Best Spaghetti and Meatballs Ever!

I love spaghetti and meatballs..... I watched a food network show and the chef soaked their breadcrumbs in milk before adding to the meat mixture. I gave it a try and it makes a difference! The meatballs were so moist! I also finish cooking my pasta in the sauce.... I cook in boiling water till al dente then just a couple more minutes in the sauce. YUMMO! I also like cooking my sauce in the oven for a couple of hours in my big dutch oven pot, love the roasted flavor the sauce gets. Enjoy!

Best Spaghetti and Meatballs Ever

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup diced roasted red bell peppers and green peppers

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy

1 tablespoon tomato paste

One 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried Oregano

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Meatballs:

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup milk

1 to 2 lbs ground beef

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley or dried works

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup minced onion

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Instructions: 

For the meatballs: Soak the panko in the milk for 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, Parmesan, parsley, minced onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and some salt and pepper and the soaked panko. Mix well to combine; do not overwork. Form into 2 inch- balls. I dump the mixture out onto a sheet of wax paper. Pat into a rectangle about an inch thick. Then cut into rows both lengthwise and width-wise (is that even a word?) Each square should be enough for about a golf-ball size meatball--Form meatballs and place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper and lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cook meatballs in oven for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven. 

While meatballs are cooking make the Sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a large, dutch oven medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, roasted bell peppers and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, 1 cup water, and some salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer.

When Meatballs are mostly done, add to the sauce. Turn oven down to 250 to 275 degrees. Place the lid onto the dutch oven and put in the oven. let this cook for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours. 

When sauce is almost ready, cook pasta according to the package directions just to al dente. Drain but save a cup of the water. 

Get your dutch oven out of the oven, and check , if sauce is too thick ad 1/2 to 1 cup of the pasta water and stir. Bring up to a simmer on the stove and add your pasta, let simmer for another minute or two. Garnish individual servings with some grated parmesan cheese. Serve along side a steamed veggie and crusty french bread. Enjoy!!

Yummo Brown Bread

If you have eaten at Cheesecake Factory, then you know the yumminess of their brown bread... Love it slathered in butter as you can see in my picture above. This recipe was a pretty close clone of it. LOVE it. Hope you enjoy as much as I did.

CHEESECAKE FACTORY’S HONEY WHEAT BROWN BREAD

Ingredients:

1½ cups warm water (105ºF)

1 tbsp sugar

2¼ tsp instant dry yeast (1 package)

2 cups bread flour

1¾ cups whole wheat flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp espresso powder (or coffee)

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter, softened

¼ cup honey

2 Tbsp molasses

caramel colouring, or dark brown food colouring (optional)

¼ cup cornmeal, for dusting the bottom of the shaped (not baked) loafs (optional)

Old fashioned oats, for dusting the top of the shaped (not baked) loafs (optional)

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, mix together the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes to proof (it will be foamy on top at the end).

Using the paddle attachment in your stand mixer, whisk together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Add the yeast mixture, butter, honey, and molasses. Also, add your food coloring here if using. You can adjust the colour while it's kneading, so just add a little at a time. Mix on medium-low speed until combined. The dough will be fairly thick and a little tacky.

Swap out to the dough hook, and knead on medium speed for 8 to 10 minutes. This dough is thicker than your standard white bread, so it will be a little tacky, but will not pull or stick to the bottom of the bowl while kneading (but will when the mixer is stopped).

Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise is a warm spot for two hours, until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 6 equal sized pieces, and shape into mini-baguette style logs, roughly 6" long and 2" wide. See below notes for directions on this.

Place the cornmeal on a plate (if using), and set the loafs in it to lightly coat the bottom. Place the loafs on a lined baking sheet, with lots of space between them. Lightly wet the top of the loafs with your hand and some water, then sprinkle on a light dusting of oats. Spray the tops of the loafs with Pam (to keep the wrap from sticking), then cover VERY loosely with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place and let rise for another 60 to 90 minutes, until nearly doubled in size again.

Bake in a 350ºF oven for 25 to 35 minutes. The crust will be soft and squishy to the tough. Bread is cooked when the internal temperature is 190ºF, so feel free to use an instant read thermometer to check.

Let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. If baking ahead of time, store tightly wrapped in plastic wrap once completely cooled, for up to 2 days, though it's best eaten the day baked. Gently warm in the oven before serving.

Note:

With the flour - Some days I find that I need to use more flour (probably depending on the weather, or how packed my cups are). the key is to have the dough feel tacky, but NOT sticky - none of it should stick to your fingers when you give it a squeeze.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip cookies

OMG! these cookies are the bomb! to die for ... bet ya can't eat just one cookies! If you love chocolate and peanut butter you have got to give these a try. I only made half the recipe and I used my middle sized cookie scoop for the cookies. I placed the cookies in the refrigerator before baking like the recipe recommends, and baked for about 6 minutes. PERFECT cookies in my opinion. You can find the recipe here -- I love this blog. Enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, microwave for 10 seconds or set on counter for 30 minutes

2 cups granulated (white) sugar

2 eggs, cold

1/3 cup Hershey's Special Dark Unsweetened Cocoa powder

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoons salt

2- 10 oz bags Reese's Peanut Butter Chips

Instructions:

Place rack in center of oven with no other rack on the shelf directly above the center rack. Preheat oven to 400 convection bake or 425 regular bake.

Cut the butter into tablespoons size pieces.

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat butter, and sugar for about 1 minute until butter is broken up and starts to blend with the sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time until mixed well. Keep the mixer speed on medium. Turn mixer off and add cocoa, mix until cocoa is blended well.

Turn mixer off. Add all purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to bowl all at once. Pulse the mixer until the wet and dry ingredients are combined using low speed.

Fold in the peanut butter chips.

Scoop the cookies with hands onto a kitchen scale, the cookies should weigh 6 oz each. There will be approximately 9-10 pieces of dough. If you are making minis, measure out to 3 - 3.5 oz size and refrigerate before baking.

The large 6 oz cookies do not require refrigeration before baking. Bake the cookie sheets one at a time, 4-5 cookies per sheet at least 3 inches apart.

Bake when oven is hot for 5-6 minutes on convection or regular bake. The cookies are done when a top crust is formed and the cookies no longer look wet. Do not over bake!

Let the cookies cool for 30 minutes before eating.