Game Day Meatballs with Cranberry BBQ Sauce

Big game this weekend!! So besides routing for the Packers or the Steelers - surprise your guests (or yourself!) with these simple, yet super tasty morsels. I made the meatballs from scratch, but frozen meatballs work just great too! Try Trader Joe's turkey meatballs if you are watching your waistline....

Game Day Meatballs with Cranberry BBQ Sauce
(serves 5-6)

Ingredients:
1 package frozen meatballs
1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
3 heaping tablespoons apricot/peach marmalade

Directions:
1. Place meatballs in large crock pot.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over meatballs.
3. Cook on low for 6 hours. If you are in a rush, you can cook on high for 4 hours.

Serve with toothpicks for easy-grabbing, and enjoy!

...Stay tuned all week for other great snack ideas for the Super Bowl!

"Hilltop Salad" with Panko Crusted Chicken

"Hilltop Salad" with Panko Crusted Chicken
(serves 1)

Ingredients:
1 breast of chicken
Dijon mustard
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dried parsley
salt
pepper
1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
blue cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon walnuts, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Trim chicken of all fat. Rinse, and pat dry.
3. In a small, shallow bowl, mix panko bread crumbs, parsley, salt, and pepper. Brush outside of chicken with dijon mustard. Coat both sides with bread crumb mixture. Place on baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, mix romaine lettuce, cranberries, blue cheese, and walnuts. Set aside.
5. Remove chicken from oven once thoroughly cooked. Slice, and place on top of lettuce mixture.
6. Top with your favorite dressing and enjoy!

Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette

Saturday night, I decided that enough is enough and it was time to finally make the "New Years Day Pork Roast" that we never got around to making due to travel. So, Happy New Year (...22 days late)!!!

It has become a tradition in our house to make some sort of pork roast every January 1st. My family used to do it, so I figured that we would do it too! I usually make it with sauerkraut and apples, but thought I would change things up a bit this time. I didn't have any sauerkraut, so I made mustard greens as a side along with mashed potatoes. Who  knew mustard greens were also a new years tradition! A little history behind why:

Pork    

The custom of eating pork on New Year's is based on the idea that pigs symbolize progress. The animal pushes forward, rooting itself in the ground before moving. Roast suckling pig is served for New Year's in Cuba, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and Austria—Austrians are also known to decorate the table with miniature pigs made of marzipan. Different pork dishes such as pig's feet are enjoyed in Sweden while Germans feast on roast pork and sausages. Pork is also consumed in Italy and the United States, where thanks to its rich fat content, it signifies wealth and prosperity.

Greens

Cooked greens, including cabbage, collards, kale, and chard, are consumed at New Year's in different countries for a simple reason — their green leaves look like folded money, and are thus symbolic of economic fortune. The Danish eat stewed kale sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, the Germans consume sauerkraut (cabbage) while in the southern United States, collards are the green of choice. It's widely believed that the more greens one eats the larger one's fortune next year.

As you may or may not know, I am obsessed with using dijon mustard in ALMOST everything, so I came up with this recipe!! Since there were absolutely ZERO left overs, I think it was a hit!
Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 2-3 pound boneless pork roast
2 tablespoons butter
parsley
garlic salt
ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons honey

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. In a dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat, being careful not to burn.
3. Season pork roast on all sides with garlic salt, parsley, and ground pepper. Place in dutch oven, and brown all sides of meat, about 2 minutes each side.
4. Turn off heat. Pour chicken broth around the pork roast, to release the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. This will also serve as a source of steam when baking the roast.
5. Place roast in oven, covered. Reduce heat to 250 degrees, and bake for 1.5 hours.
6. Meanwhile, whisk apple cider vinegar, mustard, and honey together to make the vinaigrette. Set aside.
6. Remove from oven, transfer to serving platter, cover in foil and let sit for 10 minutes to allow juices to redistribute.
7. Slice, and serve with honey dijon vinaigrette.

*the juices from the pan also make for a great gravy. We used it on mashed potatoes!

Mama Gorman's "Love-At-First-Bite" Chili

Bottom Line: My coworker's Mom is one of the best cooks I have EVER met. She takes it upon herself to drop off scrumptious treats every week ranging from banana bread, to quiche, to a variety of homemade soups. Last week, I had the pleasure of tasting her Chili for the first time at it was A-MAZING! This one will definitely be swooping in to steal first place in my book!

Mama Gorman's "Love-At-First-Bite" Chili
(serves an army)

Disclaimer: Generally chili is best if made the day before, allowing all flavors to blend.

Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
3 yellow onions, coarsely chopped
1 lb. Italian sausage (casing removed)
4 lbs. ground chuck
¾ tablespoon ground black pepper
1-1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons ground cumin
4 tablespoons chili powder
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
3 lbs. canned Italian plum tomatoes (drained)
1 - 12 ounce can tomato paste
¼ cup burgundy wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cup chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley
1 -2 cans of the beans of your choice (drained)

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot.  Add the onions and cook over low heat until tender - about 10 minutes.
2. In a separate frying pan, crumble the sausage meat and ground chuck and cook over medium high heat, stirring often, until the meats are well browned.  (Best done in batches)  Drain well and add to pot with onions.
3. Add all dry ingredients and blend well into meat and onions.  Add liquid ingredients and allow everything to simmer for at least one hour, adding beans in the last quarter hour. 
4. Taste to correct seasonings and serve with your favorite accompaniments.

Note:  If you like a spicier/hotter chili, you can add jalapenos or habaneras to your taste or you can dice them and use as an accompaniment.

Zuppa di Pomodoro

So, the temperature in Chicago was -18 degrees today (OK, I factored in wind chill, but still!!!). You know the drill for temperatures like that. Soup is on the menu AGAIN!

This one was adapted from a Trader Joe's taste sample they have in the back of the store and I just had to share. Partly because of its simplicity, but mainly because of the taste! Enjoy!

Zuppa di Pomodoro

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 box organic roasted red pepper and tomato soup

1 28 ounce can plum tomatoes (reduced sodium if possible), chopped

1/2 cup orzo, cooked

1 cup spinach

grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Pour box of roasted red pepper & tomato soup into medium sauce pan. Add plum tomatoes. Simmer on low heat.

2. Meanwhile, cook orzo according to package directions. Add to soup.

3. Add spinach, and cook for 10 minutes on medium-low.

4. Dish into individual bowls, garnish with Parmesan cheese, and serve!

Happy Friday!

Tuscan White Bean Soup with Apple Chicken Sausage

Anyone else dealing with below zero temperatures besides Chicago??? The only thing that sounds good for dinner after a brisk walk home from the train where the arctic wind blast that got Chicago nicknamed "the windy city" is creating a steady stream of tears that are instantaneously turning into icicles, is soup. Nice. Hot. Soup.

The typical conversation that goes down when soup is on the menu for dinner:

          G: What's for dinner?

           J: Soup.

          G: And?

           J: That's it. Just soup.

          G: Really? You sure you don't want to make anything else to go along with it?

           J: Like what??

          G: Ohh, I don't know. Grilled Cheese. Cheeseburgers. SOMETHING!!

That explains the sausage addition to this dish.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced 

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 14.5 ounce cans reduced sodium chicken broth

3 large carrots, diced

2 bay leaves

2 cans cannellini beans

2 slices prosciutto, chopped

1 cup baby spinach

grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1 package Apple Chicken Sausage (Trader Joes)

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan, heat oil. Saute garlic and onion until tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add chicken broth, bay leaves, and carrots. Cook for 20 minutes, or until carrots are tender.

3. Meanwhile, mash one and a half cans of cannellini beans in a medium bowl. You can also do this in a blender or food processor.

4. Add mashed bean mixture, remaining half can of whole beans, prosciutto, and spinach to broth mixture. Let cook for 10 minutes.

5. Brown apple chicken sausage in a skillet until browned on all sides.

Dish soup into individual bowls, garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, and serve!

Off the Chopping Block: Mid-week Hints & Tips

Helpful Hints and Tricks for the Kitchen:

Peeling Garlic: Press on the top of the garlic clove with the flat part of your knife. When you hear the "pop", the skin should now peel effortlessly back. Another trick is to microwave for 10 seconds before peeling.



Storing ginger root: Any unused portion of fresh ginger root can be stored in a ziplock bag in the freezer. When a recipe calls for it, just remove from the freezer, and grate! Simple as that!



Measuring sticky substances: Ever have trouble getting peanut butter/molasses/honey out of a measuring cup? Dip your measuring utensil in canola oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray before using!



Jucier Lemons: Microwave for 15 seconds to produce more juice for squeezing.



Frozen Graps: In the summer, I like to use frozen grapes in my white wine to keep things nice and cold. Plus, it looks cooler than ice cubes and wont water your wine down!!



Do you have any good tips worth sharing? Something that could make life in the kitchen a little bit easier?