Tag Archives: italian

Meatball Subs

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Are you looking for an easy fifteen minutes dinner for a busy weeknight? Then this one is for you!

Frozen bag of fully cooked Italian style Turkey meatballs, a jar of tomato pasta sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and sub rolls.

Preheat the oven on the grill option.

Sauté the meatballs with a little of olive oil to get them warm, add tomatoes sauce and simmer covered for five minutes.

Cut the sub rolls, I like to make the slit on the top that way the sauce stays in.

Add a little or a lot of mozzarella cheese to the bottom of the roll, add as much as you like of the meatballs and sauce and cover with more cheese! I added six meatballs for each and it was plenty.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the subs on it and grill for one to two minutes depending on how hot is your oven!

Enjoy!

Serves six to eight.

Spinach Pasta

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Spinach Pasta

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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When I made my Chicken with Pesto dish I had to make some kind of pasta dish to complement it.

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I wanted a light sauce but full of amazing flavors and easy to eat….Pasta is such a perfect partner to a chicken dish no matter how its cooked… Continue reading →

Chicken Pasta Helper

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Chicken Pasta Helper

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Normally hamburger helper made with ground beef, but tonight I made it with ground Chicken since my husband cannot eat red meat. Continue reading →

Slow Cooker Focaccia Bread

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Slow Cooker Focaccia Bread

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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I love baking bread, but sometimes it is too hot to turn the oven on, or I have to go out shopping.

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For the past few months, I been trying to utilize the use of my slow cooker more in my cooking and baking.

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I wanted to bake bread yesterday but I had to go out shopping so I used my slow cooker, and it worked, bread was delicious and full of flavor.

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I added fresh herbs and olive oil, it is the easiest bread I ever made!

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Make the dough and let it rise for 40 minutes turn on the slow cooker and off you go.

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Walking in to the house the smell was intoxicating, smell of fresh baked bread, herbs and olive oil filled up the house.

.2 cups hot milk

.4 cups bread flour

.2 tbsp. yeast

.1/2 tbsp. salt

.2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

.2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

.2 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano

.2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil

.4 tbsp. olive oil divided

.1 tbsp. honey

Line the insert of the slow cooker with parchment paper, making sure the side are covered, spray with vegetable spray and set aside.

In to a stand mixer bowl with the flat beater attachment add hot milk, honey, and yeast, mix until its combined, let it stand for 5 minutes.

Turn the mixer on slow; add the flour little at a time, add salt and the mixture of herbs, let it mix for 3 minutes.

Add 2 tbsp. of olive oil and mix for another 3 minutes.

The dough will be sticky.

With a bench scraper, scope the dough directly in to the slow cooker insert, speared with clean hands.

Cover with the slow cooker lid, and let it rise without turning the cooker on for 45 minutes.

After the dough is rising, brush the top with the remaining olive oil, cover it with clean kitchen towel, cover with the slow cooker lid, folding the side of the towel up on to the lid.

Turn on the slow cooker to the low setting, and bake for 3 hours.

Do not lift the lid or remove the towel until the 3 hours are up so the steam won’t escape.

Remove the bread by holding the parchment paper from both sides, let it cool on cooling rack for 5 minutes, slide the parchment paper from under the bread, and let it cool completely before slicing, about 2 hours. Enjoy!

Alfredo Sauce

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Alfredo Sauce

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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It is easy to open a jar of any kind of store bought sauces, but this easy recipe of alfredo sauce will change your mind.

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The delicious white sauce filled with cheese and scrumptious flavor, and trusts me on this one; it will beat any readymade sauce.

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It is a make ahead sauce, freezes well for a month in zip top bags or for a week in the refrigerator in airtight container.

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I always use this delicious, scrumptious sauce as a base for my white pizza, but this time I paired it with my home style meatballs and made baked penne for dinner.

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Preheat oven to 375

.2 cups whipping cream

.4 cups hot milk (non-fat)

.3 tbsp. olive oil

.3 tbsp. coconut oil

.1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. flour

.1/2 tbsp. salt

.1/2 tbsp. black pepper

.1/2 tsp. nutmeg

.1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme

.1 cup + 3 tbsp. gradated parmesan cheese divided

.1 cup mozzarella cheese

.1 1/2 cup reserved pasta water

.1 bag whole wheat Penne pasta

.2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

In a heavy bottom pot, on medium heat, add the olive oil and coconut oil, add flour.

Cook the flour for 2-3 minutes.

Whisk in milk and whipping cream, continue to whisk to avoid any lumps.

Switch to wooden spoon, add salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and thyme, cook until the sauce is thick, and coat the back of the spoon.

Off the heat add 1 cup of parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese; stir until the cheese melted.

Cook the penne according to the package instructions, before darning the pasta, make sure to reserve 1 1/2 cup of water.

In 9 x 13 baking pan sprayed with nonstick vegetable spray, add pasta.

Reserve 2 cups of the sauce and set aside in airtight container for later use.

Add home-style meatballs to the remaining sauce, mix well.

Add sauce and meatballs to the pasta, add the reserved pasta water, mix well making sure all the pasta covered with the sauce.

Top it with the remaining parmesan cheese and bake for 10-15 minute.

Sprinkle chopped parsley and serve with French baguette.

Save the reserved sauce in the refrigerator to use with pizza. Enjoy!

Home-Style Meatballs

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Home-Style Meatballs

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Making your own meatballs at home is as easy as opening a frozen bag of meatballs from the store, it takes no time to get it done, it is healthier, and you know what kind of meat you are serving to your family.

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The other day all I had in the freezer ground beef and ground chicken, each of the meat was not enough to make dinner for everyone, and I did not feel like getting dressed and drive to the store just to get another lb. of beef to make meatballs.

I have few delicious recipes of meatballs, but I never made this one, by combining the ground beef and the ground chicken, these meatballs were born!

Combining both meats made the meatballs juicy and delicious and it was enough to feed the entire family.

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This recipe is a total make ahead meal, let the meatballs cool completely, add to zip top bags and freeze.

But that day I added the meatballs to my delicious Alfredo sauce and made baked penne.

.1 lb. ground beef

.1 lb. ground chicken

.1/2 tbsp. salt

.1 tsp. black pepper

.1 tbsp. minced garlic about 3

.1 medium minced shallots

.1 egg

.1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

.1/4 cup parmesan cheese

.1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

.6 tbsp. olive oil divided

.6 tbsp. coconut oil divided

In a large bowl, add all the ingredients except the olive oil and the coconut oil.

With clean hands, mix well until the meats completely combined.

With a small ice cream scope form little meatballs, roll in the palm of your hand, continue until all the meat is used, the mix should make about 66 mini meatballs.

In a large heavy bottom pot on high heat, combine 3 tbsp. olive oil and 3 tbsp. coconut oil.

Add some of the meatballs to the pot making sure to line up in single layer, brown for 1-2 minutes on each side, remove, and set aside, continue by adding the rest of the olive oil, coconut oil and brown the rest of the meatballs. Enjoy!

Pasta with seafood Medley

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pasta seafood

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Seafood and pasta is the most delicious combination of food!

There is nothing like the taste of mini scallops, baby octopus, and oyster in rich garlicky broth! Add a touch of lemon juice and its zest and you have a light healthy meal in no time!

Seafood is one of the healthiest protein and the easiest to cook, with a whole-wheat pasta to complete a healthy delicious meal. In addition, do not forget the crusty bread to soak up all that succulent to die for broth!

.2 Lbs. seafood medley (mixed baby octopus, baby shrimp, oyster, mini scallop and sliced calamari).

.4 tbsp olive oil

.1 cup water

.1/2 cup white wine (alcohol free)

.2 tbsp butter

.4 cloves garlic minced

.1 tbsp salt

.1 tbsp black pepper

.1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

.1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

.1 can whole Corn kernel 15.25 oz

.2 medium Shallots chopped

.1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving

.1/2 cup freshly grated fontinella cheese

.Juice and zest of 1 lemon

In a medium sauce pot heat olive oil and butter add shallots, sauté until soft.  Add garlic and cook for few seconds.

Add water, wine, salt, black pepper and red crushed pepper bring to boil. Add seafood, cook for two to three minutes.  With slotted spoon remove the seafood and set aside.

Add corn to the broth and cook for 5 minutes. Return the seafood and mix well.  Turn the heat off.

Cook your pasta according to the package instruction.

Drain the pasta and add to the seafood, add cheese, lemon juice, zest and mix until all combined.

Top with fresh chopped parsley, grated cheese and serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!

Fresh basil could replace the parsley if desire.

Pasta with tomato sauce

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Pasta with tomato sauce

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Stocking up your pantry is a key factor for making your life easy, making dinner after a long day at work should be effortless and that achieved by having you’re pantry well stocked up with all kind of can vegetables, tomato sauces, dry herbs, dry onion, dry garlic, all type of dry pasta. I keep all of that on hands for quick meals.

This is the last tomato sauce you will ever need, at least in my opinion 🙂 this sauce is ready in 30 minutes and it will taste like it was simmering all day long.

It’s an ideal easy fool proof for  busy moms that had a long day at work…

Granted there are great sauces that you could pickup at the store but why spend 30 minuets of your time shopping after a long day at work when you could easily make this delouses meal from scratch for the same amount of time!

.2 Cans 14.5 oz diced fire roasted tomatoes with garlic

.1 Can 8 oz of tomato sauce

.1 Can 6 oz of tomato paste

.1 Package smoked beef kielbasa sausage

.3 Tablespoon olive oil

.1/2 Tablespoon salt

.1/2 Tablespoon black pepper

.1/2 Teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

.1/2 Tablespoon dry basil

.1/2 Teaspoon dry oregano

.2 Tablespoon dry chopped onion

.1 Tablespoon dry slivered garlic

.1/2 cup water

1/2 cup of gradated Parmesan cheese

1 package of whole wheat dry spaghetti

In a large sauce pan heat olive oil, chop the sausage to small bite size; add crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, dry onion and dry slivered garlic, sauté for a minute making sure not to burn the onion and garlic.

Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and water, and dried herbs, stir well and cover to simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes.

Cook your pasta according to the package instructions and add to the sauce, mix well and cook together for a minute or two. Add cheese and serve.

your pasta should never wait for your sauce, the sauce should be made and ready before you boil your pasta.

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Pesto

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Pesto

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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I love making my own pesto at home, I love the taste of fresh basil especially the one I grow in my garden…

This is hardly a recipe but I wanted to share it.

pesto

 

1 cup fresh Mint

2 cups fresh Basil

1/4 cup olive oil

1 Tsps. sea Salt

1 Tsps. black Pepper

1 cup of mixed toasted Pecan, Walnuts and pine nuts

1/2 cup parmesan chesses

1 tsp. Lime Juice

2 tbsp. Lemon juice

In a food processer bowl add all ingredient except the olive oil, pulse for few times to mix..with the food processer running drizzle the olive oil until all combined.

I use this pesto as a pizza base, or a salad dressing it is delicious.

 

Enjoy!