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.

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

Click for Ikea meatball recipe

Whole Wheat Crêpes

     Earlier this summer, Allison and I, her friends Yaniv and Grace, and my friend Marina ventured to the Carmel Arts District.  Besides gawking at outrageous artwork with outrageous prices, we popped into a cute little French restaurant called La Mie Emilie for an afternoon "snack".  We ordered croques (jazzed up grilled cheese) and crêpes.  Marina's choice was a Galette Végétarienne - a buckwheat crepe with sautéed tomatoes and onions, Gruyère cheese and an over-easy egg.  While we were munching away, Allison glanced at Marina's dish and asked her what it was.  Marina has a fabulous, wonderful accent and she told her it was a crepe.  However, it came out sounding like "crap".  Then she added, "And it's brown." The look on Allison's face was priceless!  I couldn't help it - I laughed until tears were streaming down my face!  And so did everyone else when I explained to Allison that Marina was eating a crepe and it was brown because it was made of buckwheat flour. 



Marina's Crepe!



Allison's Chcolate Coconut Crepe

 Back at home, my interest in attempting crepes was piqued!  I looked them up in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  She explained that in the average French household, crepes  weren't thought of as something special, but a common way to make use of left overs.  However, her recipes calls for making the batter and letting it sit in the refrigerator for two hours!  Who has time or is organized enough for that! (Not me!)  So, I turned to the May/June edititon of Cook's Illustrated.  In the article "Foolproof Crepes" the author assured me that it wasn't necessary to let the batter sit for an extended period of time before using. Good news for me - crepes can be whipped up anytime!

     Other useful tips given were: preheat the pan for 10 minutes, pour in just enough batter to coat the pan, and flip it by first nudging it underneath with a rubber spatula.



Ready to Flip



Savory Fillings



Last Sunday afternoon, Allison and I had a great time making these and experimenting with different fillings. Our favorites were: tomatoe, thin sliced ham and Gruyere cheese; Nutella with strawberries; and a squirt of lemon with a sprinkling of Splenda. However, the possibilities for different filling combinations are endless. I tried a couple different pans, and found the best one was an inexpensive eight inch "Wolfgang Puck Cafe Collection" omelet pan from Sam's Club.  I sprayed it liberally with cooking spray and then wiped the inside with a cloth each time before pouring in the batter.  To make the crepes healthier, I used whole wheat flour and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.  If you want to use regular white flour, increase the flour in the following recipe to 1 1/2 cups.



Nutella and Strawberries



Whole Wheat Crepe Batter                                              



Lemon and Sprinkle of Splenda



1 cup cold water

1 cup cold milk (I used skim)

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole wheat flour

4 tablespoons melted butter

Whirl the liquids, eggs and salt in the blender. Then add the flour and butter and blend again.



Grace and Yaniv at La Mie Emilie



Jose's Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons - A Special Treat!

Jose, the brother of one of Allison's friends, is an aspiring baker.  As the only boy in a family with five children, he  learned that making delicious treats keeps him in his sisters' good graces.  One of his specialties is coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate.  He picked up the recipe from watching the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network.  They really are divine - toasted crunchy coconut on the outside and sweet chewy yumminess in the middle.  The chocolate takes it over the top and I think we were all in heaven when we sampled them!  We spent a delightful afternoon visiting, making beaded jewelry, and chatting while Jose taught us how to make these chocolate dipped coconut macaroon cookies.

While the oven was preheating at 325 degrees,  Jose mixed together 14 ounces coconut, 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.  He set this aside and asked for another mixing bowl.

  

Then Jose took the whites of two large eggs and added a pinch of salt to them.  With an electric mixer, he beat the egg white mixture until it was stiff, glossy, and clung to the beaters.

Jose then folded the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

                                                                   

We covered a cookie sheet with foil and misted it with cooking spray.  Jose prefers to use parchment paper, but I didn't have any on hand.  Next, Jose used a couple of large soup spoons to mold and drop the macaroons onto the cookie sheet.  The macaroons were placed in the oven and the timer was set for 25 minutes.

Towards the end of the baking time, Jose put 8 ounces of chocolate chips in a bowl.  He microwaved them for about 20 seconds.  The shape of the chips looked intact, but when he stirred them, it was evident that they had started to melt.  He continued to stir them until they became a smooth liquid.  Jose said sometimes it's necessary to microwave the chips a second time before they start to melt, but to be cautious about it!

When the macaroons were done baking, Jose removed them from the cookie sheet and dipped one side of each one in the melted chocolate.

All agreed; they were heavenly!
Thank you Jose!

Lake Part II - The Cherry Capital of the World!

                                                                                                              

Our family lake cottage is nestled among the five major cherry producing counties in northern Michigan.  Each little burg around sells the same coffee mug pictured above naming their village as "The Cherry Capital of the World"!  I got a couple of them in the Elk Rapids pharmacy last year and have really enjoyed using them when at the lake. Besides selling other various articles with cherry motifs, outside each town are stands that sell fresh cherries, pies, and jams.  I bought some dried sour cherries and compared them with a batch Aunt Betsy had made.  Betsy's were so much better!!  So - I wondered if I could make cherry salsa that could be just as good as what was being sold in each town's specialty shops.  To go along with the salsa, I put together some chicken cherry chipotle quesadillas. Allison loved them!  She brought the left overs to work for lunch and said everyone was drooling over the delicious aroma.  To round it out, here is a great kale salad Jenn made with dried cherries.  And last but not least, is my mom's recipe for a three ingredient cheating cherry cobbler - very fast, very yummy, but - in this case -  not very healthy! 

Chicken Cherry Chipotle Quesadillas 

2 cooked, chopped chicken breasts

2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 cup dried cherries

1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper

1/4 cup thinly sliced onions

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

8 tortillas

1.  Cover baking sheet with foil, spray w/ cooking oil, place four tortillas on foil

2.  Mix the remaining ingredients and place mixture on top of each of the four tortillas

3.  Place remaining tortillas on top of each of the four others, spray with cooking oil, and bake at 350 for 10 minutes

Cherry Salsa
1 1/3 cherries - pitted, chopped up a bit
1/4 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries                                    
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped red onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Put all ingredients in a pan, bring them to a boil, turn down the heat to low, simmer for about 10 minutes.

                                                 

                                                Curly Kale Salad with Dried Cherries



1.  Wash a bunch of kale and tear into bite size pieces, discard center stem of each leaf.  Drizzle leaves with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon.  Let this sit for a few minutes or even for several hours in the refrigerator.

2.  Add 1/4 cup dried tart cherries, 1/4 cup of crumbled cheese such as feta, goat, or blue, and 1/4 cup of chopped nuts such as almonds, walnuts, or pecans.  If desired add more lemon and olive oil at a ratio of 1:2

                                                            Lorraine's Cheating Cobbler
For each large can of cherry pie filling you put in a baking dish, top with one box of Jiffy yellow cake mix (dry) and 1 stick of sliced butter.  Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes until brown and bubbly.
(If you can't find a Jiffy cake mix, use 1/2 box of another brand)

Lake Life



Since I was three, our family cottage in northern Michigan has been part of my summers. Now my sister, brother, and I are the third generation of care takers for this little slice of heaven. While some people may take valium or prozac, all I have to do is visualize the view of the lake to get calm when I feel stressed . Certain smells bring it immediately into my consciousness - mint grows along the rocky shoreline and the constant breeze is so clean and fresh. Spending so much time outside makes everyone extra hungry, but I'm too busy relaxing to spend a lot of time and effort it put together a meal. The temperatures here this summer have been warmer than I can ever remember, so grilling and microwaving seem to be a better alternative to heating up the tiny kitchen. Caroline was able to take a few days off to join us, and she and I had a lot of fun experimenting with Mexican "pizza" appetizer and perch on the grill. Later, the extra fixings were spiced up to make some jazzed chili dogs.

We misted heavy duty foil with cooking spray and placed the tortillas on it.

 

 After about four minutes, we flipped them over and put salsa, corn, black beans, tomatoes, and cheese on each.

We closed the cover until the cheese was melted and then enjoyed.

Uncle David is a master of coming up to the lake and grilling salmon on a plank, but Caroline and I had to settle on grilling fish on foil! We prepped the perch with lemon and butter and grilled it skin side up for three minutes. Then we flipped it over, sprinkled some dill on it, and grilled it four more minutes. It flaked easily with a fork and went well with a little cucumber dill sauce. This easy condiment is a combination of 1/2 cup of mayonaise, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 teaspoon dill, and about 1/4 cup chopped and seeded cucumber (skin left on for color).

While grilling some hot dogs,the extra fixings for the Mexican "pizza" were combined in a bowl, along with a can of tomato sauce, a couple teaspoons of Tex/Mex seasoning blend (7/13/11), and some left over taco meat I had saved in the freezer (You could use frozen browned ground beef if you had some stored away in a zip lock bag). I zapped it in the microwave until hot, then spooned some over each hot dog and topped it off with cheddar cheese.



It was yummy!