Recipes from today's show :)

HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS

CAPRESE SALAD

MEATBALL & PEPPERONI PIZZA

TIRAMASU

HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Sauce:

¼ cup olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

6 cloves fresh garlic, minced

3 T fresh parsley, chopped

3 (28-ounce) cans tomato puree

½ can water

3 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ cup dry red wine

1 t. oregano

1 t. basil

1 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1 t. each of onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper

Sauté’ the onions in olive oil for 6 minutes, stirring often.  Add garlic and parsley.  Now add red wine, puree, water, brown sugar and seasonings.  Simmer on low for at least an hour.  The longer it simmers the better!  You may also add more seasonings to taste.

Meatballs:

1 lb. ground chuck

1 lb. ground Italian sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)

2/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1-cup breadcrumbs

3 T fresh parsley, chopped

½ cup milk

3 eggs, beaten

1 t. each of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, oregano and basil

½ to 1 cup beef broth

Mix all together except for broth, form meatballs and place on large greased jelly-roll pan.  Pour broth all around the meatballs.  Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, turning once during cooking.  Add meatballs and all drippings to your sauce and simmer for at least one hour. 

CHOPPED CAPRESE SALAD

2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped

2 fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 cup fresh mozzarella, cubed

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze

Fresh Parmesan cheese

Place chopped lettuce onto a platter, top with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil and Parmesan cheese.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or glaze and serve immediately.

MEATBALL AND PEPPERONI PIZZA

1 pre-made pizza crust or pizza dough (I like the dough from Publix)

Large pepperoni, sliced thin

1 ½ cup spaghetti sauce

10-12 meatballs, sliced thin

1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

Spread the sauce on the pizza, place pepperoni and sliced meatballs over the sauce.  Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 12-15 minutes at 425.

EASY TIRAMISU

½ cup sugar

1/3 cup water

2/3 cup strong coffee

2 (8-ounce) cartons mascarpone cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-½ cups whipping cream

3 (3-ounce) packages ladyfingers

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Fresh raspberries to garnish

In a small pan, combine ½ cup sugar and water.  Bring this to a boil until sugar dissolves.  Remove from heat and stir in coffee.  For the filling, stir together mascarpone cheese, 1/3-cup sugar and vanilla.  In a chilled bowl, beat whipping cream and 2 tablespoons sugar until soft peaks form.  This takes about 5 to 7 minutes.  Now add this mixture to the cheese mixture.  To assemble, arrange half of the ladyfingers in an 8x8 or 2-quart glass dish.  Brush with syrup mixture and spread with half the filling.  Repeat again for a second layer.  Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving and garnish with raspberries, if desired.

The cool front is here, my friends, and I really think you'll like my Chicken Enchilada Chowder! It's hearty and heart-warming!

CHICKEN ENCHILADA CHOWDER

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup onion, chopped

1 cup each of:  Milk, water & chicken broth

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 small bag frozen corn kernels

1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce

1 small can cream of chicken soup

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 teaspoon each of cumin, salt and pepper (add more if needed)

1 tablespoon Siratcha or your favorite hot sauce

1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese

Additional cheese, sour cream, avocado and tortilla chips for topping chowder, if desired

In a large pot, brown the onion in the butter and olive oil for about 6 minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients except the cheese and simmer on low for 1 hour.  Just before serving, stir in Pepper jack cheese until melted.  Place in a bowl, and top the chowder with additional cheese, sour cream, avocado and tortilla chips, if desired.

Halloween will be here before we know, so I wanted to share some of my recipes with you all :)

MELISSA FRIDAY’S CHILI

JALAPENO-CHEDDAR CORN MUFFINS

SPOOKY SPIDER DEVILED EGGS

GHOST COOKIES

HALLOWEEN SNACK MIX

MELISSA FRIDAY’S  CHILI

2 lbs. ground beef

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon flour

1 (28-ounce) can Rotel

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 can French Onion soup

2 cans kidney beans (I get 1 can of dark and one can of light beans)

1 can chili beans

1 cup water

4 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons cumin

1 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon each of salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ t. cocoa powder

Brown beef with the onion and bell pepper.  Drain the beef and place back into a large pot.  Stir in the flour until mixed well and add all of the remaining ingredients.  Simmer at least an hour, but the longer it simmers on very low, the better it is!  You may want to taste it as you cook it to see if you desire more of any of the seasonings.  I serve my chili with grated sharp cheddar, jalapenos and sour cream J

 JALAPENO-CHEDDAR CORN MUFFINS

 1 (6-ounce) package Mexican or regular cornbread mix (the kind you just add milk or water to)

1 fresh jalapeno seeded and chopped or a small can jalapeno

1 (7-ounce) can Mexicorn

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons sugar

Add the amount of milk it states on the back of the package and then add the remaining ingredients well and spoon into a well-greased 24-count mini muffin tin.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until browned. 

SPOOKY SPIDER DEVILED EGGS

12 eggs, boiled and peeled

3 tablespoons mayo

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon onion powder

¼ cups Wickles Pickles, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Dash of hot sauce, optional

Whole-pitted black olives

Cut eggs in half and carefully slip out the yolks into a medium bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients, except the olives, and stir well.  Scoop a teaspoon of yolk mixture into each egg white.  Slice black olives in half and place one on top of each egg for the body of the spider.  Slice the olives to make 8 thin slices for each egg—4 legs on each side—and place them around the body to create the look of a spider.  Wickles Pickles are a sweet and spicy pickle, but if you can’t find them, any of your favorite pickles will do J  Tip for boiling eggs:  Place eggs in a large pot of water.  Bring to a boil.  As soon as the water comes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar, turn off the stove and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid.  Let them sit for 13 minutes then rinse with cold water.  This is a trick my mom-in-law taught me, and they are always very easy to peel and never overcooked.

GHOST COOKIES

24 NUTTER BUTTER cookies

1 package of white almond bark (you can find this on the baking aisle)

mini semisweet chocolate chips

Line a large cookie sheet with wax paper.  Melt the almond bark in the microwave according to the package directions.  Dip each cookie into the almond bark and place onto the wax paper.  Press 2 chocolate chips onto each cookie for the eyes.  Place in the fridge until the almond bark sets.

HALLOWEEN SNACK MIX

3 cups Honey-Nut Cheerios

2 cups chow mein noodles

1 cup honey-roasted peanuts

½ cup raisins

½ cup orange and black M&M’s

½ cup candy corn

½ cup each of peanut butter chips and white chocolate chips

Mix in a large bowl and store in a large airtight container.  This will keep for several weeks and kids will love it!

Recipes from this morning's show :)

COLA PORK CHOPS

SAVORY GREEN BEANS

CORN CASSEROLE

DUTCH APPLE PIE

COLA PORK CHOPS

1 cup ketchup

1 cup cola (not diet)

3 tablespoons brown sugar

4 pork chops (bone-in and 1/2 “ thick)

1 onion, sliced (optional)

salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder

1 tablespoon olive oil

Season pork chops generously on both sides with seasonings.  Sear both sides for 1 minute in a skillet.  Mix first 3 ingredients together.  Place the pork chops in a baking dish, then place sliced onions over pork chops and pour cola mixture over them.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.   Let them rest 5 or 10 minutes before serving.

SAVORY GREEN BEANS

1 tablespoon olive oil & 2 tablespoon butter

1 lb. frozen Italian-cut green beans

1 package country ham, chopped

1 onion, sliced

salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

Saute’ ham in the olive oil and butter for about 10 minutes or until browned.  I like to remove at least half the ham and discard it.  Add the onions and sauté 5 minutes.  Add the green beans and pour enough water in the pot just to cover them.  Add seasonings and bring to a boil.  Once it’s boiling, turn on low and simmer for 1 hour.

SUPER CORN CASSEROLE

1 can cream-style corn

1 can whole-kernel corn, drained

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup sour cream

1 6-ounce package Jiffy corn bread mix

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Pour into a greased 13x9x2 pan, and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

DUTCH APPLE PIE

Crust & Topping:

2 cups flour

½ cup oatmeal (I use quick-cooking oats)

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 stick plus 4 tablespoons real butter, melted

For the filling:

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 ¼ cups water

3 cups of apples, sliced and peeled (I use Granny Smith)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the first 5 ingredients, mixing well.  Set aside 1 cup (this will be for the topping).  Press the rest of the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate.  For the filling, place the water and cornstarch into a small saucepan and stir until the cornstarch has dissolved.  Add the sugar and place the saucepan on the stove and bring to a boil.  Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or just until mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and stir in the apples, cinnamon and vanilla.  Pour this mixture into the crust and top it with the 1 cup of the reserved crust/topping mixture.  Bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.  Let it cool for about 20 minutes before serving.  Add a dollop of vanilla ice cream before serving, if desired J  Enjoy!