Italian Meatballs

Italian Meatballs- makes 8 2-inch large meatballs

• 1 Lb Lean Ground Beef, room temperature
• 1/3 Cup Bread Crumbs
• 1 Egg, room temperature
• 1/4 Cup Onion, finely chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Tsp. Kosher Salt
• 1 1/2 Tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a saute pan, soften onion and garlic with olive oil over medium heat for about five minutes. Remove from heat when finished. In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Work with hands until all ingredients are well incorporated. The meat should be moist, but not sticking to your hands. Form into two-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet.

Cook for about 20 minutes, or until meat is browned through (slice one ball open with a knife to be sure). 

Note- If you are serving with spaghetti sauce or red sauce, then you should put the meatballs in the sauce right after they come out of the oven. If you are serving them by themselves, then cover with tinfoil and wait a few minutes after taking out of the oven before serving.

Serve with spaghetti noodles or orzo.

Untraditional Spaghetti

Hey hey!

I love making spaghetti with untraditional flavors. Today I used herbes de provence (seems I've been making a lot with that lately ;] ) and cayenne! So good! And extra, extra fresh garlic :]

Enjoy!

Easy Homemade Spaghetti

• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 4 Small Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Small Yellow Onion, minced
• 1 Tsp EVOO
• 1 Lb Lean Ground Beef
• 2 Tbsp Herbes de Provence
• 2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Tsp Kosher Salt (you'll need more if you are like me and like a lot of salt)
• 20 Ounces Canned Tomato Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste (no salt added)
• 2/3 Cup Water

In a pot with a thick bottom, melt butter over very low heat. Add garlic and cook for five minutes. Once garlic is lightly browned, add the onion and olive oil and turn heat up to medium. Season with some salt and pepper. Cook for five more minutes until onions are softened.

While onions and garlic are cooking, brown the beef in a separate pan. Once beef is finished, drain and add it to the onion and garlic. Add the herbes de provence. Stir and let cook for a few more minutes. Next, add the tomato sauce and water. Once it has heated all the way through add the tomato paste and stir until it has incorporated. Add the cayenne and remaining seasoning. Cover and let cook over very low heat for twenty minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed. 

Serve over whole grain spaghetti noodles, cooked al dente. 

Bon Appetit!

Lemony Baked Chicken

Hey guys!

So we are officially all settled into our new apartment in Atlanta! We are in love with our location. Chris is only about a mile from his school so he is able to walk to and from classes! I've been hanging out and making the house cozy. I've had to be very conscientious about the things I cook because we are on a very strict budget right now, so I've been doing a LOT of baked chicken.

Here is one of my favorites that I've made so far:

Lemony Baked Chicken with Herbes de Provence

• 1 1/2 Tbsp Herbes de Provence
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Fresh Ground Kosher Salt
• 1/2 Lemon, quartered
• Olive Oil
• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, about 6 to 8 oz. each
• Tinfoil

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375. 

Place chicken breasts in the glass baking dish and rub each side of the chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle each side with equal amounts of salt, pepper, and herbes de provence. Place lemon slice on top of each breast and the remaining slices in the pan. Cover with foil.

Bake for 30 minutes. Halfway through, remove the foil and spoon liquid from bottom of the baking dish over the chicken. Cook uncovered for the remaining time. 

Let sit for five minutes before serving. 

I served with boiled potatoes and asparagus with hollandaise sauce. You can find the recipe for hollandaise sauce here: 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-asparagus-with-hollandaise-recipe/index.html

Note: For the hollandaise sauce, I cut the recipe in half. You can save the remaining sauce for eggs Benedict in the morning ;]