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Mega-batch Meatballs...

Ok, here's another "no photo" post...unless I manage to take a picture of the finished product...we'll see :) But I wanted to get this post up while the recipe was fresh in the front of my head so that you all can benefit from it :) 


Every month or so I make what I call my "Mega-batch Meatballs". This is just an extra-large batch of "plain" meatballs that I make, divide into meal-sized portions and freeze for later use.  It really is a big time-saver as well as a sanity saver to have these in the freezer for last minute dinners. 


We use them for everything from spaghetti/ravioli and meatballs to Swedish meatballs, to meatball soup to meatball sandwiches to meatball lasagna... Really, the ideas are endless for what you can do with these! 


One of the big secrets to making big batch meatballs though is in the making and cooking of them.  I use a "cookie scoop" (disher) to create same-sized meatballs, scooping them out then rolling with gloved hands (only because I don't like the feel of raw meat!).  Once they're rolled, I place them all on a rimmed baking sheet, pretty close together, and pop them in the oven to bake until done. I usually get about 4 dozen on a sheet, each about 2" in diameter.  


Once they're baked and cooled, I put them in freezer bags (I use a vacuum sealer) and freeze. I can then use them straight from frozen if making spaghetti/ravioli by dropping the bags into the water with the pasta to thaw, or can thaw them overnight for other uses. 


Four pounds of ground meat generates about 5 dozen meatballs, which is enough for 5 meals in this house with leftovers. You can double this recipe if you like to make even more or half it to make fewer.  It's a very forgiving recipe and you can add your own favorite spices, use fresh or canned breadcrumbs, skip the milk, etc. as you like.  I hope you'll give this recipe a try and then let me know what you think!


Note: Back in 2009 I posted another meatball recipe from the Make-A-Mix cookbook... I like that recipe as well, but like this one better with the combination of beef and pork...


Mega-Batch Meatballs


2 lbs ground beef (I prefer 85/15 ground chuck)
2 lbs ground pork
2 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix (one box)
4 eggs
2 cups dried breadcrumbs (homemade or store-bought, plain or Italian style)
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup milk
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 tbsp Italian seasoning (optional, not necessary if using Italian style breadcrumbs)


Preheat oven to 375F. Whisk together eggs, water and milk. In a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs and soup mix.  Add liquid ingredients and mix to combine. Allow to stand 5 minutes to hydrate. Add ground meats and throughly combine with gloved hands. Using a cookie scoop (disher), scoop out mounds of meat and then roll to make balls. Place close together on an ungreased rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned. Use immediately or, if freezing for later use, allow to cool, then package and freeze. To use from freezer, either thaw overnight in the fridge or, if using with pasta, drop frozen package into boiling pasta water to thaw, then combine with sauce. Enjoy!

Thin Pizza Crust

It's been a while since I posted to any of my blogs. Life seems to always get in the way :) Over the weekend, while working on replacing flooring in our playroom/den that abuts the kitchen, I made this recipe for thin pizza crust. It was a big hit. I made one pizza with leftover fajita-seasoned chicken breast (shredded), black beans (smashed) as the "sauce" and co-jack cheese and the other was a traditional "cheese" (with tomato sauce and mozzarella) for my daughter who prefers "plain" pizza. We enjoyed it so much I thought I'd share the recipe with you all! So first are my notes which are followed by the recipe.  Enjoy!

This recipe is based on one from King Arthur Flour. I adapted it to use semolina flour like my chef friends do (you can pick this up at HEB from Bob's Red Mill or online from King Arthur Flour).

 I followed the directions for resting in the refrigerator overnight by placing the dough ball in a large ziptop bag.  Make sure you leave it open a tiny bit for the gasses to escape or your bag may explode! 

After refrigerating overnight, I divide the dough into two balls and rolled/hand-stretched to the desired size/shape. Make sure you stretch the dough using your knuckles instead of fingertips to keep from tearing.

 I did not use a greased pan or parchment paper but instead sprinkled a flat cookie sheet (no edges) with some extra semolina (or could use cornmeal) and then put the crust on that to rest for 30 minutes while the oven preheated. The semolina/cornmeal allows you to just slide the pizza off the cookie sheet and onto your pizza stone. If you don't have a pizza stone, you can just bake it on the cookie sheet as is, but the stone definitely is worth the investment if you bake much pizza or bread for that matter!

 The first pizza I baked straight from it's raw state with toppings on (because I neglected to read the directions!) for 12-14 minutes and it was very good, but the second pizza I par-baked following the directions to bake then top and bake again and it was definitely much crispier. Make sure to allow the pizza to rest on a cooling rack for at least 5-10 minutes or your toppings may just slide right off :)

This crust was perfect! Crispy on the bottom but not tough from overworking, stretched perfectly by hand and had nice flaky layers to it. YUM!

Thin Pizza Crust (or Crackerbread)


3 cups bread flour
3/4 cup semolina flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
Toppings:
seeds, herbs and salt
OR
pizza seasoning; tomato sauce, cooked meats, vegetables, and cheeses of your choice


Dough: Place ingredients in your bread machine in order suggested by manufacturer. Process on "dough" cycle. 


Bake as directed below. Or refrigerate dough for up to 2 days; this step will develop the crust's flavor.


Divide the dough in half (or in thirds, for cracker-thin crust).


Shape each piece into a 10" to 14" circle or rectangle (thicker or thinner crust), and place each on a piece of parchment paper or greased pan.


Allow to rise for 30 minutes or so, covered, while preheating the oven to 475°F.


To make cracker bread, spray the dough with Quick Shine or brush it with garlic oil; and sprinkle with assorted seeds. Or top any way you choose. Bake for 12 minutes, till brown and crisp. For the crispiest pizza, bake the crust for 8 minutes, until set, before topping with sauce and cheese; then bake for an additional 4 minutes.

Make Your Own: Easy Bake Oven mixes

This year for Christmas we're giving my niece an Easy Bake Oven...Now, the cost of the Easy Bake isn't in the oven itself, but in all those little packets of mix. In addition to the oven and one of the add-on kits, I decided to make up a bunch of mixes for her to use. So here are the five mixes I've made... Chocolate Chip Cookie mix, Chocolate Cake mix, White Cake mix, Chocolate icing mix and White icing mix. All five have labels with the directions on them right on the container so no need to hunt up directions. And each container makes at least 8 batches, so there's plenty to work with.  I'm posting both the recipes for the mixes and the Word document with the labels in it here if you should want to use them for your own gift or personal use... Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Three of these recipes are from the Budget 101 website and a couple are my own versions of other mixes...

EZ Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar -- packed
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, combine first four ingredients, stirring to blend. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or a couple of knives until it is a coarse meal texture. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks.  

 

To Use:
1/2 cup cookie mix
2 teaspoons water

1 tsp butter (optional)

Blend well. Let sit 5 minutes. Form into 1/2" balls. Place onto ungreased pan and press down slightly to flatten out.

------

EZ Bake Chocolate Cake Mix

1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir with a wire wisk until blended.  With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed and mixture resembles corn meal. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. 

 

To use:

 

1/3 cup chocolate cake mix

4 tsp water

Stir with a fork or spoon until blended and smooth.  Pour mixture into greased and floured Easy Bake cake pan. Bake in Easy Bake or preheated 375F oven for 12 to 13 minutes.

-----

 

EZ Bake Chocolate Frosting Mix

2 cups confectioners sugar -- sifted
3 tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Combine all ingredients until mixture resembles crumbs. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks.

To Use:
1/3 cup chocolate frosting mix
3/4 tsp. water

 

In a small bowl, combine frosting mix and water. Stir with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Makes about 1/4 cup frosting.

-----

EZ Bake White Cake Mix

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening

In a medium bowl, combine sugar,  flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir with a wire wisk until blended.  With a pastry blender, cut in shortening until evenly distributed and mixture resembles corn meal. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks. 

 

To Use:

1/3 cup white cake mix
4 teaspoons water

Stir with a fork or spoon until blended and smooth.  Pour mixture into greased and floured Easy Bake cake pan. Bake in Easy Bake or preheated 375F oven for 12 to 13 minutes.

 

-----

EZ Bake White Frosting Mix

2 cups confectioners sugar -- sifted
3 tablespoons instant nonfat milk powder
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Combine all ingredients until mixture resembles crumbs. Place into a seal-able storage container or zip-top bag and store in a cool dry place. Use within 12 weeks.

To Use:
1/3 cup white frosting mix
3/4 tsp. water

 

In a small bowl, combine frosting mix and water. Stir with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Makes about 1/4 cup frosting.

Enjoy!

Dirty Snowballs

Dirty Snowballs

 

 
If you've been reading this blog, you know that I've been playing along with GoodLife Eats and My Baking Addiction's Holiday Recipe Exchange. This week there were two chances to play with two different themes. The first theme, Comfort Food, I blogged about my macaroni and cheese recipe. The second theme this week is a repeat of a previous theme...BUTTER!  

Now, those of you who know me personally know we do not keep margarine in our home. We ONLY use butter, and yes, we keep BOTH kinds (salted and unsalted) on hand. The only time I really use salted butter though is for eating straight up, like for bread and butter, or for using on things like grilled cheese sandwiches, waffles, etc. The rest of the time I use unsalted. In my way of thinking, I can always add salt to a recipe, but I can't take it out :) 

So for this round of the BUTTER theme, I decided to go with a dessert since that is my favorite thing to cook :) Last BUTTER round you may recall, I shared my recipe for Buttery Potato Rolls. This time I'm sharing a brand new recipe, fresh from my kitchen, which combines the best of two of my favorite kinds of holiday cookies...meltaways and Mexican Wedding Cookies (sometimes called Russian Tea Cakes). This recipe has the tender, flakiness of the meltaway with the nutty goodness of the wedding cookie. Add to that the yummy taste of a hot butter rum and you've got a winner! In thinking of a name for these cookies, I came up with Dirty Snowballs.  They reminded me of when I was a kid and you'd get some sand in your snowball when the snow wasn't real deep... thus, Dirty Snowballs.  They turned out better than I had hoped and I certainly hope some of you will give them a try.  

Now, if you're a dough-eater like me, please don't be disappointed when you taste the dough... It is NOT a sweet dough and it DOES have a strong rum/alcohol taste when raw, but when the dough is baked off and rolled in powdered sugar, these cookies are light, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth, balls of goodness! So give them a shot! You won't be disappointed!

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.

Dirty Snowballs
Recipe By     : Christi Brogan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup pecans -- or use pecan meal
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter -- (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup confectioners' sugar -- divided
1/4 cup spiced rum -- like Captain Morgan
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Using a food processor, chop the pecans until very fine, almost a pecan meal consistency.

Consistency of pecans after chopping

Combine flour, pecans, cornstarch and spices in a bowl. Place 1/3 cup of the confectioners sugar and the butter in the workbowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and gradually mix in flour mixture. Add the rum and vanilla and beat to throughly combine.

Chill dough in freezer for 30 minutes to re-harden the butter.

Dough ready for the freezer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make balls of the dough approximately 1 tbsp in size and  place each 1" apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until just golden, about 15 minutes.

Lightly golden in color

Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool 10 minutes. Gently toss warm cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 2 weeks.

A Dirty Snowball

Crumbly, sweet and flaky - YUM!

Yield:
  "2 1/2 dozen"

Comfort Food Extreme: Homemade 5-cheese Mac n Cheese

Homemade Five Cheese Mac 'n Cheese

 So here we are with the SIXTH entry in GoodLife Eats and My Baking Addiction's Holiday Recipe Exchange... And this week the theme is comfort food.  Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Le Creuset.

In my world, nothing says comfort food like a hot bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese, with a nice crunchy top crust and noodles that aren't overcooked nor undercooked but JUST right. There are lots of recipes out there for macaroni and cheese and lots of ways to dress up the basic mac, but in my opinion, nothing says comfort like the traditional mac and cheese that I love to make for my family. My little girl absolutely gobbles it down. In fact, it's her most requested meal. I use five different types of cheese in my mac n cheese, the fifth one only appearing in the topping. You can use the five types I've listed here, which are my basic go-to cheese choices, or you can change out any of them for cheeses of your choice. I oft-times find myself short on one or more of these and use what I have on hand. I only have two pieces of advice when it comes to swapping out cheeses. First, make sure they melt! Don't choose a cheese like feta or queso fresco which don't melt well. And second, if choosing a stronger flavored cheese like a blue, use half the amount of that cheese and up the amounts of the other cheeses to keep it from overpowering the dish. Other than that, swap away!  Here's the basic recipe:

Christi's Homemade Baked Five-Cheese Mac 'n Cheese

1 1/2 pounds elbow macaroni -- cooked to al dente

1/2 large sweet onion -- diced

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon Hungarian paprika -- sweet

1/4 teaspoon mustard powder -- Coleman's brand preferred

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups whole milk -- can use 1-2% but whole makes it richer
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese -- grated
4 ounces medium cheddar cheese -- grated
4 ounces Swiss cheese -- grated
4 ounces Velveeta -- diced
1/4 cup bread crumbs -- for topping
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan -- for topping

If your pasta is not cooked, start your water boiling now and your pasta and sauce will be ready at about the same time. Cook your pasta for 1 minute less than you normally do as it will bake and soften a bit more in the cheese sauce in the oven.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grate the cheddar and swiss cheeses on the large side of your box grater. Cut the velveeta into 1" cubes. 

 

Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and saute until starting to turn golden. Mix flour with spices. Add flour mix, whisking to form a roux.  Will be clumpy/thick.  Cook for 2-3 minutes or until it smooths out and starts to smell a little nutty. Add milk, 1 cup at a time, whisking to incorporate throughly before adding more. 

 

Let this come just to a boil, then turn heat down to medium low and add cheeses slowly making sure to melt each addition before adding more. Add velveeta last to help smooth it all out. Combine cheese sauce mix with cooked macaroni noodles. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray (helps clean up later!) then dump in mac n cheese. Top with bread crumbs and shredded parmesan cheese. 

 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly throughout.  

This makes a large batch, perfect for freezing. I serve some for dinner, then package remainder in "meal sized" portions in the freezer for later use. Or you can also be really bad and try out Alton Brown's Next Day Mac and Cheese "Toast"...  To reheat thawed mac n cheese, bake at 350 until heated through. 

YUM!!!