Meatball Stroganoff

     I have always been a pasta lover.  Red sauce, cream sauce, meat, or no meat...it doesn't matter!  I could curl up on the couch with an overflowing bowl of pasta any given day.  Unfortunately, pasta can get played out.  For the not-so-enthusiastic pasta lover, pasta dishes often become boring and mundane.  This recipe was an attempt to spice it up!
     Your typical stroganoff dish is egg noodles under a creamy mushroom sauce with chopped beef.  This stroganoff is very similar but uses Italian meatballs as the protein.  This pasta dish is new, improved, and husband-requested.  It has found a permanent spot on our menu.  Enjoy!

Meatball Stroganoff
Ingredients:
Olive oil
Frozen meatballs (enough to fill a single layer of a large skillet)
Half of a bell pepper, diced
2 cups of beef broth
1 1\2 teaspoons each of dried parsley, oregano,and basil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup of light sour cream
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
Half a bag of wide egg noodles
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Brown meatballs in a large skillet with a touch of olive oil. I usually just follow the directions on the bag.  Add bell peppers until softened. Prepare egg noodles in boiling salted water. 

Add beef broth to the meatball skillet.  Raise the heat so the liquid begins to simmer.  Add your seasoning.  Stir to incorporate.  Add sour cream, again stirring so that it melts into sauce.  Finally, add the cream.  Let sauce simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce is creamy and thick.

Add drained egg noodles to the sauce mixture and serve with a flurry of grated Parmesan.

Holiday Cookies

     I absolutely love the holidays....two reasons, I have a few weeks off from work to relax AND I get to bake, cook, and indulge in delicious food treats!  This post is all about the cookies I made for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  These are perfect as homemade gifts or just to have out for guests.   Please try these and enjoy your families this and every holiday season.  :)

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (you could use milk or dark...or make some of each)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Cream the butter and the sugar in a medium bowl.  In another bowl, mix the flour and the salt.  Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until it starts forming larger clumps.  Mix in the maraschino cherries, white chocolate and vanilla extract.  Dump out onto a piece of parchment paper.

Form the dough into a rectangular log, wrap it in plastic and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour. 

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Cut the log into 1/4 inch thick slices and place them on a parchment lined baking pan with one inch of space between them.  Bake until they just start to turn lightly golden brown on top, about 10-15 minutes.

Let them cool completely before packaging them up.

White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Snicker-doodles

***Yes, as I'm typing, I just realized the commonality here.  White chocolate is my favorite chocolate and I use it often :)

Ingredients:

(For cookies)

1½ cups sugar

½ cup butter flavored shortening
½ cup butter
2 eggs room temperature
1 TB vanilla
1½ tsp. cream of tartar
2¾ cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
⅛ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
⅔ cup white chocolate chips

(For sugar coating)
3 tsp. cinnamon
4 TB sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions:
Cream butter, shortening and sugar in a mixing bowl.  Add eggs and vanilla and cream together.

In a separate bowl combine cream of tartar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt.

Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture and mix until well combined.  Add white chocolate chips and stir (with a spoonula) until well combined.

Cover with foil and refrigerate for 30 - 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the "coating" sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl. 

Form dough into small balls, roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture and then place on a greased cookie sheet.  The dough is pretty sticky.  Have a small bowl ready with water to dip your fingers tip in.

Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for about 8 minutes.

Pumpkin for Breakfast

     One thing I absolutely love about the fall season is PUMPKIN!  It's may favorite flavor of the holidays.  I love pumpkin coffee, beer, cupcakes, cookies, ice cream, annnnnd these two awesome breakfast recipes with pumpkin as the star.

Pumpkin French Toast:
Ingredients - 
3/4 cup milk
1/2 pumpkin puree
4 eggs
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
10 slices of bread
Butter, for skillet or griddle

Directions - 
Preheat a non-stick skillet set over medium heat.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.  Mix until well combined.  Pour into a shallow dish.

Butter skillet and dip bread into egg mixture.  Allow bread to absorb mixture for a few seconds.  Rotate to coat all sides.  Transfer slice of bread to the skills and cook until golden brown on bottom.  Flip (you may need to butter again) and cook on the opposite side.  Serve with warm butter and maple syrup.

Pumpkin Pancakes:

Ingredients - 

2 cups AP flour

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 large eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 butter, melted

Directions - 

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the mixture.
In a small bowl combine egg yolks, milk, pumpkin, and butter. Add to the dry ingredients; stirring until the dry ingredients are just moistened.
Beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture.
Pour about ¼ cup of batter for each pancake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. cook until the tops are covered with bubbles and the edges look cooked; flip and cook the other side.

Easy Peasy Mac 'n' Cheesy

     One staple of any American kitchen is the humble macaroni and cheese.  Everybody has their theory on the "secret" ingredient and there's really no way to mess it up.  It represents comfort and love in a bowl!  This particular recipe was seen on an episode of The Kitchen on Food Network.  It takes only a few minutes and uses ingredients that you probably already have.  The measurements below will make a family-sized portion, but can be tweaked for whoever you're cooking for.  This mac 'n' cheese is easy peasy!  Enjoy!

Easy Peasy Mac 'n' Cheesy:
Ingredients - 
1 cup heavy cream
1 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/2 cup grated or shredded cheddar
2 slice American cheese
3 cups prepared pasta
Salt, to taste

Directions - 
Heat the heavy cream in a skillet over high heat.  Be careful that it doesn't boil.  Continue heating until edges start to bubble.   Stir in cream cheese, salt, and garlic.  Whisk so that everything in incorporated.  Allow to cook for a little bit so that the mixture thickens.  Add the cheddar and American cheese and continue whisking.  Pour the sauce over the pasta and serve immediately.  So yummy!