{MiniChow} Meatball Sliders

Yesterday, the weather was almost cool here at the beach!  Today is even better -- sometimes a little break from this Southern summer heat is just what the doctor ordered.  I was outside enjoying the cloudy sky and below- 80 degree temperature when I decided it was time to make a little cozy meal for dinner... and nothing says cozy like a pot of sauce bubbling away on the stove and some deliciously moist meatballs baking in the oven.  

Now I don't know how you all like to make meatballs, I usually go for the bread soaked in milk trick, but these meatballs contain a cup of ricotta cheese to keep them moist so I gave it a whirl and boy were they great!  Definitely give these meatballs a try sometime, even if you just throw them in a bowl of pasta.  

On to the sauce -- everyone has their favorite and it's my personal taste to have a sauce that is just a teensy bit sweet.  Some people don't like this so feel free to omit the sugar in the recipe.  This sauce is super simple to put together but it really contains tons of flavor and pretty much impresses people every time they taste it.  
The sauce recipe makes more than you need for the sliders so save it for spaghetti the next day or simply freeze the leftovers for another time!  

{MiniChow} Meatball Sliders
adapted from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Meatballs:

1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, fresh grated
1 egg (beaten)
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed between fingertips
salt and fresh black pepper
8 slider buns
4 slices sharp provolone cheese

Sauce:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 c. dry red wine
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1/4 c. flat leaf parsley, chopped


For Sauce:
Place a medium sized saucepan over medium heat.  Drizzle pan with olive oil and add onion.  Stir and cook until onions are starting to become translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add garlic to the pan and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add red pepper flakes and wine to the pan and bring to a boil.  When wine is boiling, add sugar, salt and pepper.  Decrease heat to low and add can of tomatoes and 1/2 c. water.  Stir, cover and simmer for 2-3 hours.

For Meatballs:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease with olive oil a large roasting pan or baking sheet with sides. In a large bowl combine all the meatball ingredients using your hands or a fork. Roll into large meatballs {this recipe should make 7 to 8 meatballs} place on baking sheet and bake 30 minutes.  Remove from oven. Place 1/2 slice of cheese on top of each meatball and top with a generous scoop of sauce.  Place meatballs back in the oven to allow cheese to melt. 

Assembly:
Butter and toast slider buns. Place a meatball on each slider bun and top with more sauce if desired.  

Steak & Egg Flatbread with Creamy Brie and Caramelized Onions

Breakfast for dinner -- one of my favorite things!  As if this pizza-like dinner can't be made any better, we throw a runny egg on top!  Pure perfection.  This flatbread was made one of those nights were I had no idea what to do for dinner and was feeling particularly lazy.  I opened the fridge and saw some odds and ends...leftover steak from dinner last night, half a wheel of brie from a cheese plate a few days ago, and of course my staple go-to dinner every night after work: eggs. So I threw all these things together and enjoyed!  Feel free to mix up the ingredients and use up any leftovers you have.  Any cheese would be stellar on this flatbread but I chose the brie due to it's melty-ness -- this flatbread lacks a true sauce so the brie mixed with the runny egg kind of makes up for that.  My husband announced after his first bite that we needed a sauce so I gave our dinners a drizzle of balsamic syrup and it was delicious!

Steak & Egg Flatbread w/ Creamy Brie and Caramelized Onions (makes 2 flatbreads)

1 package (2 flatbreads) naan

leftover steak, london broil, etc, thinly sliced

1/2 wheel of brie, sliced, with rind

one large onion, caramelized 

salt and pepper 

2 large eggs

handful parsley, chopped

Balsamic syrup, if desired

1.  Preheat oven to 475.  Place a pizza stone in oven on a middle rack while preheating.  When oven is heated, place each flatbread on the pizza stone and bake until just starting to crisp, 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove flatbreads from oven, leaving the pizza stone.

2.  Top each flatbread with steak, brie and caramelized onions.  Try to arrange the toppings in a circular pattern around the outside of the flatbread, leaving space in the center of the flatbread for the egg. Season with salt and pepper

3.  Carefully crack one egg on each flatbread and place flatbreads in the oven back on the pizza stone.  Bake 5 minutes then switch the oven to broil.  This will allow the whites of the egg to set before the whole flatbread is burned.  Broil flatbreads until cheese is bubbly and egg whites are set.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with parsley.  Drizzle with balsamic syrup if desired.

French Bistro Burgers

Who doesn't love a perfect burger?  I believe that the most important part of a burger is the bun and I'm constantly on the search for the perfect hamburger bun.  Honestly, I've thought of baking them myself but let's not kid ourselves....I might be getting a little better in the baking department but when it comes to baking bread...that is a completely different beast.  No.  So on I went looking for an airy bun that is burger-worthy. The grocery stores  just don't have the good stuff....I was about to start checking small bakeries when I hit the jackpot.  My husband and I were eating lunch at Fuddruckers' and I looked up and realized, "OMG, they sell their buns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  So there you have it.  Perfect burger buns for your home grilling!  And at 3 bucks for a half-dozen, you're getting a better deal than most grocery stores!  I am one happy girl!  

The next step in a great burger is to use a grill press like this one.  And I know the comments will flow out like, "oh, these press all those delicious juices out of the burger and you end up with a dried out hockey puck". Not so.  We used our grill press last night and trust me on this -- we still had juicy burgers and we also had burgers that fit on our buns and didn't shrink up on the grill -- I hate that!

Ok so here's the deal with this burger -- it's pretty much the best burger we've ever made in this house -- and we've made a lot of burgers.  I actually attribute most of its deliciousness to the bun but hey I'll throw myself a bone on the toppings as they were amazing.  If you're not a fan of brie then go ahead and use any cheese you prefer -- but the burger will no longer be "French". Sorry.   Bon Appetit!

French Bistro Burgers (makes 4)

4 hamburger buns, split
4 tbsp butter
1 1/2 lbs ground sirloin
1 large onion thinly sliced
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
8 slices bacon, cooked
1 small wheel of brie, sliced 
4 lettuce leaves

1.  Form patties by seasoning sirloin with salt and pepper and dividing the beef into 4 patties.  Set aside until ready to grill.
2.  Caramelize onions:  In a large pan over low heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and add onions, salt and pepper to taste.  Cook onions over low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are cooked through and caramelized.  Set aside.
3.  Grill burgers until desired done-ness (medium-well is preferred).  Butter each hamburger bun and place on grill until toasted.
4.  Assemble burgers:  place lettuce leaf on bottom half of bun.  Top with burger, sliced brie, bacon and onions.  Top with bun and take it to the mouth!

Southwestern Surf & Turf with Jalapeno-Cheddar Grits

And now on to the entree of our Southwestern-Themed dinner party:  Southwestern Surf & Turf with Jalapeno-Cheddar Grits!

I’m going to spare you with all the “OH-MY-GOSH, everything is so delicious but I need to describe it all in painful detail” because I’ve got a whole lot of recipes coming at ‘cha!  Trust me when I say this:  the sauce under the shrimp pairs fantastically with both the beef and the grits; the tomatillo salsa cools the palate and pairs with everything.  Put in the work on this meal and you will be extremely rewarded in the form of a flavor explosion!!!!  That is all....  On to the recipes!

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Tomatillo Salsa and Tomato Vinaigrette

Tyler Florence 

Serves: 4

Tomatillo Salsa:

6 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and cut in chunks

2 avocados, peeled and cut in chunks

2 jalapeños, cut in circles

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

1/2 red onion, diced

Juice of 3 limes

2 tablespoons canola oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tomato Vinaigrette:

1 ripe tomato, halved, seeds squeezed out

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo

1 garlic clove

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons canola oil

Shrimp:

20 large shrimp (about 2 pounds), peeled and deveined, tails on

10 bacon slices, halved

Extra-virgin olive oil

2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish

Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

For the tomatillo salsa, toss the tomatillos, avocados, jalapeños, cilantro, and onion together in a large bowl. Add the lime juice and canola oil, and turn to coat; season with salt and black pepper. Turn the mixture over a few times until the avocados are slightly mashed and the salsa is creamy. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare everything else.

Puree the tomato, chipotle, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, sherry vinegar, sugar, and salt in a blender until smooth. Pour in the oil and puree again until emulsified and slightly thickened. Refrigerate.

Wrap each shrimp in a piece of bacon, overlapping the ends so they stick together. Place a large skillet over medium heat, drizzle with a 1/2-count of oil, and heat just to the smoking point. Lay the shrimp in the pan (do this in batches if it’s crowded) and sauté until the bacon is crisp, tossing so the shrimp cook evenly. To serve, spoon a mound of the tomatillo salsa on each plate. Drizzle a pool of the tomato vinaigrette and top with 5 shrimp. Garnish with green onion and cilantro leaves.

Chipotle Beef Marinade

1 (2 ounce) package dried ancho chiles

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons cumin powder

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

6 cloves garlic

3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/2 red onion, quartered

1/4 cup vegetable oil

One (3lb) beef tenderloin

Soak dry chilies overnight in water, until soft. Remove seeds. Add all

ingredients except meat in food processor. Puree until smooth.

Spread mixture over chicken, or other meats and refrigerate at least

one hour, up to 24 hours.

After marinating, heat grill to about 400 degrees F, or if cooking

inside, heat small amount of oil in skillet or grill pan over high

heat. Salt meat to taste (optional), and grill lightly, turning only

once, until done.

Jalapeno-Cheddar Grits (serves 4)

1 c. stone ground grits (not instant!)

2 c. low sodium chicken broth, more if needed

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

4 oz. cream cheese

4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

salt and pepper to taste

Combine grits and chicken broth in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir to combine and bring to a rolling simmer.  Decrease heat to low and continue to stir grits until most liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add minced jalapeno peppers and stir to combine. Test grits for done-ness.  If grits are not tender and creamy in texture, add a little more broth and continue stirring until grits are soft. {This can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes depending on your grits}.

When grits are done, remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese and cheddar cheese and stir until smooth.  If grits are very thick, add some more broth or water to loosen them up, if desired.  Test seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

An Elegant Halloween Party -- Part 1

Halloween is my absolute most favorite holiday of the year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I start decorating my house in August {actually I begin by mentally decorating my house somewhere in July...}.  I plan Halloween costumes the year before and lately I’ve been DIY-ing them which is super fun and keeps me in the Halloween spirit.  

The one thing that disappoints me about Halloween is that it’s not a holiday known for it’s food.  When I google “halloween food” I’m let down when I see peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into the shape of a ghost or hot dogs wrapped in dough to look like mummies.  Let’s get a little creative!  For this Elegant Halloween Cocktail Party I decided to disguise “normal” food as creepy food, choosing appetizers that fit the Halloween holiday but were sophisticated enough to work in with the “elegant” part {example: Bacon Wrapped Roaches = Bacon Wrapped Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates}.  Half of the recipes and decor will be in this post and the other half will be up on Monday!  

As far as decor tips go, the first thing I do when decorating is walk through my house with an open mind and try to use things I already have in a different way.  I have some fantastic candle holders in silver and black that I put white pumpkins on instead of candles.

To keep the price down, I hit up the dollar store and scored some pretty hideous plastic skeletons.  Nothing a little spray paint won’t fix right up!  By using a high gloss spray paint, I was able to make dingy skeletons look amazing and trendy.  

While sifting through the dollar store, I picked up some cheap wooden picture frames and went ahead and used that same high gloss black spray paint...  it completely transformed them into something fabulous!

In keeping with my “silver, black and white” color scheme, I decided to spray paint some mini pumpkins black, cut out the stems and add a tea light for a unique little candle action.

Now on to the food!

Toe Jam and Scab Pizza

{Pimento Cheese Pizza with Crispy Bacon}

1 ball pizza dough or store bought crust

1 recipe Pimento Cheese

5 slices good quality bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 450.  If using raw dough, place pizza stone in oven to heat up for 10 minutes.  Stretch dough out to fit pizza stone and bake dough for 7 to 10 minutes.  Do not let the crust start to brown.  Remove from oven.  If using a store bought pre-baked crust, place crust on pizza stone and proceed to step 2.
2. Smear the crust with a thick layer of pimento cheese and top with crumbled bacon.
3. Bake pizza for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust begins to brown.

Shrunken Head Sliders

{Tapas-Style Meatball Sliders with Sriracha Mayo and Sprouts}

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 c. ketchup

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 c. soft bread crumbs

1/4 c. minced fresh parsley

3 tsp paprika

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

1 lb. lean ground beef (90% lean)

2 1/2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

1 container sprouts

slider buns

Glaze:

1 jar orange marmalade

1/4 c. orange juice

3 green onions, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

Sriracha Mayo:

1/2 c. light mayo

juice of 1/2 lemon

3 tbsp sriracha sauce, or to taste

1. Combine first 10 ingredients, and mix well.  Divide into 8 portions, rolling into tight meatballs.
2. Place meatballs on a greased rack in a shallow baking pan.  Bake, uncovered at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes or until no longer pink.  In a small saucepan, heat the marmalade, orange juice, green onions and jalapeno.
3. Pour glaze over top of meatballs and stir to coat.
4. Combine all ingredients for sriracha mayo and spread one side of each slider bun with the mixture.  Place one meatball on each slider bun and top with sprouts then top of bun.  Serve.

Blood and Puss Puffs

{Brie and Raspberry Puffs}

3 tbsp raspberry jam

2 tbsp dried cranberries, finely chopped

1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 large egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

3 tbsp whole grain mustard

1 (6oz) wedge brie, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment.  In a small bowl, combine jam, cranberries and mustard.
2. On a floured surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll pastry dough into 16 x 16 inches.  Cut into four 8 inch squares.  Lightly brush squared with egg wash.  Cut each square into 2 rectangles.  Place 1 cube of cheese on one side of rectangle and top with 1/2 tsp of cranberry mixture.  Wrap dough on top and seal edges by pressing with a fork.  Bake for 10 minutes or until golden.

Halloween Snack Mix

{It is what it is}

8oz white chocolate baking bars, chopped

4 c. corn or rice chex cereal

2 c. bite sized pretzels

1/2 c. raisins

1/2 c. salted peanuts

1 c. candy corn

1/4 c. halloween candy decorations

1. Microwave chocolate until melted and smooth.
2. Gently stir in cereal, pretzels and raisins until coated.  Stir in candy corn and halloween decorations
3. Spread on waxed paper to harden.  

Double Bacon Burgers with Maple Worcestershire Onions

In honor of National Hamburger Month I’m giving you this monstrosity.  This burger is so fantastic there aren’t many words to describe it other than just plain gluttonous.  {Tomorrow will probably be a good time for a little SkinnyChow ;) } What I love most about it is the “double bacon” aspect of the recipe.  This doesn’t mean “Let’s just pile this burger with double the amount of bacon”, no.  This means “Let’s grind some raw bacon and mix it with the beef then top with more bacon!”  Ground. Bacon. Mixed. With. The. Beef. How have I not been doing this for years?!  Not only do you get that crunchy bacon on top but you get the smoky bacon flavor throughout the entire patty!  Mmm!

When you attempt something this delish, make sure you remember a few points: bacon has (a lot of) fat so when you grind it into your meat you are increasing the overall fat content.  This means that you can start with a more lean ground beef and still get a juicy burger.  Next, be mindful about your grilling -- the increased fat makes grill flare-ups a lot easier so pay attention.  Lastly, don’t skimp on the condiments.  This burger is flavorful on it’s own but the sweet onion topping and dijon mustard really bring it all together!  

Double Bacon Burgers with Maple Worcestershire Onions

adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine

12 slices bacon

Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling

2 tbsp butter

1 large onion, thinly sliced

salt and pepper

1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

1/4 c. maple syrup

3 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 lbs ground beef sirloin

2 tbsp grainy dijon

8 large slices cheddar

4 buns, split

1. Preheat oven to 375.  Arrange 8 bacon slices on broiler pan.  Bake until crisp, 12-15 minutes.  Place remaining bacon in food processor and pulse 2 to 3 times.
2. Heat drizzle of EVOO over medium high.  Add butter to melt.  Add onion, season with salt and pepper.  Cook 15 minutes.  Add cider vinegar, syrup and worcestershire and simmer at rapid bubble for 8 to 10 minutes
3. Combine beef, chopped bacon, mustard and pepper.  Form into 4 patties, drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper.  Grill burgers and top with 2 slices cheese and lettuce if desired.
4. Serve on buns topped with bacon and onions.
5. Go to the gym