My journey of cooking, gardening, preserving and more
I love experimenting and creating new recipes but who doesn’t love good old-fashioned potato salad? Mine’s pretty much a classic skins-on potato salad with peas added for their bright flavor and nutritional punch. I prefer to use red potatoes because I love their flavor and …
I have to confess I’ve been on a bit of a frittata kick lately. I mean really, what’s not to love about something that’s so easy to make and that you can pack full of all the veggies you love? Asparagus is growing rampant in …
This past weekend I made a large batch of meatballs; some for dinner and the rest for the freezer. I love having meatballs in the freezer – they make a weeknight dinner of pasta or subs a much easier endeavor. And since there’s nothing I love more than garlicky meatballs, my homegrown green garlic make these meatballs extra delicious. I also added a couple of garlic cloves, for a super intense garlic flavor. Vampires, you’ve been warned.
So, if you grow garlic or see green garlic at the market and have wondered what to do with it, here’s a delicious idea.
In a large bowl, mix everything together well, but not over mixing or smashing everything together too much. I use my fingertips more than my whole hands to blend it all together because I find that over-mixing and mashing it all together makes a denser meatball than I prefer.
Preheat oven to 350
Brush a baking sheet with olive oil.
Begin rolling the meatballs and placing them on the prepared baking sheet. This recipe made about 80 golf ball sized meatballs, 40 meatballs per sheet. If you want them larger, increase the cooking time; smaller, decrease the time.
Bake meatballs for about 20 minutes, turn, and then bake another 20 or just until they start to brown.
See that beautiful green garlic in those meatballs? It really adds a fresh garlic flavor to these and I think you’ll agree.
Don’t know what to make with green garlic? Now you do! Never be afraid to play with your food – the results are delicious.
Enjoy!
Hallelujah, spring is upon us! Even though it’s hardly been a brutal winter here in Northern Illinois, I’m still excited for longer and warmer days. This weekend was a much-needed stay at home treat for me, as there’ve been many personal issues that have had me …
This is, without a doubt, one of my easiest makeover projects ever and the results are beautiful. I’ve had these French flower pots for many, many years. I stumbled upon them at a flea market for next to nothing and knew they’d be perfect for …
Special serving pieces, such as Chinese soup spoons or shot glasses – you can use glass or plastic, whichever you prefer.
In a large bowl, whisk together everything except the shrimp and lemon wedges. Toss the shrimp in and mix well again.
Spoon 1 shrimp and some of the bloody mary mix into each serving piece, until all of the shrimp and mixture is used. Sprinkle with reserved sliced scallions and fresh lemon juice immediately before serving. You can refrigerate these for a few hours before serving. but don’t add the scallions and lemon juice until right before you serve them.
Makes about 35 servings.
The style of serving these is really key, as you want each serving to include a shrimp plus the bloody mary mix, which is why Chinese soup spoons and shot glasses work perfectly. This way, you and your guests can slurp them down easily.
I’ve served these with and without the vodka and they’re just as good either way, it really just depends on your taste and the occasion you’re serving them at.
You know I always tell you not to be afraid to play with your food, so play it up with these. The scallions, horseradish and hot sauce can all be adjusted or removed entirely if you’re just not a fan of one or all of them.
As a gardening side note, check out my post on how to grow and make your own horseradish, in case you’re interested.
Tell me this doesn’t make an impressive presentation…
Chilled, spicy and delicious, I think this will become one of your favorite go-to appetizers. It’s easy and always a hit at every event I serve them at.
Enjoy!
I have a lot of fun making homemade pasta. It may not always look perfect but it’s always more delicious than the boxed, refrigerated or frozen stuff. That’s not to say I don’t ever cook with dried or refrigerated pasta, but it’s fun to play …