Recipes

Meatballs With Any Meat (Recipe Adapted from Melissa Clark)

1 lb ground sirloin

1 egg

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons Mild Bill's garlic pepper seasoning

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and use your hands or a spatula to mix everything together. I wear gloves and use my hands - it's a lot easier. While wearing gloves, I make about 12-15 golf ball sized meatballs and bake them for 15-20 minutes. I drain them on paper towels and then finish cooking them in my sauce. Serve over your choice of hot pasta with lots of grated parmesan. These also freeze really well.

Spice Queen Roast

This is a mash up of how I like to make a roast and the roast my mom made while I was growing up.  I think it's delicious, (of course) with the ingredients married together.  My mom always made hers in her crockpot or pressure cooker.  I'm never awake enough or prepared enough for the crockpot and I don't like how the Instant Pot makes a roast.  I like a Sunday roast done in the oven low and slow. Behold The Spice Queen's Oven Roast recipe:

1 2-2 1/2 pound chuck roast

2 sweet or yellow onions, sliced

1 small bag of baby carrots

8 oz Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced in half

2 family size cans Cream of Mushroom soup

8 oz beef broth

8 oz red wine

2 packages onion soup mix (you can use any kind - beefy onion, mushroom onion, etc)

1/3 Cup Mild Bill's Spices Meat Magic Seasoning

3 T Oil (Olive, Vegetable, whatever you have one hand)

Earlyish in the day or the night before pierce the roast several times with a fork and coat it in Meat Magic.  I do this by placing it in a ziploc, pouring the seasoning in and shaking it about.  Refrigerate until 30 minutes before you're ready to make your roast.  When you're ready to make it, take it out and let it come to room temp.  While it's hanging out, slice your onions and mushrooms; leave the baby carrots whole.  In a large Dutch oven (6-8 quarts), heat your oil.  You want it shimmering, not smoking.  Cut your roast in half and sear both pieces of the roast on all sides.  Remove from pot and deglaze with the beef broth and wine.  Be sure to get all the brown bits up from the bottom of the pot.  Once you've done that, add your veggies, cream of mushroom soup, and onion soup mix.  Stir well to combine and then add back the two pieces of roast you seared.  Nestle them in your soup and veggie mixture, cover with the lid and place in the oven.  After two hours, check your roast.  You want it fork tender.  If it's not fork tender yet, put the lid back on and check it every thirty minutes until it's how you like it.  I usuually cook mine for 2 1/2 - 3 hours just depending on the size of the roast.  This is delicious over mashed potatoes or rice and it goes great with any veggie on the side.  If it's just two of you, it makes great hot roast beef sandwiches the next night.  Enjoy!

Low Carb Zuppa Toscana

I started using turnips in place of the potatoes in this soup and it's perfect if you're trying to follow a low carb or keto eating plan.  Breakfast sausage and mild Italian sausage give it a unique flavor, but you can always use one or the other!

10 Cups (80 oz) Chicken Broth
8-10 oz Chopped Kale (buy the big bag and throw in a couple of healthy sized handfuls!)
1 lb Mild Pork Sausage
1 lb Hot Breakfast Sausage
3 Medium Turnips peeled and diced
1/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Salt, Pepper and Grated Parmesan to taste

In a skillet or dutch oven brown the sausage and drain.  Wipe out the pot and add the chicken broth, kale and turnips.  Bring to a boil to help the kale wilt and then add the sausage back to the pot.  Cover, reduce to a simmer and allow the soup to cook for 35-40 minutes or until the kale and turnips are tender.  Add the heavy whipping cream, stir to combine and then season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.

A few tips: Don't dice the turnips too small.  You can quarter them for larger pieces, but you don't want them to small.  If you save your Parmesan rinds, throw one in for an extra layer of flavor.  It may affect the salt content so be careful when adjusting your salt at the end.

Creamed Spinach

This is so easy and I know buying 3 bags of spinach sounds like a nightmare but you can taste the difference between fresh and frozen and it's worth it.

3 or 3 1/2 bags Spinach
1 pint Sliced Mushrooms (white, brown, whatever you like)
1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
2 Tbsp Butter
Salt, Pepper to taste and LOTS of Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 and grease an 8x8 (or comparable sized) casserole dish.  In a large skillet, melt the butter and sweat the mushrooms over medium-low heat.  Once they start to become tender, begin adding the spinach. You'll have to add it in batches so that it wilts and makes room for the rest of the spinach.  Once you've added all the spinach, add the garlic and then stir evertything around for about 5 minutes (you don't want it to stick) until the spinach becomes wilted and you get as much of the liquid out of both veggies.  Drain the liquid from the skillet and add half of the whipping cream.  Stir to combine and then add a little bit more at a time to reach a creamy consistency.  You may use the entire pint, you might not.  It depends a lot on how much more liquid the spinach produces.  Add the  salt and pepper to taste.  Cook over medium heat and allow the cream to reduce a little.  Throw in a handful of Parmesan and stir it in until melted.  Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish, check for salt and pepper, adjust if necessary and then sprinkle more Parmesan over the top.  Cook in 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until browned on top and bubbly.  You can also finish it under the broiler for a few minutes to get the cheese nice and brown.  Let it sit for five minutes and then serve!