RO*TEL Sauce Mild: Review, Porcupine Meatballs

This RO*TEL is a kinder, gentler version of our Zesty Original Tomato and Green Chili Sauce. Still packed with flavor, just with less of the zest.
     
The big bold flavor of tomatoes and green chilies has been tamed slightly to deliver a more subtle sauce. The mixture of spices is much less daring and more doable for the sensitive palate.

The savory nature of this sauce is wonderful substitute in any recipe that calls for sauce. It'll perk up your Pizza, brighten your Rigatoni, and moisten your meatloaf.
Store locator here. Twitter and Facebook.

We were sent a can of RO*TEL Sauce Mild (Tomatoes & Green Chiles) for review. I thought I'd try them out to zest up the Porcupine Meatballs we like. It added a nice little sippy flavor to the sauce, it was great.

Porcupine Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 cup cooked long-grain rice
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup diced onion
1 Tbl crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Sauce:
30 oz crushed tomatoes w/basil

1 can RO*TEL Sauce Mild
2 teaspoons (gluten free) Worcestershire sauce
1 cup beef broth

2 Tbl crushed garlic

Mix the ground beef, rice, 1/2 cup of broth, the chopped onion, garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper (you could do this step ahead of time, so flavors get into the meat). Shape the mixture by tablespoons into 1 1/2-inch meatballs. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet and cook the meatballs over medium heat just until brown; drain off excess grease (OR bake 350' for 15 mins). Place in a 9x13 pan. Combine crushed tomatoes, RO*TEL Sauce Mild, remaining 1/2 cup broth, Worcestershire sauce and garlic, pour over meatballs. Bake 350' for 30 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes.

*Disclosure* I wrote this review for "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" about RO*TEL. The product(s) in this review were provided to me free of cost for the purpose of conducting my review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation. Product info & stock images provided by PR or Co.

Happy 3rd Blogoversary to Me! Celebrate with Sweet and Sour Chicken!

So today, 3 years ago I clicked 'Publish' for "Mommy? I'm Hungry!". What started out as just a place to have our favorite recipes online to share with others has become so much more today! I'm still enjoying every minute of it too!

So I'm not doing anything to celebrate (like I did last year) since we are packing everything up and moving down the road, how about some homemade Sweet and Sour Chicken to enjoy? I probably have at least one other recipe in here for it, but this recipe is more like the take-out goodness. The chicken has a batter layer, and the sauce once it's cooked down resembles the dipping sauce that comes with take-out. YUM!

For my family, I used 4-5 large boneless chicken breasts (thinking leftovers here!), added in a can of pineapple chunks (and added a little pineapple juice to the sauce), cut up a green and red bell pepper and an onion. I also tripled the sauce, because I had so much chicken, I just wish I cooked more of it down on the stove, that sauce is great to pour over it once done. We have lots of leftovers and tons of baked sauce (which is runnier than the stove top sauce).

I saw this posted the other day, and it comes from My Kitchen Cafe and was also shared here (there you can adapt the servings). From reading all the rave reviews, I made it that night. Oh! Another thing, start this earlier than planned, there is prep and frying time, maybe 30 minutes? We all loved it, and Mr. raved about it too! This is a keeper!

*NOTE this is a sweet sauce so feel free to use less sugar. I would probably cut out 1/4 c. of it.

Sweet and Sour Chicken
Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar (or less)
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced – about 6-8 minutes.

enjoy,

Beef Lo Mein and Orange Chicken recap

I love this site, Blog Chef and have made their orange chicken before. I recently made it again along with Beef Lo Mein from the same site. Heads up, this meal takes extra time to make so start it ahead of time and keep it warm in the oven. We loved it!

Beef Lo Mein

recipe found here

Ingredients:
8 ounces hot cooked pasta noodles ( I used thin linguini fini)
1 lb flank steak (sliced)
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon fresh ginger (minced)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
3 cups fresh broccoli (chopped)
1 ½ cups onions (sliced)
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic

Step 1: In a large bowl combine cooked pasta and sesame oil, tossing well to coat. Cover and set aside. In a wok over medium high heat, heat peanut oil. Add ginger and garlic, stir fry for 30 seconds. Add broccoli and onion, stir fry for 3 minutes.
Step 2: Add steak and stir fry for 5 minutes or until done. Add pasta mixture, soy sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce, and chile paste. Cook 1 minute or until heated thoroughly.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Orange Chicken
recipe found here

Ingredients:
Chicken-
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 eggs (beaten)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce-
1 ½ cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
¼ cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ginger root (minced)
½ teaspoon garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons green onion (chopped)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Step 1: Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture and shake in flour mixture to coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked
Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.
Step 3: Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions. Enjoy. (I serve it over Jasmine rice)

enjoy,

Sausage and Veal Lasagna

This lasagna recipe has been marked to try for a while now, after reading all the raving comments I thought it wouldn't hurt to try a new recipe other than the one I always make. Since I am cleaning out my freezer supply, I had some Italian sausages in there and was recently sent some Strauss brand veal for review (review here), I decided to use them up for this recipe.

I slightly adapted the ingredients here, than what they had posted. I used Strauss free raised ground veal instead of ground beef and regular Italian sausage instead of sweet, dried herbs, left out the fennel and used a whole small onion. The directions would be the same as they have written in the link below, just with my minor adaptations.

Sausage and Veal Lasagna
adapted from here

1 pound Italian sausage
1 pound ground veal
1 small chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic chopped
28 oz crushed tomatoes with basil
16 oz tomato sauce
12 oz tomato paste
1/2 Cup of Water
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons dried Basil leaves
4 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
23 ounces of ricotta cheese (or just use 3 C)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz grated fresh Parmesan cheese
12 Lasagna Noodles

Directions for preparing can be found HERE.

enjoy,

Olive Garden's Chicken Scampi Knock-Off

I love the chicken scampi from the Olive Garden, that's my go to meal from there. I found a knock-off recipe I thought I'd give a try at home. Let me tell you, it's very close to theirs, I loved it! Sorry mine wasn't so photogenic, but it sure was tasteful!

Olive Garden's Chicken Scampi
found here, from Top Secret Recipes

Scampi Sauce
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
1 1/2 cups Chablis wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1 cup heavy cream

5 to 6 quarts water
16 ounces angel hair pasta
4 tablespoons light olive oil
12 chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 green bell pepper, cut into bite-size strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-size strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into bite-size strips
1 chopped red onion
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

Optional Garnish
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Recipe
1. Make scampi sauce by melting butter in a preheated pan over medium/low heat. Add 2 tablespoons chopped onions and sauté for 2 to 4 minutes or until the onions begin to brown. If the butter begins to burn, turn down the heat. When the onions are beginning to brown, add the minced garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds. Don't let the garlic burn. After about 30 seconds add the wine, salt, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and black pepper, and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 15 to 18 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half. Add parsley and heavy cream and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Do not let mixture reach a boil.
2. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the angel hair pasta and cook for about 4 minutes or until pasta is al dente, or mostly tender with just a slight toughness. Drain the pasta in a colander or sieve when done, then hit it with some cold water to prevent sticking and to keep it from cooking further.
3. If preparing all four servings, preheat 2 large skillets over medium heat (if making just 2 servings, you'll need only one skillet and half of the total ingredients -- save the rest for another meal). Lightly salt and pepper the chicken tenderloins, then coat each one in the flour that has been measured into a large bowl. Arrange all of the coated tenderloins on a plate before sautéing 6 tenderloins in each pan. Cook the tenderloins for 3 to 5 minutes on one side or until golden brown.
4. When the chicken is brown on one side, flip each of the pieces, and move them to the side of the pans, then add an even amount of the sliced peppers and chopped onions to the center of each skillet. Continue cooking the chicken and veggies for 4 to 6 minutes or until the chicken is browned and the veggies are beginning to brown on the edges.
5. Divide the scampi sauce in half and pour it over the chicken and veggies in each pan. Add 2 portions of pasta to each pan, then toss the ingredients a bit and continue to cook for a couple minutes or until the pasta is heated through. Prepare each dish by serving equal amounts of pasta onto each of four plates. Use a spoon or tongs to add the peppers and onions on top of each pile of pasta. Arrange three chicken tenderloins onto the center of the pasta.
6. Sprinkle each plate with about 1/2 teaspoon of fresh parsley and serve it up with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired. (http://www.topsecretrecipes.com)

Makes 4 servings (but can be easily divided into 2 separate servings for 2).

sharing some goodness @


enjoy,

Beef Stroganoff

When I'm too lazy to dig through my cookbooks for a recipe, I'll go online and find another, if it's not on my blog. So I found this version at Tina's Mommy's Kitchen blog. It was slightly different than my mom's, she doesn't use a gravy in hers. Sounded good to me! With a few more adaptions to her posted recipe I think this came out pretty darn good. One thing I did not add, was I ran out of pepper (I know huh!) so I used a packet of garlic pepper seasoning I had. Use whatever kind of steak meat you like, something tender, since it's little cook time. Next time I'll use fresh cremini mushrooms and mushroom gravy, mmm. *tip: freeze your steak meat for a couple hours, it'll be much easier to slice thin.

Beef Stroganoff
adapted from Mommy's Kitchen

1 - lb. beef steak, thinly sliced
1/2 C flour (seasoned w/salt & pepper)
3 Tbl oil
1 small onion, diced
salt & pepper (to taste)
1 Tbl crushed garlic
1 - small can sliced mushrooms or 1 C. diced fresh mushrooms
1 - can cream of mushroom soup
1 - packet brown gravy mix, made as directed (mushroom gravy would be good too!)
4 oz - sour cream
3 Tbl parsley
1 bag Wide egg noodles

Combine seasoned flour and toss with sliced steak to cover, tap off excess flour. Brown & cook steak with chopped onion, salt, pepper, garlic and mushrooms in a skillet with a little oil. While the steak is browning, Start the noodles to cook. Add cream of mushroom soup and gravy, mix together and simmer over low heat about 10 minutes. Add the sour cream and parsley, mix until thoroughly blended. Serve over cooked noodles.

enjoy,

Review: Amazing Taste Seasonings and Iowa BBQ Pork Chops

Adam Taki and his Father are the founders of AMAZING TASTE FOODS & SEASONINGS, a gourmet food and flavor enhancing company that has revolutionized home cooking for over thirty years with the simplicity of the Amazing Taste Foods and Seasonings make it easy it is to attain a flavorful, cost-effective & delicious family meal!

Amazing Taste Seasonings contain blends of all-natural spices, herbs and contains no MSG or artificial flavors making it a great alternative to standard marinades and rubs. The packets, which cost less than one dollar, can season up to three pounds of meat, poultry or seafood and can be utilized in sauces and soups to enhance zest and depth of flavor; they are usable in almost every meal!

They carry these convenient packets in these great flavors:

Beef Seasoning
Burger Seasoning
Chili Seasoning
Fajita Seasoning
Malibu Seasoning
Pork Seasoning
Poultry Seasoning
Seafood Seasoning
Steak House Seasoning


I was able to find these all over the grocery stores, some hanging over the meat aisle. They have a store locator so you can find some near you! Be sure to check out their recipe section for uses of their seasonings too.

We were sent a package of a few of their flavors to try out. Also provided were recipe cards, so I went with their BBQ pork one. Since I wasn't sent a flavoring for pork, I used the seasoning for burgers, which stated pork was fine. These were great and easy to prepare.

I have used the fajita seasoning another time before this review for meat seasoning for loaded nachos. That was good too.

Go check these out and try some soon! Only .99 each and seasons a lot of meat (most of their recipes call for using half a package so it'll last too)! Can't beat that deal.

Iowa BBQ Pork Chops
recipe found here
Midwestern BBQ flavor!

Prep Time 1-2 Minutes
Cook Time 35 Minutes
Ready In 36-37 Minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients
4 pork chops, ¾ to 1-inch thick
1/2 packet Amazing Taste® for Pork
Sauce: ½ cup catsup
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. orange peel
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
½ cup onion, finely chopped

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2) Moisten pork chops with water and coat well with Amazing Taste® for Pork.
3) Place pork chops in shallow baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
4) Combine sauce ingredients in sauce pan and heat for 5 minutes. Pour into blender and purée.
5) Cover pork chops with sauce and continue baking for 10 minutes.


I wrote this review for "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" about Amazing Taste Seasonings. I received free product to keep for this review. All opinions for this review are that of myself & family. Product info & stock images provided by PR.

enjoy,

Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

These burgers have been the talk of Facebook lately and from all the rave reviews of them, I decided to give them a try. Knowing spinach is not well received by the rest of my family (unless I can hide it) I just went with it. I made the patties ahead of time for flavors to combine, and froze them so they'd hold together better on the grill.

Oldest didn't care for them knowing it was spinach. Mr. ate 2 of them, so they must not of hurt him too much. I thought they were ok. I wasn't as WOWED by them as others say they were. Maybe next time I would double the Feta in them, I couldn't taste much of it once cooked. I made a Tzatziki to go with, which we all liked. Except I put all my ingredients in the processor and it made it too runny! I just spread it on the bun and a little on the patty and it was fine. I rewrote it below how I should've done it.

Anyways, you may enjoy these as much as others have!

Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers
slightly adapted from allrecipes

2 eggs, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces feta cheese (I used Feta Crumbles Garlic & Herb flavor -maybe double amount?)
1 (10 ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 pounds ground turkey (I used 1/2 turkey breast & 1/2 regular)

Mix together eggs, garlic, feta cheese, spinach, and turkey in a large bowl until well combined; form into 8 patties (May chill/freeze patties to help keep them together for grilling).
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil grate.
Cook on preheated grill until no longer pink in the center, 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato, onion and Tzatziki sauce (below).


Tzatziki Sauce
adapted from Alton Brown

16 ounces Greek plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
5 to 6 fresh mint leaves

Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a food processor combine cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint then pulse until finely chopped. Stir mixture into the Greek yogurt. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

enjoy,

Saucy Honey Mustard Chicken Wings

Many years ago, I received a Betty Crocker recipe card set. This is one of the recipes from it, that we love and still make. It's originally called Quick Honey Mustard Chicken Wings, but honestly, you can't tell it's a "honey mustard" flavor like you might be used to, with the chili sauce in it. Note: the chili sauce that's used here is not a Mexican chili sauce, this is found near the ketchup section of the grocery store.

I looked and looked online for a link to share for this recipe, but found nothing. I adapted the cooking method to make it easier and doubled the sauce here.

Saucy Honey Mustard Chicken Wings
adapted from Betty Crocker

3 pounds chicken drummettes
1 C chili sauce
2 TBL honey
2 TBL soy sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Brown drummettes in a large hot skillet, but don't cook all the way through, then place in a greased 9x13 pan. Combine sauce ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake in 350' oven for 25 minutes, spooning sauce over chicken during bake time.

enjoy,

Penne with Italian Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes

We were given a big package of local Italian sauages from a friend. Mr. wanted to grill them up, but I had other plans for the rest of them. I saw this recipe while searching for something easy, and changed it up a little. This makes lots, so cut the recipe in half if you like.

Penne with Italian Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes
Inspired by Aggie’s Kitchen

1 lb penne pasta
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Red Pepper flakes to taste

Italian dry seasoning to taste (basil, thyme, oregano)
6 links mild Italian Sausage, casings removed
2 -28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes with basil
2 -14 oz can of Italian diced tomatoes
1 -10 oz box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 C shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/2 C Parmesan cheese

Bring pot of salted water to a boil to cook pasta. Cook pasta but slightly under cook because you will be adding pasta to sauce while still on heat and broiling in the oven.
In a large saute pan, drizzle a couple of teaspoons of olive oil and start to cook onion and garlic. Once onions start to soften, add sausage and begin to crumble and cook in pan. Cook sausage completely, approximately 8-10 minutes. Add cans of crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes to pan. Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and italian seasoning to taste. Cook together for about 5-8 minutes so sauce flavors combine. Add spinach to sauce and combine. Add cooked pasta to sauce and toss with 1 cup Mozzarella cheese. Add to 9x13 pan and sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Broil in the oven until cheese is bubbly.

This recipe I adapted, it made me 1 9x13 pan plus 2-9" round pans, perfect for freezer meals or giving away! Again, feel free to cut this recipe in half, I didn't realize it'd make so much!

enjoy,

Simply Great Chicken

I saw this chicken recipe on Coleen's blog which is also link from Katy's blog, and linked again to Bunny's Warm Oven where she posted it from a cookbook. Now here it is on my blog too. I wasn't sure what to think about brown suace and Italian dressing together...but it works! It really is a great sauce for chicken and very easy too! Perfect for a busy weeknight. I have made it twice already since finding this recipe.

Simply Great Chicken
Source: Country Chicken cookbook via here, slightly adapted

3 lbs boneless chicken breasts
1 (.7 oz.) envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/2 c. packed brown sugar

Place chicken in a single layer in a greased 13x9x2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl, combine dry salad dressing mix and brown sugar; sprinkle over chicken.
Bake, uncovered, @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until juices run clear. Baste with sauce throughout cook time.

enjoy,

Jaden's Ground Beef with Beijing Sauce

A while ago when Shelby at Grumpy's Honeybunch posted about Jaden of Steamy Kitchen's Ground Beef with Beijing Sauce Over Noodles on Facebook, I knew it was going to be eaten here very soon! I read recently that black bean sauce is a must to have when cooking Asian foods, so I was excited to get to try it for the first time in her dish. I found some black bean sauce with garlic (on sale too!), but it had a few whole beans in it, but that's ok.

I went to two different stores looking for the baby corn, but they were either out or didn't carry them! I was bummed just as much as the kids were, so I used frozen peas, carrots and regular corn for ours. I also just used red pepper flakes, adding more to my plate.

My photo looks nothing as delicious as Jaden's does, but it sure tasted great and the sauce is good! I think next time I'll use some sliced steak instead of ground beef, and stock pile baby corn when I see it so I can add that. I may also double the sauce too, to have more to drizzle on the pasta. I served this over angel hair pasta.

(*update- do you know I left the food sitting out to cool off before I put it in the fridge, only to wake up to find it still sitting on the counter all night! waaaah! No leftovers to eat!)

Anyways, go check out her recipe, you might just like it too!

enjoy,

Grandma's Italian Noodles

This is one of our family recipes from my Grandma P. I have no idea how it came about, but it's one recipe I ate growing up and one we had at a small family reunion at her house years ago (along with the homemade root beer!). My Aunts and cousins still make it too. It's a pretty basic simple recipe. I will give you my adapted version though. It's one of my faves.

Grandma's Italian Noodlesmy adapted version

1 lb ground sausage (can also use sausage links such as Farmer John Original Skinless Links, sliced)
24 oz can crushed tomatoes w/garlic (or plain tomato sauce -be sure it's GF!)
1 Tbl sugar
1 bag wide egg noodles, cooked (gluten free pasta)
1 bunch green onions, diced
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

In a large skillet, cook sausage, drain. Heat up tomatoes and add sugar, add sausage. Let simmer 30 minutes. Serve over noodles, top with cheese and green onions.

enjoy,

Roasted Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce

Surf and Turf. I always do a shrimp scampi for Mr.'s Birthday but not this year. I made this for Mr.'s Birthday along with some grilled tri tip steaks (thanks to the Meat Dept. guy for offering to cut it for me! It was good!). Thinking only he and I would eat this roasted shrimp I got 1 1/2 lbs. Lo and behold our 6 yr old daughter ate about as much as I did!

Anyways some time ago, I saw Ina make this and thought how wonderful roasting is to whatever foods you're preparing, roasted shrimp must be great! Then funny enough my pal Faye had made it before I got the chance and they loved it!

This is the simplest recipe, and it would be perfect for a party, holiday appetizer or just because. I even made the homemade cocktail sauce. I did a taste test with some store bought sauce Mr. had bought some time ago, and guess which one won? This one! This were great and Mr. loved it.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail
Ina Garten

For the shrimp:
2 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp (big ones!)
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
1/2 cup chili sauce (recommended: Heinz) or this one I just found
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish (I used about 1 3/4 Tbl)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco) I used Cholula

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on (for handles). Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

For the sauce, combine the chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Serve as a dip with the shrimp.
See more at "Mommy? I'm Hungry!" http://ldylvbgr.blogspot.com/
Store bought and homemade! Guess who won?

enjoy,

Meatball Sandwiches and Marinara

Mr. has been bugging me to make meatball sandwiches and then I was talking with family on Facebook and they were brought up again. SO I went searching for a recipe, since I didn't really have a great meatball recipe. Google Food Search brought me to Pam's blog For The Love Of Cooking. Her recipe sounded great, I must admit the addition of mushrooms sold me!

But before I get into this recipe, I have to tell you a secret. For the first time EVER, I caught my pan on FIRE! I was dicing mushrooms and onions and heating up the stock pot (my fave one non the less) so it's be nice and hot, and went and poured in the little oil to heat up...and BOOM! Huge fire in my pot! Thank Goodness I had a lid right there, and without hesitation or freaking out, I thought out loud (to myself), "put the lid on it!". Thankfully Mr. was on there with me, and also told me to put the lid on it as I was already grabbing it. Luckily we have faulted ceilings nothing was damaged, just a really bad stink of oil in the house. SO warning!...do not get your pan too hot before adding the oil!

Last time I used mushrooms in a recipe I diced them super fine and my family didn't mind them. I knew I could get them by them again. I actually diced them pretty small but wish I had done them in the processor, next time I will. This sauce was great! The meatballs were good too. Together, these meatball subs were fantastic! AND 4/5 of us ate them and liked them, even my 6 yr old had seconds. The mushrooms add such a great flavor, don't pass on them, and use fresh cremini or bellas, not white buttons or jarred ones. These will be THE recipe I use now.

Meatball Sandwiches
slightly adapted by For The Love Of Cooking (in green)

Mushroom Marinara:
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
6 oz of button or cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed (I omitted)
1 tsp white sugar
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute until tender; add the garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for at least 2 hours.

Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef
7 button mushrooms, diced finely
1/4 sweet yellow onion, diced finely
1/4 cup of Italian style breadcrumbs (I used homemade breadcrumbs w/extra Italian seasonings)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 egg
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp fennel seed, crushed (I omitted)
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp olive oil (for cooking)

Put the onions, garlic and mushrooms in a food processor to chop, otherwise chop them as small as you can. Combine all ingredients (except for olive oil) together gently. Form into small meatballs and set aside (I used my small scooper). Once the meatballs are prepared. (I then baked them at 350' for 20 minutes on a large baking sheet) Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Cook the meatballs until golden brown on all sides. Remove from skillet and place the cooked meatballs in the mushroom marinara.

Hoagie rolls (I used French rolls)
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, shredded
Fresh basil, chopped

To assemble, place meatballs with some sauce in the hoagie rolls. Sprinkle the top with mozzarella and Parmesan. Place in a pan, under the broiler and melt cheese - watch carefully so don't burn. Top with basil and serve. Enjoy!

meatballs & sauce

enjoy,