So...whats for dinner?
Comments
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Deb- Glad you finally got your power back on- Congrats on the engagement!!!
Joyce- I hope you are ok?
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Thanks everyone.
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Deb- Congrats! What great news and so happy you have power back!
Hauntie- Great idea for the candy, thank you. I hope your family all gets power back soon too.
Seaside- your dinner sounds wonderful, I like cubans too. I can thank my husband for that, it's something I would have never tried if not for him.
Kay lol at fishtastic Wednesday- I skipped grocery shopping today so it looks like tomorrow will be fish day. Your dinner sounded good too.
Michelle- Isn't it funny that you needed Tylenol today? It always amazes me that the things we think will bother us doesn't and the things that we think won't do. I hope you wake up pain free.
My biggest concern at the moment is that my 4 year old went to bed and was complaining of a belly ache. He just woke up again and is still uncomfortable, running a slight temp. At this point I am just praying for no vomiting and for it not to get to my almost 2 year old. It may be a loooong night. Fingers crossed.
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luvrving.. the gourmet hamburgers were a bit of a bust. i seasoned the meat lightly with minced onion, spices and a few breadcrumbs soaked in milk. THe bread was too freshly out of the oven and the crust tore our mouths to shreds when we chewed it.. They ended up being fork burgers. I did make some quacamole.. you have to make it at the perfect time for ripeness. I couldn't find the fancy cheese, my son had hidden it in the veggie drawere so we all had velveeta...
they were good.
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Michelle- I am trying to find your spaghetti saude recipe and I can't......would you mind posting it again?
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Here you go, Laurie!
In 5-quart dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add 1 pound ground beef, 1 cup chopped onion, 3 cloves garlic, minced, and 1/2 cup chopped parsley. Stirring frequently, cook 10 minutes or until beef is browned. Add 2 cans(28 oz each) crushed tomatoes, 1 6oz can tomato paste, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons dried basil, 1&1/2 teaspoon salt, 1
teaspoon dried oregano and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Makes 7&1/2 cupsMy little port incision feels better this morning. I've got stitches, so I guess it made sense that it might sting a bit. And I hope your little one feels better!
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Thanks Michelle! I wrote it down (again). Getting ready to head out to the grocery store. I'm glad the incision is feeling better today. It must be a great feeling to be rid of the port.
My oldest was up all night vomiting. Poor guy is so little and did such a great job trying to keep it all in the bucket. It was a sleep over in his room last night, well, we didn't sleep much. But he is doing better this morning and has had a piece of toast and some juice. He actually thanked me this morning for trying so hard last night to make him feel better. Pretty darn sweet.
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ok a meatball question for you ladies. I always make my meatballs and bake them in the oven, then top with the sauce on the pasta. I know people cook them in their sauce to give their sauce more flavor, when I try to do that they just fall apart and it becomes meat sauce. Whats the trick? I would love to surprise my husband with an awesome sauce. We both love a good sauce and I have never accomplished it....perhaps tonight with Michelle's recipe!
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Laurie - I think most good Italian restaurants cook the meatballs separately. I checked Food Network and some of the popular chefs add the cooked meatballs into the sauce for just a few minutes. That way, they absorb some of the sauce flavor but they are not in the sauce so long that they get soft. I vote for cooking them separately and adding them to the sauce for about 15 minutes.
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Laurie,
I bake my meatballs first, too and also simmer them in the sauce because I do think it adds lots of flavor.... I think the key is to use a recipe that has a binder in it and to let the meatballs cool completely before adding them. I don't know why but, I've had them fall apart when I added them warm.... Also be gentle when you stir...Edited to add: Just checked with a friend of mine and she said she even goes so far as to refrigerate the meatballs before adding... So sounds like the key may be to not add them until they are cold....
It's been awhile since I made my own sauce but, if your sauce has a long simmer time, I would hold off adding the meatballs until the last 30-40 minutes or so...
Spaghetti and meatballs was my daughters welcome home dinner when she would come home on breaks from college (at her request).
Here's the recipe I use...
Meatballs
2 lb ground beef (or mix of veal and beef)
1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
2/3 cup onion, chopped ( I leave these out because my daughter doesn't like them)
1/2 cup Milk
4 Eggs
1 tsp Pepper
Couple of Cloves Garlic, pressed (or some garlic powder)
Mix everything, except the ground beef, together. Add the ground beef and mix just till blended. Form into large meatballs. Bake at 350, until cooked through and nicely browned.
Makes roughly 24 large meatballs.
I use half and freeze half for a quick meal on another day. I don't even thaw them.... Just plunk them in sauce and let them thaw while the sauce simmers!
My current favorite store-bought sauce is to blend a jar or two of Classico 4 Cheese sauce and a jar or two of Classico Tomato Basil.....
Hmm... Now I'm hungry for spaghetti and meatballs!!0 -
Yum! all this talk about speghetti and meat balls has my mouth watering I also cook my meatballs in the oven and let them cook seems to hold up better. I am making meatloaf tonight and assembled it all this morning, refridgerate it and then pop it in the oven later. Also making homemade whole wheat bread- So easy and you dont need a bread machine, I have made this many times and its really good.
WHOLE WHEAT HONEY BREAD
Ingredients
- 1 (.25 ounce) package rapid rise yeast
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup melted shortening ( or butter)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 3 cups bread flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
- Dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water.
- Combine milk, 1/4 cup water, shortening, honey, salt and wheat flour in food processor or bowl. Mix in yeast mixture, and let rest 15 minutes. Add bread flour, and process until dough forms a ball. Knead dough by processing an additional 80 seconds in food processor, or mix and knead by hand 10 minutes. Place the dough in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise for 45 minutes, or until almost doubled.
- Punch down, and divide dough in half. Roll out each half, and pound out the bubbles. Form into loaves, and place in buttered 9x5 inch bread pans. Butter the tops of the dough, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm area until doubled; second rise should take about 30 minutes.
- Place a small pan of water on the bottom shelf of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until tops are dark golden brown. Butter crusts while warm. Slice when cool.
- ( Here is a trick I use to speed up rising of the bread- After I have done a load of clothes in the dryer, (take the clothes out, of course) I put the bread in the dryer and let it rise.)
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All the spaghetti and meatball posts have definitely made me decide it's a spaghetti night this weekend! Both meatball/sauce recipes sound yummy.
Last nights dinner was a porkchop recipe from The Pioneer Woman's site. She offers so many great sounding recipes and posts pictures to go along. The dinner was so easy and quick to prepare. Tasted good and will make again.
Tonight is a crockpot beef stew. The usual potatoes, carrots, onion and celery along with a McCormick's seasoning packet. Super quick to get started and smells yummy. I'll make biscuits or rolls to along with.
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lexi- I made the same beef stew a few days ago. I added some chicken broth and flour and it was the best one I have ever made. Enjoy!
We are about to eat dinner and I am excited to tryMichelles sauce. SeasideI make my meatballs almost the exact same way thanks fro sharing!
Debbie- Your bread sounds yummy, I wish I wasn't a horrible baker. Most things I bake turn out terrible. I;ve never tried bread because it seems like a lot of work for something to turn out inedible.
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Wow, the pressure is on...I sure hope your family likes the sauce!!!
Did you ever try making bread in a breadmaker? They give pretty good results without any real effort. You can probably find a second hand one for not much money.
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Michelle- Your sauce gets two thumbs up, thank you! My oldest who has had the belly ache ate two meatballs:) As you can imagine dinner is pretty chaotic in our house with the boys and half way though my husband hadn't said anything about it so I asked. He said yha I like it, I'm on seconds! So it goes in the keeper box
As for bread, maybe when the boys are older and I have more time, for now I am grateful that I get dinner on the table. Way back when my husband and I had a small restaurant, he used to make the best homemade oatmeal bread. He made it every other day and we always sold out. Maybe I should make him make us some bread!
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Phew! Glad it was a keeper for you! Sometimes I make it with spicy Italian sausage or a mix of beef and sausage. My DH LOVES sausage.
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I added sweet sausage links too. My Dh loves it as well and will have leftover sausage/meatball subs with it. I just seared the sausage in a pan ahead of time and then added to the sauce while I let it simmer for about 40 minutes. I cooked the meatballs in the oven like I usually do, where your sauce had meat in it I didn't monkey around with adding the meatballs. I put them in the sauce about 5 minutes before I served it. I was pretty pleased with how it all turned out. Thanks again Michelle!
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Debbie: Thanks for the recipe and especially thanks for the dryer rising tip. I used to bake bread when my oven had a "real" pilot light instead of the new electronic ignition. Since we have the A/C on 95% of the year in Houston, it's hard to find warm spot. I'm excited to try the dryer. Jan
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Lexi- I love beef stew make that more than most dishes in the winter time, plus i wont have to cook for a few days when i make this. What is the pioneer womans site?
Laurie- Hope your little one is feeling better. I love putting sausage in my sauces too. I dont make bread too often but i love the smell of it cooking in the kitchen so every once inawhile i make it, It was really good tonight.
Michelle- Looks like I have to try your sauce, after getting 2 thumbs up LOL! How is your port site doing?
Minustwo- Your welcome, Its funny when i first heard about the dryer tip i was a little hesitant but thats the only way i do it now it really does speed it up. I have electric only too so the dryer comes in handy.
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Today, I am a 17 year survivor of breast cancer. I know how lucky I am to still be here. I celebrate my survival and am very grateful.for my NED status. Unfortunately, in the 17 years since I was diagnosed, many relatives and friends have been diagnosed with this awful disease. I have also lost many friends and through BCO have made many friends who are living with metastatic breast cancer. Enough already. WE NEED A CURE NOW!!!!
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Hauntie - congrats on making it 17 years. That's so encouraging for all of us! I hope I hit that mark some day. Yes, too many women are impacted by breast cancer and we all need to lobby for more research for a cure.
Debbie - my port incision seems to be healing well. I'll take off the bandage today when I shower and take a look at it. But it feels OK.
I found out that the inside of my microwave gets nice and warm when I have the range hood light turned on (which is underneath the microwave). That would be a really good spot for rising bread dough, too.
We have a crazy, busy weekend coming up. We are watching the grandkids so my DD and SIL can go to Boston for the weekend. Then on Sunday morning DH and the other men of the family are coming back to the house to build an 8 x 10 storage shed for our patio furniture. We've got a ton of really high end wicker and all the cushions that needs to be protected from the elements and there is just nowhere to put it. After they finish, they'll watch the Patriots game. But DH has to fly to Salt Lake City for the week, so he'll be bailing out on us! I'll be "alone" all week. That will be different - my DH has barely left my side for the past 18 months! When we were in MO, I would head out to the casinos for a little fun. I might just have to take a day trip to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun. It's about a two hour drive. Maybe I'll get a hotel room and make an excursion out of it!
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Deborey, Glad you got your power back on and congrats on your daughter's engagement! What fantastic news. So happy for you.
Laurie, a little late now, but my meatball secret is that I do hot sausage the way you do, just brown them in a pan and then let them cook the rest of the way in the sauce. It makes the sauce quite spicey. Everyone loves my sauce. Then I actually brown the meatballs in the pan that I browned the sausages in. It gives them some extra spice. Then I cook them the rest of the way in the sauce. I let them simmer for at least a couple of hours. My family likes them when best when they've been in the sauce for a long time to soak up the flavors of the sauce. The hot sausage may make it a little spicey for your little guys though.
Had the leftover flounder for dinner last night with some salsa on top. It was delicious reheated too. I think getting good fish to start with is the key. I try to only buy fish from the local fish store. We haven't always liked the fish we bought at Acme (our supermarket). Thanks for the idea of the salsa. I love it!
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Oh, and congrats Hauntie, my surgery buddy! 17 years is cause for celebration. Yay you!
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Congrats Hauntie! What a wonderful anniversary to inspire us all
Joyce- oh my!! It sounds horrible at your house. I am glad no one was hurt and the house is ok but you must be stressed and exhausted from dealing with it all. I hope things get better soon, is someone taking care of your house for you while you're gone? I would imagine so.
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Joyce - My DB3 and SIL, who live in Hudson, finally had there power restored last night.0
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Debbie, the beef stew was yummy. Think I'll try Michelle's suggestion to add the chicken broth next time. It could have used a bit more liquid. Spaghetti and meatballs this weekend for sure. The Pioneer Woman site is terrific. She has a bio on how she met her cowboy husband and her lfe raising their children and living on a ranch. I forget about it and then when I go to it, I realize she has some great looking recipes. Check it out!
Congratulations Hauntie on your 17 years cancer free. That is terrific and it gives us all so much hope!
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Hauntie- That is so awesome!!, and you are right " Enough already, find a cure"
Michelle- Well my ears and eyes perked right up at he mention of foxwoods or moghegan sun LOL! Maybe this is just what you need a little peace and quiet and alone time. When DH leaves town. the first couple days are great and then I start missing him. Have fun with your Grand children.
Kay- Do you have a special meatball recipe?
Joyce- Thats just terrible the damage it has done, so scary it seems like a lot of record breakers have been this last week- Enjoy West Palm and be safe.
Lexi- Is that on the foodtv channel"? I am clueless LOL!
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quiche again.. ham, broccoli, mushroom and an awesome medley of cheeses. I'm glad I made two.
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Wow, I'd love to have that recipe Apple!
I made tacos for DH and DD with sweet potato fries and salad, but I had the last of the leftover flounder. I think the flounder is delicious.
Debbie, I don't do a lot with meatballs. I do buy good meat for them. I buy Magglio's hot sausage and ground round from Colonial Village here. (It's more like a butcher shop than a supermarket.) I usually do 3 lbs of meat, put a piece of saran wrap on the table and spread the hamburger on it. Put one egg in, cover with Parmensan cheese, add some Kosher salt and pepper. My mother used to say the secret ingredient was to take a cup of water and dribble a few drops of water over the hamburger too. Sometimes if one egg doesn't seem to be enough to make the meat soft, I'll add a second egg. MIx it all together and then form into meat balls. I always make mine small. I brown them on all sides in the pan I brown the sausage in and then let them cook all the way through by simmering them for at least a couple of hours in the sauce. I make sauce almost exactly the same as MIchelle, except I use tomato puree instead of crushed tomatoes. I use the tomato paste like Michelle does too. All the spices that come out of the sausage will also get into the sauce to give it flavor. It can get pretty spicey depending on how much sausage you put in. It's definitely the DH's and DS's favorite thing I make. The DD doesn't like tomato sauce. She takes plain pasta with olive oil and parmasan cheese on it and a couple of the meat balls that I keep out of the sauce for her. Ticks me off!
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Laurie your kids are so cute. You seem like a really good mom.
Tonight we had pork chops coated in a mixture of panko and Italian breadcrumbs and pan fried, baked sweet potato fries, and sauted mustard greens and radish greens. The greens are part of the veggies I collected from the CSA on Wed. I'm really enjoying the CSA. Sometime I have to go home and look up unfamiliar veggies, like the beautiful napa cabbage in this last batch of veggies.
Yeah for the power being restored! What a drag to be without electricity.
Today was a wonderful day, sunny and a bit windy with the high about 69. I played golf at 10am with a friend and really enjoyed the outing.
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
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