Mee-baw!

After one of many lunches at Potbelly's, my son Wyatt's first word was "meatball!" .  There's nothing cuter than when your kids start to talk and nothing better than when they can tell you what they want. Luckily I found a recipe on Pinterest that (almost) matches his enthusiasm with flavor.  (He's pretty enthusiastic).  They're moist, hearty, and absolutely delicious.  And I tried it with both ground turkey and beef.

Add them to your favorite spaghetti marinara or else enjoy them plain.  Recipe after the jump:

V Day

Looking to do something romantic at home? Skip the crowds and go for this hot and spicy menu that will make you fall in love all over again.  It's so good that that it will probably earn you the 'Kitchen Goddess' moniker... which could easily lead into other pet names if you play your cards right.  

It starts with a Whipped Feta and Heirloom Tomato crostini that should be paired with a crisp, white wine.  It's followed by a Spicy Caesar Salad with bacon and red chiles in honor of V Day.  The main event is the juiciest and most flavorful Paprika Roasted Chicken cooked over crispy (duck fat) potatoes.  And the icing on the cake is the most refreshing Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake with a citrus glaze. Happy V Day!

Heirloom Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta

(my new favorite crostini of all time)

Spicy Caesar salad with bacon
(I've made it as is and low fat with light mayo and turkey bacon and it is still amazing)

Paprika roasted chicken with potatoes

(By far the best roasted chicken I've ever made)

Lemon yogurt citrus glazed pound cake

Recipes after the Jump

Winning

Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter Cookies with Sea Salt 

The only thing Superbowl Sunday does for me is gives me a good run for my money.  Not literally since I could care less about gambling or football, but more so that I have to figure out THE dish to bring to the party every, single, year. I mean, it basically sums up your last year's worth of cooking/baking talent in one fell swoop and that's no easy feat!

This year I came out on top since I chose a cookie that is probably the best thing I've ever tasted: Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter Cookies with Sea Salt. Need a visual? Picture a Carol's Cookie on steroids with a pop of warm nutella in its center and a sprinkle of sea salt to make you extra excited.  Feeling skinny? Make them.   Feeling fat? I don't know what to tell you.  Suck it up, what's an extra 1000 calories?

*Just a note, the dough is so thick and crumbly that I first made the balls and then after the refrigeration step, I warmed each one up with my hands, broke it half, made them into semi-flat circles, put on the dollop of nutella and covered it with the other side to form a ball.  I cooked them for exactly 10 minutes and removed them from the pan after 2 minutes.  I found that they started to burn if not and nobody likes burned chocolate. Not even Sexual Chocolate!

Recipe after the jump:

Mexicana Mama

After a recent babysitter cancellation, I decided no one was going to bring me down on a Friday night; so I ran to the market and whipped up a nice Mexican meal for two. I made homemade margaritas, spicy guacamole, and chicken enchiladas with roasted asparagus and refried black beans.  To finish it off, I served nutella-stuffed chocolate chip cookies sprinkled with sea salt. I had made them for Superbowl Sunday, it's not like I can just have those sitting around the house.  It was a meal to remember (even though I can't say I do).

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
8 soft corn tortillas

Filling:
3 cups chicken broth
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast, 6-8 oz
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
2 sprigs fresh oregano
1 small onion, quartered
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/3 palm full
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt

Sauce:

2 cups tomato sauce

2 teaspoons hot cayenne pepper sauce, several drops

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 pinches

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 1/2 cups Monterey Jack shredded cheese, available on dairy aisle

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Wrap corn tortillas in foil and warm in the oven. Bring broth to a boil in a saute pan. Set chicken into broth with bay and oregano and onion. Return to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Poach chicken in broth 10 minutes. Remove chicken breasts to a bowl and shred with 2 forks. Add 1/2 cup of cooking liquid and tomato paste, spices and salt and work through the chicken using the forks.

Combine all sauce ingredients and heat through, keeping warm until needed.

Remove tortillas from oven and switch broiler on high.

Pile chicken mixture into warm corn tortillas and roll. Line casserole or baking dish with enchiladas, seam side down. Pour hot tomato sauce over the chicken enchiladas and top with cheese. Place in enchiladas in hot oven 6 inches from broiler and broil 5 minutes to melt cheese and set enchiladas.

PC: Annie's Eats
Recipe: Rachel Ray