Anyone out there like Iron Chef Bobby Flay? I knew there would be a few. I myself enjoy his show Throwdown. If you haven’t seen the show educate yourself. This is where I got this Italian meatballs and marinara recipe.

This recipe is best described as fresh, especially the sauce. The tomatoes, onions, garlic and fresh basil in the sauce make for an unencumbered flavor. Just straight goodness. The meatballs are wonderful too. They go hand in hand.

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Mama Maronis Meatballs

Throwdown with Bobby Flay

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 4oz. dried bread crumbs (I use the Italian style – adds a little more flavor)
• 4 large eggs
• 4oz. whole milk
• 6oz. grated Romano Cheese
• 3oz. grated Spanish onion (I use a yellow onion – don’t really know what the difference is.)
• 2oz. finely diced fresh garlic
• 2oz. finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 2oz. finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 tsp kosher salt (my addition)

Directions

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
2. Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. If mixture seems a little loose add more bread crumbs.
3. Roll meatballs loosely about the size of a golf ball and place on baking sheet. Place into preheated oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Enjoy!

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Mama Maroni’s Marinara Sauce

Ingredients

• 6oz. good olive oil not extra-virgin
• 12 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 1 large or 2 medium Spanish onions, finely diced
• 2 (28-ounce) cans imported crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tsp. white or black pepper, freshly cracked
• 1 large handful julienned fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add oil.
2. Once heated add the finely sliced garlic and onions to the pan. Cook over medium heat until soft and slightly brown.
3. Next add the canned crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper and stir. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and add the julienned basil.

Serve over noodles with meatballs.

My kids love broccoli. Kind of weird I know, but they do. So when I find a recipe that uses broccoli, I usually try it out. This broccoli beef recipe struck me because of its apparent ease. This recipe is so tasty. My kids eat it up, I eat it up, even the picky neighbor girl ate it up. It’s really that good.

I wanted to make a note that I did update the method or the way it’s made just a little. I found that blanching the broccoli was a hit or miss on doneness. Sometimes it was too done or sometimes it was underdone. It also added to much water sometimes, so I changed the way that it was cooked. For more info on the method I like to use watch this video on how to stir fry. By the way, my family loves that recipe as well.

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Awesome Broccoli Beef

Adapted from Simply Recipes, and a few updates and additions by me.

Main Ingredients

• 1.5 lb. flank, sirloin, or the cheaper london broil, sliced thinly across the grain
• 1.5 lbs. broccoli florets
• 6 T. + 2 t. high-heat cooking oil
• 6 cloves garlic, very finely minced or pressed through garlic press
• 1 T. minced or grated ginger
• 1/4 C. chicken broth

Beef marinade

• 2 t. soy sauce
• 2 t. Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry) or since I don’t ever have wine I used rice wine vinegar
• 1 t. cornstarch
• 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 t. sea salt
• 2 t. of Sriracha

For the sauce

• 2 T. oyster sauce
• 2 T. hoisin sauce
• 2 t. Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry) or since I don’t ever have wine I used rice wine vinegar
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 1/2 C. chicken broth
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 2 t. of Sriracha

Directions

1. Marinate the beef: Stir together the beef marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the beef slices and stir until coated. Let stand for 10 minutes ( you can let it marinate for longer too while you get the rest of the recipe ready)
2. Prepare the sauce: Stir together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and instantly evaporates upon contact. Add 2 T. of the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the 1/3 of the beef and immediately
   spread the beef out all over the surface of the wok or pan in a single layer (preferably not touching). Let the beef fry undisturbed for 1 minute. Flip the beef slices over and cook until nicely browned on both sides and remove to a plate. Repeat this until all beef is cooked.
4. With the beef removed, lower heat to medium-high heat the 2 t. oil until shimmering.
5. Add garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
6. Add broccoli and stir fry for 1 minute.
7. Pour in 1/4 C. of chicken stock
8. Cover and steam for 2 minutes or until broccoli is tender-crisp, stirring once.
9. Return beef to pan and stir. Push contents to side of pan.
10. Pour sauce in center of pan; cook, for 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened, stir sauce only if needed.
11. Stir beef and broccoli into sauce until coated.
12. Serve over sticky rice, with lots of Sriracha.

About 6 months or so ago my wife found this recipe on a website she frequents. She decided to try it out on the family. It was a huge hit. For a family of 4 semi-picky little girls that is a good thing. I need to warn you though, this stuff is sooo addicting you won’t be able to stop yourself at 3 or 4 helpings. Seriously. If you try this I am sure it will be a long time favorite in your house.

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Chicken Broccoli Pasta Skillet w/ Parmesan

Adapted from The Best Skillet Recipes
Found at My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares
• Table salt and ground black pepper
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 6 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 1/2 t. red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how much kick you want it to have)
• 16 oz. of ziti or penne
• 6 1/2 C. of water broth mixed with 5 boullion cubes
• 4-5 C. broccoli florets (depending on how much broccoli you want)
• 1/2 a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped coarse (I get the tomatoes with the italian seasonings)
• 3/4 C. heavy cream
• 3/4 C. grated parmesan cheese, or asiago cheese
• 1 1/2 T. lemon juice

Directions

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick or, in my case, cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until most, but not all, of the pink color has disappeared and the chicken is lightly browned around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.
2. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the pasta, and the water-broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is very thick and syrupy and almost completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, 2-3 minutes.
5. Uncover and return the heat to medium-high. Stir in the cream, parmesan, and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing more grated parmesan at the table, if desired.

This is the best, moist cornbread you will ever have. The soaking of the cornmeal before mixing it in with the other ingredients is brilliant. This softens the cornmeal and allows the cornbread to be so soft. If you like a sweeter cornbread this one is good, just reduce the sugar if you like a less sweet cornbread. Trust me you will love this cornbread.

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Moistiest Cornbread Evar

Courtesy of All Recipes

• 1 1/2 c. cornmeal
• 2 1/2 c. milk
• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 T. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• 1 c. white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, combine cornmeal and milk; let stand for 5 minutes. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix in the cornmeal mixture, eggs and oil until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean.

Maybe its not really a famous focaccia sandwich, but I am going to make it that way. This is the sandwich dreams are made of. I remember when my wife and I were dating when she would visit me at the pizza place where I worked: High Desert Pizza in Ivins Utah. She would come and I would treat her to this tasty focaccia sandwich. We both fell in love at first bite. It took me a little while to remember all the toppings but ultimately I did. I must say thank heavens for that.

Now you have to start off with the Focaccia Bread from this post. Some very tasty bread. We like it fresh out of the oven, but 1-2 day old is fine as well. This is a hot sandwich so it doesn’t matter.

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High Desert Pizza’s Focaccia Sandwich

From High Desert Pizza

• 1 loaf Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Sauce (this is the oh so tasty key, I just slather it on)

• 1 part mayonaise (start with 1/3 C.)
• 1 part Sun Dried Tomato Vinagrette salad dressing (start with 1/3 C.)

Meat Side

• Pepperoni Slices
• Your favorite deli shaved Ham (we like Boars head Parmesan and Pesto Ham)
• Your favorite deli shaved Turkey

Veggie Side

• 1/2 Onion sliced into slivers
• Sliced Black Olives
• 1 tomato sliced
• Sliced Provalone Cheese

Directions

1. Cut the focaccia loaf into 4 peices (I make my focaccia round) and slice it so you have nice sandwich slices. We use our bread right out of the oven, but day old bread can be toasted on both sides under the broiler for a minute or less a side depending on how much you like yours toasted. You want them a little crunch and warm.
2. Mix mayo and salad dressing together until it turns to a nice light orange mixture. Slather that onto all the slices of focaccia you are going to use.
3. Meat side – you can do this two ways depending on how you like your pepperoni. First way: line the bottom slice with pepperoni on top of the tasty sauce. Then pile on the ham and then the turkey, two or three slices of each should be good. We are going to put this in the oven and want everything to be warm throughout so not too much. Second Way: Pile on the ham then the turkey then the pepperoni, this way the pepperoni gets a little crispy on the edges. Either of these ways are good.
4. Veggie side – Pile on the onions. Add some olives onto those. Put 1-2 tomato slices on top of that. Then add a slice of the Povalone on top of all that.
5. Put the slices on a cookie sheet or a broiler pan top. Now depending on how you like your sandwich put it under the broiler until the cheese is melted and everything is warm. Or turn the oven to 400 and cook it for about 4-5 minutes or more.
6. Take it out, put it together and ENJOY! You won’t regret it. Well maybe your thighs will but it’s worth it!