What do you call spaghetti with no tomatoes?

The other night I was watching Food Network and Rachael Ray was making spaghetti. However, instead of the traditional tomato sauce, she used garlic and shallots. Mr. G was a little leary when I suggested a total vegetarian meal, but like always he is a good sport and I think he was pleasantly surprised.

 

That’s a Shallotta Spaghetti (30 Minute Meals)

2 tbs, Olive Oil

2 tbs. Butter

2 cloves Garlic, minced

10 Shallots, finely diced

Handful of Parsley

1 cup Parmesan Cheese

Spaghetti

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter and olive oil. After you get the garlic and the shallots diced, saute them for 20 minutes or until they are caramelized. While the shallots are cooking boil the water and cook the spaghetti. Reserve a cup of the starchy cooking water and then drain the spaghetti. As the spaghetti drains, pour the starchy water into saucepan, add parsley and cheese. Toss with spaghetti. Serve with a piece of crusty bread.

A Touch of Country

Mr. G likes to tell people that even though his wife is from "Burke County" that she is not a country girl. In part that is somewhat true. I don't really like country cooking, but for his sake I thought that I would try the mysterious dish of Chicken Fried Steak. Is it chicken or is it steak? Lucky for me Sunny Anderson was cooking this the other day, so I borrowed the recipe from her. Hope you enjoy.

Sunny's Chicken Fried Steak with Diced Potato Gravy
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 pounds cube steak
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup cornstarch

In a medium bowl, wisk the eggs, cumin, cayenne powder, and salt and pepper. Add the steaks, stir to coat, and let sit 10 minutes. In a paper bag combine the flour, cornstarch, and a few pinches of salt and a few turns of pepper. Remove the steaks from egg mixture and put into the paper bag. Roll the top of the bag to close and shake until the steaks are evenly coated. Put onto a baking sheet with a rack and let sit 10 minutes.

In a heavy bottomed pan, add oil and let the temperature get to about 370 degrees. Fry the steaks, in batches, only flipping once when color is golden and a poke releases no red juices about 2-3 minutes on each side. Put on baking sheet and keep in oven to stay warm.

Diced Potato Gravy
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups beef broth
1 large baking potato diced

In a large pot heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until tender about 3 minutes. Wisk in the flour, stirring to combine with butter. Add the bay leaf and broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until slightly thickened, then add the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are tender and the gravy has thickened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the gravy poured over the steak for a perfect country dinner.

So Sweden has something better than hot guys

You have to admit, there is something about men from Sweden that is hot. I don't know if it is the language barrier, or what, but in my opinion they are handsome. Mr. G loves swedish meatballs. I have never really liked them, but since I am a good wife, I found a recipe and decided to try. The only problem with this recipe is that it does take time. So this not a 30 minute recipe. Make sure you plan plenty of time to make up the meatballs. They make about 30.

Swedish Meatballs
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, minced
1 pound ground turkey
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons salt
fresh black pepper
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs

Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender. Remove the onion to a plate and cool. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel. In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, egg yolks, heavy cream and onion. Add salt and pepper. Stir in bread crumbs. Mix gently until combined. With a bowl of cold water standing by, form meatballs about 1-inch across. Dip your fingers in cold water, from time to time. to keep the meat from sticking to your hands.

Melt the remaining butter in the saute pan and once the foam has subsided add a layer of meatballs. Do not overcrowd the pan. Shake the pan once in a while, to keep the meatballs round. Brown all of the meatballs, in batches, removing them to a large casserole dish. Put the dish in the oven for about 20 minutes.

To make the sauce: Pour off most of the fat from the skillet and return it to the heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl it around to coat the pan. Sprinkle in the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve the flour into the fat. Pour in the chicken stock and stir to loosen the bits from the botton of the pan. Simmer, stirring, until the liquid is reduced and the mixture starts to thicken to a sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and stir in the cream. Add the meatballs and simmer for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.


Instead of egg noodles, we had homemade mashed potatoes.

This recipe was taken from Tyler Florence. It has been altered for our likes.

The Name Sounds Fancy

So Mr. G every once in while asks for a specific dish that I have made in the past. Most of the time I humor him and make in the same week. However, Mr. G has asked for the following dish for over a month and now I am finally getting around to making it again. He specifically asked for me to put it in my blog so others can enjoy. The name of this dish sounds really fancy, but it is really just stuffed meatloaf, but that doesn't sound all that great right? I hope you enjoy

Beef Brasciole

1-1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper
1 egg
3 tablespoon parmesean cheese
3 tablespoon parsley
6 slices of provolone
a handful of fresh spinach

Mix all ingredients except for the last 2 in a bowl. (Just like meatloaf right?) Then put loaf on a piece of wax paper. Flatten into a rectangle about an inch thick. Then layer the provolone and the spinach. With the help of the wax paper, start to roll the meat with the spinach and provolone in the middle. It should look like a long log. Place onto a baking sheet. Drizzle the top with olive oil. Bake at 450 for 35-40 minutes.

Comfort Food

During this windy day, I thought that I would make Mr. G some comfort food that would keep him warm. One of his favorite "go to" meals is Hamburger Helper. While I don't think there is anything wrong with Hamburger Helper, I personally perfer something a little more homemade. Thanks to the Kraft magazine, here is a homemade version of Cheeseburger Helper.

Velveeta Cheeseburger Mac

1lb. ground beef
2-3/4 cups water
1/3 cup ketchup
1tsp. onion powder (i use 1 small onion)
2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked (i use small shells)
8oz. Velveeta, cut into cubes

*Brown meat and saute onion in large skillet and drain.
*Add water, ketchup; mix well; Bring to boil. Stir in macaroni; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 8 to 10 minutes.
*Stir in Velveeta; cook until melted.

I go one step further. After the Velveeta is melted, I pour into a 9x13 casserole dish, cover with shredded cheddar cheese and put under the broiler until cheese is melted.

This is a great recipe to make ahead of time and freeze. Trust me, there will not be any leftovers.

Warm and Comforting

I must apoligize, I have started a news semester in school, and things have just been really hectic. On days that I have class, Mr. G is kind enough to make dinner, but I still have the itching to get into the kitchen and whip up something fantastic the nights that I am home. Since it has been so chilly lately, I decided that last night we would have chili & cornbread. My chili recipe is nothing fancy, but it will warm you up when you are cold.

Chili

2-cans mild chili beans
2-cans diced tomatoes with chilies
1-can mexicorn
1lb. ground beef
1-diced onion

Brown beef and onion. Drain off beef. Put remaining ingredients in and set to boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower temperature and simmer 20 minutes. Serve with cheese & sour cream.

A Little Bit of Heaven

For the past few days, I have been under the weather and last night, I decided to make a nice comfort dessert. The recipe is truly titled "Chocohotopots", but at the Seese's, we like to call this "Little Pots of Heaven". I hope you enjoy this dessert as much as we do.

Ingredients

1 cup dark chocolate morsels
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 400. In a microwave-safe bowl melt the chocolate and butter until silky smooth. Remove and let cool.

Stir together the remaining ingredients. Add the cooled chocolate. Pour into 4 buttered ramekins. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately with powered sugar, whipped cream, or ice cream on top.

This is a nice treat when you are feeling down or under the weather.