Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs with Marinara

Well here we are day two of the Holiday Appetizer fest! I’m going to keep them coming for about a week or so. Today’s offering is meatballs…but not any ordinary meatballs we are going to stuff them with fresh mozzarella, which really makes for a pleasant surprise in the middle. It seems to me that meatballs are one of the main go-to appetizers for the holidays; I just thought I would kick them up some. They are perfect for your own party and if you have a crock pot (and who doesn’t) there great to take to any party.

Ingredients

Bread crumbs- ¾ cup

Milk- ¼ cup

Fresh mozzarella- 4 balls (cut in half)

Parsley- ¼ cup (fresh, chopped) + ¼ cup for garnish

Green Onions- 3 tbsp (minced)

Oregano- 1 tbsp (dried)

Egg- 1 LG (beaten)

Ground chuck- 1 pound

Parmesan Cheese- ½ cup (fresh grated for garnish)

Method to the Madness

1)      In a large mixing bowl combine the ground chuck, bread crumbs, milk, parsley, green onions, oregano, and egg. Mix well but don’t over-work.  Shape into 2 ounce balls.

2)      With your thumb make a hole in each meatball and stuff with the mozzarella, and then re-shape into balls.

3)      You have three cooking options. 1) Bake in a 400 oven for 25 minutes then add them to your crock pot with marinara. 2) You can sauté them in a large skillet with some olive oil, make sure you brown them on all sides, then into the crock pot. 3) The best and easiest way is to just add them to the crock pot and let them simmer until cooked through with marinara. For about an hour. I baked mine and served them in a serving bowl.

4 )   Garnish with the Parmesan cheese and parsley.

5)      ENJOY!!

Quick note I will include a link for my Marinara recipe.

http://bit.ly/aTcUGd 

Salmon Mousse in Phyllo Cups

Well with the holidays approaching, and the increase in requests for holiday appetizers I thought I would do some for the next few posts. These will be quick and easy, some hot and some cold. Some will be perfect for travel and some are for the party you are hosting. There’s something for everyone here the next few days.

The first one up is Salmon Mousse in Phyllo Cups. But I do have a confession to make. This recipe comes from my Mom, she makes it in a dip form I just took it one step further. She has been making this as long as I can remember…I always love it. I have been making it for my in-laws for the last five years, and now they are always calling me for the recipe (always a good sign). It’s great for travel, and you should be able to make it in about 15 minutes. I would let it chill for at least 4 hours, or better yet over-night.

 

Don’t forget about the Holiday GIVEAWAY!! There’s only four day left.

Ingredients

Salmon- 1 can

Cream Cheese- 1 package

Onion- ½ cup (small diced)

White pepper- 1 tbsp

Garlic Powder- 1 tbsp

Phyllo Cups- 30 (store bought)

Chives- To garnish

Method to the Madness

1)      In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients together and mix well. Let it chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours or over-night. Re-mix, and add a heaping tablespoon to each cup. Garnish with one chive about ½ to 1 inch long. You can also add Walnut pieces as a garnish; it also adds a nice crunchy texture.

2)      Place it on your favorite holiday plate. Wrap it in plastic, (careful don’t crush them) and take them to your favorite party.

3)      ENJOY!! They will be a hit, they always are!!   

Pork Marengo with Creamy Gruyere Polenta

I have a confession to make; I’m in love with polenta! What can I say it really is incredible. Now I have had and made polenta many times in the past and I really never thought anything of it…but all that has changed. In my recent endeavors on my blog I have made it three times so far (today is #4), I’m in love. Subtle textures, warm and creamy flavors that delight the palate. And oh so simple to make and enjoy.

I found a recipe for chicken Marengo with lemon-pepper polenta in Cuisine at home, and after tweaking it. I came up with this recipe it’s really simple with a 20 minute cooking time. I only used to pans and it was quite delightful.

Ingredients

Flour- ¼ cup

Salt- 1 tsp

Pepper- 1 tsp

Blackened seasoning- 1 tsp

Pork loin- 1 pound (diced into bite sizes)

Bacon- 6 ounces (diced)

Olive oil- ¼ cup

Onion- 1 cup (sliced)

Garlic- 1 tbsp (minced)

Thyme- 1 tsp

White wine- ¾ cup

Diced tomatoes- 1 (14.5 ounce can)

Chicken broth- 1 cup

Olives- ¼ cup (sliced)

Parsley- 2 tbsp (chopped for garnish)

 

Method to the Madness

1)      In a large zip-lock bag add the flour, salt, pepper, and blackening seasoning mix well. Add the pork and mix again thoroughly coating, set aside.

2)      In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat sauté bacon until crisp. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate. Set aside. In the same pan add the pork and brown on all sides, remove set aside.

    3)     In the same pan add the onion and sauté until soft add the thyme and garlic cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine and deglaze don’t forget those brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce until all liquid evaporates.

4)      Add the broth, tomatoes, and olives bring to a boil and add the pork and bacon with all their juices. Reduce heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes- sauce will thicken.

5)      Serve over a heaping pile of the polenta. Garnish with the parsley.

6)      ENJOY!!

Ingredients for the polenta

Milk- 2 cups

Chicken broth- 1 ½ cups

Instant polenta- 1 cup

Gruyere Cheese- 5 ounces (shredded)

Salt & White pepper- to taste

Method

1)      In a sauce pot bring to a boil the milk and 1 cup of the chicken broth. Add the polenta, reduce heat to medium and stir for 5 minutes. Add the Gruyere and mix well, add the rest of the chicken broth.

    

My Holiday GIVEAWAY!!

Hello everyone. Well it’s the Holidays, and I’m in the giving mood. I LOVE giving presents. This is the first giveaway for The Pantry Blogger, and I must say I’m really excited!!  It started out with one item and has grown to 27 items…That’s right 27 items. No I’m not crazy. It’s the perfect kitchen starter, or if you’re like me and cook a lot I’m sure some of your kitchen gadgets are getting a little tired.  So let’s get to it!! From my family to yours HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

THE GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES

Each one of the following actions counts as a separate entry. Make sure you leave a comment here each time you partake in any of the following:

1)      Sign up for my RSS Feed/Email Subscription.

2)      Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/pantryblogger

3)      Tweet the following you should enter the Giveaway!! @ http://bit.ly/edNRvb

4)      If you’re on Facebook, like my Pantry Blogger page. Make sure leave me an additional comment on Facebook telling me you did so.http://on.fb.me/htkCzl 

 5)   If you post this on your Facebook page or RT on Twitter you get an additional entry.

All this will be yours!!!

 

{REMEMBER YOU MUST LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY TO COUNT. ENTER AS MANY TIMES AS YOU LIKE}

THE GIVEAWAY STARTS TODAY, DECEMBER 8, 2010 AND ENDS AT MIDNIGHT ON DECEMBER 16, 2010. I WILL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER ON FRIDAY DECEMBER 17, AND I WILL SHIP THE PRIZE THE SAME DAY. DRAWING WILL BE DONE RANDOMLY FROM ALL COMMENTS RECORDED.

Shipping only in the U.S. (Sorry to all my friends over-seas)

Mom's Christmas Table

As promised here is a group of photos from  Mom's Christmas table. We took about 60 pictures, so it was really hard to narrow them down. I picked some of my favorites, that I think capture the moment. If you have any questions or comments please feel free.

P.S. I will be hosting a Holiday give-away coming soon!

Hearty Sausage and Spinach Pasta

The colder it gets around here, the more I want some filling to put in my tummy… But sometimes I just don’t have a lot of time to do some of my favorites. So the search was on for me to find a recipe that would take under 30 minutes to make, and still leave me full. This pasta is just that a filling, warm dish that takes 20 minutes, and only uses two pans/pots. Perfect for those busy week nights, when you don’t feel like cooking or cleaning.

Ingredients

Linguini- 1 package

Roasted Red peppers- 1 ¼ cup (sliced) Save 2 tbsp of the juices

Parmesan Cheese- ¼ cup (grated)

Parmesan Cheese- ¼ cup (shaved)

Italian Sausage- 10 ounces (spicy or mild) feel free to use Turkey sausage

Garlic- 1 tbsp (minced)

Salt & Pepper- to taste

Baby Spinach- 4 ounces

Olive Oil- 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp

Pine nuts- 2 tbsp (toasted)

Crushed Red Pepper- 1 tsp (optional)

Method to the Madness

1)      Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with some Olive oil and Salt & pepper and set aside.

2)      Break the sausage into bits sized pieces. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat cook sausage until cooked through, toss in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the peppers and 2 tbsp of the juices. Reduce by half.

Add the pasta and pasta liquid and toss, cooking for 30-40 seconds. Add the spinach and Parmesan mix well, season with salt & pepper. Plate and garnish with shaved Parmesan and pine nuts.

4)      ENJOY!!

Kung Pao Chicken

Believe it or not I have never made any Asian food-ever. I can’t believe it myself, it’s one of my favorites I just never gave it a try. And that’s a shame; it’s always delicious and usually comes 30 minutes after I order it.  And yes I’m always hungry about an hour later. I’m not sure why I have waited so long to make the Asian deliciousness, maybe because I make what I know. Usually Italian, American, or what restaurateurs like to call “eclectic American”, or fusion. This to me means a mix of everyone’s best flavors and dishes.

So what did I do first?? Research of course, I mean I know what it’s supposed to taste like, and I have the cooking skills. But I need some ideas, and I don’t have any Asian cookbooks (bummer). So I looked through some of the many magazine subscriptions I’m receiving, and I found a few. But being a man who rarely follows recipes exactly, I found some I was sure I could tweak. The following is the one I enjoyed last night. I found it in Cooking Light magazine, and of course I made changes.

Ingredients

Dark Sesame oil- 2 tbsp

Onion- 1 cup (sliced)

Yellow pepper- 1 cup (sliced)

Red Pepper- 1 cup (sliced)

Snow peas- 1 ½ cup

Garlic- 2 tbsp (minced)

Chicken broth- 1 ½ cup

Soy sauce- 6 tbsp (feel free to use low sodium, I did)

Brown sugar- 2 tsp

Cornstarch- 4 tsp

Crushed red pepper- 1 tsp

Chicken- 1 ½ pounds (thighs)

Peanuts- 4 tbsp (unsalted, to garnish)

Method to the Madness

1)      Heat the Sesame oil in a large sauté pan or wok. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes or until translucent, add the garlic and cook for another 30-40 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until brown on all sides.

2)      In a mixing bowl add the chicken stock, crushed red peppers, brown sugar, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Mix well until sugar dissolves. Add the mix to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the peppers and the snow peas. Cook for 4-6 minutes until sauce begins to thicken, and the veggies are cooked but still crisp. Plate and sprinkle with the peanuts.

3)      ENJOY!!!