Thanksgiving Feast!

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Something about holidays that celebrate cooking just makes me happy! While not directly responsible for all of the above, The corn pudding was mine. It turned out pretty well - and I highly recommend it!

Corn Pudding

Ingredients:

4 oz softened cream cheese

1 can creamed corn

3/4 c frozen corn, thawed

1/2 c cornmeal

1/2 chopped onion

2/3 c milk

3 Tbsp melted butter

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 c shredded cheddar

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease/butter a 1 qt casserole dish.

2. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Spread the mixture evenly into the casserole dish.

4. Bake 50 minutes, or until center no longer looks runny. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Fresh Pasta & Meatballs

Tonight, I really wanted an excuse to use the pasta maker I bought today. I took a risk and invited 6 other friends over to enjoy the first attempt, and luckily the pasta wasn't terrible. I did decide pasta and meatballs was a good crowd pleasing meal. And the flourless chocolate cake that came afterwards wasn't bad either! I'm on a winning streak tonight.

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef (or ground veal)

1 lb. italian sausage
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley or 2 tsp. dried
1/2 c. fine dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 sm. clove garlic, minced
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Form 1 1/2 inch meatballs with the mixture. Place them around a baking sheet, and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Let cool, remove excess fat, and add meatballs to a pot of your favorite sauce. Simmer until time to serve.

 

If you have the time to make fresh pasta, I highly recommend it for this meal.

Teryaki Glazed Chicken

I'm back! After a very hectic 3 or so months of work craziness and wedding planning, I can finally think (and cook) again. We tried out our new rice steamer this week, and I made Teriyaki glazed chicken to go with. It's a bit messy, so next time I will probably adjust the amount of sauce, but it tasted good, and reheated well for the next day's lunch!

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons ginger (grated)
1 pound chicken (cut into bite sized pieces)
2 teaspoon peanut oil
4 servings cooked rice
4 tablespoons corn starch


Directions:
1. Toss bite sized chicken pieces in a bowl or bag with corn starch, until lightly coated. Heat oil in wok or large pan and cook chicken until crisp - careful not to overcook. Mix the soy sauce, pineapple juice, honey, sugar, ginger and
2. Mix soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, pineapple juice, honey, brown sugar, and ginger in a bowl.
3. Add the marinade to the pan and saute until warm. Add chicken, and cook until sauce thickens. If you need additional thickening, add 1-2 tablespoons of a corn starch/water mixture and bring back to simmer.
4. Serve on cooked rice with whatever veggies you like.

Enjoy!