Joe-approved Meatballs

Recipe Found HERE 

2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 cup beef broth, divided
1 egg
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 Tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Combine the ingredients, except for the meat well, using only 1/4 cup of the beef broth.

Add the meat and just combine. Do not over mix, but be sure seasonings are well dispersed. Coat a baking sheet with rimmed edges with non stick spray (or use parchment paper) and roll meatballs into 1 inch circles. Pour reserved beef broth around meatballs and bake at 450 for 15-25 minutes (160 degrees). 

Chicken Fajita Soup

The easiest recipe to throw together! Don't forget to prep the toppings, they make the dish.

Recipe adapted Found Here 


1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 large pieces)
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup (Healthy Request Campbell's)
1 cup salsa (fresh refrigerated, I use the whole container)
2 cups frozen corn
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Toppings:
sour cream
diced tomatoes
green onions
diced avocado
tortilla chips
Mexican cheese

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. Add chicken to the bottom of the slow cooker. I always put my chicken in frozen (if cooking on low).

In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix cream of chicken soup, salsa, corn, black beans, and cumin. Pour over the top of chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove the chicken and shred. Place back into the slow cooker and stir. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Crab Cakes

Servings: Makes 6 crab cakes, enough to serve 3 adults as a main course 

Recipe FOUND HERE 

Oma J.

CRAB CAKES
2 large eggs
2-1/2 Tablespoons mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's
1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup finely diced celery, from one stalk
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 pound lump crab meat (see note below)
1/2 cup panko
Vegetable oil, for cooking

TARTAR SAUCE
1 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's
1-1/2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CRAB CAKES
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Combine the eggs, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay, salt, celery, and parsley in a large bowl and mix well. Add the crab meat (be sure to check the meat for any hard and sharp cartilage) and panko; using a rubber spatula, gently fold the mixture together until just combined, being careful not to shred the crab meat.

Shape into 6 crab cakes (each about ½ cup) and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This helps them set.

 Preheat a large nonstick pan to medium heat and coat with canola oil. When the oil is hot, place the crab cakes in the pan and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Be careful as oil may splatter. Serve immediately with tartar sauce or a squeeze of lemon.

FOR THE QUICK TARTAR SAUCE
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Note: If you can only find jumbo lump crab meat, you may need to break the pieces up a bit. If the clumps are too large, the crab cakes won't hold together well.

Nacho Skillet Dinner

Recipe Found HERE

Ground beef, ground turkey, or shredded chicken are all excellent for this dish. If you are short on time you can substitute garlic & onion powder for the fresh stuff. You can also buy a bag of shredded Mexican cheese blend, to save time on shredding. Eat with chips or roll in flour tortillas.

Heather E.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb of ground Turkey, or ground beef, or 2 large shredded chicken breasts (we've done all ways and they are all good)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 cup basmati rice (white rice can be substituted)

1 1/2 cups water
1 (10-ounce can) Rotel, Mild
1 cup corn kernels, frozen
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup crushed tortilla chips
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground turkey, garlic and onion. Cook until turkey has browned, about 5-7 minutes, making sure to crumble the turkey as it cooks; drain excess fat. Stir in rice until toasted, about 2 minutes. Stir in Rotel and 1 1/2 cups water, and bring to a simmer, about 2 minutes. Stir in corn, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is cooked through, about 13-16 minutes. Stir in red peppers until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and top with cheeses. Cover until cheeses have melted, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately, garnished with tortilla chips, tomato and cilantro, if desired.

Fluffy Belgian Waffles

Recipe Found HERE

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In separate bowl, separate egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form. In another separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks, milk, oil, and vanilla, stir slightly. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.

Fold in egg whites. Gently! Fold a few times, it's okay to still see some of the eggs whites.

Oil the waffle maker. Cook in waffle iron on medium-high heat for around 5 minutes. Serve hot with butter and maple syrup.

Mascarpone Stuffed Dates

Recipe Found Here

4 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1 Tablespoon roasted, salted pistachios, chopped
pinch of salt
16-18 large medjool dates
1-2 Tablespoons pomegranate arils, for garnish
flaky sea salt for garnish

Instructions Preheat oven to 375℉. Remove the pits from the dates, leaving one side intact so you can stuff them.

In a medium bowl, mix together the mascarpone, honey, orange zest, pistachios, and salt until smooth and combined. Using a small spoon, stuff the dates with the mascarpone mixture (about a couple teaspoons per date depending on the size of your dates).

Place on a plate and put them in the freezer for 10 minutes. (This prevents the filling from oozing out when you bake them!)

Place dates on a baking sheet and bake for 3-4 minutes, until dates are just warmed through. Garnish with pomegranate arils and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Serve immediately!

Bon Appetit Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread

Loni P.

Recipe Found HERE

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (2¼ sticks) cold salted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped (but not too fine, you want chunks, not thin shards of chocolate)
1 large egg, beaten to blend
Demerara sugar (for rolling)
Flaky sea salt

Using an electric mixer and a medium bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until super light and fluffy, 3–5 minutes.

Using a spatula, scrape down sides of bowl. With mixer on low speed, slowly add flour, followed by chocolate chunks, and beat just to blend.

Divide dough in half, then place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold plastic over to cover dough and protect your hands from getting all sticky. Using your hands (just like you’re playing with clay), form dough into a log shape; rolling it on the counter will help you smooth it out, but don’t worry about getting it totally perfect. Each half should form logs that are 2–2¼" in diameter. Chill until firm, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a rimmed baking sheet (two, if you’ve got 'em) with parchment paper. Brush outside of logs with egg wash. Roll logs in demerara sugar (this is for those really delicious crispy edges).

Slice each log into ½"-thick rounds. Arrange on prepared baking sheet about 1" apart (they won’t spread much). Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake cookies until edges are just beginning to brown, 12–15 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating them all.

Do Ahead: Cookie dough can be made 1 week ahead. Tightly wrap in plastic and chill, or freeze up to 1 month. Cookies can be baked 5 days ahead. Store in plastic wrap or an airtight container.