, steam broccoli for three minutes.  Add pea pods and steam an additional 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
Toast the peanuts in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant.  3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Make the sauce by pureeing the remaining ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
RIGHT BEFORE SERVING, toss pasta, vegetables and sauce together.  Sprinkle the peanuts on top and serve.

MY CHANGES:
As much as I love spinach linguine, it was very difficult to get everything mixed up well enough with the longer pastas.  I recommend a shorter noodle, such as a penne or ziti.  I did a mixture (as that was what my pantry dictated) of whole wheat penne and mini fusili.  They worked great.

I also only used sugar snap peas.  I tried it using the snow peas a couple of times and the pods broke apart and it looked messy.  I substituted the snow peas with regular frozen petite peas.  It worked out so much better.

I definitely suggest going with the low sodium soy sauce.  Not only is it healthier, but with all the flavors in this dish, the saltiness of the soy sauce would really mess up the balance, I think.


The best part of this recipe is the sauce.  Not only is it incredibly delicious, but it is pretty versatile.  I made it once as a dipping sauce for chicken strips to take over to fight night at a friend's place.  I have also used it for veggies.  Both were an absolute hit.

If you make any changes, I would love to hear about them.  What would you do differently?

Ten Apples Up on Top Part 2

So, as I said in my last post I got a TON of apples this last weekend and looking for some new recipes to try. Well, I made up a porky chop recipe (I know it's nothing new and exciting but I'm not very creative right now). I am calling my creation UNSTUFFED PORKY CHOPS! Yeah, I know real creative.

WHATCHA NEED:

some pork chops (I used 2 boneless)

1 box of pork flavored Stove Top Stuffing (cook it up as directed)

2 small apples, sliced (I used Gala, but I bet it would be awesome with Granny Smiths)

1/3 cup of applesauce

Preheat over to 425 degrees.

Place the sliced apples on the bottom of a small casserole dish. In the prepared stuffing, mix in the applesauce, then place in casserole dish on top of apples. Afterwards place pork chops on, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the pork chops are finished. Serve and ENJOY!!! I served mine with green beans and my hubby gobbled it right up!!!

Next, I did make that wonderfully delicous apple cake. OMG!!! The smell that went through my home was AHHH-mazing!!!

Whatcha need:

1- 16 oz bottle of ice cream carmel topping

1/2 cup of chopped pecans (I got to use the pecans that came off the tree in my front yard!! YUM!), you can use walnuts too

2 large baking apples, sliced thinly

1 box of yellow cake mix (I prefer Betty Crocker SuperMoist)

1 1/4 cup of water

3 eggs

1/3 cup of veg oil (you can use apple sauce instead)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the carmel topping in the bottom of a 13x9 casserole, then put nuts in next, then your sliced apples. Mix the cake mix with the eggs, oil, and water. Pour on top of apples carefully. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool in pan for 1 minute then, like a pineapple upside down cake, remove from pan. Can be served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

This will be eaten quickly because it is delish!!!

Top Apples Up on Top

So, as I began to think what to share from this way, super-duper busy week, everything from family visiting to the University's Homecoming to going to Meridian Mississippi for grocery shopping. Yep, we took Jasper to his first Homecoming Parade which was quite an adventure in its own rite, but i thought since we are trying to share recipe and meal ideas here, why don't I share what happened in Meridian. Let's begin with nothing too exciting happened, but I discovered apple stands. APPLES EVERYWHERE!!! So of course, I got TONS!!!

Now, I have all these apples that I know we won't eat them all before they go bad, so I have been searching for interesting, easy apple recipes. One thing you need to know about me is that I cannot stand pie crust, I will eat the filling but not the crust, blah. Of course I found applesauce cakes, baked apples, apple pies, apple cobbler, apple-stuffed pork chops, and the list goes on and on. But then all of sudden I found the recipe I just had to try.

This cake is from tablespoon.com website (a nifty little website I have discovered through my searches) and yes it is an apple cake but different. It is called Warm Caramel Apple Cake!! YUM YUM!!!! Now I have not made this cake yet so I do not know how it taste but man it looks delightful!!! Just check out their picture!!! I think this cake will be made within the next week!!! I will post on how delicous this cake will taste. I will also post the recipe then, the orignal and any changes that I made while preparing the cake. Every cook should be able to modify a recipe to make it their own.

Besides, a dessert recipe (which is way easier to find than anything else with apples), I wanted to find a recipe for a dinner entree, but no luck. If you have one that you would like to share with me, I would appericate it. I am going to make apple stuffing stuffed porky chops this week. Okay so when I have made the cake and the porky chops I will share my own pictures and recipes with you.

So many projects...do I really need a job?

I love to knit and bake!  I really love being able to take a ball of string or a mess of ingredients, play with it and have something useful, pretty, and delicious come out later.  I would be incredibly happy if I could knit, bake, and read all day, I think.

I don't even have to keep the fruits of my labors.  In fact, it really fulfills me to be able to make something for a friend's birthday or when they are feeling down.  My desire to give gifts, I believe, comes from my mother.  She has always been really good at picking out just the right thing for an occasion.  She loves to shop and scour the earth for that "one thing".  I, on the other hand, really didn't catch the shopping bug, but that doesn't stop me from finding that perfect thing.  I just take a different route.  There is nothing like a hand made gift: something that you put a bit of yourself into.  Please don't take this wrong, I don't make gifts to toot my horn and make it about me, but seeing someone wear or enjoy something that I have worked so hard on just for them gives me the best feeling inside. There aren't enough "thanks" in the world to compare with getting to see my friend being warmed by the hat I knitted for her or smiling after biting into one of my cookies after a rough day.

Because of this desire to make everyone in my life happy and comfy, I have found many, MANY ideas, patterns, and recipes that I am just dying to try.  The problem is, I don't have enough time to make all the things I have on my wishlist!  I am in the beginning stages of Project ADD, I think.  I hope it isn't serious, but I find myself wanting to start all of my wishlist at once.  I have been doing OK, keeping myself to only a couple knitting projects at a time, but it has been a difficult road.


As I have quite a bit of spare surfing time at work, I often find myself on pattern sites and recipe sites.  There are oodles of patterns and recipes that I have set aside for "next time".  I remember my dad saying that if my grandmother had a biography it would be called, "Recipes Clipped, But Never Made".  I can sympathize with that.  There are tons of recipes and patterns out there just waiting for my little hands to attempt.

Previous posts have touched upon John's scarf and PW's Christmas (which, with all the mentions between here and on facebook, is starting to tug at her to know what it is).  I told myself that I couldn't start anything else until I "caught up" on the scarf.  "Caught up" should really have a more concrete meaning to me.  Apparently, at the time, it meant, "Go to the yarn store, even though you are nowhere near finished with your current project. That way you can look at all that beautiful bamboo goodness and torture yourself until you start the project anyway."

And guess what I did. Yep, I started that project for PW four days later.  Hey, I did wait four days.  It is turning out beautifully, though.  The stitch pattern is lovely, simple and it isn't terribly hard, once you get the hang of it, and the yarn is gorgeous and there is a ton of love going into this thing.

BUT I guess, I am just not satisfied with working on those two projects.  I have a scarf in the works (at work, shhh) and a bag of yarn by my bed.  I keep thinking it is time to start hats for winter.  All my little nieces and nephews need to stay warm outside, right?!

The problem doesn't end with knitting though, I also have a cooking and baking problem.  That is something I have always enjoyed and have been pretty good at.  Unfortunately, my baking has suffered badly over the summer (which has made my zeal for recipes even stronger).  I just didn't have time or energy to cook much at all.  As I am rectifying that, John and I decided to get back on the more healthy track.  Meaning: cut back on the sweets!  To my dismay, a batch of cookies or a weekly cake is not quite in our diets.  Not like it used to be.  I am not complaining about the positive change in our lifestyle, but I do miss the act of baking and the excitement I see on the boys' faces when they come home and see what is on the counter waiting for them.  I need to realize that baking doesn't equal dessert.  Homemade breads, rolls, muffins... They are all yummy and BAKED.  It is just a matter of changing my perspective.

I have been looking at a recipe for black bean brownies for months.  Delicious, lower in fat and calories, and full of fiber.  It sits on my counter beckoning me to take the leap and just make them.  I vow to have a report on these within the next couple of weeks.  I have high hopes.  I will not be disappointed.