Spaghetti and Meatballs

Just another recipe on a classic dish (from allrecipes.com). I was a little leery that the meatballs would cook completely (160 degrees) while embedded in the sauce, but it came out perfectly cooked and wonderfully delicious. I hope you enjoy!

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (16 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 3 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano, divided
• 1 dried bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound ground round
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked spaghetti

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion until lightly brown. Mix in 2 cloves garlic, and cook 1 minute. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, 1/2 the oregano, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer while preparing meatballs.
2. In a bowl, mix the ground round, bread crumbs, remaining oregano, remaining garlic, parsley, eggs, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Roll into 1 inch balls, and drop into the sauce. Cook 40 minutes in the sauce, or until internal temperature of meatballs reaches a minimum of 160 degrees F (72 degrees C).
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and stir in the spaghetti. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the cooked spaghetti.

Mug n' Muffin

So blessed to have wonderful women in my life, and I really enjoyed catching up with these women at a "Mug n' Muffin" breakfast at my place. Did I mention the delicious muffins as well? I made two kinds of muffins, both regular-sized and mini; I hope you enjoy!

Real Simple Sugar Crusted Raspberry Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

Directions
1.Heat oven to 400° F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or coat it with cooking spray, vegetable oil, or butter.
2.In a medium bowl, combine 1 3/4 cups of the flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and combine. In a second bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, and vanilla. Gradually add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined; the batter will be lumpy. Toss the berries with the remaining flour in a bowl. Gently fold the berry mixture into the batter.
3.Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full. Sprinkle the batter with the remaining sugar. Bake for 17 to 20minutes (10 minutes for mini muffins) or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Banana Crumb Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Crab Cakes

I had never made crab cakes before and thought they would be super difficult. These were delicious and so simple. I did have to manage them carefully to not break apart when dredging in panko. Thanks, Cooking Light, I will definitely be making them again!

• 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1 1/3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
• 1 lb lump crab meat (I used 2 6-oz cans), drained
• 2 tbsp olive oil

1. Combine first 7 ingredients. Add 1/3 cup panko and crab; toss gently. Divide crab mixture into 8 equal portions; shape each in a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Place remaining panko in shallow dish. Gently dredge patties in panko.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil to pan. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and crab cakes.

Serving: 2 crab cakes, calories: 400.

Cream of Chile-Chicken Soup

With both me and the husband having a cold a warm soup is just what the doctor ordered. This creamy soup is simple to make. I like how it uses ground chicken instead of rotisserie chicken or another way to prepare chicken. Feel free to make substitutions as needed. Serve with cornbread muffins or crackers. I hope you enjoy!

• 8 oz ground chicken
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups milk
• 1 10-3/4 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 7-oz can whole kernel corn with peppers, drained
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 4-oz can diced green chile peppers, drained
• 2 tbsp snipped cilantro or parsley
• 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven cook ground chicken, onion, and garlic until chicken is no longer pink and onion is tender.
2. Stir in milk, cream of chicken soup, corn, chopped tomato, chile peppers, cilantro or parsley, and ground red pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add Monterey Jack cheese. Cook and stir until cheese is melted.

Makes 4 servings. 375 calories per serving.

Turkey Lasagna Rolls

I liked how this recipe was a twist on simple lasagna and didn't use jarred tomato sauce. Simple and tasty; I hope you enjoy!

8 servings.

Cook time 30-35 minutes.

• 8 oz ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 cup water
• 1 7-1/2 oz can whole tomatoes, cut up
• 1 6-oz can tomato paste
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
• 1 tsp dried basil, crushed
• 8 packaged dried lasagna noodles
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 15-oz can ricotta cheese
• 1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. For sauce, in a large skillet cook turkey, onion, and garlic until turkey is no longer pink. Stir in mushrooms, water, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, and basil. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water.
3. For filling, in a mixing bowl stir together egg, ricotta cheese, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
4. To assemble rolls, spread about 1/2 cup filling over each lasagna noodle. Roll up noodles. Place lasagna rolls seam sides down in a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Pour sauce over lasagna rolls. Cover with foil.
5. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes more until heated through. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.