Veal Ricotta Meatballs

Following the theme of my freezer cleanse, this is what I did with the ground veal from my CSA share last year. I've never worked with veal before (ground or otherwise), so this was an interesting learning experience (catching the theme here???). I found this recipe for veal ricotta meatballs, and the author was so enthusiastic that I felt I couldn't not try it. In fact, she did such a great job of selling the importance of making your own ricotta cheese for the dish, that I did that too (see the post on homemade ricotta cheese)!!

Ground veal from Simmons Farm

Once the ricotta was done, putting the meatballs together was pretty easy. The first step was mixing the ingredients - ricotta, veal, two eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg (?!), and a cup of parmesan and romano blend.

Pre-meatballs

The ricotta was quite sticky and was very sensitive to temperature changes. The more I worked it, the more it stuck to my hands. To roll the meatballs, I coated my hands in flour. That did an excellent job of keeping the mixture from sticking to my hands. I also dusted the baking sheet to keep the meatballs from sticking to it, and that worked very well. The recipe says to roll 9 meatballs...but holy crap...they would be HUGE!!! I honestly prefer smaller meatballs, but I suppose the giant ones are somehow more gourmet or something??? Anyway, I got 12 pretty big meatballs (and one Alex-size meatball) from the mixture, and they were quite large.

Aren't they gorgeous? My meaty babies.

The next step was to cover them and let them chill in the fridge for an hour. While they were chilling, I cleaned up the kitchen. :) Once they were chilled, I fried them in oil. This was a new experience for me - I've never used oil to fry anything. I wish there was a way to bake these without them drying out. I'm guessing the reason the recipe calls for them to be fried is because A) everything tastes better fried and B) frying makes a somewhat crispy outer shell that prevents the meatballs from drying out. So...I put what felt like a ton of oil into my largest skillet and heated it. This part was a little scary to me because I've been hit with hot oil before, and it really hurts! I was extra careful, and thankfully it was a fun and safe experience.

They look like scallops, but they're not!

Once the meatballs had been cooked enough so that they were golden brown on both sides, I removed them from the oil and let them soak in tomato sauce. This recipe could be kicked up one more notch if the tomato sauce was homemade, but that would be expensive (I don't have tomato vines) and time-consuming. Maybe once I become a homesteader...

The meatballs enjoying a soak in the tomato sauce hot tub

Oh, I almost forgot - I made Alex a special meatball that I removed from the oil, dabbed with a paper towel to remove the excess oil, and presented to him as a gift of love.

It was just beautiful!

Alex with his very special meatball

After it was cool enough, I broke it into small bites (as cheese oozed from everywhere), and Alex DEVOURED it! He absolutely loved it. Have I mentioned that his favorite food is cheese? I couldn't help myself...I ate a tiny bit of his meatball. :) It was AMAZING! Seriously...these could be served without tomato sauce (or with a number of other great sauces), and they would be wonderful just on their own!

So...after a 30-minute soak in the hot tomato sauce, the meatballs were ready. I made myself some rice pasta spaghetti and enjoyed one of the best meals I've had in a long time! I would definitely make these meatballs again. They would be perfect for a dinner party! Crack open some wine... Bake some garlic bread... Fix up a nice salad... And finish it off with a wonderful tiramisu! :)

"On top of spaghetti..."

Goat Stew

In an effort to eat what's in my freezer, I'm slowly working my way through the various meats I've been hoarding from my CSA meat share last year. In this post, I'll share my experience making goat stew. Yep, that's right - GOAT! Poor little goat... If you've ever been to see the goats at Simmons Farm in Middletown, RI, then you may have met my dinner. I don't know how they decide which goats to slaughter, but I'm sure it's not an easy choice. Anyway...before I get too far off topic... I had about a pound of "goat for stewing" from Simmons Farm, and I had no idea what to do with it. I looked at several recipes and decided on this one for goat stew.

Mmmmm..."goat for stewing!!!"

The directions say to make a "marinade" of carrots, onions, garlic, celery, jalapeño (since I didn't have the other fancy pepper), salt, and pepper and allow the meat to sit in this "marinade" in the fridge over night. As a couple of comments stated, I've never heard of such a "marinade." Although it was pretty and smelled wonderful, I don't really know how much the flavors actually integrated or how much was absorbed by the meat. If I ever make this again, I will rub the meat with spices and allow THAT to marinate over night! Those little packets of Indian spices are perfect for recipes like this. I was actually surprised by the lack of spices, and unfortunately the dish was pretty bland (except for the heat from the jalapeño).

Ho hum...just another bland "marinade."

After much deliberation, I decided to try making the stew in my slow cooker, as the author notes at the end of the recipe that this is a viable option. As always, this was a learning experience. It turned out ok, but I have ideas about how to make it much better. Read on!

All set in the slow cooker!

So, the choice to use vegetable stock or wine was given (really? is that even a contest?), and I chose wine. What's the point in vegetable stock, anyway? Unfortunately, I come from the school of Cathryn Tibbett, which says that "if a little is good, a lot is better!" I measured the one cup of wine, poured it over the meat and veggies, and decided that didn't seem like enough liquid. I poured another healthy "gluck" of wine in and had a sinking feeling that was probably too much. While it didn't do any damage to the dish, it didn't really help anything, either. The stew ended up with a bit more liquid than I think it should've, but no big deal.

The other thing I learned had to do with the part of the recipe that called for the meat to be browned in oil then simmered. Since I chose to use the slow cooker, I wasn't sure if I should brown the meat first or just toss everything in. I decided that browning wasn't necessary (although people do this with things like pot roast...I guess it helps seal in the juice or something?), but I wasn't sure if I should still add the oil to the slow cooker. I decided to try it, and what I learned was that I don't think that was necessary. So, if I ever make this again I will either put no oil or just 1/2 the amount of oil into the slow cooker. I don't think it served any real purpose in the recipe other than to facilitate the browning of the meat, which is unnecessary using the slow cooker. I suppose I could've browned it in oil before putting it in the slow cooker, but why dirty another pan?!?!

The finished stew, over rice.

 So, I made some brown rice to compliment the stew. It was good but not great. It was pretty bland except for the heat, and it really could've used some real spices. The meat was very tender though, and that is a definite plus for using the slow cooker. I would make this again, with some modifications.

Cabbage Kielbasa (Organic Turkey Sausage) Supper

Ok, so I said I got a head of cabbage with my CSA drop this week, and what better way to eat it than with Kielbasa? I found an easy slow cooker recipe for cabbage Kielbasa supper, so I'm giving it a try. Believe it or not, I've never cooked with cabbage before. Growing up, I associated it with things like sauerkraut and horseradish, and I didn't want to have anything to do with it if I could help it. Funny thing - I love coleslaw, but I didn't know it was made of cabbage when I was younger! As an adult, I never thought you could do much with cabbage other than coleslaw, and that always sounded like a lot of work!

A few weeks ago, I had cabbage and Kielbasa soup for the first time. Tentatively, I dug in, and before you could say "cabbage and Kielbasa," my bowl was empty! I loved it, and it was the first thing I thought of when I chose my head of cabbage on Thursday. Add the bonus of finding a slow cooker recipe, and I'm one very happy girl!

I wasn't about to ruin the organic amazingness of my locally grown cabbage with some random, pre-cooked conventional cow/pork parts ground up and shoved into casings...oh NO! Instead of Kielbasa, I got organic turkey sausage. :) AND...instead of frying it on the stove, I GRILLED it! Since cabbage and potatoes are pretty bland, I figured grilling it would add a really nice taste dimension to the dish (take that, Gordon Ramsay!).

Grilled organic turkey sausage is WAY better than pre-cooked conventional sausage.

Step one: cut the cabbage. Well, um...I figured there's got to be a "best" way of doing this, and thanks to the magic of the interweb, I found this handy tutorial.

I LOVE the step-by-step directions + photos!

Step two: peel and cut the potatoes, chop the onion, and throw everything into the slow cooker!

Um...well...this was JUST the cabbage. See step three.

Step three: take out some of the extra cabbage and replace as the mixture cooks down.

Here is the finished dish - DELICIOUS!

Step four: ENJOY!

Simmons Farm CSA

It wasn't until about a year ago that I first heard the term CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). It's a brilliant concept where (non-farmer-like) people from the community pay a local farmer (up-front) for a share in her/his harvest throughout the growing season. Yes, it can be a little pricey, but I believe it is totally worth every penny (and more!). This year, I'm a member of the Simmons Farm CSA - let me list the reasons why I'm happy to be participating:

• The farm is less than 5 miles from my house (4.6, to be exact);
• The farm has been around since about 1643, and it has stayed in the same family that entire time;
• In 2004, the livestock and the 102 acre farm were certified organic;
• I know my farmer, Karla, on a first-name basis, and she knows me, too;
• I can see where the fruits and veggies are grown;
• I can get organic eggs, cheese, and meat from the farm, too;
• I can meet the animals and see how they are treated;
• I'm exposed to veggies I probably wouldn't eat otherwise;
• I'm learning how to eat what's in season;
• It feels good to support a local, organic, family-run farm!

There are plenty more reasons why I'm so grateful to be participating in the CSA at Simmons Farm this year. Here are some of them:

The week 6 bounty - it's too much to list!

As you may or may not be able to see from the picture, I've got cabbage and zucchini to use this week. I think I will make cabbage Kielbasa supper with the cabbage, but can you believe I've never cooked with cabbage? There will definitely be a blog post about that. :) I thought about baking with the zucchini, roasting it, or even grilling it, but I've got an awesome cookbook called "The Classic Zucchini Cookbook," so I decided to poke around in there to see if anything sounded good. I found a recipe in it for summer squash enchiladas that sounds to die for (maaaaaybe it's all the cheese in the recipe, but who knows!), so watch for that post, too!

A closer look at the AMAZING pork chop that was my meat share this week.

As an add-on to my veggie share, I chose to participate in the meat share, too. Simmons farm also offers egg and cheese share add-ons, but I decided to stick with just veggies and meat. I've already gotten and enjoyed some breakfast sausage (seriously, the BEST sausage I've ever tasted EVER) and some hamburger (oh. my. gawd. best. burgers. ever!). I'm currently hoarding another package of ground beef and a package of sweet Italian sausage in the freezer! I already know what I'm going to do with the sausage...stuffed eggplant...YUMMY!

Gotta run...I've got some cooking to do!

April Fool's Food Fest!

I was home sick 3 days this week, and thank goodness I still had a few dinners in my freezer from the cooking/freezing fest M and I had New Year's Weekend! I ate them all though, so it was time for another cooking fest. Fortunately, M told me about this awesome blog called Skinnytaste (Gina's Skinny Recipes). I found four recipes I wanted to try that provide a nice variety, and I'm excited to get going. Actually, I just started the first one, Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili, because it cooks on low in the slow cooker for 10 hours (while I SLEEP!). I also needed to plan my lunches for the week, and since I'm tired of turkey wraps and don't want to have to use the microwave, I decided to make my tried and true raw soup. I found a great recipe for squash soup on the same site, so I decided to make both and take the squash soup with a little side of salad + raw soup "dressing" for my lunches this week. Soooo....that means I've got 6 (that's SIX) things to make!!!

There are several steps in this massive process:

1. clean the kitchen - it's very important to start with a clean slate (note: this also serves as a productive procrastination tool)
2. make a thorough grocery list - it's good to note the exact amounts of the ingredients you'll need, because often a recipe calls for an amount that is different than the amount that comes in a can or package
3. get fresh, local, organic ingredients
4. have supportive, reliable company - because this is gonna take awhile...
5. don't start cooking at 10:00 pm (oops...I forgot to create this list BEFORE I started...)
6. if you feel a little overwhelmed at the thought of cooking 6 pretty involved things, start with the slow cooker recipe! :)

The grocery list for this project was SERIOUS...and double-sided! I was not playing around here, people!!!

My "take no prisoners" grocery list! (step 2)

I had an absolute BLAST arranging all of my ingredients and then doing a photo shoot of them. It all felt so professional!

Start with fresh, local, organic ingredients (step 3)

I was fortunate to have some really supportive help, too:

Supportive company (step 4)

And now...THE FOOD!!!!

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili: This was by far the easiest thing to make, and it is honestly my favorite thing as far as taste and overall enjoyment go. It is good to eat with some Kashi fire roasted veggie crackers. :) I was AMAZED at how much chicken it seems there is once you shred it. And - I learned something very important when cooking this: the reason the chicken in my crock pot recipes sometimes dries out and overcooks so easily is because I cut it into such small pieces (DUH!)! I loved that this recipe has you lay the whole breasts on top during almost the entire cooking process, because that keeps the chicken from drying out. I'm totally using that trick for all my other crock pot recipes that use chicken!

Cooking the chicken breasts on top, whole - GENIUS!

The finished product - SOOO GOOD!

Beef, potato, and quinoa soup: This was one of the more complex recipes, but it still wasn't difficult. The flavor of this soup is PHENOMENAL! The fresh cilantro really adds complexity to the taste. Even after thawing and heating it, this soup still tastes fresh. I've never cooked with quinoa before, and that was really exciting. I did a little research before starting this recipe, and it's a good thing I did, because I found out that uncooked quinoa cooks to 4x its size! That means, 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa bulks up to 2 cups of cooked quinoa - so make sure you're clear about whether the amount of quinoa in your recipe is cooked or uncooked - it will make a BIG difference!!

This is a horrendous picture. The bluish haze is steam.

Tuna noodle casserole: A Midwestern favorite, casseroles of all kinds were a huge part of my childhood. Although tuna noodle wasn't a casserole my mom made often, she made plenty of others like chicken & broccoli and beef & vegetable. This recipe was ok, but it was rather bland. I had some whole wheat penne, so I decided to use that rather than buying noodles. Well, I think the noodles probably make a difference, because this casserole was just a little weird with penne - the taste was fine, but penne needs to be covered in red sauce, not tuna. :) I also didn't want to buy milk just for this recipe, so I used some 1/2 and 1/2 that I already had. I also used more peas than the recipe calls for - because I had a 16 oz. bag and just wanted to use them all. So - my modifications to the recipe may have led to its blandness...but it was still good, and it froze well, too.

Noodles, penne...whatever!

Another mini ingredients shoot...

This doesn't do it justice - it was pretty!

Spinach lasagna rolls: If these were people, they'd be super popular! Not only are they absolutely gorgeous, but they were a TON of fun to make! (NOTE: If you enjoy using your hands to cook, then you will consider this fun, but if you do not like doing things such as kneading bread or hand-rolling cookies, then this would probably not be fun for you.) These also froze well, and my only suggestion is to have some extra tomato sauce on hand when you thaw and heat them, as the amount of sauce used in the recipe ends up being rather sparse. (NOTE: My definition of "sparse" may be a little skewed, because I could drink tomato sauce by the glass, so keep that in mind!) Also, my cheese/spinach mixture seems rather bland, so next time I will add more salt/garlic salt. These are very tasty, and two rolls with a nice salad makes a tasty and healthy dinner.

It was so much fun to mix the cheese filling!

Pardon me while I execute an "artistic" shot...

The filling spread really well onto the lasagna noodles.

A lasagna roll ready to be bathed in sauce.

The final product - which was AMAZING!

Raw soup: Due to circumstances beyond my control (i.e., my blender being a total piece of $#!^@*%), I was unable to actually make the raw soup. This was a complete and utter shame, because then most of those ingredients went to waste (which makes me ill to even think about).

Squash soup: Since this soup also depended upon use of the blender, it also went unmade, and I'm ashamed to say that the beautiful squash I bought also went to waste. And, to quote the cashier at Clements', "that's the biggest butternut squash I've ever seen!" On a positive note, I put the blade through the dishwasher a couple of weeks after my cook fest, and the blender started working again. The blade had been getting stuck and not turning, so it must've gotten cleaned and loosened in the dishwasher. I'm still getting a Blendtec though... :)

The prize-winning butternut squash that never got to be soup... :'(

For dinner the night of the cook fest: lasagna roll, chicken chili, and tuna noodle casserole - YUM!

Breakfast Skillet (from "leftovers")

Since all three of us (me, Kim, & Jen) have eyes bigger than our stomachs, we ended up with plenty of grilled veggies and steak left over from the fajitas last night. Our original plan was to make Belgian waffles for breakfast this morning (I told you it was a marathon hangout!), but Kim and I were both craving a hearty breakfast, so we switched gears (sorry, Jen!). K had the brilliant idea of making "breakfast skillets" like what you can get at Denny's or IHOP - only WAY better since we use high quality food and cook with love (an ingredient I'm pretty sure neither Denny's nor IHOP has ever heard of before...).

So - I fried some potatoes & onions (with salt, pepper, basil, garlic powder, and cayenne), and we layered the potatoes with cheese, grilled steak & veggies, and two fried eggs. Top it off with a garnish of pico de gallo, and voilà! - a breakfast that would quite easily put Denny's and IHOP out of business! :) Take a look...

Complimented by a slice of organic 12-grain toast & a mango nectar spritzer.

Ladies, Fire Up Your Grills!!!!

Yep, that's right! The 2011 grilling season is officially OPEN! My BFFs came over last night for a marathon hangout and to make dinner for me to say thanks since I've watched their dog for them a couple of weekends recently. Let me tell you - after this dinner (and the subsequent breakfast this morning - I'll get to that in a minute) I'd happily watch their dog any time!

I can't lie, we got off to a rough start, as I'd run out of propane late in the 2010 grilling season, and I SWEAR I swapped out the tank, but alas - the tank was empty, so Jen and I went on an 8:00 pm run to Home Depot to get a fresh one. It. Was. Worth it! We made grilled steak and shrimp fajitas complete with grilled peppers & onions, fresh hand-made pico de gallo, fresh hand-made guacamole, and all the fixins. I'll let the pictures tell the story...

Kim prepped the best individual fixins plates EVER!

Homemade pico - with tomatoes, garlic, cilantro...YUM!

Jen created the BEST marinade for the steak & shrimp!

The meat looks kind of raw in this pic, but it and the veggies were PERFECT!

Grilled chicken, Mac & Cheese, & killer beet salad

So...Kim and I took the dogs on a nice long walk this afternoon, and we ended up at Starbucks. We had a nice long chat and then headed back to Forest St., where we whipped up the best grilled chicken, mac & cheese, and beet salad EVER! :) I LOVE SUMMER!!!!!

First Burgers of 2010

Ham & Egg Sandwich (for dinner)