Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Easy Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs

Here's a really easy dinner idea. It's nice because you can easily vary how much for the number of people. We usually do a chicken breast per person and then about the same amount or more of veggies. You can use whatever you have on hand. We've done this with peppers and onion too, but it was sunday and all we had was broccoli.

Prep:

+Cut up the chicken & veggies into bite size pieces
+Marinate in Teriyaki sauce (we use kinkoman's) for 5+ minutes
+While it's marinating start the rice and start the grill
+Make up the kabobs alternating meat and veggies
+Put on the grill on low heat, turn once and baste with remaining juices from the marinating bowl
+Cook till done... your grill's temp may vary so you just have to watch so they don't burn. Ours took about 10-15 minutes.

Voila!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Really Amazing Meatballs!!

So I got this recipe from Ina Garten (on food network she has the show barefoot contessa). They tasted AMAZING!!! Up til this point my favorite meatballs were the premade kind from Costco-but these ones kicked Costco-kind's butt! It does take 1 hour 20min from start to finish-but it is so worth the work. Plus it makes a TON, there was enough for Marcus to take some to work for luch and for us both to have it for dinner the next night! Sorry no picture :(

HERE IS THE RECIPE:



For the meatballs:
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound ground beef
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)
1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 extra-large egg, beaten Vegetable oil Olive oil

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
Freshly grated Parmesan

Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.
Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of 1/4-inch. Heat the oil. Very carefully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meatballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.
For the sauce, heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan.

HOW I VARIED IT:
This was a last minute plan for dinner, so I altered the recipe a little bit according to what I had at home. For the meat I substituted the veal and sausage portions for ground turkey. I also didn't have fresh parsley but I had some dried and I used that in the same amounts. I also only had whole wheat multigrain bread and used that instead of white bread. It honestly was THE BEST meatballs I have ever eaten-super moist and delicious. I was skeptical about putting the water in the meat mixture, but now I'm totally sold on it. There is NOTHING worse than dried out meatballs! I also cook with wine occasionally, and all the alcohol cooks out by the time it is done cooking, but it really gives the sauce amazing FLAVOR!


A NOTE ABOUT COOKING TIME:
I'm all about making a great meal fast and easy-but every once in a while it is nice to take the time to prepare something truly AMAZING for your family. I definitely wouldn't make a meal like this all the time-but it was an amazing treat. I was excited about making it and the time seemed to fly by, it really didn't feel like an hour and a half by the time I was done. If you think it really made dinner for two nights it saved me time the follow day!
HOPE YOU LOVED IT AS MUCH AS I DID!!!