Sunday Sauce Share

Even though I don't have one little iota of Italian in me, I still make certain Italian dishes just like if I was taught by a beloved Nona. 

 I believe that is because I love cooking and eating so much that it transforms some of the dishes I make to seem like it's been handed down to me.Either that or some little Italian Nona has decided to adopt me and guide me when I cook.
I like to think it is the latter.

So this Sunday I decided to make Sunday Gravy (Spaghetti Sauce to those non-Italian-ites), and big tender Meatballs. 

Yumm!!

Placed over perfectly cooked tender spaghetti noodles with sourdough bread to sop up the gravy, we all had red mustaches!!

You can use a prepared sauce or easily make your own. This makes enough to serve 8-10 servings.

Sauce Directions:

1 large onion diced

2 cloves of garlic-minced

2 tbsn Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 small can tomato paste

1 28oz. can whole tomatoes

1 14 oz. can stewed tomatoes

1/2 cup or more of Red Wine(opt.)

1 cup chopped mushrooms

2 tsp Dried Basil

1 tsp Dried Oregano

Salt and black pepper to taste 

1.  In a large heavy bottomed dutch oven, heat oil to medium and saute onions 6-8 minutes until translucent, add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes more. 
2. Add tomato paste and stir and cook for 2 minutes. 
3. Deglaze the pan with the Wine if using otherwise some water or chicken stock and add the rest of the tomatoes. Stir to combine. 
4. Reduce heat to a fast simmer and add herbs and salt/pepper. 
5. Simmer partially covered 1-2 hrs, until thickened slightly and stewed tomatoes have broken down a bit. If you like a more smooth sauce, use a stick blender and puree or carefully blend in batches in a blender (be careful to vent the lid-this is hot!).

Meanwhile, make the meatballs.

Meatball Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chicken
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 minced clove garlic
1/4  cup minced onion
1 tsp each of dried basil, oregano and salt
2-3 tbsn water

1. Preheat oven to 375F, line a jelly roll pan with foil and spray with Pam.
2. Combine all the ingredients gently in a large bowl. Use the least amount of water needed to combine and hold the mixture(water makes the meatballs moist and tender). 
3. Shape into golf ball sized balls, gently. Mixture may be sticky. This should make about 24 good sized meatballs. Place without touching on pan.
4. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
5. Remove and gently place in sauce and simmer while you cook spaghetti pasta. 

Once pasta is cooked, serve portions of pasta in shallow bowls, Serve 2-3 meats balls and cover with sauce. Pass parmesan cheese if desired. 

Christmas Candy Share

This recipe is my son's favorite candy. He could eat this any time of year, not just at Christmas Time. Whenever I make it I always think of him and smile. 

He's way out by Boston in Graduate School and so making it now is a wistful experience for me.  

*Sigh* Funny..when you're children are young you never really think how hard it will be when they become adults and move away. But the older they get the more the memories of them young pop up. 

Anyhoo, this is a super easy, 4 ingredient candy, using of all things Saltine crackers!

Saltine Cracker Toffee

 

1 sleeve saltine crackers,tops up
2 sticks butter (1 c.)
1 c. light brown sugar
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. chopped nuts (opt.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 15 x 10 inch pan with foil. Butter or spray the foil with Pam. 
2. Arrange crackers right side up. 
3. Melt butter and sugar - boil 3 minutes; stirring. 
4. Pour over crackers evenly.
5. Bake 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chips over top and when shiny and soft spread evenly.
6. If using sprinkle with nuts. When cool, break into small pieces.

Store in containers in a cool place. 

    

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Walnut Tartlets

Oh my goodness!!

These babies rock.

We are talking such an easy dessert. Each one is a perfect BITE!

Walnut Tartlets

These are so easy and turn out perfect. 

  

These are an adaptation on Gina's recipe at http://www.skinnytaste.com

She made a great recipe but I am just not a fan of Pecans. So I used Walnuts. 

It was so easy and just awesome. 

Try this for your next holiday gathering, you'll make a hit. 

Oh, and use whatever nut is your favorite, you won't go wrong. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 4 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, hazelnuts or a mixture-chopped
• 15 Mini Phyllo Shells (Athens)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except pecans. Mix well. Stir in chopped nuts. Arrange mini shells on a baking sheet. Fill mini shells with one heaping teaspoon of pecan mixture. If any of the mixture remains, distribute evenly between all the shells.

 Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let them cool before serving.

To Brine or Not To Brine...

For the last 10 years I have "brined" my turkey for Thanksgiving. 

It helps to make it moist, and juicy and yet really flavorful depending upon what you put in your brine. 

I generally use Rosemary and Sage, garlic, brown sugar, Kosher salt, whole peppercorns and just plain water. 

   But, there are ba-zillions of ways to change it up. 

Throw in citrus peels, Thyme, dill, Savory. Add onions halved, mustard seed, coriander seed and on and on. Use Apple Cider, bottled Ale, broth instead of or together with the plain water.

I would really add whatever you most like to have "stuffed" in the cavity of the bird to make it flavorful. 

So, once you've got an idea, I generally heat 2 quarts of water to a simmer and add in all your aromatics, 1 cup of Kosher salt and 1 cup of brown sugar. Turn of the heat and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar, this not only helps to dissolve the salt and sugar, it releases the oils from the herbs or aromatics. . Let cool or pour this into a metal, glass, or plastic container ( just don't use aluminum), and then dump in about 8-12 cups of ice if you"re not in the Midwest or just water if you are. Be sure to keep your bird cool.

Whatever container you're using, place your bird in (I put mine in frozen with the packaging slashed) and make sure the bird is 95% submerged. Weight it down with a heavy plate if you have to. I will do this on a Tuesday evening and by Thursday morning the bird is 90% thawed and perfect to take out, rinse and roast. 

I generally use a 11-12# turkey. 

So this is what it looks like during brining. 

The reason I can get away with using a frozen bird is because I live in the upper MIdwest and the nights here are in the 30's with the high's during the day only in the 40's and I put it inside an insulated cooler. 

Once ready to cook, rinse it well inside and out and dry it and prep it how ever you would normally to roast. 

I rub the outside of mine with a butter herb mixture. and stuff the cavity with more herbs and lemons.

Roast it per the instructions for any turkey. Making sure to use a thermometer to get the interior of a thigh at 165F. 

Cover it and let it rest for 20-50 minutes while preparing the rest of your dinner and voila!!

It's beautifully browned, moist and flavorful.
If you make gravy from the drippings be sure to taste before adding any salt. I always add homemade chicken broth to the bottom of my roaster to not only help steam the bird and prevent the drippings from burning and smoking, but to insure I have enough goodness to make a great gravy!