Lamb Meatballs

Quick and simple but oh so tasty.

Lamb Meatballs

1 egg

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb ground lamb

Beat egg and mix in spices.  Then, mix in ground lamb.  Put on broiler pan that you've sprayed with a little bit of oil.  Use a tablespoon to make meatballs.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Let rest on pan and enjoy!

Swiss Chard Stems Ala Yummy...Not Yucky!

Not a big fan of cooked greens like spinach or Swiss chard unless I can hide them in something.   But, the leaves go great in a frittata...try this recipe on for size.  And, frittata's are easily adaptable.  Ours had leftover roasted chicken and no cheese last night. 

But, what about those darn stems though on the Swiss chard.  Boy howdy, have I got a way for you!

Swiss Chard Stems Ala Yummy...Not Yucky!

1 or 2 bunches of Swiss chard stems...rainbow ones are nice
1-2 T. melted butter
2-3 T. finely shredded Parmesan or more to taste

Parboil the stems, i.e. bring a pot of water to a boil and toss the stems in for 3-5 minutes.  This gets rid of any bitter taste and precooks the darn things.   Drain and run some cold water over them. Then, spread in a glass baking dish.  Drizzle with the melted butter and Parmesan.  Put in the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the Parmesan is melted and bubbly.  Serve with salt to taste and enjoy!

Note: I don't remember where I originally saw this recipe.  So, it's very much not an original.  It is good though and I actually ate it in my lunch as a leftover which is a high mark indeed.

Beef Satay

This is one of our favorite meals but we almost forgot about it because the recipe was written down on a piece of scrap paper...so, I'm making sure I'm getting it on here before I do lose it!

Beef Satay

Mix together in large bowl:

2 T peanut butter

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 T rice vinegar (or fresh lime juice if you have some on hand)

1-2 tsp ginger powder or 1 1/2 in chopped fresh ginger

1/3 c. soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

Thinly slice 1 lb sirloin and add it to the marinade.  Marinate for 1/2 hour to all day.  Whatever you have time for ;)

Strain the liquid from the beef.  Put beef in 9x13 glass dish and broil for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, bring the liquid you strained from the beef to boil in small saucepan.  Stir the meat and broil another 5 minutes.  Combine boiled liquid and beef.  Serve over rice or quinoa.

Civic duty?

I described myself as frumpy this morning.  I am never going to be accused of being a "cute" pregnant woman.  But, after seeing this picture, one co-worker had this to say, "So cool!! Thanks for helping make Salem hip."  Really, hip?  Probably not, but I'm going to take it where I can get it.  The ironic thing is, it's actually Andrew's ballot.  I decided not to vote because I'm an Independent and didn't have too many choices in the Primary.  Oh well, the picture turned out better than anticipated.

May 16th Statesman Journal

Super Easy Spaghetti Sauce

I don't really like store bought spaghetti sauces.  They are usually either too runny or too sweet or Andrew doesn't like them because there might be a hint on onion ;)  And, I hate having to buy a specialty thing when I can whip something up almost as quick with stuff in the cupboard.  Tonight, I threw this together over gluten-free pasta with turkey meatballs and got a hearty thumbs up from the men folk!

Super Easy Spaghetti Sauce

1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)

1 can tomato paste (6 oz)

1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)

splash of dry sherry, maybe a tablespoon or two

1 tsp. each of dried basil, dried oregano, and garlic powder

2 tsp. of Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. each of red pepper flakes and salt

Dump everything in a small saucepan.  Puree using an immersion blender and let simmer on low while you cook the pasta and the rest of your dinner.