Swedish Meatballs

This recipe is loosely adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook® circa 1981. That recipe is fabulous, but I wanted to change some things up for my own version.

Ingredients (makes 30 to 35 meatballs):

3 slices of soft white bread, torn into pieces

¾ cup half and half

½ pound ground beef

½ pound ground pork

½ pound ground veal (you can use 1 ½ pounds of ground meat for meatloaf instead of these meats,     or even just 1 ½ pounds of ground beef)

½ cup white onion, minced fine

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

Pinch of allspice

1 Tablespoon canola oil

2 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon powdered beef bouillon

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 ½ cups water

Directions: In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread with the half and half. Let soak together for about 5 minutes. Add the meats, onion, egg, and spices. Mush it all up well with very clean hands. You want a homogeneous mixture here—almost like a pate. Form into small meatballs, about 1 inch in diameter. Heat a skillet with the canola oil over medium heat and brown the meatballs in batches, which should take about 7-10 minutes per batch. I like to use two spoons to turn the meatballs over when browning so I get all sides browned. Remove each batch of meatballs with a slotted spoon to a plate, leaving the drippings in the skillet.

Whisk the flour, beef bouillon and espresso powder to the skillet drippings and continue whisking over medium heat. Add in the water and bring to a boil. Whisk until the sauce becomes thick and then add the meatballs back in. Cover (I just use a piece of foil) and let cook about 20 minutes more.

Black Eyed Peas and Collard Greens (my take on Hoppin’ John)

I love Hoppin’ John and I love collard greens.  A few years ago, I started just putting my greens and rice right into the pot with the black eyed peas and ham hock. I also started doing it the easy way-using canned, seasoned black eyed peas. A bowl of this with a thick slice of butter-slathered cornbread and I am in heaven.

Ingredients (serves 6-8 and makes wonderful leftovers):

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 rib of celery, diced (about ½ cup)

3 (15 ounce) cans of seasoned black eyed peas (I like Glory® brand), with liquid

4 cups of water

1 ham hock (or 1 ½ cups of chopped ham, or a smoked turkey leg)

1 bunch of collard greens, chopped (about 5 tightly packed cups after chopping) See note * below

2 cups cooked rice

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

A few dashes of hot sauce, if you want

Directions: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven and add the onion and celery. Cook a few minutes until just tender and fragrant. Add in the black eyed peas, water and ham hock. Stir well and cook for about 15 minutes on medium low. Add the collard greens and bring to a boil, while stirring the greens deep into the pot (they wilt down a lot!). Reduce the heat to simmer and cover the pot. Simmer on low for about 2 hours and remove the ham hock to a plate. Let cool until you can handle it and then separate the meat from the hock and add the meat back to the pot, discarding the rest of the hock. Add the rice. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Cook, uncovered for 10 more minutes and spoon into great big bowls.

*Note on collard greens: if you've never used fresh collard greens before, they are really easy to prep. Just take each leaf and bend it in half with the darker sides facing each other. That will make the tough rib stand up. Then, holding the leaves in one hand, pull the rib away and discard it. Then, all you have to do is tear or chop the greens and wash and dry them thoroughly. For an even easier route, most grocery stores sell bags of frozen collards and you can just a bag or two of them. You could also use spinach or Swiss chard. 

Mom's One Egg Omelet (Recipe for an upset tummy)

You know the feeling-you or a loved one is feeling under the weather and you want (or want them to have) something to eat that will add some protein but won't weigh anyone down. My mom used to do this very simple one egg omelet for me--it's very thin and lacy, so it doesn't feel like too much food, but it gives sustenance. This is also great even if you are feeling terrific. You can add cheese, veggies, bacon, etc and bulk it up, but sometimes simple is best.

Ingredients: 
Cooking spray
One egg, beaten
Salt, to taste

Directions: Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and add the beaten egg, swirling it around to coat the whole bottom of the skillet. Cook, without stirring for about 2 minutes (the edges should look dry) and use a spatula to turn the whole thing over. Cook for another two minutes and sprinkle on a little salt.

Spinach-Swiss Bake

What a great brunch dish-it can even be done ahead and reheated. Want to make it a main dish for dinner? Just add some crisp bacon or chopped ham. This little bake even makes a great breakfast.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

½ cup chopped onion

1 ½ cups chopped mushrooms

2 (12 ounce) bags of frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed

1 teaspoon salt (or more, depending on your taste)

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic salt

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup yolk-free egg product (egg substitute)

1 cup fat free half and half

½ cup grated parmesan, divided

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese, divided

2 cups bread cubes (from any kind of loaf)

½ cup tomato sauce

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large, shallow baking dish (13 by 9) with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add in the spinach, salt, pepper, garlic salt and nutmeg. Cook until the spinach is wilted (about 5 minutes) and remove from heat.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg substitute and fat free half and half. Stir in ¼ cup of the parmesan and ½ cup of the shredded cheese. Add in the bread cubes and then stir in the cooled spinach mixture. Pour this into the prepared baking dish. Pour the tomato sauce over the center (only) of the casserole and then sprinkle on the remaining parmesan and Swiss cheeses. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until puffy and golden on top.

Spanish Style Bacon Wrapped Dates

I love these little babies. You get the salty goodness of bacon and then the sweet from the dates, a creamy bit from the melted, gooey cheese and then the crunch of the almonds. Note: you won’t need the whole half pound of cheese, but it is so good for snacking on that you will want it.

Ingredients:

22-24 Medjool dates, pitted

12 slices of bacon, cooked halfway through

½ pound Manchego cheese, cut into little pieces (about as long as the dates)

25 or so smoked almonds

Toothpicks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray liberally with cooking spray.

Cut the partially cooked bacon slices in half. Stuff each date with a piece of cheese, 1 or 2 smoked almonds (depends on how big the dates are) and push gently to close. Wrap each date in ½ slice of bacon and skewer with a toothpick. Lay the stuffed dates on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, turning them over after 10 minutes. Pour yourself a lovely glass of sherry (I like Oloroso, and Amontillado is also very nice—“For the love of God, Montressor!”) and feel swanky.

A tip or two: put the almonds near the top of the date and then place the bacon over the top like you are placing a blanket over it—center of the bacon strip over the top middle of the date. This makes it easy to skewer the toothpick near the bottom and catch both sides of the bacon, while not being stopped by the hard almond.

Vegetable Goulash

Love red sauce but need a change of pace from marinara? Give this a try. This dish is so hearty and full of flavor that your family may not even notice it doesn't have any meat in it. Of course, if you wanted to, you could always brown off some beef in the oil before you add the onions-totally up to you!

Ingredients (serves 6):

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 cup chopped sweet bell peppers, any color or mix of colors

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 Tablespoon capers

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

Two vegetable bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups warm water
1 cup red wine

1 Tablespoon Greek seasoning (like Cavenders®)

½ teaspoon celery salt

A few grinds of freshly cracked black pepper

1 Tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika

2 bay leaves

Serve over:
1 pound of pasta, cooked and kept hot (I like good old egg noodles)

Directions: In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add in the onions, celery and carrots and cook until soft, but not brown. Add in the garlic, peppers and mushrooms. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the garlic is just fragrant. Add in the capers, tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stir, and then add in the bouillon/water mixture, red wine and all the seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and then cover and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaves and ladle over bowls of warm pasta. I call dibs on any leftovers-especially at 2am. Yum.

Cheese and Tomato Soup

I ran across one of my mom’s old recipes (yeah, I’m doing that a lot lately) for Cheese Soup and thought I would put a twist on it by adding tomatoes. Because the flavoring is so simple and straightforward here, you can taste the carrots, the cheese, the tomatoes, everything!

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter

1 large carrot, diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup flour

2 cups milk

2 cups vegetable broth

¾ pound sharp American cheese, diced

1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and cook until they just get tender, but not brown. Stir in the flour for 2 minutes and then add the milk and broth. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring often. Stir in the cheese in portions, stirring each portion until it melts completely before adding the next. Crush the tomatoes in the can with a wooden spoon and add them to the pot. Cook for about 10 minutes and serve hot.

Asian Style Cole Slaw

Everybody needs a great vegetable side that doesn't need to be reheated and can be pretty much assembled in advance.

Ingredients:

Slaw:

2 packages of prepared Cole slaw

3 green onions, thinly sliced

“Crunchies”:

1 package of ramen noodles (I like oriental flavor), crumbled

½ cup sliced almonds

½ cup sunflower seeds

Dressing:

The seasoning packet from the ramen noodles

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar (more or less to taste)

½ cup rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar in a pinch)

½ cup canola oil

½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Pinch of salt (optional)

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the crumbled noodles, almonds and sunflower seeds on the baking sheet and bake until just golden (about 12 minutes). Remove, cool and set aside until ready to serve.

Mix the slaw and the green onions together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

When meal time comes, combine the slaw, crunchies and dressing together.

Very Vanilla Fudge

This fudge has a great creamy texture. The flecks of vanilla bean really kick up the flavor. I also like the crunch the raw sugar gives.

Ingredients:

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 ½ cups of good white chocolate chips (one 12-ounce bag plus ½ cup more)

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste

1 Tablespoon washed, raw sugar

Directions:

Line an 8 by 8 inch square baking pan with foil, allowing several inches to overhang each side. Spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, melt the sweetened condensed milk and white chocolate together, stirring often to prevent burning. Add the pinch of salt and whisk until completely smooth and creamy. Remove from heat and add in the vanilla bean paste. Pour immediately into your prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the raw sugar. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until firm and then lift the fudge out in one piece using the foil around the edges. Cut into squares. 

Danish Butter Cookies

I really wanted a butter cookie today, but I wanted to come up with something that wasn’t a shortbread or a Russian tea cake. This is the result. The caramel syrup gives the cookie so much depth! In fact, these taste very much like the Danish cookies that come in a blue tin—same flavor, same texture.

Ingredients (makes about 65 cookies):

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of cream of tartar
Pinch of salt

1 cup (2 sticks) good quality (unsalted or salted-you decide) butter at room temperature

¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1/8 cup caramel syrup (from the recipe for “Pumpkin Filled Cream Puffs with Caramel Syrup.” See, I told you the leftover syrup would come in handy!

1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup raw sugar or any large-crystalled sugar

Directions: Sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar together onto a piece of wax paper and set aside. Cream the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is very light and fluffy and the sugar is dissolved. Add in the vanilla and caramel syrup and mix again. Add in the flour mixture in three additions (folding the wax paper into a cone makes this easy), mixing well after each addition. Move the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, roll into two 12 inch long logs, wrap the plastic wrap tightly around each log and refrigerate dough for at least one hour.

When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the cookie log into ¼ inch slices and place on the sheets about 2 inches apart. Lightly brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake 10-12 minutes (until golden brown around the edges) and let cool. These cookies will crisp as they cool.