day 23 = using up the fridge caprese salad and lasagna

we are trying to eat up what's in the fridge. when i made the meatballs on day 18, i forgot to put the mozzarella in the center of them. so, i needed to do something with them today to use them up. what's better than a lasagna?

i basically scrambled in the fridge and pulled out whatever i could find. here's what i put together...

caprese salad:
1 mozzarella ball
2 small tomatoes on the vine
olive oil
salt & pepper

slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into round slices. sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pat them dry with a paper towel. layer the tomatoes and mozzarella on a plate. drizzle with olive oil. sprinkle with salt.

lasagna:
1/2 pkg lasagna noodles

freezer "stoup" bag (today's was: canned tomatoes, chopped onions, chicken broth)
feta cheese
dried oregano
dried basil
parsley
red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

freezer "stoup" leftover (today's was: noodles, pasta sauce, chicken, pancetta, peppers)
feta cheese
1 mozzarella ball, sliced
parsley

put a pot of salted water to boil. add a little olive oil and boil lasagna noodles to al dente.

put a pot with the contents of your freezer stoup bag on the stove to boil. since there was more chicken broth than tomatoes, i added a little feta cheese to thicken the sauce. sprinkle with spices to get the correct italian sauce flavoring.

defrost any leftover stoup you may have in the freezer.

put a layer of sauce on the bottom of your lasagna pan. layer with 3 pasta noodles, sauce, leftover stoup (the solid parts), feta cheese, salt & pepper. repeat layering noodles and sauce / stoup until you are finish. place the mozzarella on the top and sprinkle with parsley.

tent the lasagna with foil and bake 45 mins in 375 degree oven. remove foil and bake another 5-10 mins uncovered. cool and serve!

**if you don't know what "stoup" is, check out day 6


charley:
initially i wasn't in the mood for lasagna as i was looking forward to eating hot wings.  in the end i tried the lasagna before making my wings and ended up going back for more lasagna.  it had a good amount of heat to it which, as you know, i enjoy.  i am already looking forward to eating more of it tomorrow.  now on to my ice cream for the national ice cream day!


enjoy!

day 18 = bucatini all'amatriciana with spicy smoked mozzarella meatballs

basically spaghetti and meatballs :)

sarah:

this was excellent. i used Giada De Laurentiis's "Giada at Home" cookbook to make this recipe. but, a combination of being too cheap to buy some of the ingredients, too lazy to ask the store where they would be located, and forgetting to use some of them (typical me), led me to make the recipe below. must have been good because charley really liked it! it was also surprisingly easy.

if you want the real recipe, go to foodnetwork.com

here's what i did:

all'amatriciana sauce (i will double next time): 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (i used over 1/2 a 28oz can)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan 

meatballs:

• 1 small onion, grated
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into 16 (1/2-inch) cubes (i forgot to add this)
• 1/2 pkg spaghetti 

directions

for the sauce:

 - in a large heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.

 - add onion and cook for 5 minutes.

 - stir in garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

 - add the tomatoes, salt and pepper.

 - simmer, uncovered, over med-low heat until sauce thickens, 15 minutes.

 - stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
 - i let simmer for 1 1/2 hrs, but not necessary. 

for the meatballs:
 - line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

 - in a large bowl, combine the onion through beef ingredients.
 - using your hands, combine all ingredients gently but thoroughly.
 - shape the meat mixture into 16 (1 1/2-in) meatballs and place on baking sheet.
 - make a hole in center of each meatball and place a cube of mozzarella (optional).
 - reform meatball so the mozzarella is completely covered with the meat mixture.
 - put in the refrigerator for 15 mins.

 - preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

 - bake the meatballs for 15 minutes until cooked through.

to finish:
 - bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
 - add the pasta and cook until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
 - drain and place in a large serving bowl.
 - add the meatballs and sauce.
 - toss gently and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
 - sprinkle with parsley and parmesan.


i've made quite a few meatballs in my life and they never came out well. these were excellent! i'm sure it's better with pancetta, romano cheese, and mozzarella in the meatballs, so if you try it with any of those let me know how it goes!


charley:
i am sure some of you are wondering if i will ever find a dish i do not like and trust me it may happen some day, but this dish is not one of those.  i don't know what she did or how hard these were to make, but the meatballs were the best i have ever had.  if i wasn't worried about packing on weight i would sit down and eat them all in one sitting.  they were amazing, moist and full of flavor.  excellent meal!


enjoy!

day 11 = super easy grilled cheese and tomato soup

watch it's progress...

and for the finale...



sarah:

last week i came home to a "present." charley got me a new cookbook and he's been drooling over it ever since. today i got an email from him -- this is the entirety of the email:

Soup:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
2 celery stalks
4 garlic cloves
1 carrot
2 red peppers
1 28oz can plum tomatoes in juice
3 cups chicken stock
1 tsp sugar
1 bay leaf

1 tsp spanish paprika
salt and fresh ground pepper

Grilled Cheese:

Grab bread and whatever cheese you wish! (Typically American)

ok... i think charley wants grilled cheese and tomato soup. so, i picked up the ingredients (but i grabbed cheddar cheese because i don't like american) and thought i am in for a long night. much to my surprise, this took very little time and was super easy to clean. here's what i did:

soup:

1. turn on broiler; put peppers into oven and let broil until skin blackens, turning frequently
2. meanwhile...
3. heat oil in a saucepan over med-low heat
4. chop onion, celery, and garlic; throw in saucepan and stir until softened
5. chop carrot; throw in saucepan for 1 min
6. add tomatoes with their juice, the stock, sugar, and bay leaf
7. add salt and pepper
8. bring to boil at high-heat, then turn to med-low
9. cover soup and simmer for 45 mins
10. good time to check on the peppers :) place in a ziploc or plastic bag to capture the steam and let cool (this will allow for easy peeling of the skin)
11. pull red peppers out of bag and peel off skin; discard seeds
12. add red peppers and spanish paprika to the soup
13. puree in blender
14. adjust seasoning (add lots more salt, pepper, and spanish paprika) and serve!

grilled cheese:

1. heat a saucepan on med
2. butter both sides of bread slices you are using
3. add cheese to cover one side of each sandwich
4. assemble the sandwiches
5. place in the saucepan letting each side grill and the cheese melt
6. repeat making as many sandwiches as you need!

the grilled cheese came out great! the soup is really healthy (it's all vegetables), but i didn't think it had a lot of taste. i'd bump up the vegetables some to give it more than just a tomato taste.

charley:

let me be completely honest as i was the one who requested this and yes it was mainly for the grilled cheese.  you can't go wrong with tomato soup and grilled cheese (we will be having it at our wedding) and this was no exception.  the soup was light and i could taste everything that went into it.  very tasty and was a great addition to the sandwich.  the only problem with the meal was sarah would only allow me to have one grilled cheese (has to do with her wanting me to live forever!)  in the end she did let me have half of her sandwich.

enjoy!