Cooking for Seven

This past month I have been quite spoiled. During the cold winter months construction is much slower; Reuben has been having so many days off from work. It’s like endless weekends spent together.

My days have been filled with leisurely walks through the woods, mugs of tea (several times a day), lovely reading, Pinterest (of course), organizing, photographing, and generally preparing for baby. It feels like the breath before the plunge; the calm before the storm.

In preparation for the new member of our family, I have been making up nutritious meals and slipping them into the freezer. So far I have stored up chicken broth, homemade bread, sausage and potato soup, and a couple bags of these meatballs.

Making meatballs is so much more fun with Reuben as my compatriot. He is constantly putting a smile on my face with his words as we exchange and steal kisses. And he does the hardest part: browning the meatballs.

Of course not all of the them make it to the freezer. We like to feast on them with mashed potatoes, gravy and peas, or with a red sauce over noodles.

Meatballs From Scratch | adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier | makes 6-8 servings | PRINTABLE PAGE

Ingredients:

• 6 slices crusty bread (or about 1.5 - 2 cups of panko or quick oats)
• 3/4 lb ground beef (we use ground venison)
• 3/4 lb ground pork
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 3/4 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• coconut or olive oil, for frying

Directions:

1) If using bread slices, bake at 200°F (95°C) on a baking sheet in a single layer for about 30 minutes, or until dry. Pulse in a food processor or blender until crumbled.

2) Put the breadcrumbs and the remaining ingredients (besides the oil) in a large bowl and mix with your hands until everything is very well combined. Add more breadcrumbs or milk to create the right consistency. Form the meat into balls (I like mine a bit smaller than golf ball-sized) and line up on a cookie sheet. Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

3) Preheat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs until browned on most sides, working in batches. Meatballs will not be cooked all the way through. Transfer to a baking pan and bake in preheated oven until cooked through, about 15-25 minutes.

4) Use the meatballs immediately or cool completely and store in the freezer. Simply reheat in the oven or thaw and cook in a red sauce or white gravy.


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I have reconsidered publishing this post so many times. I’m usually too chicken to post anything so controversial. But I need to get this off my chest. Please note that I’m not trying to judge anyone - you have to do that for yourself.

So here goes my first rant…

Edit: Because it gave the wrong impression, I have decided to remove the intro to my post. I felt it was detracting from the heart of this discussion. My sincerest apologies for any hurt caused by my words.

Belittling your husband to anyone is low. Very low.

Our husbands are the people we are closest to. We share our deepest feelings with each other.

How would you feel if you found that your husband had been complaining about you to all his friends. Laughing at your bad days. Poking fun at your shortcomings. Would you be livid? So would I.

Somehow we think that we have the right tell the world how moronic we think our husbands/parents/siblings are. Now, I happen to be married to the most amazing man in the world, so I have no trouble singing his praises. But even if he was a jerk, I would have no right to tear him down in public. After all, I’m not perfect. I wouldn’t want him to tell everyone about my imperfections.

I’m not saying that I’ll never fall into that trap - I’m newly married and have many years of experience to go. But I hope with all my heart that if I do, I can be pulled out of it.

So the next time you feel like ratting your husband out, think about how you would feel if he did the same for you.

Cook him something he loves instead!

:: END OF RANT ::

Reuben loves egg rolls. Or most anything deep fried. I love this man.

Eggs rolls are one my favorite restaurant foods to make at home. So easy, yet so delicious.

Notes:

I thought the filling could use a tad more salt. Next time I may add a little more soy sauce and perhaps a bit more ginger. Because I love ginger. A lot.

You can also bake these egg rolls in a 400 degree oven. Simply grease the pan a brush the tops of the egg rolls with oil. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Egg Rolls

Adapted from egg roll wraps package | Printable Page | Makes approximately 12 egg rolls

Ingredients:

• Egg roll wraps, store-bought or homemade
• 1/2 lb. ground pork
• 1/2-1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 cup finely chopped cabbage
• 1/4 cup shredded carrot
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
• Coconut oil, for frying

Directions:

1) In a skillet set over medium heat, cook the pork until almost done. Add the ginger and continue to cook until the pork is no longer pink. Add the cabbage, carrots, and onions. Cook until the onions and cabbage are soft. Stir in the soy sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Remove from heat.

2) Allow the mixture to cool slightly. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

3) Fill each roll with 2-3 tablespoons of filling. Place filling diagonally on the wrap. Fold one corner over the filling, fold in the two sides. Moisten the top corner and fold over to seal.

4) Cook egg rolls in hot oil, turning occasionally, until golden, about 2-3 minutes. Place in a paper-towel lined pan in the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest.


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Check out my lasted guest post on the Tasty Kitchen Blog. Perfect for a cold late fall or winter evening.

When I was a little girl (around eight or ten) I would always request Biscuits and Gravy for my birthday. To me, there was no meal more delicious.

Hot, homemade biscuits.

Crumbled, ready to received some gravy goodness.

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Our family loves homemade pizza; but when the days grow more hot and humid, I just don’t feel like turning the oven to 500° for an hour or more. The solution: grilled pizza! Here’s the method I like to use.

Make sure you have all your toppings ready. Preheat your grill on high. Roll your dough out thinly. Grease a piece of aluminum foil that’s a little larger than your dough. Transfer your dough to the foil and place on a pizza peel.

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