Lazy Girl's Spaghetti (Squash) and Meatballs

I love the smell of a big pot of meatballs simmering away on the stove but have to say it's not something I make often.  First there's that I don't actually like beef, so I usually only make it for company.  Secondly, rolling and browning all of those meatballs--what a mess.  Fo sho.  But sometimes you crave something a little hearty and warm for a cold snowy night..enter Lazy Girl's Spaghetti and Meatballs.

If there's no one around but me, I'm going all ground chicken or turkey, both of which make incredibly flavorful meatballs if you season, season, season.  I personally think it's all about the cheese and garlic.

To keep it lazy, once all the ingredient's are mushed together, I use a cookie scoop, place them on a baking tray and just pop them in the oven for 25 mins at 375 degrees. 

Look at that contained grease mess.  No grease all over the stove tops and counters.  Love that.

Toss meatballs with favorite tomato sauce and simmer on medium.  Meanwhile, cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, add a few tsps of water to the center of each half and pop in the microwave for 10 mins or until tender.  

Use fork to separate "spaghetti" strands of squash and top with meatballs and sauce.  Sometimes, lazy is just so much better.

Spaghetti Squash and Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 lbs ground chicken
• 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3 lb spaghetti squash
• 5 cups of a favorite tomato sauce

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, garlic, garlic powder, basil, Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper.
3. Combine gently with a fork.
4. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
5. With a cookie scoop, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto sheet pan. You should have about 40 meatballs.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.
7. Prepare(or warm up) tomato sauce
8. Add meatballs and sauce to a medium pan and cook for 10 mins on medium heat while spaghetti squash cooks.
9. Split spaghetti squash lengthwise, add a few tsps of water to the center well in each and microwave on high for 10 mins or until tender.
10. Separate squash strands with fork.  Top with meatballs and sauce.  Serve with additional parmesan cheese.

Cookbook # 72, So Easy and White Chicken Chili

I'm pretty sure Ellie Krieger's genius is not completely appreciated.  She's a registered dietician and yet I never look at her food or her recipes and think "wow, that must have come from a dietician."  Her food is just plain scrumptious.  In fact the front of the cover says it all, "Luscious, healthy recipes for every meal of the week."  I don't know about you, but "luscious" is a word I just don't use often enough.  I'm going to attempt to use the word everyday for the next month. Other luscious recipes in this book: grilled portobello benedict (did I mention I love her?), honey harvest quinoa, cheddar apple quesadillas, curried chicken salad (made with more yogurt than mayo) a piccata with SPINACH and garlic mashed potatoes, and even a chipotle glazed pork chop chicken with maple squash puree and SPINACH-green apple salad.  A girl who loves spinach as much as I do.  I knew we  clicked.

The recipe I chose first was her White Turkey Chili, which actually became White Chicken Chili.  And technically, since I got a bit carried away with the green chilies, it was kind of a Green Chicken Chili.  I've been on a bit of a Southwestern flavors kick recently--probably still trying to balance out the sugar shock of just looking at all the Christmas sweets. 

Can you say "hominy" without breaking into song ala Naughty by Nature..."with hominy, hominy..." or is that just me?    Hominy, harmony.  It's kind of the same word if you sing it the way they do.  And how do you describe hominy?  It's corn, but not like other corn...it kind of tastes more like the masa in tamales.  So I'm not so good with the descriptions.  I happen to really like hominy so I said okey dokey to it in the recipe.

The one other substitute besides chicken that I made was to use dried great northern beans rather than canned.  If you are in a hurry, Ellie's recipe actually calls for one can of cooked beans and then only simmering the pot for 25 mins.  I changed the time below to allow the dried beans to cook.

White Turkey Chili

adapted from Ellie Krieger, So Easy

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive or canola oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 medium fire roasted poblano (pasilla) peppers, seeded and ribs removed, finely diced (about 1 1/2 c.)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, more to taste

1 tsp. dried oregano, divided

1 to 1 1/4 lb. cubed chicken

1 1/4 cup dried great northern beans

3 cans low-sodium chicken broth

1 (15.5-ounce) can white hominy, drained and rinsed

1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt or low-fat sour cream (optional)
1 cup grated cheese (o

1 avocado, cut into 1/2-in. cubes

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

lime wedges

Directions:

1.  Heat the oil in large pot or dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion,  peppers, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about eight minutes.

2.  Add the garlic, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 tsp. oregano and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3.  Add the chicken and cook,  until the meat is slightly browned about 6 minutes.

4.  Add the white beans, hominy, broth and remaining oregano. Cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, 3 hours.
5.  Add the chopped cilantro salt, to taste and remove from heat.
6.  Ladle into individual bowls and top each serving with cheese, cilantro, avocado, and a lime wedge.




And just a quick product review...all of the reviews on the Drs. Foster and Smith website raved about this bed. Since this was an internal review site with reviews of their own product, I was sure it was enhanced or at least edited. Not that Drs Fosters and Smith don't have some killer products....The Ultimate Scratching Post?   Quite possibly the greatest and sturdiest scratching post ever. But still a part of me was sure that  no puppy could really love a bed as much as the Slumber Ball reviews claimed.  Another part of me though was sold by the little puppy heads peeking up over the top of the Slumber Balls.  Cuteness is a great marketing and advertising tool.

I'll lay here for the picture if you make me...

Actually, this ball bed thing isn't too shabby...

Okay, I love this bed mom. 

Prayers

Continued thoughts and prayers for healing and peace for Joanne and family as they continue through this most difficult and exhausting time. If you have a few minutes to pray for a beautiful and inspiring woman....The Simple Wife.

Pink Grapefruit Margaritas, Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle Sauce and Cookbook #71, Barefoot Contessa, how easy is that?





It's a pretty long title, I know.  Truth be told, I wasn't sure whether I could do this cookbook justice with the recipes I've made from it.  Does a margarita count as a recipe?  Normally, I'd say no, but this is grapefruit, pink grapefruit, and I do adore pink grapefruit.  Not sure why I never thought to try this flavor combo before, but luckily my dearest Ina Garten included this fabulous recipe in her latest cookbook.  It was the perfect margarita, but there are very few margs this chica will pass on.  Ask The Rio if you think I'm lying.

The only adaptation I made was to add a few squirts (couple of tbsps?) of Agave nectar to sweeten it up just a tad. 

Pink Grapefruit Margaritas

from how easy is that? by Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 1 lime, cut in wedges, optional
• Kosher salt, optional
• 1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 limes)
• 1 cup orange liqueur, such a Triple Sec
• 2 cups ice
• 1 cup white tequila

Directions

If you like a salt rim on the glasses, rub the lime around the edge of the glass and then dip the rim of each glass lightly in a plate of kosher salt. Set aside to dry.

Combine the grapefruit juice, lime juice, orange liqueur, and ice in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a large pitcher and stir in the tequila. If youre not serving the margaritas in salted glasses, stir 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the pitcher of margaritas. Believe me, it will make a difference!  


Not a fan of frozen margaritas? It's just as fine on the rocks.  I took testing this recipe very seriously.  

So what about the non-margarita recipes in this cookbook?  I so want to say I love them all.  And it's not that I don't--I'd make almost everything in there.  They just didn't seem all that original to me.  In fact, if you just showed me the cookbook without the cover, I'd guess it was Barefoot Contessa's cookbook right away.  I know all cooks have a style, but truthfully, I only need so many 4 ingredient roasted chicken recipes that include garlic, white wine and lemon as a base.  It's super duper hard for me to say that about anything Ina does.  

I did make the eggplant caponata for book club and it was a hit with all the girls.  But to my earlier point, I was struck by how similar it was to the Roasted Eggplant Spread in the first Barefoot Contessa cookbook.  A couple of different ingredients, but the basic flavor and concept was the same. There's another shortcake recipe that I swear is the same as an earlier cookbook, it's just a deconstructed shortcake this time.  As always, the photos are stunning and you wish you were Ina Garten after flipping through the book.  That alone might justify the cost and shelf space.

And since Ina Garten is not known for her Mexican/Tex-Mex flavors, I turned to an old favorite recipe of mine to accompany the pink margaritas--Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle Sauce.

It starts out with rubbing the fish with a blackening spice. You can purchase at any gourmet store or some grocery stores, or you can make your own quite easily (2 tbsp kosher salt, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper, 2 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp cayenne pepper,  1 tsp chipotle powder, 1 tbsp garlic and 1 tsp dry mustard).

And then you make the chipotle sauce--probably my favorite part of the recipe.  Chipotle is like heaven to me.  For those who love it, you know what I'm talking about.  For those that don't, you can probably leave it out.  And for those who are unfamiliar with it, allow me to make introductions.

You can find these little suckers in small little 7oz cans in the mexican food aisle.  They are smoked jalepenos and have that wonderfully spicy smoky flavor.  Once opened, you only use a one or two of the the peppers.  I pop the rest into the a little jar and they keep for quite a while.   Two of these peppers, finely, finely minced and thrown into a bowl with one tsp of the adobo sauce from the can,  1.5 cup plain yogurt, 3 tsp minced cilantro and 1/2 tsp salt makes a sauce that is both spicy and cool at the same time.  You can also adjust the chipotles or remove the seeds for a slightly less spicy version.

The rest of the fixings for the tacos are just a matter of slicing and dicing. It's a pretty quick meal to throw together.

Warning: grilliing these inside may cause humans and puppies to go into chili-induced coughing fit. If cats are ever awake, they may go into coughing fit as well.

Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 lb white fish such as cod or tillapia
• 1 tbsp oil
• blackening spice
• 1/2 head cabbage
• 1 lime freshly squeezed
• 1 green onion finely sliced
• 2-3 Romas, diced
• corn tortillas
• chipotle yogurt (recipe above)

Directions

1. Combine cabbage, green onions and lime juice.  Toss to coat and set aside
2. Preheat grill or place grill pan over medium high heat.  Brush with oil.
3. Arrange fish on plate and oil each piece.  Thinly coat both sides with blackening spice.
4. Place fish on grill and cook 4 minutes on one side, flip and cook additiona 3-5 minutes.  Transfer to tray and let cool slightly.
5. Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and warm in 275 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through.
6. Slice fish into 1 inch pieces. 
7. To assemble, spread cabbage on a warmed tortialla, top with fish and chipotle sauce and tomatoes.

A Peanut and Chipmunk Christmas

Alla mia famiglia in Tailandia, scusate il ritardo.  Sono qui le foto di Natale della famiglia.

I don't speak Italian, but I wish I did.  Any other language really--but Italian is especially sexy.  There's an episode of Friends (Hey--I so haven't mentioned that show in ages) where Phoebe's argument on why Joey should continue to date a girl is that she speaks four languages.  "Man do you know what guys want!"  I suspect from the laughter, that this was sarcasm. But I still think speaking many languages is way, way cool.  I just don't though it's not from a lack of effort.  Heck, English wasn't even my first language, but do you think I still speak any Thai?  Not a lick.  Five years of French, two years of Spanish, one year of Japanese and one local community class in Italian and do you know what I speak?  English.   So it is true that I don't speak Italian and neither does the majority of my family in Thailand.  But the ones who have the internet access do.  Mi dispiace, let the Christmas photos begin....

Getting a Peanut and Chipmunk to sit still long is not easy...  This was also my first attempt at an animated GIF. It takes a moment to load and is not technically the best sequence for animation, but now that I know I can do it, watch out peeps.  Photoshop(Elements in this case) is truly the best.