The World’s Fastest Meatballs – No Chop, No Roll, No Fry, No Kidding

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One of my favorite things about the Internet is how you canmake outrageous claims with complete impunity. For example, I’m claiming thatthis is the world’s fastest meatball recipe, and while I have plenty ofevidence to support my claim, I really like knowing that I’ll never need to. Inrelated news, I’m one of the world’s strongest men.
Anyway, these meatballs are significantly faster than atraditional recipe for three main reasons: First, there’s no chopping and sauteing to make the base mixture. Secondly, there’s no rolling involved. Smallmeatballs cook fast, and are always tender, but they’re a pain in the butt toroll. By using a small portion scoop, you can do an entire pan in a fewminutes.
Lastly, broiling instead of frying is not only a quicker wayto brown, but way less messy. Yes, you could just bake, butthe broiler will take about half the time. By the way, as I mention in the video, if you have afew extra minutes, let the meatballs simmer on low to make the tomato sauceeven more flavorful.
Just because I’m showing you a few shortcuts, doesn’t meanyou can’t add some longcuts back in. You can certainly use a more standardrecipe, like our ricotta meatballs, and still use the no-roll and broilermethods to cut prep time, without sacrificing quality.
At the very least, I hope you try this recipe so you’ll haveto go out a buy a couple portion scoops. Above and beyond expeditious meatballproduction, these “dishers” come in handy for so many other kitchen tasks. Ihope you give them, and these easy meatballs a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 48 little meatballs:For the slurry:1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs1/4 cup milk1 large egg1/4 tsp red pepper flakes2 tsp olive oil1/2 tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder (not garlic salt)1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons dried Italian herb mix*Or use: 1/2 tsp dried parsley, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/4 tspdried oregano, 1/4 tsp dried thymeFor the rest:1 pound ground veal1 pound ground beef1 1/2 tsp salt (by the way, you can cook a small piece ofthe meatball mixture to test salt)1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper1/4 tsp white pepper, optional1/3 cup freshly, finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese6 cups simmering tomato sauce of your choice

Dark Chocolate Macarons – Better Three Years Late Than Never

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I did it. I made macarons. Finally, I can apply for my foodblogger merit badge! Hold on, I’m being told I still need to make mini-cupcakesand a quinoa salad to qualify. Oh well, I’ve waited this long.
Anyway, this was my first attempt at macarons, and for nothaving any clue what I was doing, I was quite happy with the results. Theylooked fine, and the texture was almost identical to the ones sold at Chantal Guillon, a famous macaron bar here in San Francisco.
So, was it beginners luck? Yes. You would think since Iwaited three years to make these, I would have done more research, but I didalmost none. In fact, I literally used the first chocolate macaron recipe Ifound, which happened to be from David Lebovitz. He’s an American, but he livesin Paris, so I figured I was okay.
I watched a few videos, read a few articles, had a coupledrinks, looked at a few step-by-steps, and off I went.  One thing I did notice was every singleresource used a different recipe, as well as different times, temperatures, andtechniques. So, I figured I would just use my instincts and try the moststraightforward method possible.
I didn’t do any high-heat/low-heat tricks; no waiting forthe tops to dry; no sugar syrups, etc. I just made the batter, piped it out,baked them off, and as you can see, they were not bad at all. One thing I didfigure out all by myself was to use the ugly ones as the bottoms. By the way,there’s a very inappropriate metaphor there, if you’re looking.
So, here’s the deal; if you’ve never made these before, Ihope this inspires you to give them a go. Believe me, if I can do these anyonecan. However, if you’re an experienced macaron maker, we’d love to have youchime in. I can’t wait for this comment section to fill up with invaluable tipsand tricks for what I should have done, and how I should have done it.
I know I piped them wrong. You’re not supposed to make aswirl, but keep the tip pressed in the center as you squeeze. I also heard thatI should have cooked one pan at a time, because the bottom pan is more likelyto crack. What else? Don’t worry about my feelings…after four years of postingvideos on YouTube, I don’t have any left…so let me have it. And, as always, enjoy!

Basic Chocolate Macaron Batter (I found this recipe on davidlebovitz.com):
Makes about 18 finished cookies *Weighing the ingredients is critical. Do not make theseunless you have a digital kitchen scale!100 gram powdered sugar50 grams almond meal aka almond flour (the finer the better)25 grams unsweetened cocoa powder2 large room temperature egg whites65 grams granulated sugar
For chocolate ganache:1/3 cup hot heavy cream4 ounces dark chocolate, choppedpinch of salt*pour hot cream over chocolate, and stir until smooth. Allowto cool slightly before filling cooled cookies.

Bonus Coverage: For more chocolate macaron information, my friend Denise from ChezUs makes some amazing ones, and knows WAY more about these than I do, so you can bug her with your questions too! ;-)

Farmer's Market Treasure

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"Mommy, look at that!" Elijah had spotted this vintage waffle iron at the Farmers Market yesterday. We didn't own a waffle maker and this little darlin' was only $5.00! I really wanted to believe the man behind the table who swore it still worked so we brought it home and this morning put it to the test.

It works!
I wonder how old it is. It's a sturdy little thing and even though it only makes two waffles at a time it heats up really quickly and cooks them fast. They turned out so good! The outside was nice and crispy just the way we like it!


This is our favorite mix for waffles and pancakes. New Hope Mill wasn't too far away from us when we lived in New York. I remember visiting the mill and taking a tour when I was 11 or 12. It looked exactly like it does in the picture on the front of the package.


For the oil i used coconut oil. We love our coconut oil around here!I added a little bit of vanilla even though the recipe didn't call for it. Figure a little vanilla never hurts anything. =)

Elijah proudly holding the first round.
Here's a plate for you. 
Please ignore the grump on the left. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.
Haha, someone's not grumpy anymore! Something about warm waffles and maple syrup makes the world all right again. 

When you thought I wasn't looking

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"When you thought I wasn't looking,I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator,and I wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat,and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking,I saw you make my favorite cake for me,and I knew that little things are special things.
When you thought I wasn't looking,I heard you say a prayer,and I believed that there was a God to talk to.
When you thought I wasn't looking,I felt you kiss me goodnight,and I felt loved.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes,and I learned that sometimes things hurt,but it's alright to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking,I saw that you cared,and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking,I looked....and I wanted to say thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking."

I'm not sure who wrote that poem but a friend sent it to me on Facebook last night and I just wanted to share it with you all. If you know where it came from let me know and i'll put the credit in.

Happy Mother's Day to my own wonderful Mom, to my friends who are all amazing mothers and to those who dream of having your own children one day.

"So why do we have a day dedicated to us, to the imperfect mothers? It’s our imperfection that brings us to our knees; eye level with the ones that are watching us all the time. It is our imperfection that brings out beauty in our mothering. It is our imperfection that makes us realize we can’t do it alone. We have a perfect God that can take our imperfection and use it to make our children something great." -Natalie Falls 

All About Friends, Kittens and Graduations

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The kittens turned one week old yesterday. Their eyes are starting to open. 

On Saturday my brother graduated from Moody Bible Institute. We were able to watch him graduate online! I wish we could have been there in person to celebrate with him but it was neat to be able to watch it live.

I hope you had a good Mother's Day!So thankful to be these two crazy boy's mama!

Geoff brought home two more fruit trees this weekend. Papaya and Guava!
All the extra kiddos you see in the photos below are our neighbors. They are great kids. I love that they like to hang out at our house. 
The one one on the right is William and he shared some of his worms with us to put in our garden.




My boys just LOVE having new friends over to play with.


Never boring around here that's for sure!

Creamy Salmon and Leek Pasta Sauce and Obvious Metaphors

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It feels like we’ve been swimming up river the last fewdays, as our small, but traumatic kitchen remodel takes place. I’m sure theproject will come in well under budget, and way ahead of schedule, but for now,everything takes twice as long to do.

Happily, wanting to keep things simple is what spawned thisvery tasty salmon and leek pasta sauce. This recipe features two of my favoritefoods; wild salmon and crème fraiche.
These types of seafood sauces are usually made with straightcream, or a béchamel, but I find those fall a little flat when compared to thetangy, fermented goodness of homemade sour cream. While it has the same fatcontent as cream, it just seems so much lighter and complex.
I’ll assume you’ve seen our winning “how to make your own crème fraiche” video, but if not, I highly suggest you do! Homemade crèmefraiche will change your life. Check it out, and enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 Portions:1 tbsp butter1 large leek, diced, washed thoroughlysalt to taste1/2 cup white winejuice from 1/2 lemon1 cup creme fraiche (you can use all or part cream)cayenne to taste1 tsp tarragon Dijon (or regular Dijon)6 oz boneless skinless salmon, sliced thin (yes, this willwork with any other fish, poultry, or meat!)Cooked pasta for 2!

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A couple of years ago Kate sent in a story about Frosted Meatloaf and how she learned about it through the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys & Girls and wished her mother would make it for her birthday.

Yesterday, by some random chance, I stumbled upon a facsimile edition of the 1957 issue of this cookbook and managed to snap a photo of the meatloaf tips page.

For those with bad eyesight, here is a transcription:

Things You Can Do With Meatloaf

Hot Topper
Spread 3 tablespons of catsup or chili sauce over top of loaf before baking.

Tuckaway
When forming loaf, tuck in 3 hard-cooked eggs along the center.

Frosted
When loaf is baked, frost the top with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika and broil until golden.

Baby Beefies
Shape meat loaf mixture into 8 small loaves and lay in shallow pan. Top each baby loaf with a thin slice of onion. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

"Meat loaf that is left over makes the most wonderful sandwiches!" - Bucky

This is such an awesome quote!