Mini Meatballs

these little gems are fast, flavorful and oh so easy. i love meatballs, they make pasta a hardier meal. and they freeze so well, you'll find yourself having spaghetti more often. these are from the lovely martha stewart.

Makes 40

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 slices bacon (2 ounces), finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon plain dried breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine beef, bacon, parsley, garlic, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Shape mixture into 40 meatballs. (For equal-size meatballs, scoop out meat mixture with a teaspoon, using two scoops for each meatball. Then roll between your palms to shape into balls.)
2. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet or on two large plates. Freeze 1 hour. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container or resealable plastic bag; label and date.
3. To use the meatballs straight from the freezer, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place meatballs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

White Velvet Sugar Cookies

these came from the talented melanie over at the kitchen cafe. thanks for sharing, these are my new all-time favorite sugar cookie! so buttery, so tasty!

2 cups butter, softened (that's right, one pound of butter)
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ¾ cups flour

Cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sugar, egg yolks and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour. The dough will be VERY soft; don't worry, it gets firmer after chilling. Cover and chill two hours or until firm. Roll out on floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into shapes; place on greased baking sheets (or use parchment paper). Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until set (but not browned). Cool 5 minutes. Place on wire racks to cool. Frost as desired.


Frosting: (also from kitchen cafe)
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
4-6 tablespoons milk
food coloring (if desired)

Combine butter, vanilla and salt and beat until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar in 1-2 cup increments until combined. Add milk and food coloring gradually until you reach your desired spreading consistency. Frost away!

Carrot Tea Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

courtesy of Everyday Food march 2009 issue, pg 25. i wanted something carrot-y for Easter and bang, here it is! the cake (or bread, really, lets call it what it is) is very dense and moist. The frosting is super, and I have to admit I would eat a cardboard box slathered in this stuff. Its rich and dreamy.

1/2 cup butter, plus more for pan
1 1/4 spooned and leveled all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup packed, grated carrots

1. preheat oven to 350, butter and flour a 5 by 9 inch (6 cup) loaf pan. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

2. using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, beat eggs and vanilla. Beat in carrots. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, beat until just combined. Transfer batter to prepared pan, bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto wire rack, and let cool completely. serves 8.

Frosting:
1 bar (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

using mixer, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Frost top of cooled cake.

*a note. I don't have a loaf pan that size and my regular bread pan was fine. Don't expect this to be a big loaf though. And I don't like nutmeg, so I omitted it and bumped up the cinnamon to 3/4 tsp.

Mary Ann's Breadsticks

from my good friend Mary Ann Schoenfeld's kitchen. Thanks for sharing! These are fast, easy and a great accompaniment to many, many meals. Bread really classes dinner up!

1 tbsp yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water

mix together, let sit until foamy, (several minutes)

add 1 tsp salt and 3 cups flour, knead together.
let rise 30 or 45 minutes, roll out onto ungreased large cookie sheet
take pizza cutter and slice dough into approx 1 inch wide pieces, makes roughly 18 sticks
let rise 20 minutes
at this point, can rub melted butter and sprinkle herbs/and or cheese. or leave plain.
bake at 400 for 15 minutes
re-cut with pizza cutter and serve

Chicken Ceasar Salad Wraps

these are from my good friend Jen Leach, so easy, fast and yummy. My family scarfed them down and if there was any leftover, perfect for lunch the next day. Don't add the dressing to the salad, just drizzle tortilla. that way, the whole salad won't be soggy.

1 rotisserie chicken shredded, (or any kind of cooked chicken, any amount you prefer)
1 bunch green leaf lettuce, torn
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 bottle Ken's Steakhouse brand creamy ceasar dressing
warm tortillas

combine chicken, lettuce and parmesan cheese. place some on your tortilla and drizzle with the salad dressing. enjoy!

Grandma Doty's Rolls

a winner. every time. and i like to make my rolls more smallish-medium than large, because i've found when i make them large, the bottoms burn while the inside is gooey and not in a good way. thanks to staci for hooking me on this recipe. it is my go-to for delish, homemade rolls.

1 cup lukewarm water
1 tbsp yeast (or one packet)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp (divided) sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 melted butter
3 eggs
4 cups flour ( + or -)

combine water, yeast and 2 tbsp sugar. in another bowl, combine salt, 1/2 cup sugar and eggs. add water/yeast mixture, melted butter (that is now cooled slightly) and flour. you can use a standing mixture or mix by hand, dough will be very sticky. after it is kneaded, let rise until double in size, (approx 2 hours). work with buttery hands, shape dough as desired (ie crescents, etc) and place on baking sheet to rise again.
i roll them into balls, dip the top of the dough ball (the smooth part) into a little dish with melted butter. then i take that buttered top part and dot the place on the baking sheet where the roll will be resting. then place the dough ball bottom side sitting in the butter. clear as mud? let rolls rise approx 1 hour, bake in 350 oven for about 15-20 minutes. makes approx 30 rolls.

Strawberry Muffins

these little beauts come from allrecipes.com by katie mae. they were rated a 4 out 5 by 235 reviewers. taking some of their suggestions to heart, my notes are on the bottom. i used fresh strawberries and thought these tasted bakery worthy.

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped strawberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oil an 8 cup muffin tin, or use paper liners.
2. In a small bowl, combine oil, milk, and egg. Beat lightly. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Toss in chopped strawberries and stir to coat with flour. Pour in milk mixture and stir together.
3. Fill muffin cups. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 25 minutes, or until the tops bounce back from the touch. Cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.

*a note. if you like less sweet muffins, make recipe as directed above. however, a lot of the reviewers made some recommendations to add 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 brown sugar. so that is how i made them and i loved the flavor. sweet but not cupcake sweet.