Family & Food

"It might matter so much because feeding the people I love is a hands-on way of loving them. When you nourish and sustain someone, essentially, you're saying that you want them to thrive, to be happy and healthy and able to live well." Shauna Niequist

Cooking for family and friends is one of my favorite things to do. I don't do it for the praise or the compliments. I do it because I love you and I enjoy spending time with you. Food always seems to start great conversations and always gets the stories rolling. I live in an area where most of my close friends live an hour or more away or even across state lines. My family is spread out from Atlanta, to North Carolina, to Seattle. Needless to say when we get together we surround ourselves with good food and the wonderful company of each other. I love the times I am surrounded by my friends and we are telling story after story over a great meal. Those are my favorite memories and I always look for ways to make new ones.

This past Friday we had Colin's (my husband) family over for dinner. I always start planning a dinner party by browsing through some of my favorite cookbooks or magazines. I always like to pick meals that are fun and sometimes get everyone involved in the process. This Friday I picked a meal that would be easy to serve and quick to cook. Rachel Ray is usually a good pick for a meal that takes 30 minutes or less but doesn't skimp on taste and flavors. A few cook books later I picked Chicken Parm Meatball Subs. The recipe was easy and quick and since we doubled the recipe you can easily freeze the meatballs for future pasta or sandwich dishes!

Chicken Parm Meatball Subs

From Rachel Ray "2,4,6,8: Great Meals for Couples or Crowds"

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (such as McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning)
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• A handful of chopped parsley leaves
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for liberal drizzling
• 2 large cloves garlic, cracked from skin and split
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (a healthy couple of pinches)
• 1can crushed tomatoes, (28 ounces), such as San Marzano brand
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• 8-10 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded
• 4 crusty 6-8-inch sub rolls
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone cheese

PREPARATION

Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.

Place chicken in a bowl and season with grill seasoning. Add egg, half of the grated cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley, and a serious drizzle of EVOO to the bowl. Mix the meat and form 12 large meatballs. Squish the balls to flatten them a bit like mini oval meatloaves. Be careful not to form the balls wider than your bread. The flattened balls will stay put on your sub, no roll-aways!

Bake the meatballs 15 minutes until golden and firm. Switch the broiler on.

While the meatballs bake, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons EVOO, about three turns of the pan, and garlic and cook 5 minutes then remove the cloves. Add crushed red pepper flakes then tomatoes and stir in the chicken stock. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and simmer 10 minutes, adjust seasonings and stir in the basil. Reserve a extra sauce for dipping on dinner table.

Remove the meat from oven and loosen with a thin spatula. Turn meat balls in sauce.

Cut sub rolls making the bottom a little deeper than the top. Hollow out a little bread and lightly toast the sub rolls under broiler. Fill the bottoms of the breads with flattened balls and sauce. Combine the provolone and remaining Parmigiano. Cover the subs with cheese and return to broiler to melt the cheese until golden.

We served a nice Italian Style salad as a side so that the subs could take center stage!

Enjoy!

Fruit of the Summer

As summer is nearing the end, the days are getting shorter and the chill in the air is starting to come through the hot summer sun. At this point we are trying to get in as much of the summer joys as we can. One thing this summer I am obsessed with is homemade fruit Popsicles! I was given an instant Popsicle maker as a Christmas Gift last year and forgot about it till about May and have gone nuts with it since!

Zoku is the name of the brand and I know you can purchase it at William Sonoma. There are quite a few parts you have to buy to get the most out of it but it is worth all the fun you can have with it!

If you have ever used the Kitchen Aid mixer ice cream maker attachment (a mouthful!) then using the Zoku is going to be easy. The night before you are going to use it stick it in the freezer for at least 12 to 24 hours. Pick your recipe and have fun! I was also given the William Sonoma Ice Pops cookbook which has opened my mind to all kinds of flavor ideas.

The best part about this Zoku is that it takes around 6-10 minutes to freeze and get the pops ready to be eaten! My favorite recipe so far has been the Fresh Peach which I was lucky enough to get some amazing Georgia Peaches! Others we have made were the Watermelon Lime, Cantaloupe, Strawberry and Yogurt, Peaches and Yogurt, and of course Classic Fudge!

Now remember you do not have to own a Zoku to make these yummy treats. You can use an ice cube tray, a nonstick muffin pan, or individual silicone cupcake cups. Just keep in mind those methods are not instant and will take up to 2 to 4 hours depending on the recipe.

If you love mixing up the summer fruits and having them in a variety of settings then invest in this wonderful appliance! It will become a summer staple during those hot days. To get you started I have posted the Fresh Peach recipe below!

ENJOY :-)

3 ripe peaches about 1lb (peeled if desired)

1/4 cup superfine sugar

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

a pinch of salt

Makes 6-8 pops

Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits, then chop the flesh. Place in a blender or food processor. Add the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and 1/4 cup water and process until the mixture is completely smooth.

If using conventional ice pop molds, divide the mixture among the molds, cover and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. If using sticks, insert them into the molds when the pops are partially frozen, after about 1 hour, then continue to freeze until sold, at least three more hours.

If using an instant ice pop maker, follow the manufacturer's instructions to fill the molds and freeze the pops.