Reunited and it feels so GOOD!

My best friend, Kat, was visiting over the weekend for a wedding so I met up with her and my other best friend, Helen, for lunch at The Elephant Bar in Emeryville. This place brings back memories from our teenage years cuz there was one in Fremont and it was basically the only "cool" spot to hang out at so we went there ALL the time! I can't beleive that we've been best friends ever since junior high, making that over 15 years! Even though we don't get to hang out nearly as much as we should, I know that they'll always be just a phone call (or email) away! The food was decent but the company was definitely the BEST!

Another Yummy Panini

After a long week, our Friday night dinners are usually quick and easy. My go-to is usually Pizza or Panini and tonight, we had a yummy sandwich that was inspired by Sargento. I saw this recipe for Panini with fresh tomato and red onion relish and immediately knew it would be good! I substituted roast beef and Provolone cheese for the salami and cheddar and the flavors were AMAZING together! That onion relish had the perfect amount of sweetness from the honey with just a tiny kick from the vinegar. I can imagine it being good on a hamburger or steak too. I'll have to give that a try soon!

Muffins...Mediterranean Style!

I love Mediterranean flavors, especially the combination of feta, tomatoes and basil. It's perfect on Bruschetta, Crostini and just about any baked goods, so why not in a muffin right? I've just recently discovered all the new flavored Feta from the Athenos brand. I used the Garlic and Herb in these but I'm sure the Basil and Tomato would be great too! I'm SO glad I made these cuz they're just the perfect savory treat!

Ingredients: (6 muffins)


1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 c milk
1/4 c butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
8 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, well-drained, chopped
2 oz feta, chopped
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 400°F.


2. Mix together flour, sugar, basil, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add combined milk, butter, egg, and tomatoes; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold in feta cheese.


3. Fill muffin pan cups about 3/4 full. Sprinkle each muffin evenly with Parmesan. Bake 10-12 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean., Let Muffin Crowns stand a few minutes, remove from pan. Cool on wire rack.

Superbowl Brownies...well, kinda...

I attempted to make football-shaped brownies and pretty much failed miserably. I cut them into diamond shapes and tried drawing the white laces in the middle but my icing skills weren't so great. Having said that, do they KINDA look like footballs? (Especially with the football field background?) They tasted AWESOME, by the way!

Not sure what's so Dutch about this apple loaf...

...but it sure is yummy! Greg went out to dinner with his buddies and one of my favorite activities when I'm home alone is to bake! I found a bunch of different recipes for breads, cakes and muffins and finally decided on this Dutch Apple Loaf. I'm not exactly sure why it's Dutch since the ingredients seem pretty standard to me (flour, sugar, butter, eggs, walnuts, etc) but it turned out great so who cares right? I cut my HUGE Fuji Apple into pretty big chunks cuz I like to be able to taste them and I also substituted half of the flour with whole wheat for the nutty texture and of course, fiber content. I can't wait to share this with my mom!

I Never Knew Chili Could be WHITE!

I recently found out how much Greg loved Chili so I decided to make some more. While Googling for a recipe, I found something that sounded really interesting...White Chicken Chili. I seriously never knew chili could be any other color but red so I was curious to try it. (I also had the last of my slow-cooked chicken to use up so it was perfect!) I pretty much combined a bunch of recipes I found online and made my own. I also served it with more cornbread muffins but this time using Bisquick instead of Jiffy. This was definitely a new take on Chili for us but a yummy one! It almost tasted like a chowder...nice and creamy. Now our tummies are warm and stuffed so we'll be vegging on the couch to watch 3 hours of Lost now!

White Chicken Chili


Ingredients: (2 servings)


1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 c Jalapeño peppers, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 c chicken broth
1 cans (15-1/2 oz) Mexican chili beans, drained
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 c cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c shredded Pepper Jack cheese


Prep:


1. In a large saucepan, cook onion and jalapeño in oil until tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and cumin; cook 1 minute longer.


2. Stir in the broth, beans, parsley, lime juice and chicken; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.


3. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and cheese.


Corn Muffins


Ingredients: (6 muffins)


1 c cornmeal
1/2 c Bisquick mix
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c butter or margarine, melted
1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 c shredded Pepper Jack cheese
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 6 muffin cups.


2. In large bowl, stir all ingredients until blended. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.


3. Bake muffins 14-17 minutes or until golden brown.

Finally...Stuffed Meatballs!

I've seen stuffed meatballs made on TV many times but have yet to try them myself. I decided it was time! I did some research and finally settled on a recipe from the Ragu website. I tried adding the link but it didn't work so I'll just post the recipe here. I used 2 pieces of string cheese cut into 6 pieces each to stuff inside the meatballs and they were perfect! Some of the cheese oozed out during cooking but that just makes them better! I ended up with exactly 12 meatballs and only used half of them for the spaghetti so I'm thinking maybe Meatball Sammies later this week? Right now it's time for 24!

Ingredients:


1 lb ground beef
1/2 c Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 egg
2 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 12 (1/2-in) cubes
1 jar Ragu® Old World Style® Pasta Sauce (I used the 3 Cheese flavor)
spaghetti, cooked and drained


Prep:


1. Combine ground beef, bread crumbs and egg in medium bowl; shape into 12 meatballs. Press 1 cheese cube into each meatball, enclosing completely.
Bring Pasta Sauce to a boil in 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Gently stir in uncooked meatballs.


2. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes or until meatballs are done. Serve over hot spaghetti.