Authentic Homemade Italian Dinner

Jason's grandmother immigrated to this country from Italy. Growing up he was lucky enough to enjoy her authentic cooking. Unfortunately, I never had that luxury, but his aunts/cousins all learned from her in the kitchen. The last time his aunt was visiting I asked if she would come show me the family secrets. Not only was it fun to have his aunt and mother come over and cook in the kitchen, but created a fantastic Italian and family meal. Unfortunately, we were too busy chatting to take photos of the actual process and food, but there are some action shots.

First we started with the sauce, which was the base we cooked the meatballs in and used in the lasagna. As with most family recipes the seasoning was a little of this and a little of that, until it looks/tastes right.

Sauce:
(2) 28oz cans crushed tomatoes
12oz can tomato paste
basil
oregano
garlic powder
salt & pepper

Directions:
Pour the crushed tomatoes into a food mill and rinse with 1/2 can of water each over a pot. Mix through the mill and then discard the pulp that is left over. Add the paste into the pot and seasoning. Simmer over medium-low heat. If it seems too thick, add a little bit more water.

Meatballs:
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tsp Parsley
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 eggs

Directions:
Pour all ingredients into a big bowl and mix together with your hands. Roll into walnut sized balls. 

Heat a skillet over medium high heat and brown the meatballs on all sides to get a crust. Then put the meatballs into the red sauce to continue cooking and absorb the flavors.

Serve with the sauce over your favorite pasta.

Beef Stew

Everyone has always raved about crock pots and how convenient they are. So after all of the hype we got one for our wedding and I was yet to find a recipe and excuse to whip it out. I thought it might stay in the box for a while since you don't get the cooler fall or winter weather like up north where you want to curl up with a soup, stew or chili that they are known for. However, I came across this beef stew recipe and something about it called out to me. Today was the day the crock pot was taken out of the box and its wrapping. 

Based on this dish it was definitely worth the wait. Our house smelled from all of the delicious seasonings and made us hungry for dinner! By preparing everything ahead of time it allowed me to just throw it all into the cooker, turn it on and go about our day and dinner was ready for us after our evening walk. I wasn't sure with the tomatoes since I am not a huge tomato lover, but there is more of a broth flavor than a tomato sauce so it was perfect. The only thing we missed was some good bread to dip in all the juice...guess I know what I am buying to go with the leftovers tomorrow night ;)

Beef and Tomato Stew

Source: Eat Yourself Skinny

Servings: 8 (1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:

2 pounds cubed stew beef

1 (15 oz) can stewed tomatoes

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

3 1/2 cans of water using tomato paste can 

1/4 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

3 large carrots, sliced

3 ribs celery, chopped

1 can peas, drained

2 russet potatoes, quartered

1 Tbsp. dried basil

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. Mrs. Dash original blend

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 bay leaf

Directions:

Chop your onion, carrots and celery and set aside. 

 

In a slow cooker, add stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and mix together. 

 

Stir in cubed meat, chopped vegetables and peas.  Season with remaining ingredients and slow cook on low for 8 hours.

When we were at lunch today the table next to us ordered lettuce wraps as an appetizer. We are both suckers for them but rarely order them out for all of the sodium. So for dinner we thought we would make a healthier version at home. This can also be made with ground turkey but we used 96% lean beef. The spices give them a nice kick  in contrast to the crisp lettuce leaves/cups and you can always add some cheese if you like.

Thai Beef Wraps

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound  lean ground beef
• 1 small sweet red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons  finely chopped ginger
• 2 cloves  garlic, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 12 large Boston lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch each mint and cilantro, leaves picked, rinsed and dried
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Crumble in beef and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until no longer pink.

2. Add sweet pepper, scallion, ginger, garlic, pepper flakes and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat; stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil.

3. To serve, put lettuce, cucumber, mint and cilantro on a platter. Place 1/4 cup beef mixture in a piece of lettuce, top with some cucumber, mint and cilantro. Squeeze some lime on top and roll up.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 252, Total Fat 11g, Saturated Fat 3g, Cholesterol 70mg, Sodium 545mg, Carbohydrate 11g, Fiber 4g, Protein 28g

Source: Family Circle

No meal is ever complete without dessert. Tonight, for dessert I made some peanut butter and chocolate chip drop cookies. You can’t go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate and these didn’t let me down. One of the best parts is that everything called for in the recipe are items I keep on hand in the pantry and doesn't require planning ahead or a trip to the grocery store. There isn’t even any butter in them so I like to think they are healthier. 

Super Peanut Butter Drops

Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter (I used creamy)

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup chocolate chips, plus more for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2.  In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and baking soda until well mixed.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time.

4. Add in the flour, mixing until well combined.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips. I did this with a wooden spoon so that the standing mixer would not ground up the chocolate chips

6. Using a cookie dough scoop or your hands, form the dough into 1 and 1/4-inch balls, slightly flattening each one, and place onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

7. Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are slightly puffy and light brown around the edges. Let cool on a wire rack.

Source: The Curvy Carrot