Meatball & Tortellini Soup

This month's church fellowship was a Soup & Pie luncheon. How much more homey can it get than a warm bowl of soup and a sweet slice of pie? For the meal, I brought a new, fresh-tasting soup with vegetables, meatballs and tortellini (and my classic peanut butter pie - but I'm not ready to share that one yet).

It's a light soup (less than 500 calories/serving) - with low-sodium broth instead of a cream base, fresh vegetables and flavorful, caramelized meatballs. Like chicken noodle soup, this recipe is hearty without feeling heavy or overly rich. The light saute on the veggies gives them a firmer texture that makes for a satisfying bite. And the meatballs don't become dry but the quick browning gives them deeper flavor.

This one-pot soup made for quick prep and worked really well for the potluck because I was able to do 90% of the work the night before then only had to reheat and add the last two ingredients quickly at the end. It also kept well in the Crock Pot - if you have a CP with a locking lid, you're golden with this dish! 

This is also another great opportunity to bring your kids in the kitchen. This could be good for youngsters - even toddlers - who like getting their hands dirty (and know not to touch their mouths during or after) and want to help with the meatballs; but would be especially good for a young kid - I'm thinking 7 or 8 - who can manage simple cuts and would be able to sear the meatballs. Soup is a great place to start teaching your children how to cook because they're fairly inexpensive (this was less than $2/serving and most of the ingredients are pantry staples), so little can go wrong and they are such improvisational dishes - got a little too overzealous with the stirring? Fine. Ground meat instead of meatballs would be fine. No stress!

Grab a bowl and ladle yourself a great big helping of this delicious soup!

Meatball & Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:

8 oz. ground beef

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 c chopped fresh parsley (or 2 T dried herbs -- I used Italian seasoning)

1 large egg

1 clove garlic, minced

kosher salt, ground pepper

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 carrots diced

2 stalks celery, with leaves, diced

1 quart (two 16-oz cans) low sodium chicken broth*

9-oz package refrigerated cheese tortellini*

4 c loosely packed baby spinach

Method:

Combine beef, cheese, half of the parsley or herbs, egg, garlic, 1/2 t salt, and pepper to taste in medium bowl. Mix with your hands until just combined - over mixing will make your meatballs tough. Form into small meatballs (1" at the biggest, I made mine miniature so I had about 24+). 

Heat the oil in a pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning over when golden - until all sides are lightly browned (3-4 minutes, faster for smaller meatballs). Remove the meatballs to a plate. 

Add the carrots and celery and cook in the pan drippings until just softened. Add the broth and 3 cups of water; bring to a boil. Return the meatballs to the pot along with the remaining herbs and 1/2 t salt; simmer until the meatballs are just cooked through (about 2 minutes). Note: if you are making ahead - stop here and refrigerate until 15 minutes before serving and then bring back to a boil.

Add the tortellini and cook until they float to the top, about 4 minutes*.Note: if you are making this soup for only 1-2 servings instead of the full four, only make the fraction of the tortellini you need at the time. If pasta is stored for long periods of time, it absorbs liquid and becomes soggy. Add fresh pasta for each later serving. Add the spinach and cook, stirring until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. 

*Note: You can use dried tortellini as well (I did). If you do this, use an 8 oz. package (I used Barilla three cheese) and add another 16 oz. can of chicken broth. You'll need to cook the tortellini longer (about 8 minutes) and they will absorb more liquid. Keep an eye on it and you may want to add more water or broth if your soup looks too "thick," with little broth. 

Today's Kitchen Lifehack

Spring is in the air - or so it seems - and I am ready for warm weather projects to improve our lives and our house. The smallest of the projects slated for this weekend was a quick kitchen lifehack, that was also, a form of recycling.

For those of you who don't know... (per Urban Dictionary)

We use mason jars a lot in our home and I'm always looking for new ways to use them. We have several half gallon jars we use to store rice, pasta and animal crackers (all of my favorite carbs), we obviously use them for canning, oftentimes I carry my lunch in them to work and they were the centerpieces at our wedding. This hack makes their storage of dry goods a little bit easier and adorable! 

All you need is a mason jar - of any volume and mouth size, it's matching ring, an empty round salt container with pour spout and an Xacto knife. Trace the ring onto the salt container (around the spout) and carefully cut out the circle with an Xacto knife. Press the cardboard circle into the ring (spout up), fill your jar with whatever dry goods you'd like and close it. Voila! A new, handy jar with easy-to-close spout. We are using ours for our bulk Splenda that we use when we make tea and are looking to make a few smaller ones, too! It'd be great for dry goods you may not use that often but that come in larger, un-sealable packages - like cornstarch or baking soda. 

Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips and Peanut Butter

I have a love/hate relationship with cookies.

I would say that I am more apt to and better at cooking sweets and even though J has the bigger sweet tooth, I enjoy trying new desserts and baked goods. However, cookies are on the bottom of my "love to bake" list.

I know of very few other dishes that are so deceptive. Cookies are a culinary catch-22.  "Bake until the edges are golden brown" is incredibly vague and I usually debate "is the middle raw?" until the golden brown edges indicate a dark brown bottom. And, they're one of the few items that can completely change consistency - for the worse - in a matter of minutes AFTER they're cooked. A golden-brown-edged cookie that is so tender on the pan can be hard as a rock when cooled. So essentially, I should be pulling them out when the centers are raw so that maybe they'll have a chance to be soft later on.

All that ranting aside, we had an almost 24-hour snowstorm yesterday and it may be a relic behavior from our prehistoric days, but severe weather makes me insatiably hungry. I knew I needed to bake.

Seven inches of beautiful snow!

 J'd bought groceries on Monday but didn't include my snowstorm, junk food staples; so I was working on random pantry items. Amazingly, I found a recipe that allowed me to finish off three near-empty baking supplies and made a delicious new treat.

These cookies are fairly simple, but do require some time. Making good brown butter is easy but needs constant attention. I've eaten dishes cooked in/with brown butter and the time and cooking really does add a noticeable flavor difference - it makes for a deeper, nuttier, heightened flavor. As Carla Hall says on The Chew, when cooking, the flavor is in the brown!

I'd never made my own brown butter before and learned a few tricks. For more info visit this article and video tutorial. 

• This should be obvious, but isn't - make your brown butter in a light colored pan. Dark, anodized pans will prevent you from telling if your butter is still yellow, brown, or burnt. Duh!
• Slicing the butter into tablespoon-sized chunks will move the process along faster than dropping in an entire stick.
• Be patient and constantly stir - this can go bad QUICKLY. Stir, stir, stir and keep an eye on the color. Again, this will sound like deceptive cookie talk but when it starts to turn light brown, go ahead and pull it off of the heat or it will black quickly. 

Also, this recipe was originally intended to have a caramel center (the dough "wrapped" around a melting caramel square) but we don't do a lot of caramel in the house and thus didn't have any in the pantry. I thought I could do the same and have a melty ball o' chocolate in the middle, but that is far too time consuming. I would suggest that you can add some mix-ins like nuts or chocolate chips, but stir them in at the end before chilling, this will save a lot of time and effort - and will essentially turn this into a low-maintenance drop cookie.

I love oatmeal cookies because they're so much more hearty. They feel more stout and to me, more homey. They feel more like something my grandma would give me than a super sugary, no-filler cookie. This recipe is for a well-balanced cookie. All of the components blend so well together to create a cookie that isn't over-the-top in sweetness, nuttiness, chocolate or texture - to me, they're just right. They are just sweet enough- by mixing brown and white sugars they have a depth of sweetness from the molasses that just makes you all warm inside (as opposed to sugar high). And the dollop of peanut butter on top adds a great richness that again, isn't over-powering, but compliments the sweetness well. Cooked peanut butter doesn't give the same flavor as you might get from other chocolate-peanut butter recipes that's overpowering. It actually gets deeper and more rich and looses some of it's sugar, this is a much more refined faux-Reeses pairing.

Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips and Peanut Butter

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, cut into T chunks (see above on brown butter)
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar (dark or light, your choice)
1 large egg
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c old fashioned oats
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1/2-1 c chocolate chips (or other "mix-ins")
peanut butter

Method:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a small sauce pan, melt butter on medium/low heat to create brown butter. Follow directions in tutorial above. Remove from heat.

In a bowl mix sugars, egg, and vanilla together. Slowly add the butter to temper the eggs. Mix until well combined.

Mix in oats, flour, salt and baking powder until dough forms. Add in any chocolate chips, nuts etc. here.

Place in fridge for 20 minutes to chill.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top each cookie dough ball with a dollop (around a tsp.) of peanut butter.

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the cookies are golden.

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before eating (the peanut butter will be like lava!). These do become "crunchier" when fully cooled, so microwave a few seconds when enjoying later.

Staying Warm with Spicy Food

Once again we're getting ready for a major snowstorm and preparing for a ton of snow and ice. Our priority is staying warm and full. We do have wine, but drinking alcohol actually increases your risk of hypothermia, so instead we're eating spicy food to help warm us from the inside out.

We both enjoy Thai food and frequent Thai Spice in Waynesville - which makes delicious, authentic dishes - as often as we can. However, when we can't make it over the mountain we are learning to make our own Thai-inspired dishes. Jordan's mastered a Thai pizza with peanut sauce, chicken and carrots; I make a chicken, turkey or tofu panang curry and this peanut noodle dish is a great addition to our repertoire.

This recipe is easy (only 15 minutes start to finish) and boy, it is "Thai hot." If you're more tender-tounged and don't enjoy spicy food, this recipe could easily be toned down, and I think I will adjust the spice level myself next time (noted in the recipe). It's a quick dish that provides a serving of lean protein and whole grains with vegetables. Paired with Lean Cuisine's Thai-style chicken spring rolls (a favorite in our house), the entire meal is less than 600 calories.

I especially appreciate that the ingredients in this dish are familiar, and actually are pantry staples at our house. Sometimes, making foreign cuisines can involve exotic, hard-to-find ingredients and require last minute, oftentimes sub-par substitutions. This dish allows you to transform everyday items into an international treat!

The sauce lends a great, deep peanut flavor and creamy coating to the noodles and vegetables. The chopped peanuts layer the nutty flavor but add a much needed crunch. The ground chicken adds to the texture but it's mild flavor is easily manipulated with the sauce; you could use ground turkey as well which has a more assertive flavor, as well. This is a delicious dish that can certainly hold us over until our next Thai Spice adventure.

Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles

Ingredients:

1/4 c creamy peanut butter
1/2 c reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 c lemon juice
1/4 c reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 tsp. sriracha*
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes*
12 oz. uncooked whole grain spaghetti
1 lb. lean ground chicken (or turkey)
1 1/2 c julienned carrots
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped *
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c finely chopped peanuts
4 green onions, chopped

* The spice level here is very hot, consider cutting the sriracha amount in half and omitting the crushed red pepper all together. Also, you may also consider using a green bell pepper - although subtle, the red pepper can add extra spice, too. If you think the sauce is still too spicy, you can add sour cream or cream cheese (1 T at a time) to the sauce mixture or serve it at the table.

Method:

Whisk the first six ingredients in a bowl until well blended.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain.

Meanwhile, cook chicken, carrots, pepper and garlic in large pan over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink. Drain and return to pan.

Stir in peanut butter mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly (3-5 minutes). Toss spaghetti in the pan with sauce.

Serve topped with green onions and peanuts.

Butternut Squash Recipe #4

In the past month, I've been experimenting with butternut squash. I've made a winter minestrone soup; "funky pizza" with squash, gorgonzola, onions and walnuts; and a rich pasta dish. All of these dishes had deep, satisfying flavors and have been added to my regular recipe cookbook and have actually inspired other new dishes. I'd promised an additional dish, and finally, here it is - butternut squash puree.

I certainly appreciate and enjoy making meals like bouef bourgeninon that cook and stew for hours, layering complex flavors. However, I'm a realist and know that those sorts of dishes aren't feasible most nights; so I love quick, low-muss low-fuss dishes like all of these butternut squash recipes. This puree was the easiest recipe of the four and perhaps of the of easiest I know.

I don't even need to use my traditional format with a list of ingredients and methodology steps. It's just that simple!

Steam one packaged of pre-diced butternut squash (or half of a squash diced into 1" cubes) for 12-15 minutes, until fork tender. I used a new Biltmore Home steamer, but you could use a traditional steamer  or a colander over boiling water (do not use colored, painted colanders, the color will seep off - and yes, I've made pink cauliflower puree).

When tender, mash with 1 T unsalted butter with a pinch of salt and pepper. For a chunkier texture, you could mash by hand, however, I enjoy smooth purees and used my Ninja blender. At this step you could add several seasonings to suit your accompanying dishes. We were having pork chops with my dad's homemade "pig rub" seasoning, so I wanted to go in a savory route - and added a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little extra spice. However, I think this would be great with a tablespoon or so of honey - this would lean more towards a sweet potato flavor.

I use this exact method and recipe when I puree cauliflower. I adore mashed potatoes but using this recipe makes the most spectacular mock-mash ever. It's lower carbs and requires so much less dairy to create a creamy texture than a mashed russet would. Also, this is a great way to sneak cauliflower into your kids' (or father-in-law's) diet. It would also be a great recipe for celery root, yucca or almost any root vegetable that isn't super fiberous.

Taste Test Thursday: Red Velvet Brownies

Last year at work, my coworkers and I shared a bonding experience called Taste Test Thursday where every other Thursday one of us would make a new recipe and bring it for everyone to share. All of the treats were delicious and so we've started our bi-monthly snack swap again.

I started us off today with red velvet brownies.

This recipe brings together three of my favorite things - brownies, red velvet and Valentines Day.

There are two camps of brownie aficionados and I am of the fudge-y (not cake-y) persuasion. These brownies are very fudgey and overflowing with chocolate flavor. The recipe was intended for an 8x8" but I made it in a 9x2x13" to make enough for my hungry co-workers. That made for a thin, gooey brownie that was super chocolatey; I want to try it again in the 8" square to make thicker, more dense brownies which I think will be delicious.

There are few things as Southern as red velvet cake. For those who aren't aware, red velvet is technically just chocolate cake, but normally there's added vinegar to add extra depth. But proving that we eat with our eyes before our taste buds, I seriously believe that a beautiful, deep red cake with creamy white icing would taste 10x better than a dull chocolate counterpart.

And yes, I am a Valentine freak. I love cheesy holidays and get such a kick out of going all out with pinks and reds and hearts and bows for February 14. I am lucky enough to have plenty of loved ones and to be loved (Amanda means "loveable, worthy of love") so of course I love a day meant to recognize the mushiest of emotions. I look forward to making cards, picking out sweet gifts and making V-day themed food - especially desserts. This dessert could be made for any occasion - without any food coloring or with any color you'd like. The red looked so beautiful against the chocolate swirl, but without looking tacky (although I do happen to like cheesy things).

This dish was a winner on all fronts - beautiful, delicious, and festive!

These brownies are also particularly easy to make - I actually had them in the oven in less than 10 minutes. And it's equally convenient because all of the ingredients are pantry staples. These brownies would be perfect for making in a pinch when your child volunteers you to bring snacks (and they can help!) or you have unexpected dinner guests.

Red Velvet Brownies

Ingredients:
1/2 c unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
1 large egg
1 c light brown sugar, packed
1 T vanilla extract
heaping 1/4 unsweetened cocoa powder
red food coloring (I used 3/4 of a vial of liquid dye)
3/4 c all purpose-flour
pinch of salt
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted (if you'd like them to be sweeter and less rich, use milk chocolate)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8x8"  pan (see above about desired brownie thickness)with non-stick cooking spray.

In large microwave safe bowl, melt butter.

Slowly whisk in vanilla, sugar and egg until smooth. Let the butter cool slightly and temper the egg to prevent cooking. Note: this recipe does not require a mixer. I used my new KitchenAid on low because I'm still "getting to know it." The recipe is designed to be done by hand, if desired. 

Add the cocoa and whisk until smooth.

Add the food coloring - it takes a lot of dye to change the color of a chocolate batter. Be liberal with your dye. Stir until solid, desired color.

Gently stir in flour and salt, stirring only until combined. Do not overmix or you will have a chewy brownie.

Pour into prepared pan and smooth to be even.

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips. Do 30 seconds at first, stir and continue in 10 second blitzes. Chocolate seizes up easily so watch carefully and stir thoroughly in between bursts of heating - the stirring will help spread out the heat.

Drizzle the chocolate over the red velvet batter. I did four long rows of chocolate and then when back horizontally (like a tic-tac-toe board). Then, drag a knife or toothpick through and swirl. Thinking of a tic-tac-toe board, I dragged/swirled where the corners did not meet; I dragged horizontally and then vertically.

Bake for 25-30 minutes for an 8x8" pan until a toothpick inserted in comes out clean. (For a larger pan - thinner brownie - bake for a shorter time; my 9x2x13 took around 15 minutes).

Allow to cool fully before slicing and serving. I sliced mine when cool, but chilled them  in the fridge overnight to allow the chocolate swirl to harden.

These are also freezer-friendly. You can store baked, sliced bars in the freezer for several months. I would put parchment paper between the bars so you can pull out a few at a time.

Super Bowl 48 Snack-o-rama

I can remember watching the Super Bowl with my parents - dad, mostly - and betting 25 cents since I was five years old. I was only be interested in my bet and the Oscar Meyer weinermobile commercials, but in addition to the commercials and coins, I now almost understand the game, can appreciate the adorableness of the Manning brothers and most importantly, enjoy and prepare delicious game day food with my family.

Tonight, we had a super flavorful spread with old favorites and new, luxurious recipes. As usual, our minds and eyes were bigger than our bellies and we didn't even bother to complete the full menu after the first quarter but it was all delicious.

Jordan and I each contributed a slider. Jordan made his Mamaw's meatballs and sandwiched them on garlic butter toasted sweet Kings Hawaiian rolls with colby cheese squares. These meatballs - which are made with a top-secret recipe that has not yet been declassified for the blog - are hearty but with a sweet, onion sauce.Unlike a traditional meatball sub made with marinara, these sliders are sweet and tender that just make you wanting more. He used to make these into giant, entree-sized meatballs that we'd eat with sides like mashed potatoes or carrots. But we've found they make the perfect sandwich and are incredibly freezer-friendly.

I love wings and in recent months have had an insatiable hunger for bleu cheese and my buffalo'd chicken panini was a great take on the bar classic of wings and dressing. This was a quick dish that would be great for any game day or weeknight dinner and could be made with leftover chicken (a single $5 rotisserie chicken can provide a number of meal options if you plan your week carefully). Also, you can take this dish to several levels of diy. Originally, I would buy a refrigerated bread dough (like Pillsbury's French crusty loaf), cut it into eight chunks and roll them into flat rectangles, I would then grill them on my Cuisinart grill/griddle which results in a great, crusty, crunchy panini. However, to save time and to tone down the spiciness of the buffalo sauce, I opted for Kings Hawaiian mini sub rolls. This sandwich brings the best flavors of buffalo wings but it a whole lot less messy - and you don't have to eat a dozen to be satisfied. Recipe below!

Dad made crowd pleasing mini pigs in a blanket - no Southern party is complete without lil' smokies or crescent dough - and improvised turkey and Italian cheese pinwheels (more crescent dough); a delicious layered salad - another timeless Southern potluck dish (recipe below)- and for a healthy respite, some crudite and a creamy riff on guacamole. 

He also surprised us with a decadent lobster mac 'n' cheese. We're all mac lovers and none of us frequently eats lobster (we are six to nine hours from an ocean) so this was a real treat. Dad said it best, by saying "it's no longer macaroni and cheese." It was undeniably delicious but didn't resemble the childhood favorite, but was do deeply infused with crustacean it had become a new dish entirely. We've enjoyed it and checked it off of our food bucket lists. 

Lobstah Mac in the small dish; Mom demanded her own crustacean-free dish, too

And Jordan finished off our smorgasbord with his super easy and even more delicious dessert that I simply call " Oreo fluff." Fluff is a layered whipped cream and chocolate wafer cookie dessert with only 3-4 ingredients but tastes as good as any homemade cake or pie. This is a great dish to have your kids help with, to make in bulk for potlucks or in ramekins for individual servings. Every time we take it to church, our fellow parishioners all but lick the bowl! Recipe below!

Maybe next year we'll try the Mario Batali strategy - making two themed dishes per team and alternating them during each quarter, then he serves a dessert he prepared based upon his guess of which team would win. This spaces out the snacks and adds a little more order to the food fest - but then again, it's not a Super Bowl party without copious quantities of classic "unaffiliated" tailgating food. Whatever the plan - we'll report to you here at Endlessly Delicious Life.

Preliminary conclusion (11:34 left in the 4th quarter): Check out the trio of recipes below - and I promise that they're more dynamic than tonight's game. Well, actually, they are runaway successes too. Obviously, I put my quarter on Seattle.

Buffalo'd Chicken Panini

Ingredients: 

2 c cooked shredded chicken (I boiled mine in salted water for 45 minutes)
1/2 c mild to medium buffalo sauce (add melted butter as needed to tone down, I added around 2 T)
4 buns or rolls (or grilled dough method from above)
1/4 small red onion, sliced
1/3 c bleu cheese crumbles

Method:

Heat buffalo sauce (and butter, if added) on low until hot. Stir in chicken, heat until hot.

Spoon chicken mixture onto buns, layer red onions and sprinkle with cheese.

Press on a hot grill until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve with extra ranch or bleu cheese dressing if desired.

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"Seven" Layer Salad - (technically, the toppings - cheeses/bacon - count as one item)

Ingredients*: *in "layer" quantities - they depend upon your bowl size

shredded iceberg lettuce
peeled, sliced cucumber
thinly sliced sweet onion (ex: Vidalia)
chopped boiled ham (or ham lunchmeat)
frozen baby peas
mayonnaise
grated Parmesan cheese
crumbled bacon
shredded cheddar cheese

Method:

Simple - layer the items (lettuce first) in your dish. Use a clear, deep bowl for a beautiful presentation.

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Oreo Fluff

Ingredients:

1 - 1 1/2 packs of chocolate wafer cookies (you can use double stuff, vanilla or chocolate cream), crumbled
32 oz. whipped cream, thawed
approx. 1/2 c milk
chocolate syrup (optional)

Method:

Cove the bottom of your dish with a layer of crumbled cookies - the thicker your cookie layer the more cake-like consistency you'll have. Carefully pour just enough milk on the cookies to dampen them slightly. For chocolate lovers - add a drizzle of chocolate syrup on top. Next, layer whipped cream. Repeat to finish with cookie crumbles on top. Chill at least a few hours. The longer you leave it in the fridge the softer it becomes - it just gets better!