Pesto Fries
Want an out of this world french fry recipe for when you’re craving something salty and crunchy? Pesto Fries are drizzled with a buttery pesto sauce then sprinkled with cheese. The perfect snack or side to any main dish.
Who doesn’t love a big pile of hot, crispy french fries? They are like a really great little black dress, they go with everything and can be dressed up with a few accessories. The ‘accessories’ for these fries happen to be a delicious pesto sauce that is drizzled on then baked in. Sprinkle with some cheese and you’ve got a great dish for this Mitten Movie Night.
This recipe is inspired by a hot dog food truck that we had dinner from at our local energy cooperative customer appreciation day. I was sad that I didn’t get the name of it because if I had, I probably would be following it like a Grateful Dead groupie.
While waiting in line to order the smell coming out of the food truck was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Once I was up to the window I ordered a bacon-wrapped hot dog and for the side, pesto fries. They came out piping hot and loaded with pesto, cheese and tasted even better than I expected.
I locked the flavors away in my mind and knew that like most wonderful things I eat, I had to come home and recreate this Pesto Fries recipe and pair it with some great craft beer.
What movie or TV show pairs well with fries and beer?
I’m sure you have probably heard of a little show that is sweeping the horror scene called, The Haunting of Hill House. While Halloween is over this show will keep you in the creeps for a long time. My recommendation when you start watching is to plan for a binge session because you will NOT be able to turn away.
What beer pairs well with Pesto Fries?
The beer: Sunspot Hefeweizen Ale from Greenbush Brewing Company.
This beer was in a mixed 6 pack of Michigan beers that my husband picked up at one of his favorite beer store in Southwest Michigan.
What makes a Hefeweizen a great beer to pair food with?
This German beer is a drinkable beer that pairs well with nearly everything. It’s light and drinkable and you can enjoy it while you fill up on delicious food, not the beer.
Better yet, Hefeweizen has a fruity, lemony appeal so it may lend as a little breath refresher for all the garlic on these Pesto Fries.
How to make Pesto Fries:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees or to the temperature that is on the package of fries.
On a sheet place parchment paper. Spread the whole bag of frozen french fries to the pan in a single layer.
Cook according to package directions, mine took about 30 minutes flipping halfway through.
In the last 5 minutes of cooking, make the pesto sauce to go on top.
In a heatproof cup or glass measuring cup melt the butter.
To the melted butter add the minced garlic.
Add the prepared pesto sauce.
Finally, pour in the olive oil. Stir to combine completely.
Take the french fries out the of the oven and pour the pesto sauce over the fries. Put back into the oven for 5 minutes.
Take out and serve individually with parmesan-romano cheese sprinkled on it.
Looking for a dish to serve with Pesto Fries?
And here you are……
From our home in the Bottom Left of the Mitten to yours ~ Enjoy!
*Affiliate links are included in this post. Please read my Discloser Policy.
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 35 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 1 28 ounce bag of french fries cooked according to package directions
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 Tbs prepared pesto
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup parmesan-romano for topping
Ingredients
|
|
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees or to the temperature that is on the package of fries.
- On a sheet place parchment paper. Spread the whole bag of frozen french fries to the pan in a single layer.
- Cook according to package directions, mine took about 30 minutes flipping halfway through.
- In the last 5 minutes of cooking, make the pesto sauce to go on top.
- In a heatproof cup or glass measuring cup melt the butter.
- To the melted butter add the minced garlic.
- Add the prepared pesto sauce.
- Finally, pour in the olive oil. Stir to combine completely.
- Take the french fries out the of the oven and pour the pesto sauce over the fries. Put back into the oven for 5 minutes.
- Take out and serve individually with parmesan-romano cheese sprinkled on it. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Spice Granola
This is the perfect breakfast for fall! Pumpkin Spice Granola is packed full of pumpkin spice flavor, dried cranberries, and walnuts. This granola is a happy medium between baked and crunchy Granola Recipes.
I cannot believe how much I’ve truly dug into pumpkin spice this year. I don’t know if it’s the colder weather we’ve had since early October or just really getting into the spirit of the season but I am Team Pumpkin Spice!
You know what else I love? Granola! One day I was craving some so I got out my usual ingredients of olive oil, honey, and oats. I had my coffee going and was thinking about some pumpkin recipes I could make for the blog and then immediately thought of the perfect substitute for my regular cinnamon that I add to the granola – pumpkin spice!
Then, what could be more ‘fall’ than dried cranberries? Nothing! Add my usual walnuts for that good brain health and voila! Breakfast is ready.
Love Pumpkin recipes? Check these out:
This Pumpkin Spice Granola recipe is so easy to make and ready in less than 25 minutes. I do like it a little on the warm side so I eat a big bowl of it right after making it. Such a great wholesome way to start the day.
How to make Pumpkin Spice Granola:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
In a bowl mix the olive oil, honey, salt, pumpkin spice, and turmeric. Stir to combine.
To the liquid ingredients add the oats. Stir to combine completely.
Add parchment paper to a 9×13 pan.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and stir the granola, level back out and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Take out of the oven and let cool.
Once the granola *has cooled completely* add the dried cranberries and walnuts.
Serve with milk or yogurt.
Tips & Variations for Pumpkin Spice Granola:
- Do not add the dried cranberries and walnuts until the granola has cooled all the way. You will end up with burnt nuts and hard as rocks cranberries if you add them any earlier.
- Do you like crunchy granola? Follow the same recipe just use a 12×18 sheet pan instead and spread out thinly over the whole sheet.
- How to store the granola: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
And here you are…..
From our home in the Bottom Left of the Mitten to yours ~ Enjoy!
*Affiliate links are included in this post. Please read my Discloser Policy.
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 1/2 cup olive oil you can substitute for coconut or vegetable oil as well
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice blend
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 3 cups instant oats
- 1/4-1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4-1/2 cup dried cranberries
Ingredients
|
|
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- In a bowl mix the olive oil, honey, salt, pumpkin spice, and turmeric. Stir to combine.
- To the liquid ingredients add the oats. Stir to combine completely.
- Add parchment paper to a 9x13 pan.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and stir the granola, level back out and bake an additional 10 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and let cool.
- Once the granola *has cooled completely* add the dried cranberries and walnuts.
- Serve with milk or yogurt. Enjoy!
Tips & Variations for Pumpkin Spice Granola:
- Do not add the dried cranberries and walnuts until the granola has cooled all the way. You will end up with burnt nuts and hard as rocks cranberries if you add them any earlier.
- How to store the granola: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Baked Coconut Shrimp Wontons
Coconut shrimp meets with a cream cheese wonton. Baked Coconut Shrimp Wontons are the best of both worlds. All wrapped together in a crunchy shell then sprinkled with powdered sugar. So sweet!
Happy Memorial Day weekend! Let’s start this Mitten Movie Night with a classic appetizer mashup. Do you love coconut shrimp? How about sweet and creamy wontons? Why don’t we just combine them? Of course we can. So now let’s sit back and start the holiday with a sweet beer and an even sweeter treat with these baked coconut shrimp wontons.
Have you ever went out to dinner and instead of ordering a meal you just order an appetizer….for yourself? I do because I can’t resist a good artichoke dip with crispy bread. A local restaurant here has the best potato skins with ranch that again I will order and just eat as my meal. This recipe came to me after I made these Sweet Cream Cheese Wontons from The Cozy Cook. They were so good so how could I make these appetizers into a meal? Add shrimp? Sure! I was just waiting for the right beer to pair them with…..and it all came together last weekend.
What beer pairs well with Baked Coconut Shrimp Wontons?
The beer: Palisades Pineapple from Golden Road Brewing.
My husband, the kids and I went up to Flint, Michigan for our nephews graduation party. With our in-laws we made a weekend out of it and got a hotel so the kids could swim and not worry about driving 6 hours round trip in one day. It was a great get away and of course while away why not treat ourselves? We stopped at the Kroger to pick up some beer. Wow! What a wonderful selection they had. After picking up then putting down a bunch of choices because it was hard to choose, I went with this Palisades Pineapple from Golden Road Brewing.
While it’s not a Michigan Craft Beer I have been on a fruit beer kick so, why not? This beer ended up being one of my favorites this year. Light, drinkable, fruity with pineapple and apricots but not overwhelming.
What movie pairs well with wontons and beer?
Finally, I have to perfect beer for Mitten Movie Night to pair with these wontons. Now to pair a great beer with a great movie? Since this beer was made in LA we’re watching Pulp Fiction.
While the ingredients for this recipe are pretty basic the assembly can make them a little tedious to make. Worth it but just a little *warning*.
How to make Baked Coconut Shrimp Wontons:
For the shrimp, I use already cooked salad shrimp. I always have a bag in the freezer and you can easily take out how much you need and thaw in some hot water and it’s ready. For this you need 2 cups.
On the stove top in a pan heat up 1/2 Tbs olive oil and add the thawed shrimp and sautee until brown around 2 minutes. Add 1 minced garlic cloves and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Once cooked through the meat needs to be minced. You can either do this by chopping it into small pieces with a knife or you can do like I did for this Shrimp Cannelloni and bring out the small food processor.
Next, set the shrimp aside to cool then preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
To another bowl add softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and the coconut. In a smaller dish crack one egg and whisk it to combine. Once the shrimp has cooled add it to the cream cheese and coconut mixture.
To this I added a ‘splash’ of sesame oil. While I love the taste it can be overwhelming so proceed with caution or leave this off the recipe if you think you or your guests might not like it.
Lastly, is filling these baked coconut shrimp wontons. This is the step I warned you about taking some time. Place a small dollop in the middle of a wonton wrapper. Take your finger and dip it into the egg then rub all the edges with it.
To create the little pillows of goodness pinch the 4 corners with your index and middle finger on top then thumbs on the bottom and pull together making an ‘X’. A wobbly ‘X’ at best but sometimes flavor makes up for the presentation.
You won’t use all the egg for this so to the bowl add a splash of water then brush the egg wash onto the top of each wonton.
Pop these baked coconut shrimp wontons into the preheated oven for 12 minutes.
Sprinkle on some additional powdered sugar and serve with a side of sweet and sour sauce.
And here you are….
From our home in the Bottom Left of the Mitten to yours ~ Enjoy!
*Affiliate links are included in this post. Please read my Discloser Policy.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 12 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 2 cups cooked shrimp, thawed
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 12 ounces wonton wrappers
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 'splash' sesame oil optional
- Powdered sugar for topping if desired
- 1 cup sweet and sour sauce for dipping
- 1 large egg whisked
Ingredients
|
|
- Thaw 2 cups of frozen, cooked shrimp. On the stove top in a pan heat up 1/2 Tbs olive oil and add the thawed shrimp and sautee until brown around 2 minutes. Add 1 minced garlic cloves and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Mince the shrimp by hand or food processor. Set the shrimp aside to cool
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- To another bowl add softened cream cheese, powdered sugar and the coconut. In a smaller dish crack one egg and whisk it to combine. Once the shrimp has cooled add it to the cream cheese and coconut mixture. To this I added a 'splash' of sesame oil.
- Place a small dollop in the middle of a wonton wrapper. Take your finger and dip it into the egg then rub all the edges with it. To create the little pillows of goodness pinch the 4 corners with your index and middle finger on top then thumbs on the bottom and pull together making an 'X'.
- To the egg bowl add a splash of water then brush the egg wash onto the top of each wonton. Pop these into the preheated oven for 12 minutes.
- Sprinkle on some additional powdered sugar and serve with a side of sweet and sour sauce. Enjoy!
Skillet Chicken, Mushrooms & Garlic
Looking to have a cozy Friday night in? And how would you like to make up a chicken dinner that can be made all in one pan and bake while you lounge on the couch reading or watching movies? Am I speaking your language yet? This skillet chicken, mushrooms & garlic is the perfect dinner for a great night in.
So tonight for Mitten Movie Night I made one of my favorites, a simple chicken dinner. I love nothing more than chicken with a light gravy and mashed potatoes. This meal paired so well with the White Chocolate Blonde from Grand Armory Brewing that we picked up when we were out hunting for Hopslam. With only a hint of chocolate, it went great with the meaty mushrooms, tender chicken, and light sauce perfectly.
Recommended to watch: The Secret of Marrowbone. This movie had me thinking about it long after it was over. A little bit of horror with a surprise twist at the end. So cuddle up because the weather is still cold and let’s get to the recipe for skillet chicken, mushrooms & garlic.
Do you have a cast iron skillet? If not this skillet chicken dish works well in a dutch oven too. I’ve been using my cast iron like crazy since I got it this summer. Before having one I always thought that it would be too intimidating but I was simply wrong about it. Easy to clean and you can make everything from burgers to dessert in it.
Start off by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. On the stove heat the pan and add the 1/4 cup olive oil. On a plate add the flour, salt, pepper, and thyme. Combine the spices and flour together then dredge each chicken piece into it then add them skin side down to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, flip over and cook another 5 minutes on the other side. While the chicken is cooking chop the onion, clean the mushrooms and get the garlic peeled.
Once the chicken is cooked remove and put on a separate plate. The chicken does not have to be cooked you just wanted to crisp up the skin. To the same pan add 1 Tbs of butter. With a spatula bring up the little bits on the bottom of the pan and add the onions. Brown them until translucent for 2-3 minutes. By now the kitchen should be smelling amazing!
Now that the onions are cooked add the liquids: wine and chicken stock. Add the chicken back to the pan. Then finally add the mushrooms and garlic on top of that. Turn off the heat to the skillet on the stove top then put the whole pan into the oven.
Cook the chicken for 60 minutes but to keep it moist every 15 minutes take a spoon and pour the juices from the pan over the chicken. While it’s cooking make up some mashed potatoes and a vegetable side. Plate it up and here you are…..
From our home in the Bottom Left of the Mitten to yours ~ Enjoy!
*Affiliate links are included in this post. Please read my Discloser Policy.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 60 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 4 pounds chicken thights I used bone in
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground thyme
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 8 ounces while white mushrooms cleaned and stemmed
- 1 whole garlic head peeled
- 1 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 Tbs butter
Ingredients
|
|
- Start off by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. On the stove heat the pan and add the 1/4 cup olive oil.
- On a plate add the flour, salt, pepper and thyme. Combine the spices and flour together then dredge each chicken piece into it then add them skin side down to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, flip over and cook another 5 minutes on the other side.
- While the chicken is cooking chop the onion, clean the mushrooms and get the garlic peeled.
- Once the chicken is cooked remove and put on a separate plate. The chicken does not have to be cooked you just wanted to crisp up the skin. To the same pan add 1 Tbs of butter.
- With a spatula bring up the little bits on the bottom of the pan and add the onions. Brown them until translucent for 2-3 minutes.
- Now that the onions are cooked add the liquids: wine and chicken stock. Add the chicken back to the pan. Then finally add the mushrooms and garlic on top of that. Turn off the heat to the skillet on the stove top then put the whole pan into the oven.
- Cook the chicken for 60 minutes but to keep it moist every 15 minutes take a spoon and pour the juices from the pan over the chicken. Plate it up. Enjoy!
Smoked Sausage Sandwich
This week officially marked two months in our new home! So we are celebrating this Mitten Movie Night feeling like we are finally settled in. I made one of my favorite categories of food: the ‘sandwich‘. Topped with saucy goodness and peppers this Smoked Sausage Sandwich is a well deserved reward for a job well done.
Tonight we are drinking 400 Divine Rabbits from a local favorite Greenbush Brewing Co. A great stop if you hit the beach or the casino in New Buffalo. Then finishing up Orange Is The New Black. I have spent many nights since last Friday binge watching it. What shows are your favorites? I will need a new one once this is over.
I would love to take the opportunity to give a little shout out of people that helped us along the way. Since my blog is called ‘Bottom Left of the Mitten’ I thought it was a good platform to showcase who made buying a home in this area such a treat.
Realtor: ‘Power of 2’ Team from Cressy & Everett in Dowagiac. We actually looked at homes a few years ago and she walked us through any and every one we wanted to look at. We just didn’t find ‘the one’ at the time. Called her up when we found this house to show it to us. Three weeks and one day later not only did we have this house but we also sold ours and 4 acres of land.
Inspector: Gary from Lake Michigan Inspections. I cannot recommend this gentleman and his father enough. They walked us through everything, I mean everything, for our new house. Living in town we were new to sewer and well. Same for a gas fireplace and even fixed a cap on the wood burning fireplace.
New Air Conditioner: Rohdy’s—Awesome job! Right before our recent heatwave they worked us in for a quote and then installed the unit. Thanks to them we have stayed comfortable and cool.
Thank you again to everyone! Now on to the food.
Chop up the peppers, onions and mince the garlic. To a bowl add the balsamic vinegar, sugar and olive oil then mix to combine. Sautee over medium/high heat for 7-10 minutes. I love when the peppers are ‘burnt’ a little so I go a little closer to the 10 minute mark.
Our new appliances were purchased in the recent store closing for HH Gregg. This Frigidaire stove has a center griddle that I’ve been using non-stop. No worries if you don’t have a griddle you can use a regular frying pan. Butter buns and place them split side down. Cut the sausage in 4 parts then split down the middle placing that split side down as well. Heat the sausage through for around 3 minutes. Flip both the bun and the sausage then cook around 3 minutes again.
Heating up the spaghetti sauce and assembling the sandwich is all that’s left to do. I heated it up in the microwave for 1 minute. Place bun on plate, add split smoked sausage, layer on the veggies then top with sauce. And here you are…..
From our home in the Bottom Left of the Mitten to yours ~ Enjoy!
*Affiliate links are included in this post. Please read my Discloser Policy.
| Servings |
sandwiches
|
- 13.5 ounce smoked sausage cut into 4 pieces then split down the middle
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 yellow pepper chopped
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 Tbs sugar
- 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 4 hot dog buns
- 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
Ingredients
|
|
- Chop up the peppers, onions and mince the garlic.
- To a bowl add the balsamic vinegar, sugar and olive oil then mix to combine.
- Sautee over medium/high heat for 7-10 minutes.
- Butter buns and place them split side down on a heated griddle or frying pan.
- Cut the sausage in 4 parts then split down the middle placing that split side down as well.
- Heat the sausage through for around 3 minutes. Flip both the bun and the sausage then cook around 3 minutes again.
- Heat up spaghetti sauce in a microwave for 1 minute.
- Place bun on plate, add split smoked sausage, layer on the veggies then top with sauce. Enjoy!
Wing Sauce Sliders
I’ll be upfront right now. And this may make me unpopular but for a long time I couldn’t even smell Buffalo Wing Sauce. In fact it’s been over a decade that even looking at the sauce would give me chills. Flash back 2003….my husband had just won Virginia’s Strongest Man. We actually had friends in the area so we went out and celebrated afterwards at a local wing place. Well, let’s just say that I ‘Celebrated’ a little too much **insert you shaking your head here because most of us have ‘been there’**.
So, there’s that. But I can FINALLY say that after my pregnancy with my youngest my taste buds must have been awakened because I craved spicy stuff constantly and have been on the Wing Sauce bandwagon ever since. I’m like ‘Let’s put it on everything!’ Just like I do with these Wing Sauce Sliders.
Not only have my tastes changed over the years but my entertainment habits have too. Now instead of going out and getting crazy I much prefer staying at home and spending Mitten Movie Nights making a great meal and pairing it with some great beer while watching some great entertainment. Ok, now on to the food!
First you will prepare your chicken. Cut the pieces down to size for as many sliders as you are expecting to prepare. After cutting them into as many pieces as you have buns (I had 12) pound them out with a mallet to thin them out. This helps to tenderize them and you don’t have to cook them as long so they turn out a little juicer.
Add vegetable oil to the pan. I usually use about 1/2 cup. Bring oil to a temperature that will ‘fry’ the chicken breasts. You can test by adding a little of the dredging mixture and see if it sizzles. While that is heating up put 1/2 cup flour onto a plate. Dredge the chicken so it is coated on all sides of the chicken. Test to see if oil is hot enough. If it is add chicken to pan. Cook first side around 6-8 minutes–DO NOT TOUCH IT once it’s in the oil. I’m telling you, you want the crunchy part of this chicken to stay intact because it’s delicious and you will ruin it if you mess with it. Ok, rant over :’) Flip over (again, only 1 time) and cook another 6-8 minutes. Remove from pan and let drain on paper towel.
While your chicken is cooking make up the sauces to go with these. First off let’s start with the Garlic Parmesan Sauce. Mix all the ingredients together in a covered bowl. Once the chicken is cooked take the amount of you want to have the Garlic Parmesan sauce on it and add to bowl with the combined sauce. Cover & shake. Go ahead and get your arm workout for the day.
For the Buffalo Wing sliders just take some Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce and add it to a covered bowl. Just like with the Garlic Parmesan sauce shake the daylights out of it until the sauce covers all parts of the chicken.
The topper for these sliders is a Blue Cheese Sauce that is a perfect combination with the bite of the cheese, creaminess and then the crunch of the celery. The perfect topping!
Put chicken onto your slider buns. Viola! Take your sauce & slather it all over the top of your sliders. Add tomato and lettuce so you get your veggies. And here you are……
From our home in the Bottom Left of the Mitten to yours ~ Enjoy!
*Affiliate links are included in this post. Please read my Discloser Policy.
Originally published May, 2016. Updated photos & recipe.
Garlic Parmesan Sauce adapted from Raining Hot Coupons
Blue Cheese Dressing adapted from Domestic Superhero
| Servings |
sliders
|
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1/4 tsp minced onion
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 Tbs parmesan
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1/2 Tbs corn syrup
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 3 stalks celery cleaned and chopped
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbs milk
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp white sugar
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
Ingredients
Garlic Parmesan Sauce
Buffalo Wing Sauce
Blue Cheese & Celery Sauce
|
|
- Mix all ingredients together in a covered bowl.
- Add cooked chicken to covered bowl. Cover & shake.
- Add sauce and cooked chicken to covered bowl. Cover & shake.
- Chop your celery and mix with all other ingredients together.
Porcupine Meatballs and Zoodles
Tender turkey meatballs filled with rice then added on top of a bed of zucchini noodles. Serve with chunky vegetables, spaghetti sauce, and Parmesan. Porcupine Meatballs and Zoodles is the perfect dinner for when you are craving a different kind of Italian dish.
You know….I love carbs. I L-O-V-E them. Bread! Pasta! YUM! But I honestly don’t love them as much as I love zucchini. Oh, zucchini! Such a diverse veggie whether I fry it, put it in some muffins or making zoodles like these there are so many ways to make it delicious. How about adding one of my families favorites to it? Yes! So now we have a new recipe to add to our dinner routine, Porcupine Meatballs and Zoodles.
It’s funny to think that this was one of the very first recipes that I put on my blog. Looking back almost 8 months in I have realized how far I’ve come with my photos so I’m going through and giving them a fresher look. And this one needed it….badly! While the pictures were bad, I will give myself a little credit in the fact that I had basically 0.2% experience in photography. So on to the recipe that got this all started only with better pictures.
How to make Porcupine Meatballs and Zoodles:
First, let’s start off with the meatballs. You can use any beef flavor rice you like or even shake it up with different flavors but I always stick to the beef flavored as I find it gives the best taste.
Cook the rice according to package directions.
Once the rice has cooled add it to your turkey and egg. Toast the bread and crush up into the meat mixture. Form into meatballs and put onto a greased baking sheet.
At this time preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare your ‘zoodles’ using a spiralizer.
Chop onions, garlic, green peppers. Add all of it into a bowl then top with olive oil.
Put onto another baking sheet then put both the meatballs and the zoodles now go into the oven for 35 minutes.
In the last 5 minutes of the meatballs and zoodles cooking heat up the spaghetti sauce.
Assemble this beautiful ‘pasta’ by taking all the vegetables and zoodles, top with meatballs then finally pour sauce over the top of your meatballs.
Sprinkle with Parmesan.
Tips for making Porcupine Meatballs and Zoodles:
- Let the rice completely cool before adding to the meatball mixture. Not only could you burn your hands when mixing the meatballs together it could end up cooking the eggs.
And here you are….
From our home in the Bottom Left of the Mitten to yours ~ Enjoy!
This recipe has been updated with photos & recipe.
*Affiliate links are included in this post. Please read my Discloser Policy.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 35 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 pkg beef flavored rice cooked to package directions
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jar spaghettic sauce
- 1 egg
- 2 pieces bread toasted
- 2 medium zucchini
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- Parmesan for sprinkling
Ingredients
Porcupine Meatballs
Zoodles
|
|
- Cook the rice according to package directions then…...and this is *Important*…let it cool!
- Once it’s cooled add it to your turkey, and egg. Toast the bread and crush up into the meat mixture. Form into meatballs and put onto greased baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degree.
- Prepare zucchini 'zoodles' using a spirilizer. Chop onions, garlic, green peppers. Add all of it into a bowl then top with olive oil. Put onto another baking sheet.
- Both the meatballs and the zoodles now go into the oven for 35 minutes.
- In the last 5 minutes of the meatballs and zoodles cooking heat up the spaghetti sauce to pour over the top of your meatballs and zoodles.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan. Enjoy!
Tips for making Porcupine Meatballs and Zoodles:
- Let the rice completely cool before adding to the meatball mixture. Not only could you burn your hands when mixing the meatballs together it could end up cooking the eggs.
Chicago Deep Dish Pizza #SundaySupper
Next time a craving for pizza takes over skip the local pizza place, forget the boxed cardboard frozen stuff and make your own! Thick crust that is loaded with toppings, cheese and tomatoes. Baked to gooey perfection. Forget traditional crust and make this Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.
Where we live we are about 2 hours from many major cities. That means we can stay home or go visit Indianapolis, Detroit, Toledo (their craft beer scene is awesome~I highly suggest giving it a try) or Chicago. While we don’t hit Chicago very often we were able for a time to get real deep dish at a Gino’s East location that they had about a half hour from us in Granger, Indiana. Sadly though it closed. So it was up to make the thick pizza that I loved so much! Other than the sausage that comes on an authentic Gino’s East, which is amazing, I think I pulled it off a pretty good copycat.
Start off with your crust. This recipe is very similar to my White Chicken Pizza with Basil & Blackberry Sauce with the exception of reducing the flour and adding cornmeal to the dough. It gives it that crunchy texture that most deep dish pizzas have. Gather your ingredients….
Mix yeast, water & honey together. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes. You should see bubbles are formed on the top of the water/yeast mixture. Now add the flour, honey & salt to the yeast mixture. Stir with a spatula then complete by hand. After it has formed a ball cover with 2 tsp. of olive oil. Put a towel over the bowl and let rise for 15-20 minutes.
Once the dough has risen uncover and place on a floured surface. Roll with a rolling pin to almost double the size of your pan so there is plenty to go around the deep edges of a greased springform pan. Place the dough into the pan cinching edges as not to overlap over the top of the pan. Brush crust with 2 Tbs. melted butter all over then place in a preheated 375 degree oven to bake for 8-10 minutes. Take out of the oven and now it’s time to load it up! Layer cheese, filling, more cheese then top with the drained tomatoes. It’s very important that the tomatoes are drained because you don’t want the juice making your crust soggy.
My filling is a combination of Italian sausage, hamburger, mushrooms, green peppers, olives, onions, garlic cloves mixed with Italian seasonings and tomato paste. I will put the full ingredients below but this is your pizza please add whatever you like! A great crust, lots of cheese and the crushed tomatoes really are what make a deep dish what it is. A blank slate to add whatever toppings you like. Once all your layers are on place in your oven that is already preheated at 375 degrees. And here you are….
From our home in the Bottom Left of the Mitten to yours ~ Enjoy!
Thank you Coleen of The Red Headed Baker for hosting this week! Need more pizza inspiration? Here are 50+ more recipes to check out….
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| Servings |
slices
|
- 1 cup warm water 90 degrees
- 1 pkg active dry yeast
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 Tbs butter melted to brush over crust
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage
- 1/2 pound ground hamburger
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 small green pepper chopped
- 3 Tbs tomato paste, Italian season
- 8 ounce sliced mushrooms
- 2.25 ounces black olives
- 1 Tbs sugar
- 1 Tbs italian herbs
- 8 ounces shredded italian cheese halved
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes, italian style drained very well
Ingredients
Deep Dish Crust
Sausage Filling
|
|
- Mix yeast, water & honey together. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes. Add flour, honey & salt to the yeast mixture. Stir with a spatula then complete by hand. After it has formed a ball cover with 2 tsp. of olive oil. Put a towel over the bowl and let rise for 15-20 minutes.
- Once the dough has risen uncover and place on a floured surface. Roll with a rolling pin to almost double the size of your pan so there is plenty to go around the deep edges of a greased springform pan. Place the dough into the pan cinching edges as not to overlap over the top of the pan. Brush crust with 2 Tbs. melted butter all over then place in a preheated 375 degree oven to bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Brown sausage and hamburger. Add onions, green peppers, olives, mushroom and garlic. Cook all together the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are soft.
- Add in tomato paste, Italian herbs and sugar. Take off heat. Add to pizza in a thick layer.
- Take crust out of oven. Load with layers like this: -1/2 Cheese -Filling -Remaining Cheese -Drained tomatoes
- Once all your layers are on place in your oven that is already preheated at 375 degrees.
- Cut into 8 pieces and enjoy!
White Chicken Pizza with Basil & Blackberry Sauce
It’s time for Mitten Movie Night! I’m serving up a creamy, cheesy white chicken pizza with an added sweet twist on top and enjoying one of my favorite Michigan Craft Beers. This pizza makes perfect use of summer grown basil, I know my plant is bursting.
Tonight I made White Chicken Pizza with Basil & Blackberry Sauce. A sweet & savory combination on a homemade pizza crust. While this has a long and fancy name trust me it didn’t take long at all. Best of all it is delicious! We are watching Joy
Start with the crust. Mix yeast, water & honey together. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes. See photo below in the collage to make sure yours has the same consistency. Now add the flour, honey & salt to the yeast mixture. I do not have a fancy mixer (I want one so bad!) so I had to just hand mix this. Start by stirring with a spatula then complete by hand.
Once it is all combined flip out of bowl onto a floured surface. Cover with towel and let sit for 5 minutes. Uncover and roll your dough out to the size of your pan. Mine is pretty cool, it has holes in the bottom of it which makes the crust really crispy. Once the dough is on the pan place in the oven at 450 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
While the pizza crust is doing it’s first bake through cut up 1/2 an onion and shred up your chicken if it isn’t already. We get rotisserie chickens from Costco so I cut off about half the chicken to use. In a pan heat up 1/2 Tbs butter, 1/2 Tbs olive oil and add your onions and chicken. Saute until onions are soft (this will just heat your chicken up since it’s already cooked) around 5 minutes.
When the pizza crust has cooked for 12-14 minutes take it out of the oven and assemble the rest of the ingredients on the top of it. Ricotta cheese, chicken & onions then the Italian Shredded cheese. Place back into over for another 15 minutes.
About 5 minutes before your pizza is out of the oven add the blackberry preserves and 3 Tbs water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil letting the preserves breakdown to create a sauce. Once pizza is cooked right before serving sprinkle some chopped basil and blackberry sauce on top. And here you are….
From our home in the Bottom Left of the Mitten to yours ~ Enjoy!
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| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 24 minutes |
| Servings |
pieces
|
- 1 1/2 Tbs active dry yeast
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 1/2 cup unbleached flour
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded italian cheese
- 1 cup shredded chicken I use rotisserie chicken from Costco
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 1/2 Tbs butter
- 1/2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 handful basil, chopped right before serving
- 1/2 cup blackberry preserves
- 3 Tbs water
Ingredients
Pizza Crust
White Pizza Toppings
Blackberry Sauce
|
|
- Start with the crust. Mix yeast, water & honey together. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes. See photo above in the collage to make sure yours has the same consistency.
- Add the flour, honey & salt to the yeast mixture. Start by stirring with a spatula then complete by hand. Once it is all combined flip out of bowl onto a floured surface.
- Cover with towel and let sit for 5 minutes. Uncover and roll your dough out to the size of your pan.
- Once the dough is on the pan place in the oven at 450 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
- While the pizza crust is doing it's first bake through cut up 1/2 an onion and shred up your chicken if it isn't already. In a pan heat up 1/2 Tbs butter, 1/2 Tbs olive oil and add your onions and chicken. Saute until onions are soft around 5 minutes.
- Once your pizza crust has cooked for 12-14 minutes take it out of the oven and assemble the rest of the ingredients on the top of it. Ricotta cheese, chicken & onions then the Italian Shredded cheese. Place back into over for another 15 minutes.
- Right before serving sprinkle some chopped basil and blackberry sauce on top.
- About 5 minutes before your pizza is out of the oven add the blackberry preserves and 3 Tbs water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil letting the preserves breakdown to create a sauce.
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