Spinach Balls

This recipe comes from my second grade teacher, Mrs. Moline, who got her students to probably try spinach for the first time ever during our class's St. Patrick's Day festivities. I still have the hand written recipe that I took down in class. I love these things because they taste amazing (the stuffing really makes it) and it is a great way to get your kids to eat spinach because they can't taste it. You can also freeze the balls before you bake them for future meals as well so make a bunch!!!

This recipe makes 15 two-inch balls.

Ingredients:

10 oz spinach (chopped, frozen)

1 package stuffing mix and seasoning

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup melted butter

3 beaten eggs

Method:

Cook and drain spinach. Let butter melt completely in warm spinach.  Then let mixture cool slightly.















Mix in stuffing mix, seasoning, parmesan cheese, and eggs.

Form into 2 inch sized balls - you can use an ice cream scoop to get even sized balls. Place in lightly greased baking dish.

Bake at 350 F (180 C)  for 12-15 minutes.

Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic, Gargonzola Cheese and Herbs

While watching the Food Network one day I saw Giada and she made these lovely looking roasted tomatoes for a spa day and I thought they looked amazing.  I copied down the recipe and finally tried them out for myself and I'm in love.  I'm not a huge blue cheese fan, but the Gorgonzola was mild and with the bread crumbs, garlic and the roasted tomato, it all just melts together in your mouth.  These would be perfect to serve as an appetizer at a party, something to share with your girly friends, or as a side with a special Italian dinner at home with your someone special.

Ingredients:
















12 Roma tomatoes, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
3/4 cup finely crumbled Gorgonzola or grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.















Using a teaspoon or grapefruit spoon, remove the seeds from the tomatoes.















Place the tomato halves, cut side down, on paper towels to drain, about 5 minutes.















In a large bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Using clean hands, gently toss the drained tomato halves in the oil mixture until coated. Marinate the tomatoes for 10 minutes.





















In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and Gorgonzola cheese.















Place the marinated tomato halves, cut side up, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Fill each tomato half with the bread crumb filling.















Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until slightly softened and the underside of the tomatoes are brown.
















Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and arrange the cooked tomatoes on a serving platter. Serve immediately.

Ranch Potatoes

Potatoes are such wonderful vegetables and I love preparing them in so many ways.  This is a potato recipe I came up with on accident one day and now it's a family meal staple.  I had about a pound of little new potatoes I boiled up and some left over ranch dressing.  I put them together and wa-la - Ranch Potatoes!!!  I've experiemented since then with different types of ranch dressing but by far the Hidden Valley Ranch buttermilk mix that you whip up with mayo and milk has been the best combination so far.

Ingredients:

1 lb baby new potatoes

1/2 cup ranch dressing

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Clean potatoes and add to 3 quart pan.  Fill with pan with cool water to cover the potatoes by at least 1".  Heat until boiling and then continue to boil for 10-12 minutes until they are tender enought that you can poke through the potatoes with a fork.

Drain the water and let potatoes cool slightly.  Cut up potatoes in half or quarters to get 1/2" thick pieces.  Put them in a lightly greased baking dish.

Cover the potatoes with ranch dressing and toss gently to cover the potatoes.  Bake uncovered at 350 F for about 20 minutes.  Add more ranch if you want the potatoes a bit creamier.

German Red Cabbage

One of my most favorite things about visiting Germany is eating the food. It was one of the places that the food made Germany so fabulous (my husband would say the beer though). One unique side that I couldn't resist was the red cabbage. I was craving it so badly that I found a highly reviewed recipe online and made it. Now my kids weren't too fond of the smell that was sent through the house, but I loved it and I felt like I was back in Bavaria. It does take some time to cook, but so worth it. I served it with chicken schnitzel and fried potatoes for a perfect southern Germany meal.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
5 cups shredded red cabbage (approx. one small head)
1 cup sliced green apples
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup white sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Method:

Shred your cabbage.

Place butter, cabbage, apples, and sugar into a large pot. Pour in the vinegar and water, and season with salt, pepper, and clove.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover.

Simmer until the cabbage is tender - about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Fish and chips is one of my most favorite meals, but sometimes I like to mix it up a little bit. One night I wanted to make sweet potato fries (chips) to have along with our fish, so I found this great recipe online and it worked out great. The key is cutting the fries as close to the same thickness as possible to ensure they all get done relatively at the same time. Also be careful when opening your oven doors to turn the fries every 10 minutes...I got caught in some of the steam that is created at such the high temperatures. One other thing the reviews on this recipe got was that due to variations in different ovens the baking times may vary, so keep an eye on them around that 25 minute mark and check the crispiness. Adjust your cooking time as needed to get the doneness you desire. Trust me that the really dark crispy ones are not so good. Sweet potatoes are full of sugar and if they get burnt they are not so tasty.

Ingredients:

1 – 1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Peal the sweet potatoes. Cut into strips that are about 1/2 inch wide on each side. Place the sweet potatoes into a resealable plastic bag.

Add oil, salt, paprika and cinnamon.

Seal the bag and shake well to thoroughly coat the fries.

Spread the potatoes out onto baking sheet(s) in a single layer.

Cook for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until slightly browned. Transfer immediately to a paper towel lined plate and serve warm.

***A great dipping sauce for these fries is a garlic mayonnaise. Combine 1/4 cup mayo with 1 crushed garlic clove.

Bacon Braised Cabbage

Feeling a itch to eat some British comfort food, I dug into my Jamie Oliver cookbooks and found this simple savory recipe. I think you could make this for a warm side during the winter and along with some of those grilled favorites in the summer time. Obviously anything with bacon in it has to be good in my opinion, but it's a great way to dress up a green veggie and new way I found to use cabbage.

Ingredients:

1 head savoy, green or spring cabbage

2 cloves garlic

6 rashers or slices of smoked streaky bacon

olive oil

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 knobs of butter (about 2 Tbsp)

2 chicken or vegetable stock cube + 285ml (10 oz) boiling water

salt and pepper

Method:

Strip all the leaves off 1 head of savoy, green or spring cabbage and wash them.

Roll up the leaves together, like a cigar, and slice finely.

Peel and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic (or you can cheat like me and use a garlic press.)

Slice up 6 rashers of bacon. Place the bacon in a large fry pan on a medium heat with a lug of olive oil and stir around for a few minutes until perfectly crispy and golden.

Stir in the garlic and as it begins to color add 2 Tbsp of worcestershire sauce, 2 knobs of butter and all of your finely sliced cabbage.

Stir well, give the pan a shake and turn the heat to high. Drop 1 chicken or veggie stock cube in 285 ml (10 oz) of boiling water; pour this stock into the pan and give it all a good stir.

Place the lid on top and cook for 5 minutes; then remove the lid and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Taste, and season with salt and pepper if you think it needs it.

Drizzle it with a lug of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) just before serving.

Brilliant Broccoli Salad

What an amazing salad for summer time or anytime. I mean anything with bacon in it has to be good, right? Honestly though the sweet and sour components totally make this salad a truly tastey treat. My husband has actually asked me to stop making this so much because it's soooo good that he'll sit and eat the entire bowl in one sitting if I let him. If you are like him, you can lighten it up a bit by using turkey bacon instead of real bacon, and then using a light mayo with Splenda instead of real sugar. Make up a big batch before you go to bed at night and enjoy it all the next day!!!

Ingredients:

1 head broccoli

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (shelled)

1/2 lb (225g) bacon (fried crisp and well drained)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tblsp white vinegar

Method:

Separate broccoli into small flowerettes. Mix broccoli, onion, raisins and sunflower seeds together.

Cut bacon into small pieces.

Mix bacon, mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together.

Stir into other ingredients. Cover and chill overnight or for at least 6-8 hours.

Creamy Potato Salad

One of my favorite things about summer time is getting to make and eat loads of potato salad. I've had all different kinds but this is my all-time favorite recipe because its creamy and I just can't stop eating it. For those of you from my hometown, you make recognize this as the Traditional Potato Salad that you can buy at the local grocery store...I nicked the recipe before I graduated high school....shhhh!!!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs (1 kg) new potatoes, cooked, peeled, and diced

3 hard boiled eggs, diced

1/4 cup onion, chopped

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 Tbsp mustard

1 Tbsp sugar

1 1/2 cups Miracle Whip (can use mayonnaise but it will taste a little different)

1/3 cup half 'n half/single cream

Method:

Mix together Miracle Whip, mustard, sugar, salt, and half 'n half (cream).

Add diced onions, hard boiled eggs, and potatoes.

Mix together well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving so that it is cool all the way through.

***Note: If I am going to bring this salad to a picnic or get together, I like to dress it up with a sliced hard boiled egg garnish on top and sprinkle it with paprika.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are the "healthier" potato so while on the South Beach Diet's Phase 2 you can have these wonderful root veggies sparingly. I love roast potatoes so I thought roasting sweet potatoes would be just as good and adding a bit of cinnamon and brown sugar substitute (Splenda's Brown Sugar Substitute) really brought out their natural sweetness. If you are not dieting, regular brown sugar makes this dish great!!!

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes

1 -2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp brown sugar or brown-sugar substitute*

Method:

Boil whole sweet potatoes for 20 minutes. Slightly cool, peel and dice up sweet potatoes. Toss diced potatoes with oil, cinnamon, and brown sugar to coat evenly. Pour out on to baking pan in a single layer. Bake at 400 F / 200 C for 15 minutes or until outsides are slightly crispy.