Category Archives: Main Dish

Meatball Sandwiches

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I haven’t made meatball subs since December, and that recipe was really good. I do enjoy trying new recipes, and M mentioned that he’d like the meatballs to be smaller to make the subs easier to eat and less messy. These are baked in a mini muffin tin, so they’ll all be nice and uniform in size. The sauce couldn’t be easier – I basically ignored it for two hours and it just reduced down into a rich marinara. Be sure to keep the heat at low in case you’re anything like me and completely forget it for about 40 minutes! I went next door to share some granola with my neighbor and ended up talking for quite some time 😉

Verdict: The sauce was great but the meatballs were lacking in flavor. The meatballs I made for the subs back in December were much more flavorful. These can be tweaked more to suit our tastes, but what made me want to try these in the first place was that they are baked.

Meatball Subs – adapted from CookEatLove
Basic Tomato Sauce:
  • 2 large onions, chopped
  • 2 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 6-8 leaves fresh basil leaves
  • 3-6 cloves garlic roasted
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • drizzle with olive oil, 5 tbs
  • finally, just before serving add 2 tbs of butter to bring layers of flavor to the sauce.
Directions:
1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add crushed tomatoes and raw quarted onions (big chunks). Add  basil, garlic, salt and pepper. When the garlic is done roasting add this as well.  Let the sauce come to a boil, lower heat to low and stir occasionally until desired thickness. Drizzle with olive oil part way through the simmering to taste (I usually simmer for a couple of hours).  Remove the big chunks of onion and just before serving add the butter.
Meatballs: (makes 30)
  • 1.25 pounds ground lean beef (roughly, does not have to be exact, just about those combinations)
  • 1 pound ground pork *see above note
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
  • 1  tablespoons chopped basil
  • 1/2 clove of minced garlic
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs (I used hamburger buns toasted in the oven then grated in the food processor)
  • lukewarm water just to moisten a little more

*bread crumbs for rolling the meatballs in before putting them in the muffin tray is optional – if you decide to, just make extra from the ones you used for the meat mixture

Pre-heat oven to 400.  Combine beef,  pork in a large bowl. Add eggs, cheese, basil, garlic and salt and pepper. Using your hands, blend ingredients together. Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add water, a bit at a time until the mixture is quite moist. Using your hands, shape the meatballs into rounds  and place the meatballs in individual, miniature muffin tin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

To Assemble:

*6-8 hoagie buns

*fresh mozzarella cheese

Finally, when you are assembling the meatball subs, use a nice crispier hoagie to absorb some of the tomato sauce.  I dig out a small well in the lower part of the bun to let the saucy meatballs sit. I placed mozzarella cheese in the bottom of the hollowed out rolls, place the meatballs on top and then add sauce and cheese . Sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese and then broil the sub so that the cheese is bubbly.  Finally eat.

Roasted Vegetables over Bulgur

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Lunch…I’m not always great at lunch. It’s usually leftovers, sandwiches or salads. This is more work, but I get at least 3 meals out of it. I chopped up some zucchini, summer squash, cremini mushrooms, tossed a handful of baby carrots and grape tomatoes on a baking sheet.  Use whatever veggies you love to roast, drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper over all. Bulgur cooks really quickly and by the time all the vegetables were finished roasting I had a really healthy lunch ready to be enjoyed. This was surprisingly good! I knew I would love the roasted vegetables, but the bulgur was cooked in plain ‘ol water with a pinch of kosher salt added. It has a nutty flavor and a meaty texture and keeps you feeling full longer because of all the fiber and protein. I felt full for hours but didn’t feel bloated. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables Over Bulgur –

  • 1 small zucchini
  • 1 small summer squash
  • 5-6 cremini mushrooms
  • handful of grape tomatoes
  • handful of baby carrots
  • olive oil
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup of bulgur wheat, cooked to package directions
  • handful of baby spinach
  • zest of one lemon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil. Clean and prepare your vegetables – slice zucchini and summer squash into coins, slice cremini mushrooms in half and discard stems. Toss baby carrots with a drizzle of olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes. Take the pan out, toss the carrots and add seasoned squash and mushrooms to the baking sheet, roast for another 10-15 minutes. Toss in the grape tomatoes during the last 5 minutes. Serve 1 cup of roasted veggies over one cooked up of bulgur tossed with baby spinach leaves for good measure, and sprinkle lemon zest over top of all. Enjoy!

Chipotle Lime Shrimp

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When it comes to flavors like these, I don’t have to modify anything. The creator of this recipe was spot on with all the amounts, but I cooked mine differently. The flavor was nice on these, but next time I might add a little more spice and a little less brown sugar. Other than that the shrimp were really flavorful. We enjoyed these in a tortilaa with our favorite fillings. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Chipotle Lime Shrimp – adapted from Gimme Some Oven
  • 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
  • 1 lime, juice and zest

Method:

1. Mix the chipotle powder, cumin, brown sugar, lime zest, lime juice and cilantro in a bowl and and let marinate for 20 minutes.

2. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, saute the shrimp until completely cooked through – about 2-3 minutes. Once the shrimp are cooked, add the marinade into the pan and reduce slightly. Drizzle over top the shrimp and serve.

Chicken Enchiladas – His Fave…

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Out of all the dinners I can think of, this has to be his most requested. I don’t understand why, I mean – they are really good – but it’s chicken. Not beef…weird. He doesn’t even want to try any other kind of enchilada – which bums me out because I love variety and trying out new recipes. Like, I would love to make cheese enchiladas…I haven’t had those in years! Anyway, these are more work than my average dinner, but they are so good. This time I’ve roasted my chicken instead of picking up a rotisserie chicken at Sam’s. I figured I could use the practice because Fall is around the corner and I love roasted chicken.

See the extra toasty bits on the tortillas? That is my favorite part – for some reason it’s sweeter there, and the salty/sweet combo is my fave! These turned out to be a little spicier than I remember – but I didn’t remove any of the seeds or ribs from the jalapenos I used. I used 10 medium sized flour tortillas,  so this could easily serve 6 to 8 people. I suppose you could halve the recipe, but he leftovers are just as good especially if you warm them up in the oven. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa – adapted from Food Network

Tomatillo Salsa:
  • 1 pound tomatillos, husked
  • 1 white onion, peeled, sliced, quartered or whole
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 jalapenos
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 lime, juiced
Enchiladas:
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 cup AP flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock, store bought
  • Chopped cilantro leaves
  • 1 roasted chicken (about 3 pounds), boned, meat shredded
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 10 large flour tortillas
  • 1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor. Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.

Enchiladas:

Meanwhile heat a 2 count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and caramelized – this should take 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin then cook for a further minute. Sprinkle on the flour and stir to ensure the flour doesn’t burn then gradually add the chicken stock to make a veloute. Continue stirring over a low simmer until the flour cooks and the liquid thickens. Turn off the heat, add half of the roasted tomatillo chile salsa, some additional fresh chopped cilantro and fold in the shredded chicken meat. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees F and begin assembling the dish. Take a large baking dishand smear the bottom with some of the reserved tomatillo salsa. Warm up the tortillas in the microwave. Using a shallow bowl, coat each tortilla lightly with the reserved salsa mix. Put a scoop of the shredded chicken-enchilada mix on top of the tortilla followed by a sprinkle of the shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and roll like a cigar to enclose it then place the tortillas in the baking dish and continue to do the same with all the tortillas. Finally pour over some more of the salsa and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Garnish with cilantro and tomato.

Simple Roasted Chicken

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This is great practice in roasting for me – Fall is just around the corner! I love  Fall because of all the warm, comforting recipes I can make again. The chicken smelled amazing about 10 minutes in and only took about 70 minutes to cook to the 160 degree mark. Once the bird is out of the oven, it continues to cook (“carry-over cooking); so you want to take it out early or it will be toast!
Verdict: Moist, tender, delicious! Trussing the chicken does make a difference and using the probe thermometer makes this a worry free method of cooking the whole chicken. I’m not one to eat the skin, but it was nice and crispy and perfectly browned. Don’t throw the carcass away – there is a lot of great flavor and meat remaining which is perfect for making homemade chicken stock. I’m going to collect a few more for the freezer before making some. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Roast Chicken – 
  • 1 – 3.5 pound chicken
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lemon, halved (*rolled and pierced with the knife)
  • 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
  • a hand full of cilantro
  • 1 TBSP softened butter
Special equipment:
  • kitchen twine for trussing (*not completely necessary, but it ensures even roasting and nicer presentation)
  • probe thermometer
  • half sheet pan
  • heavy duty foil
Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Wrap a half sheet pan in heavy duty foil.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of cilantro, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Insert a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the breast (*it’s the easiest, fool proof way of knowing when the chicken is finished cooking*)

Roast the chicken until a thermometer reads 160 degrees, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Let cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

Linguine and Clam Sauce

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Quick, easy and flavorful! My favorite kind of meal. I only had 1/4 cup of white wine so I used enough of the drained clam juice to make up the difference. I also added lemon zest to brighten up the flavor, besides – lemon and seafood are best buds 😉 I didn’t have heavy cream and used half and half instead. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Linguine and Clam Sauce – adapted from The Pioneer Woman

  • 1 pound linguine
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 – 10 ounce cans chopped clams, juice reserved
  • 3/4 cup white wine
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • zest of one lemon
  • lemon slices for garnish
  • 2 TBSP flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Cook the linguine according to package directions. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add the garlic and clams and stir together and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the white wine, scrapping the bottom of the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce is reduced. Add one more tablespoon of butter and stir to melt. Reduce heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Stir in the parsley and pour in the cream. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir well and taste for seasoning, adding a splash of clam juice in if the sauce needs thinning. Cook over low heat for 3 more minutes or until heated through. Pour the sauce over the cooked linguine, toss to combine. Top with freshly grated parmesan and enjoy!

Parmesan Baked Tilapia

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Quick Post: This dinner couldn’t be easier, and it was so tasty. I modified this a little with the addition of lemon zest for the butter/cheese mixture. Mine cooked perfectly in 10 minutes plus the 2 minute broiler time. Watch your fish carefully and adjust the cook time as necessary. I had one really small piece of fish that I added to the baking sheet 5 minutes into the cooking and it came out perfectly. We enjoyed this meal with a green salad, but you could serve it with rice, pasta or steamed veggies. Thanks for reading, enjoy!
Parmesan Baked Tilapia – adapted from How Sweet Eats
  • 4 tilapia filets
  • 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup grated/shredded parmesan cheese
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • zest of one lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • lemon slices for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pat tilapia dry (if frozen, it should be thawed first) with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Lay on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and bake for 10-12 minutes. While fish is baking, mix butter with garlic, lemon zest and parmesan cheese.

Remove fish from oven and gently flip. Spread about 1/2 tablespoons of butter mixture on the fish, and heat the broiler in your oven. Set fish under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes, or until cheese gets golden and bubbly.

Serve with lemon.

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadilla

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Quick Post: I’ve never made quesadillas for dinner for anyone but the kids – these just looked and sounded so good. Instead of just pounding, seasoning then grilling my chicken, I marinade – always! This was a simple meal to prepare and I would make these again, thanks for reading, enjoy!

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadilla – adapted from The Pioneer Woman

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded
  • 1 tsp Cajun seasoning (recipe below)
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pineapple, sliced
  • Butter for the griddle
  • Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
  • 6 – 8 medium tortillas
  • jalapeno, seeded and sliced
  • barbecue sauce
Directions –
1. Place your chicken pieces in a zip top bag. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and Cajun seasoning until well combined. Pour over chicken, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
2. Preheat your grill to medium heat – grill the chicken for 7 minutes on each side or until done. Paint the cooked side with barbecue sauce after flipping.  Before the chicken is completely cooked, place your pineapple slices on the grill for about 5 minutes a side until you get nice grill marks. Set the cooked chicken and pineapple aside while you assemble the quesadillas.
3. Warm griddle over medium heat and put sizzling butter or margarine in the pan. Slightly warm and toast tortillas on both sides, then remove from griddle and set aside.
4. To assemble, sprinkle four browned tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices and jalapeno slices. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top. Add second browned tortilla on top of each one. Add to oven to warm, or back to skillet to warm, until cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into six wedges.

Cajun Seasoning – adapted from Food.com
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons white pepper
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt (optional)
1. Pour all seasonings into a small, air tight container – shake well to combine.

Chipotle Honey-Glazed Chicken

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I’m always on the lookout for new ways to prepare chicken. Chicken can get so boring, especially if you use the same few recipes over and over. Now, some people might be okay with that – but history shows me that my family quickly becomes “burned out” with certain meals. Years ago I used to make something called salsa chicken – it was so good. I would make it at least a few times a month (this was before I was brave and more experienced in the kitchen). Because of all that salsa chicken overkill, I haven’t made it in at least 4 or 5 years and I doubt I’ll ever make it again.

Verdict: If your family loves the smokey flavor of chipotle, this meal is for you. The honey chipotle glaze is slightly sweet so it cuts some of the heat of the chicken. My husband even said it should be on a menu…pretty high praise coming from a man who’s not very descriptive 😉 I’ll take that as a thumbs up from him. We ate this on a homemade sub roll (to be blogged about soon) with lettuce, tomato, avocado and some more of the glaze. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Chipotle Honey-Glazed Chicken – adapted from Smells Like Home

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp chipotle chilies in adobo
  • 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp ancho chili powder
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2″ thickness
Directions –
1. The night before grilling, mix 1 TBSP ancho powder, cumin, coriander, paprika and salt in a small bowl. Place prepared chicken breast pieces in a zip top bag, drizzle with oil and pour spice mixture over all. Mush the bag to evenly coat the meat, then place the bag in the fridge.
2. Heat your grill to high. With a stick blender or food processor, blend together the honey, chipotle puree, mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp oil.
3. Place the chicken on the grill and grill for about 7 minutes.  Flip the chicken and brush the pieces with the honey-chipotle sauce.  Cook for an additional 7 minutes.  Flip the chicken again and brush the other side with the sauce; cook for 1 more minute.    Flip once more and cook for another minute. Remove chicken from the grill and brush on more sauce as desired.

Italian Style Herb Bread

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I have had this recipe written down for almost a year and happily rediscovered it the other day. Since our new favorite garlic rosemary focaccia bread tastes so amazing, why not try another herb bread? But what makes this one even more fabulous is the addition of Italian sausage and mozzarella cheese rolled up inside. It’s kind of like our other fave, sausage bread. It marries our two favorites – the savory herb bread with a meat and cheese filling. I can’t wait to try this!

Verdict: This recipe could easily feed 6-8 people. The four of us took down half of it served with a side salad and marinara sauce for dipping. This is a winning combination of flavors for us – even my picky eater had seconds. The next time I make this, we’ll have to have company over to help, but I’m sure the leftovers will be just as tasty. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Italian Style Herb Bread – adapted from The Bread Bible

For the bread

  • 1 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp each – dried oregano, basil and rosemary
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 TBSP dry active yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 TBSP sea salt
  • 5 1/2 cups of AP or bread flour
For the filling
  • 1 1/2 pounds mild Italian sausage
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 – 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 ounces whole milk mozzarella, diced
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine pepper, herbs and olive oil.
2. In your standing mixer bowl, combine wine, water, yeast, and herb oil mixture. Using your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add flour 1 cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Remove the paddle and replace with your dough hook and knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes until the dough is smooth and springy.
3. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl then cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until the dough is doubled in bulk, about 60 – 90 minutes.
4. While your dough is rising, brown your sausage along with the onions and garlic. Drain the meat mixture well and set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pat the dough into a 14 x10 inch rectangle. Sprinkle meat mixture over the center third of the dough. Top with cheese then fold dough into a rectangle by bringing the two long ends together. Pinch seams to close and fold ends over to close. Carefully turn over seam side down onto a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Cut shallow slashes diagonally down the length of the loaf and brush lightly with olive oil. Let rest for 10 minutes then bake in the center of your oven for 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer the finished loaf to a cooling rack.