Chicken Teriyaki meatballs with edamame and snow peas

So I'm on a "let's save money and eat healthier" kick right now. I pulled this recipe out, since its one I've had laying around since December of '08. I'm glad I finally gave it a try-- this will for sure be on our repeat meal list. I substituted ground turkey for the chicken, and brown rice for white rice (since that's what I had on hand).  This originally (photo included) appeared in the December 2008 issue of Real Simple.

hands on time: 20 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

servings: 4

1.5 cups long grain rice

1.25 pounds ground chicken

2 T grated fresh ginger

2 T canola oil

.5 pounds snow peas, halved crosswise (about 3 cups)

1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed

.5 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 T brown sugar

1. Cook the rice according to the package directions.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, scallions, and ginger. Shape into 16 meatballs.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs, turning, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4. Wipe out the skillet. Heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the peas and edamame. Cook, tossing, for 2 minutes. Return the meatballs to the skillet.
5. In a bowl, combine the soy sauce and sugar. Add to the skillet and simmer until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Serve the meatballs, vegetables, and sauce over rice.

--
Jessica L Kendrick

Tacos in a Pasta Shell

Tacos in a Pasta Shell

Jenny Wright

 

I got the orginal recipe from Allrecipes.com, but made some changes.  I wanted to try it because it looked new and fun.  I think they turned out yummy.  My kiddos loved them

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 18 jumbo pasta shells
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 can enchilada sauce ( I used about 3/4 of the can)
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 1/2 cups crushed tortilla chips
• 1 cup sour cream

Directions

1. In a large skillet, brown turekey over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add cream cheese, salt and chili powder; mix and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Toss cooked shells in butter.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Fill shells with beef mixture and arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish; pour taco sauce over shells. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
5. Remove dish from oven and top with Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese and tortilla chips; return dish to oven to cook for 15 minutes more.
6. Top with sour cream and onions; serve.

Grandma's French Apple Cake

The actual title is Le Gateau de Mamie, and comes from the cookbook Chocolate and Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen.

Fancy? Actually, it's not. It's one of the simplest cake recipes I've ever made, and it's not heavy. You know how eating cake can make you feel like you've just been socked in stomach? This is the perfect cake, not only because it melts in your mouth, but because it leaves you feeling satisfied, not overstuffed. It's a crowd pleaser and goes very fast at any party.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp.  fine sea salt
1 pound baking apples (Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Braeburn...I prefer Pink Lady) (about 2 medium)
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Melt butter in microwave safe dish. Grease a nonstick 8-inch round cake pan. (I like to use Pam for baking)

2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt (I've used regular salt too, and it turns out just fine) in small mixing bowl. Set aside. Wash, peel, core apples. Cut into eighths and arrange on the bottom of the pan.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the sugar with the eggs until fluffy. I usually wait until the egg mixture lightens in color, and I can start to see the whisk leaving indents in the batter. Add the flour mixture and whisk until combined. Then add the melted butter, whisking until blended. The batter will have the consistency of thick frosting-- it shouldn't be runny.

4. Smooth batter over apples in pan, covering the apples. Pop it in the oven for 40 minutes, and the top has set, golden in color, you know it's done! Let it cool, then invert onto a plate and serve.

Enjoy! (I suggest eating with vanilla ice cream....sooooo good!)

Verrines

This little dessert I stumbled across when I was referred to NPR's food section on their website. Now that I've tried one of their desserts, I highly recommend you check out their food section: it all must be super-good recipes. 

A verrine can actually be made of anything-- the point is to layer flavors in a small glass to get cool effect overall-- it's like a realitive of the parfait.

This was one of the best, fresh, non-chocolate desserts I've ever had. Like shockingly, amazingly, I-just-died-and-went-to-heaven good. Plus, I think it would be fun for kids to make/eat.

I made a dessert verrine, but you can read the article to get some more ideas of how to use your low ball glasses at home for more than just water.

I put strawberries, then fresh peaches, a layer of the strawberry mousse, mini nilla wafers, then whip cream in mine.

Strawberry Mousse

3/4 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced

3 to 4 tablespoons sugar (depending on how sweet the berries are)

1 cup mascarpone, at room temperature

1 cup whipping cream 

Use blender or food processor to blend the above ingredients together, to create mousse. 

My only critique was that the mousse turned out a little runny. I would have put less whip cream in, owing to the juiciness of the strawberries.