Meatball Subs

I'm always trying new meatball recipes -- I just can't quite find one I really like.



This is this week's version. It's tasty, but it's still not quite what I'm looking for.

Meatballs always end up tasting like meatloaf to me...which leads me to believe they need more spice in them. Anybody have one to reccommend for my next trial run?



Italian Meatballs
(Brown Eyed Baker)


1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1 teaspoon dried Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs, divided
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder


Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Combine 1/4 cup breadcrumbs with milk and let soak for 10 minutes
- Combine with all remaining ingredients and shape into balls
- Bake for 30 minutes, then add to sauce. If you want to cook them the whole way in the oven, cook for 40-45 minutes, depending on size.

Christmas Cookies: Spritz Cookies

I'd never made -- never HEARD of spritz cookies until I got married.

I received a cookie press at my bridal shower, and quickly discovered the only "cookies" I could make with it were apparently something called spritz cookies.

Well, we got married in November of 2007 -- and just now, this weekend, the cookie press made it's debut. Surprisingly, it worked really well! I had the dough stick a couple of times, but all-in-all it worked out.

The cookies have a nice buttery/almond-y flavor to them. I like them and they're easy to make!

Spritz Cookies

(Lovestoeat, by way of Wilton)

9 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

- Thoroughly cream the butter and sugar

- Add the egg, milk, vanilla and almond extracts and beat well

- Stir together flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture, mixing to make a smooth dough

- Do not chill your dough!

- Place the dough in a cookie press and press cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I added sprinkles to mine at this point before I baked them)

- Bake for 5-7 minutes, remove cookies from sheet, cool on rack

Christmas Cookies: Italian Cookies

I saw these and they were so cute, I had to have them. I admit it -- I was swayed by good pictures!

But luckily, these little devils are delicious.

You'll get non-glazed pictures for now -- I always wait to glaze my cookies until closer to their serving date, so they stay fresh and delicious longer.

Italian Cookies

(Noble Pig by way of Bunny's Warm Oven)

Approximately 100 cookies (this is according to the Noble Pig page -- I only got 60 or so? I guess mine are bigger!)

For the cookies:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup granulated sugar

4 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

5 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon table salt

2 teaspoons lemon extract (okay to use anise or vanilla too!)

Directions for cookies:

- Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

- In the microwave melt butter and shortening (make sure the shortening is fresh or it will taste bad) together in a bowl.

- Beat the melted butter and shortening together until it is completely incorporated, about 2 minutes.

- Add granulated sugar and mix well.

- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, about 1 minute each.

- Mix in lemon extract.

- Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture slowly, until fully incorporated. Don't overmix.

- If the cookie dough is too sticky to roll in the palm of your hand, add a bit of flour. However, the dough should remain very soft, so don't add too much.

- Roll the cookie dough in small balls (they puff up quite nicely) and place them on ungreased cookie sheets.

- Bake at 375 degrees F for 8-10 minutes (mine took 8 minutes). The bottoms of the cookies should be lightly browned but the tops of should remain light in color.

- Remove cookies from the cookie sheet immediately and move to a wire rack. Cool completely before glazing.

For the glaze:

3-4 Tablespoons milk

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon extract (okay to use anise or vanilla)

Directions for the glaze:

- Slowly mix milk with powdered sugar and lemon extract.

- The glaze needs to be thick to adhere to the cookie.

- Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze.

- Sprinkle each cookie with nonpareils and leave them to completely dry.

See Noble Pig's glazed and finished cookies here -- aren't they cute?

Christmas Cookies: Russian Tea Cakes

Do you know the difference between Russian Tea Cakes and Mexican Wedding Cookies?

Most people think the names are interchangeable, but actually, Russian Tea Cakes generally contain walnuts, while Mexican Wedding Cookies generally contain almonds.

See? Now you've learned something. :-)

Russian Tea Cakes

(Allrecipes)

24 cookies

1 cup butter

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Directions

- Cream butter and sugar together

- Slowly add the flour until combined

- Stir walnuts in by hand until mixed

- Refrigerate the dough until chilled ( I don't reccommend leaving this dough in the fridge long -- maybe 1/2 hour. If you leave it in, it gets hard and is impossible to work with)

- Roll the dough into 1" balls and bake for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven

- Once baked, roll while still hot in confectioners' sugar until coated

- Let cool, then roll in more confectioners' sugar before serving/storing.

Christmas Cookies 2008

Since my mom and I are 250 miles apart, and we can't bake together, we're both baking select types of cookies, and we'll exchange some of each when we celebrate Christmas.

We're celebrating the weekend before Christmas this year -- I'm completely tired of fighting the traffic to make the drive for the actual holiday.

Anyway, here's this year's line-up -- I'll try to get them all posted soon!

Mom
- chocolate chip cookies
- pizelles (orange and vanilla i think -- i hate anise!)
- soft sugar cookies
- peanut butter cookies

Me
- russian tea cakes
- italian cookies (i made mine lemon. again. hate anise.)
- spritz cookies
- peanut butter blossoms
- cut-out sugar cookies

Menu Mondays

Another whirlwind week...I really love seeing my family for the holidays, but hate having to rush home and try to get everything done before work starts again. *sigh*

Monday: steak, broccoli
Tuesday: leftover turkey, stuffing, etc
Wednesday: rigatoni with meat sauce
Thursday: turkey and wild rice soup
Friday: leftovers?