I have to start with a confession, not that I did anything wrong, but I've made a massive change in the way I grocery shop and feel like I need to let you in on this shift.
In January I attended a luncheon with some girlfriends, and we started talking about the grocery delivery services in our area. I tried several years ago to place an order online, and I was instantly frustrated by the search function and stopped my trail run of grocery delivery. At the time, Instacart was delivering to my work, but no one was delivering to my home. I took it as a sign that I should continue grocery shopping the way my mother and mother's mother did it. Why stop since I enjoyed the process?
Fast forward to last month when the topic came up again at this luncheon and my friend says she hasn't been inside a grocery store in two years. I can hardly believe this, but I just finished a book about looking for ways, even small things, to reclaim your time. The whole purpose is to make time for our priorities, and this was one way to get back an hour each weekend. I now have two choices grocery delivery to my home, and I believe I'm actually saving money by not impulse buying items that are not on my grocery list.
Sunday - Baked Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
This was an easy and delicious dinner, and I will definitely make this again!
Ingredients for the sauce:
3 T butter
1/2 Onion chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T tomato paste
1 (28 ounces) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 (8 ounces) can tomato sauce
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
Ingredients for the meatballs:
1 cup panko
1/2 onion, grated
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 c freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg, beaten
1 lb ground chicken
3 T olive oil, for sauteing
Before serving:
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 bunch fresh basil, chiffonade
2 T freshly grated parmesan cheese
Make the sauce:
In a large dutch oven or high sided, oven-proof pan, melt butter over medium-high heat and saute the onion until translucent. Add the minced garlic and stir for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Make space in the middle and add the tomato paste and stir around until it turns brick red and cooks lightly.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot: tomatoes, tomato sauce, and the seasoning. I like to use my pampered chef mix and chop tool with the pinwheel blades to chop the whole tomatoes in the sauce. Turn heat to low and occasionally stir for 20-30 minutes.
Make the meatballs:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix well with your hands.
Add the olive oil to a pan and heat to medium-high. Shape meatballs with your hands and add them to the hot pan in batches to brown, turning with a spatula or tongs to get evenly browned on all sides.
Move browned meatballs to the dutch oven with the simmering sauce. Once all the meatballs are browned and nestled into the sauce, sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella, cover and put in the oven for 15 minutes.
Before serving, sprinkle with basil and parmesan. You will not regret toasting some garlic bread or boiling some pasta to go along with these flavorful meatballs.
Ina Garten announced this was the best thing she ever ate, on the show, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." I had to try it. This recipe comes from the Tavern at The 1770 House in East Hampton, NY and the recipe was posted by Chef Kevin Penner on Facebook. Ina posted the recipe on Food Network.
The ingredients were pricey calling for pork, veal, and beef. The panko is whirled in a Cuisinart blender to grind them fine, a culinary decision I wouldn't follow again. I found the meatloaf flavorful but dense. The star of the show is definitely the garlic sauce. It would be good on ANYTHING. I think the meatloaf would be awesome as meatballs, it was definitely tasty.
As Jim was devouring this warm bowl of beans and shrimp, I was telling him how much I love making this dinner. Without much preplanning, you can have these ingredients on hand for a long time. It's a great recipe to have in your back pocket. The only fresh item you need is garlic. I usually always have garlic on hand! Frozen shrimp, canned beans, canned tomatoes. I could have sworn I had this recipe up on the blog, but here we go.
Ingredients:
12 ounces peeled and deveined shrimp, chopped into bite-size pieces
2 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 can white beans
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock or a teaspoon of chicken base like better than bouillon
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/4 t crushed red pepper
2 T tomato paste, I have been buying the individual pouches Hunts makes
For serving: a handful of fresh parsley (optional) and french bread or frozen garlic bread.
Drain white beans and rinse under cold water. Mince garlic, divide in half. Peel and devein shrimp and chop into bite-size pieces. Season the shrimp with half the garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Heat butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add the shrimp and toss until it is just pink, about 1-2 minutes per side. Then transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add olive oil to the pan and combine the beans, remaining garlic, crushed red pepper flakes. Stir this for a minute, then make space in the middle of the pan and add the tomato paste. Stir this for about a minute, and the paste will turn a darker brick red. Add the can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and the chicken base with water or stock. Simmer, often stirring for 5 minutes and the mixture will thicken slightly.
Prepare your toast or garlic bread.
Add shrimp and any liquid that accumulated on the plate back to the beans and tomato mixture. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with the garlic bread.
Talk about having everything on hand, this is a pantry dump recipe if I ever had one. Remember when I made the chicken tacos by putting frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot with a packet of taco seasoning and a jar of salsa? This is reason #3 to make a large quantity of shredding chicken. I used the first batch of leftovers to make Sheet Pan Pasta Bake. The remaining shredded chicken went into this enchilada soup and here is how I did it.
Ingredients:
1/2 to 1 can enchilada sauce (it is up to you how much you use)
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounces) can chopped green chiles
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 can corn (I save the other half to serve the kids as a dinner side)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1½ cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded chicken (leftover from chicken taco night)
For topping:
chopped cilantro
diced avocados
shredded cheese
sour cream
Combine everything all at once, heat through, taste for seasoning and adjust with more enchilada sauce, salt or pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and top with the toppings your family prefers.
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