Spaghetti and Meatball STUFFED Calzones

I feel a carb coma coming on just reading the title.  How about you?  Do you know who had this idea?  I will give you one guess..........wait for it.............wait for it.............GEORGE!  Admittedly though, when he suggested I try this, my mouth salivated like a rabid dog all the way to the grocery store.

I am a bit addicted to spaghetti and meatballs.......  Since my childhood when my made it every single birthday because I would request it, I have loved it.  We would sometimes make spaghetti and meatball sandwiches with the garlic bread the next day.  This reminded me of that!

I used prepackaged items simply because this was a last minute request, and so yea.....I cheated.  Majorly cheated.  I will link my meatballs, marinara and pizza dough recipes below if you want to do all homemade. 

12 oz spaghetti, cooked
24 oz marinara sauce
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
frozen meatballs that you have thawed (about 5 per calzone)
2 cans of store bought pizza dough
olive oil
oregano

Boil your pasta, drain and let cool.  In a large bowl combine the pasta, with the marinara sauce.  Mix until combined and set aside. 

Here is where you decide if you are making 4 LARGE calzones or 8 smaller.  The choice is  yours, the only thing it affects is how many meatballs you use or how you portion out the spaghetti mixture.  Either do it in 8 or 4.

Unroll and cut your dough to the size you have decided on.  Place your spaghetti on first, in equal portions.  Next, add on your cheese.  Let it RAAAIIINNNN cheese friends! (as you can see we made 4 huge ones)

Then go the meatballs!  I cut them in half!

Now, fold it over and press the edges down to seal.  You can use a fork to press down the edges to seal better!

Place onto a baking sheet you have sprayed with cooking spray.  Drizzle the top with olive oil and brush on evenly.  You can sprinkle on some oregano if you like!

Bake according to the pizza dough package directions.  Right after you take them out, sprinkle the top with a little Parmesan if you like!  Let sit about 5 minutes before serving!

ENJOY!

RECIPES for homemade ingredients!
Pizza Dough
Meatballs and Sauce

Meat Manicotti

I can't get enough Italian food.  I mean seriously, I can't.  Since living in New Jersey, close to my Italian relatives, friends, and coworkers, it has gotten worse.  Now that I live back in Nebraska, and have had long discussions with my dad about holidays, I finally found out that his family in fact, used to have Italian food for Thanksgiving and Christmas and a turkey, just because it was required, I guess!  My mother in law extraordinaire hosted the same kind of holidays.  All the fixins and an almost entirely different Italian meal as well!  My GOD, it was my dream come true.  The point is, when I returned to Nebraska, I made it a tradition for my family to always serve an Italian dish along with the traditional holiday spread.  This is one I serve often because I love it.  I usually do 2 separate kinds, one with meat and one with just cheese.  I am sharing my favorite with you today. 

I am a cheater with mine, I do not cook the noodles first.  Ain't NOBODY got time for all that shell ripping, slip sliding, filling of a wet noodle stuff.  Oh no.  Mine works out perfectly.  This is a large batch, it will fill 28 shells.  Feel free to halve the recipe.  Otherwise just divide everything between the two pans it will take!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  Get out 2, 9x13 pans and let's get ready to rumble!

For the meat mixture you will need:
2lbs ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
3 T dried Italian seasoning
1 T onion powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese

In addition you will need:
28 Manicotti Shells
2, 23.9 oz. (approx.) of your favorite pasta sauce or homemade
1 14.5 (ish) can of petite diced tomatoes
1-2 cups water
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
extra parmesan for the top

Combine all ingredients for your meat mixture.   You can do it in a stand mixer or by hand, the choice is yours.  Set aside and add about 1 cup of pasta sauce to the bottom of each pan.  Spread it around so the shells don't stick.  In a large bowl combine the rest of the pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, and rinse those pasta sauce jars out with about 1 cup of water each and swish and add to the bowl.  Mix to combine and set aside. 

You can fill the shells with a small spoon but I prefer a pastry bag, so that is what I did.  You should have exactly enough to fill all the shells.  Don't over fill but make sure they are full end to end.  Fill a shell, place in pan, flip it to cover with some sauce and continue until all shells are filled.  Now take the sauce in the bowl and pour half over each pan. Sprinkle on cup of mozz over each pan, and grate or sprinkle a bit more parmesan on top for good measure. 

Now cover TIGHTLY with foil.  Place in the oven for 45-50 minutes and they will be done perfectly!  Remove foil and let cool for a minutes before serving!

ENJOY!!

BETTER than IKEA, Swedish Meatballs

.....even the ugly deserve love.  You know sometimes food is just not photogenic.  So, if you have eaten Swedish meatballs you know what they look like and you are going to just be nice.  NOTHING makes Swedish meatballs look pretty.  Nothing.

That being said, we were recently home, in South Jersey.  This obviously warranted a trip to a store I used to visit at least twice a month, Ikea.  I don't know how I am surviving without an Ikea where I am, but I am, barely.  I shopped until my husband dropped at the cafe, for his traditional snack, Swedish Meatballs.  We indulged and reminisced and I promised him when we got home I would do my best to make meatballs that taste just like Ikea's.  When he hate these meatballs he said they didn't quite taste like Ikea's, they were BETTER!  WOOHOO!  Better than Ikea Swedish Meatballs?!  That is EXACTLY what I am calling this post now!

These are super easy and super cool for a large crowd.  They are happiest in a crock pot.  Yes, I said it.  Don't dwell on it.  This makes a large batch but as I often tell you, these are easily frozen and reheated for later meals.  Do NOT forget the mashed potatoes or egg noodles, I made both.  I mean isn't life about choices?!

Meatballs:
2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2/3 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
3 tbsp. milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.  Make into meatballs using a cookie scoop or just eyeball it.  I got 75 meatballs.  Place on to parchment lined cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

While that is cooking, it is time to make the cream sauce.

5 cups beef stock
6 tbsps. flour
6 tbsps. butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. parsley (fresh or dried)

In a medium sauce pan melt butter and add in flour, whisk to combine and let cook about 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Add in beef stock while whisking, let come to a simmer and begin to thicken.  Add in heavy cream and whisk often, let simmer 5-7 minutes.  Sprinkle with parsley before serving!

Place all ingredients into a crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours. 

ENJOY!!

Your "Ikea for you, and Ikea for me" Chefwannabe

Amazing Wonton Soup

I don't have time to beat around the bush here.  This wonton soup is the best I have ever had.  You got me?  I don't even want to drink water right now and risk losing the flavor and happiness it gave me!  Yea, I know, sort of teeters on freaky eh?  Well I am kind of stretching the truth about that part but really, I consider myself a connoisseur of wontons and frankly, I have never had any, more flavorful and perfect.

So obviously IF YOU CAN IMAGINE, we had Chinese food for dinner AGAIN.  My husband is clearly out of control on this whole thing but it is no surprise, he has been for quit some time.   I have been craving some good wonton soup that I have yet to find where I am.  It has been a gloriously beautiful day, and cooking just seemed in the air!!!  I am fine tuning my cooking techniques of Chinese food nicely if I must say so myself.  

This wonton soup makes 28 wontons.  Don't ask me how many are left over.  I will lie.  No, I am not above it.  

Also, for the wonton soup broth, you can do one of 2 things.  I am usually a maker of all things homemade when it comes to broth especially BUT I got this package at the Asian Market and decided to try it.  It was AMAZING.  I am sure it is salt laden and terrible, but this is one time, I didn't care.
  

For a homemade broth, I would use 6 cups of chicken stock, let it simmer with one whole stock of celery, 1 green onion and a tsp of soy sauce.  Let simmer 30 minutes or so before you put your wontons in.  


For the wontons you will need:

1/2 lb ground pork (or chicken/turkey)
2 tbsp FINELY minced green onion
1 SMALL carrot grated with a micro plane  (I added it last min so it isn't in the photo)
1 egg
1 tsp dark soy sauce or 2 tsp regular
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 pkg wonton wrappers

Mix meat mixture completely.  Get a small bowl of water and add a sprinkle of cornstarch in it, you will use this for sealing.   It will seem very wet, bordering on slimy, but it is perfect!  Take your wonton wrappers, and cover them with a damp paper towel so they don't dry out.  There are several ways to fold these.  Place a small amount of the filling in the center of the wrapper.  Here are some photos illustrating (so to speak) different ways to fold them.  No laughing.  

When you are done place them on a plate, and keep on truckin' until they are all done!

Make sure your broth is boiling before you place the wontons in.  Put them in one at a time moving a spoon around the pot constantly so nothing sticks.  When they rise to the top they are done.  I boiled mine about 10-12 minutes.  You don't want mushy, slimy wontons so don't over cook!

You can slice some green onions into one inch pieces, turn vertically and cut into some onion grass for the top!

This was after we had eaten some so definitely not the full pot!

The flavor of these is amazing and I am 100% positive I can do nothing to improve on these, EVER.  They are that good.  

Enjoy guys, thanks for reading and let me know what recipes you try!!

Your "wonton wonder-woman"chefwannabe

Chris