Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs

Monday was one busy day! It started off by me prepping meatballs for our spaghetti dinner. Because I didn't have mozzarella balls, I had to modify the recipe a little bit.

First, we start off with mixing everything together. They are as follows. 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 1 lb. lean ground beef, 1 egg, 1/2 c. finely chopped white onion, 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs, 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 c. milk, 2 tbsp. minced garlic, 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp. yellow mustard, 1 tsp. hot sauce, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp. garlic salt, 12 to 14 (1-in.) fresh mozzarella balls. I actually didn't use panko because I rather dislike the taste of it, to be honest.



Mix everything in a big bowl.

On our shopping trip, Bill and I didn't get mozzarella balls, because we already had shredded mozzarella at home. I kind of wish we got the balls, because trying to out the shredded mozzarella into the meat in ball form was actually quite difficult. So what ended up happening was this: I just threw a bunch of cheese into the bowl for what looked right for that amount of meat.

The meatballs are starting to take form! And my handy, dandy helper, Andrew helped me get the dish into the icebox while I had meaty hands. He also took the pictures for this post!

While those were in the icebox, I started to make banana bread. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I got of it/the process. I made it for Bill's bowling team, and they devoured it! Everyone said it was really moist and delicious.

Nibbler kept us company in the kitchen the entire time, and we got a quick picture in while I was cleaning up!

Unfortunately, Andrew couldn't stay for dinner. Too bad, he missed something really delicious! The finished products.

Bill got to stay for dinner, though ;). One happy customer, I'd say! He said everything was really amazing, and he hopes that I make these again sometime.

So that's everything I have for you this time. Did you like that there were lots of pictures? Let me know in the comments below! Perhaps next time I'll do a dessert? Or maybe I'll have Bill do a dessert, and guest-blog one day! What do you think of that, sound like a good idea?

Fourteen Things I Love About Bill

It's Valentine's Day today and what better way to celebrate than to tell you fourteen of the things I love about Bill!

1. The way he sings country music
2. ...And gangster rap
3. How he explains video games, but not in a condescending way
4. He takes extremely good care of me when I'm sick
5. The way his eyes crinkle and sparkles when he smiles
6. Those dimples he gets when he smiles, too
7. He's handy with fixing stuff (Seriously, one time the door broke at my mom's house and he stayed and fixed it. That's a long story though.)
8. Incredibly intelligent
9. His love for his puppies
10. He's a good baker
11. The silly voices he makes
12. The way we play together and just generally be silly
13. He knows his manners
14. How romantic he is!

So there you have it, fourteen things I love about my man! He's seriously just the cat's meow, and I can't imagine what I did to deserve him, but I'm glad I did it.

Bill, honey, if you're reading this, I love you dearly. I'm so glad to have you in my life, and that we're on this great journey together! I don't know where life is going to take us, but I'm so glad that it's taking me there with you! Happy Valentine's Day, baby, and here's to many more. I love you.

The Lady and the Mister

I love how Bill and I can work together for hours on end and then come into a room together and do two totally different things, but still be together. We're still together, but we're doing our own thing. Just a bit of a wind down after a crazy few hours. I like moments like these, but I also love the cuddles that come afterwards.

This afternoon I baked some breads to help him out for his donut day at work, as well as cut up apples for a Jewish Apple Cake, and then when he came home, he helped me out with dinner a little bit. I home-made Chick-Fil-A (a post on that forthcoming), but it was a little messy and I only had one hand available. So Bill helped out but being my plater and chicken-cutter-opener. Quite the official position, if I do say so myself. Not to spoil the next post, but the chicken was amazing.

After dinner was all said and done, though, things picked up fast. Our kitchen was a hectic mess for sure. I didn't really help too much with the Jewish Apple Cake or the cheesecake Bill made, except to be his "getter of things." (See, I have an official position too! :P) When his hands were messy, I got for him. Funny how that works, sort of a "one hand washes the other" deal.

At least I helped cut up the fruit! But that's because I got what was left over and didn't fit on the fruit tray. Honeydew, pineapples, and strawberries are all amazing with Cool Whip on them, fyi. I just learned this. HEAVEN!

We finally got all the cakes done. We're just relaxing while we wait for the cheesecake to cool enough to put in the icebox. (Poll: Am I really the only one to call a refrigerator an "icebox?" Answer in the comments below.)

I hope everyone likes the baked goods we worked hard on!

Family Food Test

It’s always a little strange cooking in someone else's kitchen. But I did it with grace and ease (and a little help from my hunk and his momma)! I made chicken broccoli pasta for the family, my biggest batch ever!

As I was getting the chicken done, Bill's brother, Dave, came in the kitchen and asked if he could have a piece. He took one bite and was in heaven! Even said "oh goodness she's hired." Admittedly, the chicken was so good; we all could have eaten just that.

Bill had to help me drain the pasta and the broccoli because the pots were so big I couldn’t lift them without fear of dropping them. He’s such a good helper! And his mom helped with the chicken by teaching me a trick to keep them from burning right before they’re done but still need that extra little bit of cooking time: add water. Seems pretty common sense, but I didn’t think about it. It’s kind of like how you cook sausage.

Mom also popped some Texas toast in the oven near the end so we could have that with the meal. Never had bread with it before, but it was a nice added touch!

When everything was all put together, we sat down at the table to eat. Those first few seconds after everyone had their first bites was a little nerve-wracking because I couldn’t tell if they liked it or not.

Spoiler: They DID! Bill’s uncle George ate with us even though he was supposed to be going to dinner at Bill’s other uncle’s house, but even he had seconds! Everyone loved it. I think this will become a weekly/bi-weekly thing do. Next time we go over, I’m making the Parm Chicken Bake I made for you guys. Hopefully it goes better than it did when I made it the first time!

Oh, and a short little aside… Remember that cheesecake that Bill made? Well here’s the finished product. 

Oreo Crusted Cheesecake. So. Good. Best cheesecake I’ve ever eaten.

Tonight I'm making broccoli and cheese soup via a copy cat recipe from Budget Savvy Diva!