Meatball Sub

I went through this stage when my favorite "fast food" was Subway. I absolutely loved to eat there. Given a choice between a five-star dining experience and a good old six inch, I'd go with Subway nine times out of ten.

Loved it. Then Jared started going to Subway and I think he turned me off of it. That or I discovered that I really liked Wendy's Junior Bacon Cheeseburger, but that's another story. I'm a major sandwich person. Sub, hero, hoagie or panini. Slap it in between two slices of bread and more than likely I will devour it happily.

One day, however, I discovered flavor. And maybe that and not Jared was what turned me off of the somewhat boring and certainly never mind blowing experience I got at my local sub shop. I realized that you can't just throw things in between bread and expect greatness.

And then I started to make my own meatball sub, and because I love you so, I will give you the recipe. Because I'm not being biased when I say this recipe is awesome. Tender and bursting of flavor. Not too much of anything and they hold together well. Have at this for a (messie) weeknight meal.

Homemade Meatball Sub
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 Large Egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 medium onion, grated
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp parsley, oregano and garlic salt each
salt and pepper to taste
Your favorite jarred tomato sauce
4 Italian Sub Rolls
6 Slices Mozzarella cheese, sliced diagonally in half


1. Turn on broiler. Mix all ingredients together. Mixture should be moist but not so that the meatballs fall apart. If you need more liquid, add 1 tbsp of water until you meet desired consistency.
2. Shape meatballs to desired size and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. (I made 20 meatballs with the mixture and they were a nice size). If you wet your hands the meatballs will not stick to you. Broil until outside is slightly brown on one side and then turn and broil the other side. When finished, add to spaghetti sauce and simmer at least 20 minutes.
3. When meatballs and sauce are all still hot, take 5 meatballs and put into sliced Italian sub rolls. Top each sandwich with three diagonal slices of mozzarella and sprinkle with a bit more oregano, if desired.
5. Place on a cookie sheet under the broiler for a few minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve!


Enjoy... is it the weekend yet?!

Autumn Pasta

Ohhh how I love the fall!

Are you sick of me saying that yet? I know, I know, but I really do. The air is just cold enough to have on sweats and fuzzy socks. I LOVE fuzzy socks, ask my college friends. When you're dressed cozy, you crave comfort. I wanted something filling...something stick to your ribs.

I wanted creamy, crispy, cheesy, chewy. That's a hard combo to mess up. Oh, and I wanted it light. Well geez, how do you do that?

This dish. How I came up with it I'm not sure, because I didn't really know what I was doing. I just kind of zoned out and threw stuff together.

I think it's the vicodin... making me think funny. Anyway, see if you can resist this delicious autumn pasta that tastes rich but certainly isn't!

What ya need:

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1 tbsp fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 medium delicate squash

4 large carrots, (sliced in about 1/4 inch pieces)

1 tsp olive oil

6 ready to serve slices bacon

1 medium onion

6 ounces uncooked tube pasta

2 tbsp heavy cream

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese

1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

What ya do:

Preheat oven to 425°.

 

Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash, carrots and onion on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 40 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450° and remove squash.

 Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Crumble bacon and combine with provolone.

 Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain well.  Add heavy cream, provolone cheese and bacon (and salt and pepper to taste). Mix in with the squash mixture and put into an oven-safe casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake at 450 for 10 minutes or until cheese browns.

Chicken Rollatini

Hello, hello! Back to the grind for most of us today. Luckily (for you, not me) I work late hours today so I have a bit of time to update you a little more on the recipes I used last weekend. 

As mentioned in my last post, I found this little gourmet store with wonderful top-notch ingredients. As I browsed the aisles my eye was stuck on all of the pasta sauces. Any kind you could imagine. After nixing all the ones I cannot pronounce and that I knew Alex or I wouldn't like (i.e.puttanesca is a no-no  because I loathe olives...but not olive oil), I went for a simple tomato basil sauce. Simple. 

Now, because that was simple, I wanted something special. Although Alex has plenty of spaghetti, penne, or macaroni at his house, I went for a colorful blend and headed home.

The dinner was very good. I think next time I would pound my chicken out a little thinner but we were hungry and it was getting late so thicker it was. Here are a few pictures of the process.

The finished product. Very recommended.

After coating in bread crumbs you saute the birdies.

And you stick 'em in a pan to make them delicious.

Then you roll some goodies into them.

Now they're stuffed and ready to be perfected.

All sauced up and ready for the oven.

Killing time while they're baking is a must.

And they're done! Make sure your pasta is ready when the birdies are.

Use your leftover sauce to top your pasta, if desired. Voila!

What ya need: (serves four normal people, or one normal and one very hungry person)

4 thin chicken cutlets
1 egg, beaten
Enough flour to coat all four pieces lightly
Enough breadcrumbs to coat all four pieces lightly
4 oz. mozzarella, diced
4 oz. ricotta
2 tbsp. parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. oregano
1 jar Tomato Basil sauce

What ya do:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Make sure your chicken cutlets are pounded thin. You will be rolling them.

2. Combine mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta and oregano into a bowl.

3. Dip each piece of chicken in egg then flour then bread crumbs. Lightly coat a skillet with olive oil and saute each piece until golden brown on each side.

4. Place in a baking pan. Evenly distribute cheese mixture among four pieces of chicken. Roll up, securing with a toothpick, if necessary. Top with desired amount of sauce and bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese mixture is melted and sauce is warmed. 

Enjoy! Well, it's gym time. Then coffee. Then work. Wonderful! Have a lovely Tuesday!

My Favorite Lasagna

Everyone has had a T.V. dinner before, right? 

The plasticky film on top of strangely textured chicken nuggets? Bland creamy sauce over rubbery vegetables? Anyone else salivating? 

I didn't think so. As I've grown up, I've realized that cooking does involve more than just tossing ingredients into a pot, stirring and baking. It requires patience, creativity, and a little bit of humility. But, without a doubt, and forgive this lame cliche, but you have to cook with LIKE. I didn't want to say love. It's overused. So, as you're tossing in a sprinkle of salt and a dash of pepper, throw in a little like (or love, you over achiever, you.) to make your dish special.

That's exactly what I did. As you all know (well, you avid readers) I have a hungry boyfriend. As you also may know, my hungry boyfriend is only a blossoming chef. He hasn't quite reached his total potential. He's mastered sloppy joe's, BLTs, my signature chicken dish and hard boiled eggs, but I really feel like he's just skimming the surface. None the less, I don't want him to starve, or survive on prepackaged goodies. That being said, I wanted to create him (well, and me) something that would be just as delicious a third and fourth time as it was the first. I wanted to create him a T.V. dinner! Minus all the gross stuff and plus all the good. 

What better than lasagna? It's cut into blocks, freezes well, and always hits the spot. Yes, I know it was 90+ degrees all over the country but that didn't stop me. Oh, and it was awesome. 

For this recipe, you can save fat and calories and all that good stuff if you use part skim ricotta, whole wheat noodles (not my fave, but you could), lean ground beef/turkey, etc. Or, if you want to go nuts, have regular ricotta and high blood sugar causing white noodles, yum! So, here's the masterpiece. Way better than any Lean Cuisine or Stouffer's... (adapted from AllRecipes and serves 9)

What ya need:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste

1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 cups water

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp white sugar

12 oz ricotta (part skim, if you please)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 egg

9 lasagna noodles

1 pound shredded mozzarella

What ya do:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef until brown. Drain. In another skillet over medium heat, cook onion until translucent. Combine beef and onion in a large saucepan with tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, water, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour.

2. While sauce is simmering, blend ricotta cheese, Parmesan and egg until smooth. Set aside.

3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

5. Spread 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover sauce with 3 noodles. 6. Cover noodles with one-third of remaining sauce. Top with half the mozzarella. Place another layer of noodles and one of sauce over the mozzarella; top that with the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining sauce.

7. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top and bake 15 minutes more, until golden and bubbly.

Now, as mentioned earlier, they have NO cooking utensils. I'm talking no pots for boiling water. You should have seen my creativity. I used a pocket knife for a can opener and cooked the sauce in two skillets at one point. I eye balled a lot of the numbers and relied on my taste buds to know right from wrong... success!! Check out the pictures below to see what I was (or was not) working with!

My first attempt without the can opener was both ineffective and unsafe.

Then I mastered it! Pop Pop would be proud of me!

See this cupboard? It's barren.

No tablespoons in this drawer...but an egg slicer?

Well, that's all for now folks. I was supposed to be doing homework.. Well, I was multi tasking, at least. Ta Ta!

Italian Dinner Party & Girl's Night

Forgive me for a short walk down memory lane. Sometimes my friends read this, and well, this top part is for them. I promise there is more food in here... it's just at the bottom!

I've had a lot of friends in my life. In and out they come and sometimes go. One of the things I've learned over time is that a good group is hard to come by. I can proudly say that I've got that, and we've been going strong since we were 14 years old. There are six of us, and I'm not going to tell you what we called ourselves in high school (it is embarrassing) but we still get together, and that is what tonight is about.

So, Naomi, Kristen, Amie, Lizzy and Rachel, forgive the photo montage of some of our not-so-cute moments, and let me gloat in the fact that we've continued to grow up with each other into the girls (women?) we are today.Through break ups, late nights, rough mornings and ups and downs, we're still going strong; here's to us!

Senior Beach Week, Myrtle Beach

Probably celebrating someone getting their learner's permit...

 My 17th 80's Themed Birthday Party...

A Summer Reunion Before Junior Year in College

Naomi's Birthday 2007

Our First Theme Party... Britney Spears? Such Little Babies

New Years Eve... Still not 21 Yet

Senior Prom, Before Good Digital Cameras Existed, Apparently

All graduated from college and taking on the world. Scary, no?

And here we are tonight. Still goin strong (missing Kristen!)

Anyways, what you've all been waiting for... and without further ado, the food! The theme was Italian. The vibe was relaxed. The night was fantastic.

Naomi asked me to help her put everything which I was both excited and flattered. I guess I've become the foodie? Actually, all of my friends love food. Amie is my baking buddy, Lizzy is the vegetarian, Rachel is a huge fan of The Pioneer Woman, Naomi has always had an interest in different cuisines (I think she was the first to try Sushi) and Kristen, well, I'm sure she's a foodie too!

I put out an SOS and got a great idea for chicken parm with a garden salad from Lauren's Little Kitchen but unfortunately I forgot about Lizzy, who gave up chicken in high school, so that was nixed. We thought about doing something summery on the grill, but well, we don't know how to work Naomi's yet, so that was a no-no too. We contemplated Mexican, but lo and behold, Italian won. So, here's the layout:

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad
Caesar Salad
Alfredo with Roasted Asparagus
Blueberry Pound Cake

And wine. C'mon, it's girls night!

I didn't include a step by step process because you'd probably hate me. This post is already super long. But, I did include the recipes and the final products so you can see how lovely it all turned out. Also, I should tell you that I made the cake in the morning and let it sit during the day. I made the Caesar dressing a few hours before the get-together (it needs chilling time). The tomato, basil and mozz salad is basically just assembly, so that can be right before the meal. The only thing left is the alfredo, which was the last to be prepared, and was served immediately. Here are the recipes, suited to feed 8 girls... including Naomi's little sister & friend. (All adapted from Cooking Light)

TBM Salad

What ya need:

6 tomatoes, each cut into 6 slices
3/4 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, also in slices
Pinch of salt
Pinch of Pepper
1 tbsp EVOO
3/4 cup fresh basil

What ya do:Arrange about 4 slices of tomato and 2 of mozzarella slices on 8 salad plates. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil. Top evenly with basil


Caesar Salad

What ya need:1 garlic clove, halved

1/2 cup low fat mayo

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp Worcestershire

1/2 tsp anchovy paste

18 cups torn romaine lettuce

1/3 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Croutons

What ya do:

1. Drop the garlic into a food processor, and process until minced. Add the next ingredients (through anchovy paste) and process until well-blended. Cover and chill at least one hour.

2. Place lettuce in a large bowl. Add dressing  and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and top with croutons.

Alfredo with Roasted Asparagus
What ya need:2 cups low fat milk
1/3 cup cream cheese (regular OR low fat.. not fat free)
2 tbsp AP flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp butter

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
Cooking Spray
8 oz wheat spaghetti, uncooked
8 oz white spaghetti, uncooked
2 tbsp EVOO-- OR... if you have truffle oil!!
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

What ya do:

1. Combine first four ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add milk mixture to pan; cook 3 minutes or until mixture simmers, stirring constantly. Cook 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Cover.

3. Place asparagus on jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° 10 minutes or until browned, stirring once.

4. Cook both pastas according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.

Place pastas and asparagus in a large bowl. Add cheese mixture, tossing well. Add evoo/truffle oil and pepper; toss gently. Serve immediately.

Blueberry Pound Cake
 What ya need:

2  cups  granulated sugar
1/2  cup  butter
1/2  (8-ounce) block cream cheese (low-fat or regular) softened
3  large eggs
1  large egg white
3  cups  all-purpose flour, divided
2  cups  fresh or frozen blueberries
1  teaspoon  baking powder
1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1  (8-ounce) carton lemon low-fat yogurt
2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1  cup  powdered sugar
2 tbsp + 2  tsp lemon juice

What ya do:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg white, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
3. Combine 2 tablespoons flour and blueberries in a small bowl, and toss well. Combine remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in blueberry mixture and vanilla; pour cake batter into a 10-inch tube pan coated with cooking spray.
5. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

6. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl; drizzle over warm cake. Cut with a serrated knife. Serve with whipped cream.

Whipped Cream

What ya need:1 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 - 1/4 tsp lemon extract (optional)

What ya do: 
1.In a chilled small mixing bowl and with chilled beaters, beat cream until it begins to thicken. 2. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla and lemon; beat until soft peaks form. Store in the refrigerator.

And that's that, folks. There is nothing, nothing like a night with the girls. Though we're all a little more grown up, some with boyfriends, serious jobs or big plans, hopefully we will remember where we came from, and who got us where we are.

Chicken Cobb Salad

Sometimes, nothing hits the spot like a big salad. I’m not talking about a few wilted leaves of lettuce with some stale ranch dressing, either. I’m talking about big bold flavors, tons of different textures, and a meal that satisfies. Serve it alongside some crusty bread, and you’ve got yourself a light dinner or a big lunch.

And, as always, you know I’m keeping it healthy… again, this recipe comes to less than 400 calories per serving (if you use what I did). You will have no idea you’re eating light, and this is a cinch to whip up. Without further ado, here goes…

What ya need:

For the vinaigrette:

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp honeey

¾ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp red pepper

2 tbsp canola oil

For the salad:

6 slices Oscar Meyer Fully Cooked Bacon

Cooking Spray

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into ½ inch pieces

Salt

10 cups lettuce (romaine, mixed, whatever)

¾ avocado
½ cup sliced tomato (I used grape tomatoes)

2 oz queso fresco

¼ chopped green onion

What ya do:
1. Prepare vinaigrette: combine first six ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir with a whisk and gradually add canola oil. Set aside

2. Cook bacon in a skillet in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan and crumble. Increase the heat to medium high and add chicken, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, cumin, or any other seasonings you’d like. Sauté about 4-6 minutes, or until browned

3. Arrange the lettuce on a large serving plate. Top with bacon, chicken, avocado, tomato, onion, and queso fresco. Drizzle vinaigrette and toss. Serve in four separate bowls.

I feel full but not stuffed, satisfied and happy with the turn out. The creamy avocado, salty cheese, crispy bacon, spicy chicken, fresh tomato and crunch onion all made a great base for the simple vinaigrette, which complements, not overpowers the dish.

Like I said, it’s a cinch to whip up, and most likely, you’ll have a lot of ingredients already. Toss in some black beans and pico de gallo for a more Mexican twist. I think I’ll try that next time. Til then, ta-ta!

Penne with Zucchini Pistou

So, if you’ve been reading my blog for any amount of time you might notice a trend. I like to cook light and healthy, but bake for real. By this, I mean that I enjoy the richness of desserts but I try to make dinners that have a lighter side. Tonight was no different. After spending the day whipping up the Granola Cookies, I decided that something fresh and healthy was in need for dinner.

I happen to love Cooking Light because despite it’s title, it still uses flavorful ingredients and isn’t afraid to add in heavy cream, full fat cheeses or even ¬–gasp—bacon. It’s all about moderation. For example, the dish I made tonight was sort of like a pesto/creamy pasta. But guess what? The entire meal was less than 500 calories!

I love pesto, and this was the first time I’ve ever made it myself. No, it’s not exactly traditional, but it tastes almost exactly like what I’ve had before. The splash of cream makes this dish rich, while all the vegetables keep it light.

It tastes like something you’d order at an Italian restaurant, but it won’t leave you feeling heavy after you eat it. It’s layers of pasta, pesto, cream and vegetables taste rich and decadent. It’s a stick to your ribs type meal, that won’t stick to your ribs very much at all, if you catch my drift. Give it a try.

What ya need (serves 4):

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

3 cups (¼-inch-thick) slices small zucchini & yellow squash (about 1 pound)

1 cup packed basil leaves

½cup (2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion (about 1 large)

6 quarts water

1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, divided

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

What ya do:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender and golden. Remove from pan; cool.

2. Place ¼ cup cooked zucchini, basil, ¼ cup cheese, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor; process until finely chopped. (Keep mixture in processor.)

3. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until golden. Return remaining cooked zucchini to pan. Remove from heat.

4. Combine 6 quarts water and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a large Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain in a sieve over a bowl, reserving ⅓ cup cooking liquid. Add pasta to vegetables.

5. With processor on, add reserved liquid to basil mixture; process until smooth. Add basil mixture to pasta. Add cream, remaining salt, and pepper; stir. Top with remaining cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories:420

Fat:17.2g (sat 6.1g,mono 6.6g,poly 2.6g)

Protein:13.9g

Carbohydrate:52.9g

Fiber:3.4g

Cholesterol:29.2mg