Happy Meatball Day, I really do not think there is a better meatball than the ones they serve at Rao’s. Since Rao’s has offered take out during Covid, I have been able to try a lot of their menu and I have to say I really think the meatballs are the best. If you have not had a chance to do a group order with us for Rao’s and you are local to the Westchester, NY area the next date is 4/3. I will send a reminder on social media the week before. But in the meanwhile, I am going to share with you Chef Dino’s meatball recipe. I think you are really going to love this one….BON APPETIT!!!!
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- 1/2 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 pinch Kosher or sea salt, to taste
- 1 pinch Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 cup good quality olive oil, for cooking
- In a large bowl containing the beef, add the eggs, cheese, parsley, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, blend ingredients together. Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add water, 1 cup at a time, until the mixture is quite moist. Shape into 2 1/2 to 3-inch balls.
- Heat oil in a large sauté pan. When the oil is very hot but not smoking, fry meatballs in batches. When the bottom half of the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp, turn and cooktop half. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
- Lower cooked meatballs into simmering marinara sauce and cook for 15 minutes. Serve alone or with pasta.
My dear dear friend and grand restaurateur Dame Marisa May, along with her special guest, famed Chef Odette Fada, created a LIVE fun short informal cooking Zoom event with La Marca Prosecco for an Italian Style celebration of Women’s Day, (Festa Delle Donne in Italy) Monday, March 8th at 5:30 PM EST. This online event benefits Les Dames D’Escoffier NY & International organization of professional women restaurateurs, women chefs, women food writers & women in wine/fine beverage, whose mission is to advance and support aspiring woman in the food, beverage and hospitality industries, in which she is a member.
This live zoom event is luckily open to everyone!🤗🌟🤩🌼💛Learn how to make the traditional delicious “Italian Torta Mimosa”, a creamy lemon-citrus cake for Women’s Day!🍰
The bright yellow Italian mimosa flower is the symbol of Women’s Day in Italy! So yellow is the theme. Try wearing a touch of yellow on Monday, March 8th.
Let’s all celebrate International Women’s Day together!! Click on link for more details:
Tickets are $25.00 and available through the link above on Eventbrite!🤩🌟💛🌼🤗 The proceeds raised go directly to the Les Dames D’Escoffier New York Scholarship Fund to help aspiring FEMALE, restauranteurs, chefs, sommeliers, and food writers make their dreams come true in the restaurant- hospitality -food & fine beverage world.
Hope you can join us on Zoom on Monday March 8th at 5:30PM EST!
For more information on Marisa and to learn more about her exclusive special Cooking & Culinary Trips to Italy and her San Domenico NY Events & Catering business. Click HERE.
With St. Patrick’s Day just about 2 weeks away, I saw this fun popcorn recipe. I love that you can use microwave popcorn. It makes it so easy. I am looking forward to making it this weekend. I wish I had all the ingredients or I would have made it tonight it looks soo good!!!
Image Mom Foodie
Ingredients
- 1 bag of microwave popcorn light or regular butter (full-sized, not snack)
- 1 cup green chocolate candy melts*
- 1/2 cup white chocolate candy melts*
- St. Patrick’s Day sprinkles
- Green Mint M&Ms
Instructions
- Pop the popcorn and remove the unpopped kernels.
- Place the candy melts in small bowls or glass measuring cups, one for each color.
- Microwave the green candy for 40 seconds then stir, repeat in 20 second intervals until melted and smooth. (takes 1-2 minutes dependent on melt brand and your microwave).
- Drizzle the melted green chocolate candy over the bowl of popcorn and toss to coat (use a silicone spatula to ensure you get it all out.) Toss the popcorn with your hands until nicely coated. Then spread out onto a large serving platter (or baking sheet, if you are going to bag the popcorn up after). Optional* Add some green sugar sprinkles at this point.
- Melt the white candy melts and drizzle over the platter of popcorn, immediately top generously with St. Patrick’s themed candy sprinkles. They will adhere to the melted white chocolate candy.
- Finally, toss on the M&Ms. Allow the Leprechaun Popcorn to cool a few minutes before serving.
My friend Margarita, made these cookies a few weeks ago and shared them with me, and OMG!!!! I was in shock at how good they were for cookies made with rolled oats and no flour. The entire week after, I could not stop thinking of them. So far we have made them 2 times already. This is probably one of the best recipes I have shared with you, honestly. They remind me of protein bites but even better!!! Bon Appetit!!
Adapted from ambitious kitchen
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup rolled oats (gluten-free if desired)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips, dairy-free if desired
- Flakey sea salt for sprinkling on top
Instruction
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl mix together the oats and baking soda; set aside.
In a large bowl mix together peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Mix in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, then gently fold in chocolate chips.
Roll cookies into 2-inch dough balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. BARELY flatten the top of the cookie with your hand. The dough should be pretty sticky so if you find this method annoying, simply use a cookie scoop to drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. The cookies may not be as round in shape and perhaps a bit thicker, but that’s okay, they will still be delicious!
Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes and remove when edges barely begin to turn a golden brown. The cookies may look a little underdone, but they will continue to cook once you remove them from the oven.
Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle each cookie with flakey sea salt. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Makes 16-20 cookies.
Recipe Notes
You can use less sugar or less chocolate chips — I have tried using 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup chocolate chips and they turned out great.
Feel free to substitute almond butter or another nut butter in replace of peanut butter.
I have seen so many people on Instagram making this simple Feta & Tomato Baked Pasta recipe, featured on TikTok, all over the world. It has become so popular that Finland ran out of feta cheese. The ENTIRE COUNTRY ran out!!!! The prep time is only a few minutes and within less than an hour you have a pretty good family meal. I have not made it yet but my friend blogger, Lemon Stripes made it yesterday and totally inspired me. Plus I read that it is totally worth the hype. Here you go, let me know in the comments below if you make it.
Baked Tomato and Feta Pasta:
(adapted from www.lemonstripes.com & The Washington Post)
Ingredients:
–2 pints (17 1/2 ounces / 500 grams) cherry or grape tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
1 block Greek feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces medium-length dried pasta, such as campanelle, rigatoni or rotini
Fresh basil leaves, for serving
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Place tomatoes and garlic in a baking pan and toss with 1/4 cup of olive oil and sea salt.
3. Place the block of feta in the middle of the tomatoes and top the whole thing with crushed red pepper flakes, parsley, oregano, and black pepper.
4. Bake for 40 minutes or until the feta is slightly browned and the tomatoes are totally blistered.
5. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to box instructions. Be sure to save 1 cup of the pasta water before you drain it!
6. Mix up the tomatoes, feta, and garlic with a fork (I also broke up the garlic with a garlic press) to form a sauce.
7. Stir the pasta into the sauce and add pasta water, a little at a time, as needed.
8. Top with torn basil and serve.
9. Enjoy!
Tonight my husband was given a gift to do an online cooking class with Guy Fieri. During the class, there were other celebrity chef speakers and sport’s commentators talking about their all time favorite Super Bowl dishes. This Buffalo Chicken Dip came up as the winner, unanimously. I started writing down the recipe ferociously. Since I just was given this tonight, I have not had a chance to make it but my son and I are going to try over the weekend. If you do too, will you write in and let me know!!! Bon Appetit!
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 bricks cream cheese
1 cup ranch dressing
2 packages shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
3/4 cup hot sauce (less if you do not like too hot and more if you do!!!)
Combine the chicken, cream cheese, dressing, shredded cheese (set aside about 1/4 of the bag), and hot sauce in the crockpot
Let cook on high for 1-2 hours or until all of the cream cheese melts. Right before serving sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and put the lid back on just long enough so the cheese topping melts.
They recommend serving this dip with a bunch of vegetables of your choice and tortilla chips!