Friday, September 16, 2011

A Craft and a Cheese Ball

Beaded Appetizer Knives
 With Plates to Match
 Beads, craft wire, butter knives, and plates from the discount store
Start by shaping wire in concentric circles
Wrap the wire a few times around the knive
Add the beads, wrapping as you go

Curry Cheese Ball with Mango Chutney




Not much left!
1 eight ounce package of cream cheese              
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 small jar of mango chutney (The spicy kind is nice!)
Mix all ingredients except chutney well. Form into a ball. Place on serving platter. Pour chutney over the ball. Serve with crackers.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Meatballs and Moving - Three Recipes






Albondiagas con Salsa de Tomate




A couple of weeks ago I had a wild span of about four days that involved meatballs and moving.  Roy was  on a trip that he had planned months before, and both Jenn and Alli were scheduled to move out on the very days he was gone. Allison was headed back to college. Jenn, just graduated from college, landed her first job which required that she live in her work territory.  With an apartment to move into but nothing to put in it, Jenn got the idea of filling up the place with stuff from Ikea.  It sounded like a pretty good adventure, so Friday, as soon as I got home from school, Alli, Jenn, and I drove two and a half hours to the nearest Ikea store.  Before we even got to the store, we could see it from the highway.  It was massive!  Hanging on the building was a huge banner announcing a price reduction of delicious looking meatballs!  We parked the car and walked through the entrance at 7:22 pm.  We could now smell the meatballs and see crowds of people eating the meatballs! I could just imagine the conversation that the people there must of had earlier - "Honey, it's Friday night.  Let's go out to Ikea and eat meatballs for dinner."  Unfortunately, the store closed at 9:00, so there was no time for us eat the meatballs!  We were starving (bad planning) but perservered and wound up in the check out line at 8:50.  Two of the items Jenn purchased had to be brought out of the warehouse, so Alli waited on those while Jenn and I loaded up the car with the self serve boxes.  We had taken all the seats out of the mini van except the three we needed, and Jenn and I were feeling pretty smug about how efficiently we had packed the car as we walked back to where Alli was with the other two pieces.  Our hearts just went to our throat as we saw how big they were!  The three of us took them back to the car and struggled to fit them in.  No one said anything out loud, but it was evident that we weren't going to fit them in.  My mind raced as I thought about our options.  The store was now closed. Aunt Claire actually lives in the city where the Ikea is - but she was at the lake at that time.  Of course Roy was miles away.  Just then an angel walked up to help us.  He was a maintenance man and said he was sure he could find a way to make it all fit.  We unloaded everything out of the van and started over again.  He put the boxes in like pieces of a puzzle - sometimes putting them through the front seat and sometimes pushing them across over the middle.  We were just soaked with sweat from anxiety and the heat when it was all finally packed but we were all so thankful for that kind man's help. We got home at 12:15 a.m., got up at 7:00 a.m., moved and put together the furniture with Jenn all day until evening.  The next day was spent getting all of Alli's stuff together and packed.  When I asked Alli what she wanted for her last meal home, she answered without hestitating, "Meatballs!"

 

Below are three different recipes for meatballs that we love.  At the bottom is the website you can go to for the recipe for Ikea meatballs.  I've never had them, but I'm told they are very yummy!




Taking a Meatball Break with Leftovers



 

Three Steps for All Meatball Recipes





1.  Put together the meatball mix





2.  Shape into  balls and grill 5 min. a side or bake 350 degrees for 20 min.





 3.  While meatballs are cooking prepare the sauce

 



#1  Allison's favorite:  Mediterranean Style

(Inspiration from The Family Chef by Jewels & Jill Elmore)


Meatball Mix

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 egg

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons tomato paste (Use the other 2 tablesp. in can for sauce)

2 tablespoons lemon juice (Use the other 2 tablesp. in lemon for sauce)

Combine the ingredients, shape into balls, bake at 350 degrees for 20 min. or grill 5 min. a side.

Sauce

Two 15 ounce cans of tomato sauce

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon chopped mint or 1/2 teaspoon dried

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

 

Combine the ingredients and simmer while the meat balls are cooking.


# 2 Albondigas con Salsa de tomate - Spanish Style Meatballs

( Adapted from Greatest Ever Spanish &Tapas Recipes by Pepita Aris)


Meatball Mix

1 pound ground beef or turkey

bunch of green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

 

Combine the ingredients, shape into balls, bake at 350 degrees for 20 min. or grill 5 min. a side.

Sauce

3 or 4 large tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine (or 2 teapoons red wine vinegar added last 5 min. of cooking)

Scant 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary of 1 teaspoon dried

pinch of sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine the ingredients and simmer while the meat balls are cooking.


#3 Italian Style Meatballs - With Caroline's Favorite Sauce


Meatball Mix

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

Combine the ingredients, shape into balls, bake at 350 degrees for 20 min. or grill 5 min. a side.


Sauce

Saute:

2 tablepoons olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 1/2 sliced peppers of any color or combo: green, red, organge, yellow

 

Add and saute for 30 seconds:

2 cloves of garlic put through press

 

Add and continue to simmer while meatballs are cooking:

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cans of chopped tomatoes

1/2 teapoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil