Monday, January 2, 2017

One of America's Favorites - Spaghetti and Meatballs with Garlic Bread

Spaghetti with meatballs (or spaghetti and meatballs) is an Italian-American dish that usually consists of spaghetti, tomato sauce and meatballs.



It is widely believed that spaghetti with meatballs was an innovation of early 20th-century Italian
immigrants in New York City; the National Pasta Association (originally named the National Macaroni Manufacturers Association) is said to be the first organization to publish a recipe for it, in the 1920s.

Italian writers often mock the dish as pseudo-Italian or non-Italian  because, in Italy, meatballs are uncommon and smaller.

However, various kinds of pasta with meat are part of the culinary tradition of the Abruzzo, Apulia, Sicily, and other parts of southern Italy. A recipe for rigatoni with meatballs is in Il cucchiaio d'argento (The Silver Spoon), a comprehensive Italian cookbook known as the "bible" of Italian Cooking. Other dishes that have similarities to spaghetti and meatballs include include pasta seduta 'seated pasta' and maccaroni azzese in Apulia.

Totally different are the baked pasta dishes from Apulia, where meatballs, mortadella, or salami are baked with rigatoni, tomato sauce, and mozzarella, then covered with a pastry top.

Other pasta recipes include slices of meat rolled up with cheese, cured meats and herbs (involtini in Italian) and braciole (bra'zhul) in Italian-American and Italian-Australian slang, that are cooked within sauce but pulled out to be served as a second course.

...and Spaghetti and Meatballs are always better with Garlic Bread



One of America's Favorites - Garlic Bread

Garlic bread (also garlic toast) consists of bread (usually a baguette or sour dough like a ciabatta),
topped with garlic and olive oil or butter and may include additional herbs, like chives. It is then either grilled or broiled until toasted, or baked in a conventional or bread oven.

It is typically made using a French baguette, or sometimes a sourdough like ciabatta which is partially sliced downwards, allowing the condiments to soak into the loaf while keeping it in one piece. The bread is then stuffed through the cuts with oil and minced garlic before baking. Alternatively, butter and garlic powder are used, or the bread is cut lengthwise into separate slices which are individually garnished.

Some variants are topped with a variety of cheeses, often mozzarella, cheddar or feta. Some restaurants use clarified butter in place of olive oil.

Commercially manufactured frozen garlic bread was developed in the 1970s by Cole's Quality Foods in Muskegon, Michigan.



"Meatless Monday" Recipe of the Week - Mediterranean Chickpeas

This week's "Meatless Monday" Recipe of the Week is Mediterranean Chickpeas. Red Pepper Flakes heats this dish up! It's from one of my favorite Cooking Recipe sites, CooksRecipes. The Cooks site is packed with recipes for all tastes or cuisines. Enjoy and Eat Healthy in 2017! http://www.cooksrecipes.com/index.html

Mediterranean Chickpeas

Spicy hot Mediterranean-style chickpeas with chopped spinach, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, oregano and fresh lemon juice.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups cooked chickpeas
1 (10-ounce) package of frozen spinach, chopped and defrosted
1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Juice of 2 fresh lemons
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking Directions:

1 - In a large saucepan, over a medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are tender.
2 - Add the chickpeas, spinach, tomatoes, pepper flakes, and oregano. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Makes 6 servings.

http://www.cooksrecipes.com/mless/mediterranean-chickpeas-recipe.html

Kitchen Hint of the Day!

When washing vegetables, place a small amount of salt in a sink full of cold water to draw out any sand or insects.

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Leftover - Shrimp w/ Pasta Roni – Parmesan Cheese

Dinner Tonight: Leftover - Shrimp w/ Pasta Roni – Parmesan Cheese






For Breakfast on this first day of 2017 I'm having a toasted Eggo Waffle topped with a Poached Egg.
And as every morning, a cup of Bigelow Decaf Green Tea. Wow, 2017! Not a bad day out there to be January 1st, a high of 45 degrees and mostly sunny. Mom went to Church and I stayed home to keep an eye on Dad. So while Mom was gone I did some laundry then moved on to cleaning the house, vacuumed and dusted. Had everything done after Lunch and settled back for an afternoon of watching NFL Football. For Dinner tonight its Leftover - Shrimp w/ Pasta Roni – Parmesan Cheese and French Bread.






As usual when I make the Shrimp w/ Pasta Roni – Parmesan Cheese dish I have the leftovers the next day. So for Dinner tonight its Leftovers! Below is the original post of Shrimp w/ Pasta Roni – Parmesan Cheese and French Bread, which contains ingredients and directions. Happy New Year Everyone!




For the Shrimp part of the dish I used Kroger Brand Jumbo Shrimp. I had them in the freezer so I let
them thaw overnight in the fridge. I love Shrimp and all Seafood. For the Shrimp; I started by rinsing the Shrimp off in cold water and letting it dry in a colander. Using a medium size skillet, that I sprayed with Pam Cooking Spray and a 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, that I heated on medium heat I cooked the Shrimp. I seasoned them with Old Bay Seasoning. Cooked them 2 minutes per side, turning the Shrimp once. And as the Shrimp was cooking I started to prepare the Pasta.





I’ve prepared this several times now, sometimes I make using Chicken but Shrimp is my favorite.
Rice – A – Roni, Pasta Roni is an Angel Hair Pasta in a Parmesan Sauce with other natural flavors. It comes with the Pasta Parm Sauce and I added; 1 1/3 cups of water, 2/3 cups of 2% milk, and 2 tablespoons of Blue Bonnet Light Butter. Then to prepare it; In a medium saucepan bring water, milk, margarine or butter to a boil. Then slowly stir in pasta and Special Seasonings. Separate pasta with a fork, if needed. Return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Boil uncovered, 4-5 min. or until pasta is just tender, stirring frequently. Sauce will be thin. Let stand 3-5 min. to thicken. There’s 2 servings per box. Nice seasoning and the Parmesan Sauce is very flavorful. I topped the Pasta with some Kraft Reduced Fat Grated Parmesan Cheese and the Shrimp. Too good, this makes one delicious Shrimp and Pasta Dish! Love these Semi-Homemade Meals! I also baked a loaf of Pillsbury French Bread. For Dessert later I had a Weight Watcher's Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Bar.






Pasta Roni – Parmesan Cheese
Inspired by the flavors of Italy, our Pasta Roni® Parmesan Cheese flavor blends angel hair pasta in a Parmesan cheese sauce with other natural flavors your whole family will enjoy. This flavorful dish is the perfect complement to your family’s favorite Italian recipes.

What You’ll Need
1 1/3 cups of water
2/3 cups of milk
2 tablespoons of margarine*
What You’ll Do:
In a medium saucepan bring water, milk, margarine or butter to a boil. Then slowly stir in pasta and Special Seasonings. Separate pasta with a fork, if needed. Return to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium. Boil uncovered, 4-5 min. or until pasta is just tender, stirring frequently.
Sauce will be thin. Let stand 3-5 min. to thicken.

http://www.ricearoni.com/Products/Pasta_Roni/classic_favorites/Angel_Hair_Pasta_w

Soup Special of the Day!.....Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This week's Soup Special of the Day is a Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Serve topped with cheese and a side of your favorite baked bread. Soup is on!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon Blue Bonnet Light Butter
1/2 Onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted Blue Bonnet light Butter
1/4 cup Flour
2 cups 2% Milk
2 cups Swanson Low sodium Chicken Stock
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped Broccoli Florets
1 cup matchstick-cut Carrots
1 stalk Celery, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Gound Roasted Cumin
2 1/2 cups Sargento Reduced Fat Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste


Directions
1 - Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion in hot butter until translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
2 - Whisk 1/4 cup melted butter and flour together in a large saucepan over medium-low heat; cook until flour loses it's granular texture, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk if necessary to keep the flour from burning, 3 to 4 minutes.
3 - Gradually pour milk into flour mixture while whisking constantly. Stir chicken stock into milk mixture. Bring to a simmer; cook until flour taste is gone and mixture is thickened, about 20 minutes. Add broccoli, carrots, sauteed onion, celery, nutmeg, and roasted cumin; simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
4 - Stir Cheddar cheese into vegetable mixture until cheese melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Top 10 Healthy Food Trends for 2017

From the EatingWell website its Top 10 Healthy Food Trends for 2017. While at the EatingWell website be sure to check out all their delicious and healthy recipes and tips on cooking and eating healthy! And if you're looking for a good cooking magazine to subscribe to, try the EatingWell Magazine. I've subscribed for years and I'm always finding newrecipes to try. So Enjoy and Eat Healthy in 2017!     http://www.eatingwell.com/


Top 10 Healthy Food Trends for 2017

I can't believe 2016 is almost over. It certainly was a big year. Food wise, we saw cauliflower everything, avocado toast start to pitter out (although it's still popular), doughnut shops take hold, and smoothie bowls everywhere. So what's coming up for 2017? I asked EatingWell's editors what healthy food trends they're seeing on the horizon for next year. Here's what we predict will be hot next year.


1. Bean Pastas
Although 2016 was the year of the pulse, beans are going to be even bigger in 2017. We have tried grain-free bean pastas (made from only bean flours) that are really high in protein and fiber. Expect to see plenty of them on the shelves this year —everything from edamame spaghetti to chickpea fusilli to lentil elbows and black bean rotini....


2. Fermentation
While fermented foods were definitely big in 2016, we think this will only continue to get bigger. Gut health is a hot topic and people are eating sauerkraut, kimchi and other fermented veggies more than ever. Expect to see more fermented items at the grocery store and on menus......


3. Veggie Chips
Forget veggie snacks that hardly have any real vegetables in them. We saw a lot of companies making veggie chips with just veggies, oil and a little salt. From beets to kale, we think these vegetable snacks will be popping up on shelves near you. You can also make your own kale, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato and beet chips at home with these healthy recipes......


* Click the link below to see all the Top 10 Healthy Food Trends for 2017
http://www.eatingwell.com/blogs/food_news_blog/top_10_healthy_food_trends_for_2017

Kitchen Hint of the Day!

Batter up.....

When making a batter for deep frying, try adding 1/2 teaspoon baking powder for every 1/2 cup flour. The coating will be lighter.