{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.  

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.