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Food, Savory

Meatballs – The Basics

Nom nom nom

Yup, I’m Italian. Yeah, it’s basically required that you know at least one way to make meatballs. That or I hear they disown you or something. (Okay, I might be making that one up. But you might as well know how to fake making a good Italian meal.)

Preheat your oven to 350. That’s right, they’re going in the oven. Surprising, since how I first learned to make meatballs just meant I put them in a frying pan.

Okay, here we go. Grab a pound of ground beef, 1 egg, 1/2 cup bread crumbs like 4C, a quarter of an onion minced, a quarter of a green pepper minced, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1/4 tsp parsley, and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Mash all of that up in a bowl and make one-inch round meatballs. Place on cooking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until cooked through.

Once complete, you can eat them like that (my preference), or douse them in pasta sauce, cooked pasta, and fresh grated Parmesan.

Oh yeah, and don’t forget to invite me for dinner.

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November 13, 2012 by
Food, Savory

Simply Delicious – Bacon & Scallops

Really, what could be better?

Sometimes simple is better.

To back this idea back up, making this snack/lunch/moment-of-bacon-weakness started after having dinner with my friend the other night. However, walking up to the seafood counter, I decided on the cheaper bay scallops that, yes, are smaller, but are just as good. I also surprised the men at the meat counter by asking for only two pieces of bacon. I’m pretty sure no one does that.

Anyway, there is a total of four. Yes, FOUR ingredients to this dish. Bacon, scallops, salt, and pepper. Sometimes smothering food in sauce or seasonings is not the right path.

The basics.

You’ll want to cut up the bacon into small pieces, then throw them into a hot pan until they are crispy. Do not pour out all the bacon grease, you’ll want some of that to cook up those scallops. While the bacon is cooking, wash and dry the scallops, then season with salt and pepper.

Seasoned!

Then toss into the pan with the bacon and cook through. Be careful not to cook too long or they will get chewy. It will only take a few minutes. Serve up on a plate and enjoy.

 

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November 11, 2012 by
Food, Savory

Mozzarella and Tomato Salad

The basics. Something we can all do, and should know how to do. So I’m gonna give you the secret to my favorite treat.

Gather the following and read on.

This kept me alive and not broke when I lived in France. I would take the tram down to the grocery store and buy a container of fresh mozzarella. That’s the kind that’s a plastic tub full of semi-clear liquid and tiny white balls floating in it. Then I’d grab a few tomatoes (sometimes from the market) and bring them back to my host mom’s house. (I’ll tell you about her house sometime. Loved living there, even if it was only for four months.)

Anyway, I’d cut the tomatoes up into small pieces, and cube the mozzarella into similar sized pieces. Put them in a bowl and added ground pepper and sea salt. (I didn’t want to steal all the spices from my host mom’s cabinet, after all.)

Put that on a loaf of French bread (fresh from the bakery that’s below the apartment), and toast it in the oven. You’ve got heaven.

Now that I’ve brought the “recipe” home, I’ve added some more spices. Mostly garlic powder and some cayenne. A dash of parsley and some oregano and it’s perfect. Serve it with my toast bites I make and you’ve made yourself a quick appetizer to take to your next party or a picnic in the park. I’m invited, right?

Yummy and ready for the picnic!

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November 5, 2012 by
Food, Savory

Toasty Bread

Carb-aholic here. Pasta, rice, bread, tortillas. You name it, it has carbs, it’s headed for my dinner plate.

So why wouldn’t I make bread bites. Little triangles of goodness that can serve as the basis for any dip or veggie salad at your next party. Preheat the oven to 400.

While that’s going down, take a loaf of Italian bread and cut it into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Then cut those into thirds or quarters. In a small cup or bowl, melt some butter, a few dashes of garlic powder, black pepper, a small dash of cayenne, and a sprinkling of Italian seasonings (or just some parsley, basil, and oregano). Melt that mix so it’s spreadable and make those pieces of bread glisten.

Cook in oven until the pieces are golden (watch them closely, they can burn. I have done it before).

And ta-dah!!

I could eat them just like that.

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November 4, 2012 by