Seriously......I cook, therefore I struggle to blog

I can't believe I haven't blogged since JULY. That is embarrassing. Well, I am going to be blogging more often-blogging the recipes I've been trying so my mother can see how they're made and start cooking healthy recipes for her and my dad. Also, I'm sure I'll have some comments to add as well. 


My debut recipe is Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs. I found the recipe on www.skinnytaste.com, which I found via Pinterest. But I tweaked it a little to make it more flavorful (in my opinion).

So here are the ingredients: 


Meatballs:

• A pound or so of lean ground turkey (93% fat free at least)
• 1/4 cup whole wheat seasoned breadcrumbs, or regular bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup parmesean  cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped (use fresh parsley)
• 1 egg
• 1 large clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp kosher salt + fresh pepper

The Sauce:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes or pureed tomatoes, I used 1 of each 
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil or parsley (I did 1/4 cup of each)
• Sauteed Mushrooms-as much as you'd like, I think I used 3 cups
• 1/2 white onion, chopped finely 

First of all, i put together the ingredients for the sauce. I put the tsp of olive oil (I actually used a little more) in a saute pan and browned the garlic, which I then added to the cans of tomatoes in the crockpot. I then sliced the mushrooms and sauteed them in a little olive oil and salt and pepper and added them as well. Finally I chopped up the onion and the basil and parsley. I only had about 3 hours before I ate so I put the crockpot on high, but you can put it on low and cook it longer. The longer you cook it the more flavorful it will be. 


Then, I preheated my oven to 350. I put all of the ingredients for the meatballs together in a large bowl, and mixed it together with my hands. Yes, I was grossed out but it was the best way to mix everything. You better believe I sanitized EVERYTHING when I was done. Yuck. 


I placed some tin foil on my cookie sheet (so I wouldn't have to wash it later), spraying the tin foil with pam so that the meatballs wouldn't stick, and, once again using my hands, made the meatballs. I used about 2 tablespoons of meat for each meatball. The website said not to make the meatballs too tight or else they'd be tough, so I just made sure they were stuck together enough to not fall apart and called it good. 


I baked the meatballs for about 20 minutes and then added them to the sauce. I then let the sauce simmer for about 2-3 hours before I was ready to eat it. 


You can use this as a spaghetti sauce, but I chose to do an open-faced meatball sub. I toasted 2 pieces of french bread, then placed 2 meatballs on each slice, placed 1/2 slice of provolone cheese on each piece of bread, melted the cheese in the oven, then added a little more sauce and it was ready to go. 


And now, pictures:
                                          The meatballs

                                       
                                          The sauce, without the meatballs

 
                                          The sauce with the meatballs in it

                                          The provolone cheese ready to be melted

                                          The finished product, with a little more sauce and
                                           more cheese (More CHEESE!)

I loved this recipe, it didn't take long at all to make and it tasted great. I can't wait to try this with spaghetti noodles.

Comment on compliments.....

I love Jillian Michaels. Who wouldn't love to have her kick your butt like she does to the contestants on The Biggest Loser? I would!

So when her latest book came out I decided to read it. I didn't realize it was a full-on self-help book but it is. I decided to read through it and found this little gem that reflects my feelings on receiving (and giving compliments):

     Compliments are without a doubt one of the easiest and quickest confidence-boosters out there.    And yet for some reason the first thing most of us do when we receive one is to deflect it. I like your hair. "Oh, thanks. I couldn't do anything with it this morning." I like your sweater. "Oh, thanks. I'm not sure it goes with these pants." I like your pants. "Oh, thanks. I got them on sale."

     Seriously, get over it and take the damn compliment. Even if you don't believe it, or you think it's been given out of some ulterior motive-just say thanks and accept it, own it.

     On the flip side of this, giving compliments is another great way to project your own confidence to those around you. By giving compliments freely and genuinely, you are sending the message that you are comfortable with and enjoy other people's strengths.

Thank you Jillian! There's nothing more annoying than when you compliment someone and they downplay it. If someone compliments something you did or how you look-own it! I've been working on this the last few years and it's fun to actually appreciate the compliments I get rather than feeling like I need to excuse it away. If you struggle with this-try it!

Just a thought :)

There's only one explanation.....

I had a craving........

And Harmons had a sale.......