Eggplant Veggie Balls

I made eggplant veggie balls today.

These two recipes are from foodies who are excellent cooks.

My recipe uses a combination of both Rose and Barbara’s recipes to create mine.

I will say I thought Barbara’s recipe was simpler.

I removed skin on eggplant before baking/roasting .  Then cut the eggplant in small pieces.  Bake on greased cookie sheet about 25 minutes turning occasionally. Cool before adding egg, basil, parsley, 1/2 tsp. Salt, 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, and 1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese and 1 can drained and rinsed cannellini beans.

This recipe was easier since my eggplant I was using  (medium eggplant and I wanted a more simplified version. Added my ingredients and in meatball size balls place on greased cookie sheet.

I baked for 20 minutes at 375°.  Cool before storing .  I served with marinara.

You decide which one you would prefer.  Good Luck and enjoy!

Either way I know delicious would be the word of the day,  

 

Barbara’s recipe

 You oven roast eggplant, peel and then chop up the meat. Squish up cannellini beans, Panko, lots of garlic, basil, egg, grated cheese. Bake in the oven - flip to get brown. Serve only with MARINARA - or any "translucent" tomato sauce. 

Rose 

 

Chop eggplant and boil in some salted water for just a few minutes.  Drain and let cool completely.  Squeeze to remove excess water.  Mix eggs, grated parmigiano reggiano, plain breadcrumbs, chopped fresh basil and chopped parsley.  Form into rounds and fry in canola oil.  Mine were a little too wet so I rolled them in some breadcrumbs before frying to hold them together.  They came out nice and crunchy on the outside.

These are Roses specific ingredients 

• ▢ 2 medium eggplants
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs
• ▢ 3/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1/2 cup basil leaves
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic
• ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 3 ounces water

• Begin by preheating oven to 350f and setting rack to middle level. Cube eggplant into approximately 1" pieces. 
• Crush and make a paste of 3 garlic cloves. Rough chop a 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves.
• In a large pan on medium-low heat, saute garlic in a 1/4 cup of olive oil. After 2 minutes add the eggplant into the pan and mix thoroughly. Add 3 ounces of water to the pan, cover and let cook for 20 minutes. 
• After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and move softened eggplant to a large mixing bowl. Let the eggplant cool for a few minutes, then add the 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup Pecorino Romano, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 cup chopped basil and 2 beaten eggs. Mix well to incorporate the ingredients.
• With wet hands form eggplant meatballs and place on an oiled wire rack or a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Bake the eggplant meatballs for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Place the eggplant meatballs in your sauce of choice and serve hot. Enjoy!
  Barbara’s from our We like to bake and cook groups recipe.
  You oven roast eggplant, peel and then chop up the meat. Squish up cannellini beans, Panko, lots of garlic, basil, egg, grated cheese. Bake in the oven - flip to get brown. Serve only with MARINARA - or any "translucent" tomato sauce. 
  

Italian Giambotta! Mom called it vegetable stew!!

 Family Favorite!

Todays meatless Giambotta

8/19/23

Today I used fresh tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, several fresh basil leaves chopped and all fresh veggies including a large Cubanelle pepper.  I love them.  They are so mild and perfect for most dishes that you want to add peppers to.

  I sautéed all vegetables in olive oil first.  Added basil and garlic then tomatoes to sautéed vegetables.

I lightly boiled and drained the green beans and potatoes before adding them to tomatoes.

  All veggies were from our Farmers Market.

Salt and pepper to taste.  I added lots of pepper today!

Mom used to make this easy summer stew and grandpa called it Giambotta!   I guess that is what he had known it to be called when he was a young boy. I didn't have any recipe but remember how Mom made her version so here goes. I decided to try mine with some loose Italian sausage today but Mom made hers a meatless stew.

8/11/13

8/4/12

I bought these beans both green and purple at the market.  When the purple ones cook they turn green. 

1/4 cup olive oil
1 to 2  medium onion sliced thin
3 carrots sliced in pieces
1 large can diced or crushed tomatoes(you can use tomato sauce)
3 cloves garlic minced
3 or 4 fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp. dried basil
1 small zucchini washed and cut in pieces
1/2 lb. or more green beans broken in half  (you can use flat Italian beans as well)
1 large green pepper, orange, yellow or red cleaned and cut in pieces
2 to 3 medium potatoes cubed (optional)
1/2 lb. mini meatballs or Italian Sausage (optional) salt and pepper

In a large pot place olive oil.  On medium heat, add sausage and onion.  Cook until sausage is browned and onion is tender.  Add garlic, carrots, green pepper, beans, salt and pepper. Stir all together and add tomatoes and basil.   Cook slowly over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes.  Add potatoes and green beans.  Cook with lid partially covered until potatoes and beans are tender approximately 1 hour.  Note:  To speed  up the stew, you can partially cook potatoes and beans separately and fold into tomatoes.

*Crusty Italian Bread was always included in our meal! Great for dipping!!

Happy Cooking!

8/4/12
8/11/13 

Zucchini chocolate chip muffins

Summer means an abundance of zucchini so today it’s 

Zucchini muffins.

I just ate one and they are yummy!  I plan on having these as my morning breakfast with my coffee.

I think they basically taste like a spice muffin with chocolate chips.  

For me the amount of chocolate chips is fine others may want to add more.

Note:  I did not add walnuts.

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup white sugar

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup vegetable oil

• ¼ cup milk

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup shredded zucchini

• ½ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

• ½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line cups with paper liners.

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk oil, milk, egg, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just moistened; fold in zucchini, chocolate chips, and walnuts.

2. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the tin briefly before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

   
   

   All recipes

Artichoke and Bacon Crescent Squares

First layer, spread cream cheese mixture on top of baked crescent crust.

Hi everyone:

I just came across this recipe from Pillsbury Kitchen that I had saved from 2012 and I made it today for our village social.  You’ll probably need small  plates for these as they are filled with good stuff.

Enjoy!

Suggestion:  I added some sliced Greek olives to this.  I felt it needed a bit of salt to compliment this appetizer.

This is a recipes from Pillsbury kitchen 2012.

2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls

1 package softened cream cheese

1/4 Shredded Parmeasan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley(I used dried parsley)

1 tablespoon mayonnaise or salad dressing

1 cup fresh spinach

2 jars artichoke hearts, drained coarsely and chopped

6 slices crisp bacon

1 cup seeded diced plum tomatoes

1/2 cup diced red pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Unroll both cans of dough and place in ungreased cookie sheet (15x10x1) Long sides overlapping to fit pan.  Press in bottom and up sides to form crust.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool completely approximately 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, Parm, parsley and mayo with mixer until smooth. Spread over cooled crust.  Top with remaining ingredients.  Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 hours.  Cut in rows (8 rows by 4 rows.

Add various toppings as in chopped olives or fresh basil.  Enjoy!

Cream puffs/ Eclairs

Hubby was looking for sweets and immediately mentioned eclairs.  We both enjoy them and when you make your homemade custard they are hard to resist.

The puff recipe is super easy and as long as you store them in a cool place they should keep for a few days.  Lightly cover with wax paper until you are ready to fill.

Note:  Make sure you scoop out all of unbaked dough in center after you cut them and dis guard.

Original recipe 10-1-16

Add caption

Puff ingredients:

1 cup water 
1 stick butter 
1 cup flour
Bring water and butter to boil, lower heat. Add flour stirring constantly until mixture works away from sides...Take off stove beat in 4 eggs one at a time into flour mixture.

Grease and flour cookie sheet.  By heaping Tablespoon spoon dough into large mounds or a little narrower making sure to leave space in between for dough to spread out if you want a eclair (oval) type look.

Bake 400 degrees for 40 minutes.  Turn oven off leave in oven 15 min. more.
When completely cool cut half way across and scoop out any remaining dough in center.  Fill with custard cream and either sprinkle powdered sugar on top for making a chocolate icing.

For years I have made the custard recipe below.  I used to make it on top of the stove and always worried about it burning/scorching so a few years back I decided to try it in our microwave and have made it this way ever since.  Enjoy!

NOTE:  USE AN ICE CREAM SCOOPER TO MAKE MORE UNIFORM CREAM PUFFS..


Microwave Custard Filling:
1/4 cup corn starch

1/3 cup sugar
2 cups milk( I used 2%)Or whole Milk is the best.
2 Egg yolks
2 Tablespoons butter
1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium glass bowl combine corn starch and sugar.  With a whisk , gradually stir milk into the corn starch.

Place above milk, cornstarch, sugar mixture in microwave on high power for 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened and bubbling, stirring after each 2 minute interval.  

Take out of microwave using whisk gently whisk half of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks and then add the rest of the egg mixture into remaining hot mixture..

Microwave on high power for 1 1/2 to 2  1/2 minutes or until thickened and heated through, stirring after each 45 second interval.  Using a wire whisk blend in butter and vanilla.

Chocolate Topping:

Start with 1 Tablespoon softened butter
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tsp. milk

With a wire whisk blend all ingredients.  

Depending on how many cream puff/eclairs you are going to fill, adjust recipe.  The above was able to top 3 nicely.  I only do a few at a time or as needed.  My recipe made 10 puffs of average size.  Store puffs in a cool place or fill and refrigerate. You can also sprinkle powdered sugar on top instead of chocolate.  

Happy Baking from my kitchen to yours,