Meatball Parmigiana Sliders

The last recipe to finish out my Martha Stewart Living parmigiana bonanza, I decided to give us a break from all the chicken and “beef up” the menu with these adorable sliders. This may become one of my go to party favors for things like the Super Bowl and “man parties.” How can any guy not get on board with dainty sandwiches when they involve meatballs and red sauce? Seriously.

I expect pinkie fingers to fly out at a moments notice if for nothing else, then to wipe the drool from their mustaches. (Okay, my imagination may be running away with me a little bit, but if you see in your head what I see, you would be grinning from ear to ear.)

Meatball Parmigiana Sliders

2 slices sandwich bread, torn into 1 inch pieces
½ cp whole milk
2 pounds ground beef
½ cup grated Parmesan
2 tsp chopped/minced garlic
1 large egg
Salt and Pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped

Marinara Sauce
1-2 dozen Brioche or dinner Rolls (depending on if you want to freeze half for later or make all for a party now)
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
½ cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
Soak bread in milk for 5 minutes. Gently add in the rest of the meatball ingredients: beef, parmesan, garlic, egg, salt, pepper and onion. Refridgerate for 30 minutes.

Roll mixture into 24 1 ounce balls (golf ball). Place in simmering marinara sauce over medium heat. Cook partially covered for 20-25 minutes until meatballs are cooked through.

Preheat oven to 400. Arrange rolls, cut side up on a baking sheet. Place 1 meatball, 1 spoonfull of sauce, 1 tbs mozzarella and 1 tsp Parmesan on each roll. Bake until cheese melts (about 3 minutes).

Since there are just 2 of us, I choose to freeze half the sauce and meatballs for a later meal (served over spaghetti, sliders, etc.) but you could easily half this recipe or make it all at once for a party.

Ranch Bacon Cheddar Burgers

I ran across this recipe awhile back from one of many Blogs (though I forgot to write down which one). Now that I have my homemade Ranch seasonings I decided to give it a try. This was a super quick meal and perfect after a weekend of heavy fall eating. I even lost a pound! LOL

Ingredients:
1lb Ground Turkey
1 tbs dry Ranch Seasoning
1 egg white
¼ cup finely diced onion
8 slices turkey bacon
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
4 wheat buns
Lettuce, tomato, mayo for garnish

Directions:
Cook up my turkey bacon in a dash of olive oil until crisp in a grill pan while assembling burgers. Stir together turkey, seasoning, egg white and onion and divide into four portions for patties. Remove crisp bacon from the pan and place four Turkey burger patties in pan. Grill until cooked thoroughly and crisp on the outside.

Assemble Burgers layered with cheese, 2 strips of bacon, mayo, tomato and lettuce. A very light, quick and flavorful dinner for a hectic weekday.

Turkey Parmesan Burgers (and oven fries)

In my quest for healthier eating I have cut out a lot of red meat. We have red meat maybe once a week if that. I tend to stick to poultry and veggies (and pasta. We all know I’m a carb loader). So anytime I see a recipe for any kind of poultry burger I have to try it! These were tasty. They cooked well and are a nice basic palate to make them your own. You could spice them up with some peppers or send them over the Italian curve with some fresh basil leaves and garlic mixed in. Due to my allergies, I’m pretty careful about spices right now. Go wild with this. I served with simple oven fries made from white potatoes, olive oil and sea salt. (slice and bake in a single layer for 20 minutes on 350, flip and bake for 20 more minutes). This makes a great light summer dinner OR a healthy lunch!


Turkey Parmesan Burgers
Ingredients:
Sliced Whole Grain Bread
Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup)
Small can of Tomato Sauce
1 lb ground turkey
½ tbs olive oil
1 small finely chopped onion
Whole-milk Mozzarella cheese (thinly sliced or shredded)

Directions:
In a food processor, blend the two end pieces of bread and parmesan to form fine crumbs. Place in large plate or pie plate.

In a large bowl combine ground turkey, onion and 2 tbs tomato sauce plus ¼ tsp salt. Mix well. Shape into 5 patties and gently coat with the bread crumb mixture.

In a George Foreman Grill (or a grill pan, frying pan etc), spray with Pam and place burgers on grill. Grill for about 4 minutes or until crusty and dark brown.

Serve on toasted bread with mayonnaise, 1 tbs of tomato sauce and a thin slice or sprinkle of mozzarella.

Say: Grilled Cheese

There are a million ways to make grilled cheese grown up and still be that wonderful comfort food. Sometimes though, you want that memory of childhood to shine through. Sometimes you just want something quick, quirky or fun.

I think this grilled cheese is a nice blend of grown up, childhood and quick. It's fun and easy with a very adult taste and perfectly compliments the Tomato Soup.

Grilled Cheese
Ingredients:
4 thin flakes of Parmesian Reggiano (about an inch square)
2 thin slices of Gruyere
1 tbs shredded mozzerella
1 tbs shredded cheddar
1 slice Kraft Deluxe American cheese
2 tbs butter
2 slices of bread

Directions:
Thinly spread butter on insides of both pieces of bread. Layer all of the cheese on. Close sandwich and gently spread butter on outsides of bread. Place in heated/greased sandwich maker or pannini press. Cook for approx. 4 minutes or until bread is toasty brown and cheese is melted.