Perfect Meatballs with Asian BBQ Sauce

I've tinkered with this meatball recipe a lot and tried a variety of binders--bread, oats, Italian breadcrumbs--and this is my very favorite. I like to make a double batch, and freeze half of the browned meatballs, without sauce, in the freezer to pull out for a quick spaghetti and meatball dinner, or meatball subs.

Perfect Meatballs

The Ingredients:

1-½ pounds Ground Beef
2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
1 cup Milk

1/2 onion, grated
1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced
a handful of Fresh Parsely, if I have it around, chopped finely
Plenty of salt and pepper

The How-to:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs and milk and let sit until absorbed. Add remaining ingredients. Roll into medium-sized balls and place on a cookie sheet.Brown meatballs in 1-2 Tbl. olive oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.Combine all sauce ingredients in the same pan as you browned the meatballs in. Stir up any caramelized bits at the bottom and cook until warm. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. I like to serve them with brown rice and green beans.

Asian BBQ Sauce

1 cup Ketchup

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Tbl. Honey

3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

1/2 Onion, diced

1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes, 2-3 if you feel like heat
1 1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1-2 inch piece Fresh Ginger Root, peeled and grated

Lettuce Wraps or Lettuce Wrap Salad

I had some leftover dressing from the Asian Noodle Salad, so I tried it in this recipe and it worked beautifully. So may I suggest you double the dressing recipe when you make the noodles one week, and use it for these the following week. Two birds with one stone and so yummy. Also, I prefer to eat this salad style because I just couldn't manage to keep the filling inside the lettuce leaf anyway.

Lettuce Wraps or Lettuce Wrap Salad

Ingredients:

1 Tbl. Olive Oil

1 lb. Ground Turkey

1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1 cup Carrots, grated or pre-packaged matchstick

1 can Water Chestnuts, drained and chopped

3-4 stems Green Onion, chopped

1 head Romaine Lettuce, cleaned

Asian Sauce (as used for the Asian Noodle Salad)

Combine in a blender until smooth:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 Tbl. creamy peanut butter
3 Tbl. rice vinegar
2 Tbl. sesame oil
1 tsp. ginger, freshly grated or minced*

The How-to: In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and once hot, add ground turkey and cook until browned well. Add peppers, carrots and water chestnuts. Cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add sauce and cook until everything begins to caramelize, 3-4 additional minutes. Take off of heat and garnish with green onions. Serve over chopped lettuce or inside and rolled up in a lettuce leaf like a burrito.

Drowned Eggs or Uova in Brodetto or Eggs in Tomato Sauce

One of the greatest discoveries of my adulthood is the runny egg, over toast, in a sandwich, whatever which way, it's amazing. Well, this dish showcases the runny egg, and even better, it is easy and quick to prepare, and you probably have everything in your cupboard. So, what are you waiting for? For extra speedy, warm up a jar of my favorite Archer Farm's Pomodora Sauce and proceed with the egg cracking from there.

Drowned Eggs

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 shallots or 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 16-oz can tomatoes and their juice, crushed by hand
3 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
8 large eggs

The How-to:
In a 10 to 12-inch saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot or onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and allow it to evaporate completely.
Add the tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. rd.
Add the basil to the sauce and stir in. Gently break the eggs into the sauce, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve immediately with crusty bread, a shaving of Parmesan and if you have them, fresh tomatoes and more basil.

Tuna Melts with Lemon and Capers

This is a 15-minute meal. Beat that, Rachel Who? The lemon and capers make this so fresh, not your Momma's stinky tuna. My girls asked, flabbergasted, "This is fish?!" Enjoy.

Tuna Melts with Lemon and Capers

makes 8 half sandwiches

Ingredients:

4 5-oz. cans best quality White Albacore Tuna, drained really well

zest of one lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

3-4 Tbl. capers

1-1 1/2 cups Mayonnaise

salt and pepper to taste

Crusty French rolls or bread, sliced

2-3 Tomatoes, sliced

8 slices Munster or Swiss cheese

Instructions:

Gently fold together tuna, lemon zest, lemon juice, mayo and capers. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon about 1/4 cup of tuna mixture on each half of roll or sliced bread. Top with sliced tomato and cheese. Place under broiler for about 5 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Sausage and Spinach Baked Pasta

This is the only casserole in my cooking repertoire. I make it when I don't want to mess around. It's easy and quick to make, and everyone always likes it, no whining for PBJs two hours later. It's based very loosely on a casserole I grew up eating and loving that my Mom and her Mom called Tyrolean Casserole. It's comfort food to me and mine.

Sausage and Spinach Baked Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb. any Tubular Pasta, I use Archer Farm's Rigatoni

1 jar Archer Farm's Pomadora Sauce, or your favorite jarred pasta sauce

6 links Mild Italian Sausage

1 block Cream Cheese

1 small container Cottage Cheese

4 large handfuls of Fresh Spinach (or 1 small grocery store bag)

Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions:

Brown sausage until nice and carmelized, and add pasta sauce. Stir and turn off heat. Prepare pasta according to package instructions, keeping pasta al dente. Drain but do not rinse. Immediately add pasta back to pot and add cream cheese and cottage cheese. Stir until pasta is creamy and coated thoroughly.

In a medium to large casserole dish, spoon the sausage sauce over the bottom just until it's covered. Add a layer of creamy pasta, followed by two large handfuls of spinach and a good handful or shaving of cheese. Keep layering until you run out of ingredients. I usually end with pasta or sauce, either will work. Bake, covered, in a 350* oven for 35-45 minutes or until bubbly.

(Sometimes I add fresh garlic or basil from my Summer herb garden)