Ricotta and Cinnamon Meatballs

I absolutely love Giada's recipes. Everything I've ever made were always delicious and the recipes were always straight forward and easy to follow. So when I heard that Giada serves these Ricotta and Cinnamon meatballs at her restaurant in Vegas, I had to make them at home myself! Needless to say, these meatballs were absolutely divine and Dr. Sweetpea was raving about how good they were. Definitely a keeper recipe for us. I think I'll serve these as bite sized appetizers the next time we have a dinner party.

Ricotta and Cinnamon Meatballs

(Source: Giada)

1 large or 2 small shallots, minced (I used 1/4 teaspoon dried onion powder)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 pound ground beef chuck (80 percent lean)

1/4 cup orzo pasta

1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 (23.5 ounce) jar store-bought marinara sauce

In a medium bowl, whisk together the shallots, garlic, egg, cinnamon and nutmeg. With a wooden spoon, stir in the ground beef, orzo, ricotta and basil. Add the salt, pepper and 1/4 cup water and mix well. Bring the marinara to a simmer in a shallow 12-inch skillet. Form the meat mixture into balls (about 1 heaping tablespoon each). Drop the meatballs into the simmering sauce, cover the skillet and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve on small toothpicks or skewers.

***I shaped mine by using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to shape my meatballs and cooked them a little longer in the sauce. 

Chick-Fil-A Coleslaw

Dr. Sweetpea loves Chick-Fil-A and he loves their coleslaw. So it wasn't a surprise when he was devastated when they removed their coleslaw from the menu. I recently came across a THE recipe for their coleslaw and made it for Dr. Sweetpea. It only took one bite for Dr. Sweetpea to tell me that he wants me to make it at home more often.

Chick-Fil-A Coleslaw

(Source: Chick-Fil-A)

4 teaspoons distilled white vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mayonnaise

2 (10 ounce) bags finely shredded cabbage, chopped

1/4 cup carrots, diced

Whisk vinegar, sugar, mustard, and salt together until sugar is dissolved. Add mayonnaise and whisk to mix. Add cabbage and carrots. Mix to combine. Refrigerate for 2 hours and serve. 

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

I've been on a hunt to find an easy but delicious chocolate cake recipe. I read that the recipe from Hershey's is phenomenal, so I gave it a try and we definitely weren't disappointed. Dr. Sweetpea was raving about the cake and told me it's one of the best that he has had!

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake

(Source: Hershey's)

2 cups sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Hershey’s unsweetened Cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.

BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup fluted tube pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.

CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

“Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency.

Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting. 

Nashville Hot Fried Chicken

Dr. Sweetpea loves fried chicken. The man could eat fried chicken all day for days and be perfectly happy. Anyway, I saw this Nashville Hot Fried Chicken recipe in one of my cookbooks, and since it's covered in a spicy sauce, I made it for dinner one day. Dr. Sweetpea took one bite and I swear I saw his eyes light up because it was that good. The chicken is perfectly brined and the coating is very crisp. Also, the sauce, it's spicy, but it adds that extra oomph that is perfectly paired with the fried chicken. The chicken is so good that Dr. Sweetpea begged for me to make this one a month for him!

Nashville Hot Fried Chicken

(Source: Cooks Country)

Brine

2 quarts water

1/2 cup hot sauce

1/2 cup salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) whole chicken, quartered

Coating

3 quarts peanut or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Whisk water, hot sauce, salt, and sugar in large bowl until salt and sugar dissolve. Add chicken and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes or up to one hour.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add cayenne pepper, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to small bowl.

Remove chicken from refrigerator and pour off brine. Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl. Dredge chicken pieces 2 at a time in flour mixture. Shake excess flour from chicken and transfer to wire rack.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat remaining oil in large Dutch oven over medium high heat to 350 degrees. Return chicken pieces to flour mixture and turn to coat. Fry half of chicken, adjusting burner as necessary to maintain oil temperature between 300 and 325 degrees, until deep golden brown and white meat registers 160 degrees (175 for dark meat), 20 to 25 minutes. Drain chicken on clean wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Bring oil back to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. Stir spicy oil mixture to recombine and brush over both sides of chicken. Serve on white bread with pickles.

***When I make this chicken at home, I usually use 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. I cut the brine in half since I’m not brining a whole chicken. So for us, I use 1 quart water, 1/4 cup hot sauce, 1/4 cup salt, 1/4 cup sugar for the brine and it’s been perfect.***

Ice Box Key Lime Pie

It's hot and humid in Houston. It's so hot and humid that I sweat walking from the exit of the grocery story to my car and I have to blast my AC as soon as I get in. Also, if you've been driving around a while, you get swamp ass. Yes, swamp ass is real in Houston. Anyway, because it's so hot, I rarely use the oven and I'm always looking for a dessert recipe where I don't have to bake. So I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this Ice Box Key Lime Pie recipe. I know Dr. Sweetpea has been craving Key Lime Pie for a while, and I've been telling him he'll have to wait until October for me to bake up a batch for him. Thankfully, since the the crust is the only thing that needs to be baked, I decided to give this a try. Honestly, it's BETTER than the other Key Lime Pie recipe on my blog. It's creamy, tangy, sweet, and super easy. Even Dr. Sweetpea who was super skeptical at first, raved about how good this pie was! 

Ice Box Key Lime Pie

(Source: Cooks Country)

Crust

8 whole graham crackers, broken into smaller pieces

2 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated lime zest

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 (14­ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup instant vanilla pudding mix

1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

1 cup fresh lime juice from 6 to 8 limes

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse crackers and sugar in food processor until finely ground. Add melted butter in steady stream while pulsing until crumbs resemble damp sand. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs firmly into bottom and sides of 9­inch pie plate. Bake until fragrant and browned around edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool completely.

For the filling: Process sugar and zest in food processor until sugar turns bright green, about 30 seconds. Add cream cheese and process until combined, about 30 seconds. Add condensed milk and pudding mix and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Stir gelatin and 2 tablespoons lime juice in small bowl. Heat in microwave for 15 seconds; stir until dissolved. With machine running, pour gelatin mixture, remaining lime juice, and vanilla through feed tube and mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.

Pour filling into cooled crust, cover with plastic, and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. To serve, let pie sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing.

Pan-seared Cod with Herb Butter Sauce

I'm on a mission to make sure Dr. Sweetpea eats fish more often. He is a huge fan of Halibut, Cod, Salmon, and Catfish, which thankfully are pretty affordable at Costco. We recently had dinner at Pappadeux, a popular seafood restaurant in Houston and Dr. Sweetpea loved the Tilapia with the Lemon Caper sauce. Since I knew his favorite part of the meal was the caper sauce, I immediately started looking for a good lemon sauce to make at home. I came across this recipe from America's Test Kitchen, and changed it a tad by adding some capers in the sauce. Dr. Sweetpea took one bite of the fish with the sauce and he said it was the best lemon sauce that he has had. This recipe is super easy to make during the week and very tasty. I served the fish with a side of couscous.

Pan-seared Cod with Herb Butter Sauce

(Source: America's Test Kitchen)

1/2 cup all-­purpose flour

4 boneless, skinless thick fish fillets (see note)

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup white wine

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest from 1 lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

2 teaspoons of capers, drained (my addition)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Place flour in shallow dish. Pat fish dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Coat fish lightly with flour.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Cook fillets until golden and thickest part of fillets flake easily, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and tent with foil. Wipe out skillet.

Add remaining oil and shallot to empty pan and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, capers, and thyme and simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and parsley. Season sauce with salt and pepper and pour over cod. Serve.

Couscous with Shallots, Garlic, and Almond

(Source: America's Test Kitchen)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 shallots, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups couscous

1 cup water

1 cup low­-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon table salt

3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (I omitted)

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Ground black pepper

Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium­high heat. When foaming subsides, add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add couscous and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add water, broth, and salt; stir briefly to combine, cover, and remove pan from heat. Let stand until grains are tender, about 7 minutes. Uncover and fluff grains with fork. Stir in almonds, parsley, lemon juice, and zest, season with pepper to taste, and serve.