IKEA Swedish Meatballs

I've only been to IKEA a hand full of times and I've never actually eaten there. The one thing that everyone seems to rave about is their Swedish meatballs. Whether buying them frozen to make at home or eating them at the store's food court, it never fails that when you mention IKEA someone brings up the meatballs. Not having eaten them before, I can't say if this recipe is anything like the version that you can buy either at the food court at IKEA or frozen from them. I think on my next trip I'll be trying them out just to compare because honestly, these meatballs were awesome!

They come out moist and flavorful. The gravy is thick and rich. The first night I served it over egg noodles, which was ok, but then I read that IKEA serves them over mashed potatoes with a side of lingonberry jam. I didn't serve the jam but did dish these beauties up over herbed mashed potatoes. It really made all the difference! I can see how the jam would be a nice compliment to the flavor of the meatballs. I will try it out next time.

This is a great meal to make ahead and freeze. Just make a big batch of meatballs and freeze them before making the gravy. Thaw them out and then heat them up with a batch of fresh gravy. Yum!

IKEA Swedish Meatballs

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients
1 Cup Breadcrumbs
2 Tablespoons Butter
1/3 Cup White Onion, minced
2 teaspoons Garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Ground Allspice
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 Cup Milk
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 pound Ground Beef
1 Pound Ground Pork
1 Large Egg, beaten
1 Large Egg White, beaten

Gravy:
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Cups Low Sodium Beef Broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
Salt & Pepper to taste

Optional:
Lingonberry Jam for serving

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat the butter.
2. Add the onion, garlic, allspice, salt, and pepper.
3. Cook, stirring, until soft (about 5 minutes).
4. Add the milk and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat.
6. Put the breadcrumbs in a large mixing bowl.
7. Pour the hot milk mixture over the breadcrumbs.
8. Stir to make a thick paste, then let cool.
9. Once cool, add the beef, pork, egg, and egg white to the paste.
10. Mix until well combined.
11. Oil a baking sheet with cooking spray.
12. Roll the meat into 1 inch balls and arrange on the baking sheet.
13. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
14. Preheat the oven to 400F.
15. Bake the meatballs until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
16. Once the meatballs have cooked, make the gravy.
17. Melt the butter in a large skillet.
18. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until smooth.
19. Whisk in the beef broth and Worcestershire sacue.
20. Bring to a simmer.
21. Add the cream and the meatballs.
22. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the gravy thickens, about 10 minutes.
23. Season with salt and pepper.
24. Serve over mashed potatoes and with lingonberry jam.

Yields: 10 servings (4 meatballs & gravy)

Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

I found this recipe while looking for fun foods to make on Superbowl Sunday. Vince and I are not football fans at all. A few years ago we started a tradition of having an un-Superbowl party. Basically, we invited people over to watch either a movie or TV series marathon. We serve typical Superbowl Party style food, which means lots of appetizers and junk food.

This one was a big hit. The filling is out of this world. I had several people go in to the kitchen to grab what was left in the bowl and use it as a spread. It really was yummy.

I will say that the recipe made enough filling for 2 bags of peppers, but that could vary depending on the sizes of peppers that you happen to get in the bag. I made a double batch and used some of the leftover filling to stuff some mushrooms that I had. I preferred the mushrooms to the peppers but that is probably just my own taste, Vince like the peppers better.

These were easy, quick, and pretty tasty so I know I'll be making them (and some mushrooms) again.

Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

Adapted from The Way to His Heart

Ingredients
1-2 bags of Baily's Mini Sweet Bell Peppers
8 oz Fat-Free Cream Cheese, softened
8 oz Fat-Free Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 box (9.6 oz) Jimmy Dean Brown & Serve Breakfast Sausage Patties (pre-cooked)
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 Cup Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a mixing bowl, crumble the sausage.
3. Thoroughly mix in the cheeses and seasonings.
4. Cut each pepper in half, lengthwise, and de-seed.
5. Generously fill each pepper half with the cheese mixture, making a mounded top.
6. Roll the tops of the filled peppers in the breadcrumbs.
7. Place in a greased baking pan.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.

Yields: Approximately 24 servings (2 pepper halves per serving)

Dad's Split Pea Soup (aka Crack Soup)

Growing up, my mom did 99% of the cooking in our house. On the rare occasion that dad was in charge of a meal, the meal options were pretty limited. Dad really didn't have a flare for the culinary arts but was usually able to come up with something to please the masses (that would be his brood of 5 kids). It could be his favorite Nathan's hotdogs, Dinty Moore Beef Stew, Chef Boyardee Ravioli, or his infamous "I made this in the Navy" split pea soup.

You see, my dad joined the Navy where he served on (and was a plank owner of) the USS Okinawa. He served during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1963 and was one of the first men to cross enemy lines (by air). When my father joined the Navy, he was still living at home with his parents. The story is that my grandmother refused to let her son go off into the military without knowing how to cook at least one meal for himself. She chose a recipe that was easy, cheap, and filling. My father learned the recipe for split pea soup and brought it with him when he embarked on his Naval tour. He would make the soup for fellow Seamen, friends, and even a girlfriend or two. He would add and subtract ingredients as they were available or on sale. Everyone loved it and always asked for more.

I will admit that as a kid, I despised split pea soup days. I absolutely hated the color, texture, and smell of it. I would even get myself so worked up about it that I would gag before even sitting down at the table (and my wonderful son has now picked up this habit). As an adult, I can now appreciate just how good the final recipe of this soup is. It's stick to your bones good and as Vince calls it, crack soup. It makes me smile each time I make it, remembering all those weekends watching my dad stand over a pot stirring his soup.

Dad's Split Pea Soup (aka Crack Soup)

From Dad

Ingredients
1/2 lb Bacon, diced
1 Medium White Onion, diced
2 Medium Russet Potatoes, peeled and diced
2 Quarts of Water
1 lb Dried Green Split Peas
2 Cups Cooked Ham, diced
1 Bay Leaf
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1 Cup Heavy Cream

Directions

1. In a large stock pot, cook the bacon until crisp.
2. Remove and drain on a paper towel.
3. Add the onions to the bacon drippings and cook until translucent.
4. Add the water, peas, potatoes, ham, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to the stock pot.
5. Bring to a rolling boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
7. Discard the bay leaf
8. Process the soup in a blender until smooth.
9. Return the soup to the stock pot.
10. Add the bacon and the cream to the soup.
11. Stir to combine.
12. Serve with warm sourdough bread.

Yields: 12 servings (approx. 1 cup per serving)

Thai Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce

I love to try new food. I truly believe that you can learn a lot about a culture by eating their traditional foods. That and it's just yummy.

I'm usually not into Thai food because I don't do spicy food, although Vince loves it. I usually stick with Pad Thai when we do go out.

As a part of our diet and living healthier, I have started making more food from scratch. I've also started making some new dishes, because well...the dinner rotation gets boring sometimes. Lucky for me, Vince will eat just about anything I make so he's good with me experimenting.

Usually I will look for a recipe for a particular dish that I loved in a restaurant, like the Thai Pineapple Rice that I'll be trying out next week. I will make the recipe as written once, then I will begin changing it to make it the way I and Vince like it and to make it healthier. This pork satay recipe however, will need very few changes. The only change I will make in the future will be to the peanut sauce, I like it to be a little thicker than what it came out as.

Ahhhh, the peanut sauce. It is a little sweet, peanuty, and creamy. You will want to pour it on everything. You will want to find new things to eat just so you can pour this peanut sauce on it. It is that good. I made a double batch of it so that I can keep a container in the fridge as a "dipping" sauce for celery. Mmmmm...I want some now. Then there is the marinade for the pork. A beautiful yellow color, very fragrant, and oh so yummy. I could eat the pork by itself without the sauce but, well...I love the sauce. If you've ever had Afghan kabobs you will know just how awesome this marinade is.

Ok, now that I've got my mouth watering and hopefully yours too, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Pork Satay

Pork

Ingredients

1/2 Medium Yellow Onion, diced
2 Teaspoons Minced Garlic
1 Tablespoon Ground Ginger
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce (or the substitute that I posted about)
1 Teaspoon Ground Coriander
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Turmeric
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (or peanut oil)
1 Pound Pork (loin or shoulder)
Skewers

Directions

If you are using bamboo skewers, make sure you soak them in water for at least 20 minutes prior to using. Trust me on this, I learned the hard way.

1. Place all ingredients, except for the pork, into a blender and blend until you get a thick paste.
2. Remove the fat from the pork and cut into strips about 1 inch wide.
3. Place the pork and the marinade into a large zip top bag. Squish it around (yes, that's a technical term) to make sure all of the meat is thoroughly coated.
4. Make sure the top is sealed tight and place into the fridge for about 4 hours.
5. Take the meat out of the fridge and slide each strip onto a skewer. Discard the rest of the marinade when all of the meat is skewered.
6. Fire up the grill! Grill or broil the skewered meat for about 10 minutes. You want it cooked through and to have a seared appearance to it.

While the meat is cooking, you can make the peanut sauce. This sauce can also be made ahead of time and just reheated.

Peanut Sauce

Ingredients

3/4 Cup Coconut Milk
4 Tablespoons Peanut Butter (I use natural)
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce (or substitute)
1 Teaspoon Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Coriander
Optional: 1 or 2 dried chilis, diced

Directions

1. Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and heat.
2. Stir continuously until all of the peanut butter is completely melted.

Yields: 5 servings

I served the pork on top of a bed of brown rice and broccoli. I topped the whole thing with peanut sauce. Yummy and very filling.

1 serving was 3 oz of pork, 2/3 cup steamed brown rice, 1/3 cup steamed broccoli, and 2-3 tablespoons of peanut sauce.