Spaghetti and Meatball Pie

 

  Spaghetti and Meatball Pie?!  I loved this dinner, it's such a fun form of spaghetti and meatballs.  It was a little more work than slapping noodles on a plate and covering with sauce, but not much (especially if you buy the meatballs like I did). I'm normally not a fan of spaghetti and meatballs (see other confessions here), but I loved the flavors and textures from this variation.  The creamy cheese and the noodle crust really did it for me.    I used pre-made meatballs and doubled the recipe to make two pies.  I'm really glad I doubled it because it was really tasty and having an extra dinner in the freezer is convenient.  Doubling also made measuring a bit easier for using a full containers: a whole box of noodles, 16 oz can of tomatoes (I haven't seen 8 oz cans), full 1 lb container of cheese, etc.   Cook's Note: My pie took almost an hour to bake before the middle was warm.  All ovens are different and the temperauture of the ingredients will make a difference if you do some steps ahead of time.  To check the temperature, poke a knife into the middle of the pie (going down to the bottom) and put it to you lips.  If it's still cool, continue cooking until it's warm enough. 

Spaghetti and Meatball Pie From My Retro Kitchen

Yield: 6 servings

8 oz (half a box) dry spaghetti noodles
2 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2  eggs, well-beaten

1 lb ground turkey or beef, divided (1/4 for meatballs and 3/4 for in the skillet sauce)
1/2 cup onion, diced
3/4 cup zucchini, shredded (optional)
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1 (8 oz) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes (don’t drain) or 4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped or 1 tsp dried oregano, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese

1/2 cup Mozzarella or Moneterey Jack cheese, shredded

Meatballs (makes 4-6)

The reserved 1/4 lb ground meat
8 Ritz crackers, crushed (or 1/4 cup bread crumbs)
1 tsp fresh oregano chopped
1 tsp fresh basil, chopped
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

For the Meatballs:

Combine all ingredients and roll into golfball sized meatballs.  Brown on all sides and set aside. 

For the Pie:
Cook spaghetti noodles. Drain. Stir butter into hot noodles until melted. Stir in Parmesan cheese and eggs. Form pasta mixture into a crust shape in a buttered 9-inch pie plate.

In skillet, cook ground beef and onions, bell pepper and mushrooms until meat is browned. Drain. Add to meat mixture, tomatoes, zucchini, tomato paste, oregano and garlic. Heat through. Spread cottage cheese over bottom of spaghetti crust.

Top with tomato/meat mixture.  Cut the meatballs in half and arrange on top.  Sprinkle grated cheese over all.

Lightly cover pan with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove foil and bake for 5-10 more minutes until cheese is lightly browned.  Cut into pie wedges and serve.

Freezer Instructions: You can also prepare this dish ahead of time and freeze for later.  If you want to go this route, cover the pie pan with foil right after assembly; label and freeze.  When you are ready to serve: Thaw, bake covered for 25 minutes at 350 F. Remove foil and bake for 5 minutes more until cheese is lightly browned.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

I have to admit, I had never made corned beef and cabbage before last weekend.  I knew I liked it, but usually made Ruebens for St Patrick's Day.  I was always afraid that cooking the corned beef would make a lot more than I wanted to eat.  I'm so glad I finally made it! This recipe was ridiculously easy and really darn tasty.  It uses Guinness as the cooking liquid instead of water and I highly recommend trying it.  And guess what? It didn't make too much!  I had a 3 lb flat and got 5-6 servings out of it.

Excellent pour by Kevin

Cook's Notes:
If you use a smaller brisket like I did, make sure you reduce the cooking time. 
We paired our Irish dinner with a Half and Half (Irish are offended if you call it a Black and Tan).


Corned Beef and Cabbage
Adapted From Steamy Kitchen
Yield: 6-8 servings

For the Corned Beef:
2 bottles Guinness beer (or other dark beer)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3.5 lb corned beef brisket flat, rinsed well, patted dry
1 Tbsp pickling spice (or the spice packet that comes with the beef)
1/2 onion
1 head garlic, halved

For the Vegetables:
1 head cabbage
1 big spoonful of bacon drippings (can substitute cooking oil)
a few carrots, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1 pound of red potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Preheat oven to 300 F. In a large pot or dutch oven, whisk together the beer and brown sugar. Add the beef, it should almost be completely covered by the beer (I added about 2 cups of water to get the liquid higher). Add the pickling spice, onion and the garlic. Bring to a simmer on the stovetop, uncovered is best so you can keep an eye on it. Boiled-over beer is no fun to clean.

Once it begins simmering, cover the pot and place in oven to roast for 3-5 hours, flipping meat once during halfway point (reduce cooking time if using a smaller brisket). Remove from oven. Spoon out 2 cups of the corned beef braising liquid to cook the cabbage.

To make the vegetables:
Cut the cabbage into 8 wedges. In a separate large, wide pot, heat up the bacon drippings/oil on medium-high heat. When hot, swirl the pan around to get the fat to evenly coat the pan. Add the cabbage wedges, cook until browned and turn to brown the other side. 

Add the carrots and potatoes and pour in the reserved corned beef cooking liquid, bring to a simmer and cover the pot. Turn the heat to low and let cook for 10-15 minutes. Use tongs or a large spoon to carefully remove the cabbage and set aside. Continue cooking the carrots and potatoes another 5-7 minutes or until cooked though (pierce with fork to check doneness). Sprinkle with parsley.

Slice the corned beef across the grain and serve with the cabbage and vegetables. Pour a bit of the sauce over the corned beef just before serving.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! 

I hope you had a good one.  Attached or single, there is alway something or someone to love!  

I am currently loving my chocolates and candies class this week.  I made all of the treats pictured including the chocolate box.  Tomorrow I have caramels to cut then dip in chocolate and I'll be making a chocolate centerpiece.  Looking forward to telling you about it!

Cake Pops

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Happy February and Happy International Cake Pop Day! 

There is a food holiday for just about every day of the year and I don't normally follow them.  In fact, I had no idea it was Cake Pop Day until I opened Google Reader this morning.  Never heard of a cake pop?  Well, they are just cake balls on a stick!  Cake balls are cake crumbs mixed with frosting, shaped, then dipped in a chocolate coating.  They are perfect little bite-size desserts.

I recently had an order of cake pops for a baby shower (twins!) so I might as well share them today of all days.  I thought they turned out really cute.

**I'm available to bake for you!

Email me to get things started: sarah [at] sarahberridge [dot] com**

Cake Pops

Inspired by Bakerella

Cake Balls (left uncoated)

Chocolate or candy melts
Vegetable oil or melted shortening (optional, may be needed to thin the chocolate, add a little at a time)

Candy Sticks

Cake Pop Stand* (optional, but necessary if you don't want a flat top)

*You'll need somewhere to put the cake pops and if you don't have a stand you can easily make one.  Buy some thick foam board (found in the floral section of a craft store).  I used 2" thick 1'x3' and it worked well for large batches.  Poke holes with a candy stick about 2" apart being careful to push straight down and to not go all the way through the bottom.

1. Roll and chill cake balls (Go here for recipe and instructions)
2. Dip the stick about 1/4"-1/2" into melted chocolate, then stick halfway into cake ball. There will be a little chocolate that comes out around the stick.
3. Let the chocolate set.
4. Melt chocolate/candy melts
5. Dip your cake pops. Make sure you cover the little bit of choclate that was popping out around the stick.  Swirl and lightly tap to get off excess coating.
6. If using sprinkles, add them now before the coating hardens.
7. Chill and let cake pops harden.
8. Add decorations (swirls, baby feet, etc).
9. Let coating harden before packaging the cake balls.

 

Roasted Chickpeas

I've got another healthy snack to add to the roster:  Roasted Chickpeas!  They are crunchy and addictive and you should definitely try them.  Flavor them any way you want using savory and/or sweet seasonings.  Lately I've been using a similar spice combination that I do for the Spiced Almonds. I'd like to experiment with a sweet version too (brown sugar, cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg, pinch of cayenne pepper).

Sooo, where can I buy chickpeas in bulk? 

Side Note: I did a cost comparision of dried vs canned and it was cheaper to get the canned chickpeas.  I thought that was interesting so until I can prove otherwise, I'm going with canned.  Less work and less money!

UPDATE: Roasted chickpeas taste great on a salad!

Roasted Chickpeas
Original Recipe
Yield: 8 servings (about 4 cups)

4 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp of any seasonings (I've been using about 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp hot chili powder)

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line two rimmed cookie pans with foil.

Lay a dish towel (or paper towels) over the sheet pans.  Dump the rinsed chickpeas onto the towels and give them a rub to remove some of the water.  If any of the papery skins fall off, remove them.  Mix the chickpeas, olive oil and seasonings in a large bowl to coat evenly, then divide between the two sheets.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the insides of the chickpeas are dried out.  Stir occasionally, and keep an eye on them toward the end so they don't burn.

Pickled Turnips

I love the pickled turnips that come with the hummus platter or on certain "sandwiches" at Middle Eastern restaurants.  I didn't have plans for the turnips in the fridge so I pickled them.  I even had a few tiny beets from our garden to stain the turnips their signature pickled pink color.   The pickled turnips made an interesting and colorful addition to my usual veggie tray.  They were very popular too, I was constantly refilling them.  I know a few ladies that will be very happy that I finally posted this recipe.   Raw veggies and hummus are a favorite for snacking, but I think a lot of us get stuck in the pepper, carrot, pea pod rut.  Add some pizazz to the mix with pickled turnips!   Like most pickles vegetables, these turnips are much easier to make than you think.      Pickled Turnips
From David Lebovitz 
3 cups water, separated
1/3 cup (70 g) coarse white salt, such as kosher salt or sea salt
1 bay leaf
1 cup white vinegar (distilled)
2 lbs turnips, peeled
1 small beet, or a few slices from a regular-size beet, peeled
3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

In a saucepan, heat one cup of water. Add the salt and bay leaf, stirring until the salt is dissolved.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Once cool, add the vinegar and the rest of the water.

Cut the turnips and beet into batons, about the size of French fries. Put the turnips, beets, and garlic slices into a large, clean jar or bowl, then pour the salted brine over them in the jar, including the bay leaf.

Cover and let sit at room temperature, in a relatively cool place, for one week. Once done, they can be refrigerated until ready to serve.  They'll keep well in the fridge for about six weeks.

Blog Goals for 2013

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Like most people, I seem to do much better completing goals if they are written down.  I'm more likely to remember and there's the added bonus of having a list to refer to as a reminder.  I've been blogging for over 3 years now, and this year I created some goals for myself and the blog for the next 12 months. 

Blog Goals for 2013

1. Make at least 9 things from my List
2. Blog makeover
3. Set up a menu for my baking "business"
4. Set up a recipe index
5. Post at least 3 times per month
6. Guest post on other blogs at least 3 times this year (at least one won't be a recipe)
7. Weed down my Google Reader subscriptions
8. Comment more on other blogs
9. Host a giveaway
10. Be more active on Twitter
11. Be more active on the Facebook page
12. Add all my posts to Pinterest
13. Start pastry school (first class is in Feb!)

Do you set goals/resolutions once a year (New Years)? Or do you break it down into smaller chunks of time so you can reevaluate and create new goals? What are some of your goals?