My First Homemade Meatballs!

Yum! Yum! Yum!

Sloppy Joes Go Chic

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A couple weeks ago I asked Andy what he wanted for dinner and he said Sloppy Joes. My response was “EEWWW Yuck.” Then I thought ‘Ya know, you asked, maybe you should just make him what he wants.’ So I pulled out my faithful ol’ cookbook and thought I’d do it up right (no Joe’s out of a can for us). I followed the recipe and doctored a little here and there. They turned out SO good! I know all you chic chefs bring these fabulous ethnic recipes and here I am bringing comfort food from 1963 but don’t judge a recipe by its name – I did and had to give up my seconds as a result! I hope you enjoy this yummy meal, brought to you courtesy of Andy. :)

NOTE: You may find that the measurements need a little adjusting for your taste. This recipe is flexible enough for variation.

Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped red pepper

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

¼ cup water

3 Tablespoons quick oats

2 Teaspoons chili powder

3-4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Salt to taste

White dinner rolls

In a large skillet brown meat and drain fat off. Add onion and pepper and sauté until veggies are just softening. Stir in remaining ingredients (except rolls); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered until desired consistency. Serve over rolls. Serves 4-6.

This recipe I got out of Rachael Rays magazine this summer and thought it looked good. I haven’t tried it yet but wanted to pass it along to the Chic Chefs!

Sweet Milk Cake

6 large eggs, separated

1 ¼ cups sugar

2 cups evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 quart heavy cream

Papaya slices for serving (or most any fruit you prefer).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking dish. Using the electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with 1 cup sugar on low speed until combined, then increase to high and beat until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add ½ cup evaporated milk and the vanilla; beat until combined. Fold in the flour and baking powder.

Clean the beaters. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Beat in the remaining ¼ cup sugar until stiff peaks form.

Working in batches, fold the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 45 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 ½ cups evaporated milk, the sweetened condensed milk and 1 cup cream. Ladle over the cooled cake. Cover and chill until the liquid is absorbed, about 4 hours.

Beat the remaining 3 cups cream until soft peaks form. Serve with the cake and fruit slices.

Morocco Here I Come

This was a fun, different recipe that I really enjoyed. I liked the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and cinnamon combined with the spice of the onions. And I love couscous because it is so versatile - you can add just about anything to it! I added chopped pistachios, raisins and lemon juice as that was what I had on hand, and it turned out tasty! The only suggestion I got on the meal (from my husband) was that the texture of the soup might be bettered if you blended part of it to make it thicker, which I agree might be a nice spin on the recipe though I liked it with a clear broth too. I also think a few added veggies could be fun too - like carrots and/or celery. All in all a great exotic meal that totally convinced me that I need to take a trip to Morocco to try out more of their food! Thanks Eva!

Thirds

Hey Gals!
Since I have had limited response to my proposals for round three I will assume that all is well. I am going to put up the new schedule today and we will proceed with a non-theme. Happy cooking!

The last Soup! Apple Brie Soup

Hey there Girls... It looks like my soup is the last soup in this round so I thought I would end on a sweet note.

please remember the measurements can be adjusted according to your individual taste..especially when it comes to the spices.
Apple Brie Soup
ING: 1/2 c your favorite white wine
1/2 c sugar
2 tbs butter
5 med to large apples (i prefer gala/fugi and maybe a couple of granny smith)
1 1/2 c half & half
1 c milk
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
7 oz brie cheese
another note: i tend to make this soup "from the hip" so to speak. I usually make it from memory and by taste. It really is a simple soup to make.
basically what i do is start by peeling the apples, core and slice them and if you wanna chop them up a lil you can. In soup pot over med-low to med heat add wine,vanilla, sugar, butter and apples to pan,(stir it around a bit to coat apples w/liquid mixtre) once the wine has warmed up and begun to infuse some of the apples and the sugar begins to disolve (this will really be just a few minutes) add half and half along with the milk, salt and chunked brie cheese (rhine removed)(tip: i use a potatoe peeler to remove the rhine from the brie) add your pinch of salt and Heat thourghly but do not allow to boil,cause you don't want to burn the milk...your apples will beging to soften. Now it is time to blend.... you can transfer with ladel to blender or use a hand blender right in the pan. You want to blend soup well so there is no chunks but keeps a consistancy kinda like applesauce maybe just a little thinner. This is when your soup will thicken and take on a delious new texture. If you've transfered to your blender pour soup back in soup pot and stir in spices of cinnamon and nutmeg. Note: if your soup is a little to thin you can let simmer and reduce a bit. Serve pleasently hot! mmm I hope you guys love it.