Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

This is a fabulous recipe for meatballs. I make them all the time. We all love them, especially my daughter. My goal is to incorporate some kind of vegetable into the meat and make the dish more healthy.

In this case, I took a jar of fire roasted peppers and processed them. I added the puree into the meat. It gave the meatballs a delicious, sweet flavor and a soft texture.

A typical meatball recipe usually includes white bread soaked in milk. I have added breadcrumbs to bind the meat in the past. This time I decided to soak the breadcrumbs in milk and added it to the meat. It made the meatballs extremely soft and delicious.

I cooked the meatballs in homemade marinara sauce and the result was amazing. We had my daughter’s friend over for dinner and everyone enjoyed the meal.

Try these next time you feel like eating meatballs…
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I originally thought I should cook a steak marinated in Thai style ingredients but I just couldn’t think of making anything else but a burger- I just had to. So, I did a bit of research and came up with this recipe. These burgers are absolutely delicious. I had to make quite a few patties so ended up buying about three pounds of meat. You can cut the recipe in half and make bigger patties- I like to make small, thin ones and so for me a little meat goes a long way. You can also make extra and freeze the patties for another day.

I started with ground turkey, although ground chicken will be delicious as well. I added sweet, savory, spicy and tangy components to the meat including some ground peanuts. Almost like a chicken satay…

I bought brioche rolls for the burgers as they have a bit of sweetness to them which went perfectly well with the spicy, savory patties. For condiments we had sliced tomatoes, onions and some wild arugula.

For the best part of the burger- the mango pineapple chutney- it is a great addition to this dish. The chutney is cooked with shallots, canned pineapple, fresh mangoes, ginger, garlic, and lots of other delicious ingredients. This fresh condiment really took the burgers to a whole new level. I would encourage you to make this chutney with any kind of burgers you end up serving for this holiday.

Overall, the Thai style burgers were a huge success- make these for the fourth of July weekend…
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I made this dish after eating at Restaurant Serenade in Chatham, NJ. I was reviewing the restaurant for the Chatham Patch. It was an enjoyable meal but my dish- the taco chicken salad was disappointing. I came home trying to figure out how to improve the salad and came up with my own version.

I marinated cooked chicken breast (or dark meat) in some very flavorful ingredients, including orange juice, adobo sauce and smoked paprika. The chicken in the original dish was tender but extremely bland. I wanted to infuse as much flavor as possible and so I marinated the chicken for a couple of hours.

Next- I prepared the toppings. I added some lime juice and salt to the sliced onions as well as the avocados.

I bought some small corn tortillas (although the flour ones will be fine as well) and filled them with the flavorful chicken and topped them with the onions and avocados. It is super easy to put together-  it surprised me the restaurant couldn’t get it right.

I served it with a pico de gallo rice- the recipe will be posted tomorrow. Now that it is grilling season, you can cook the chicken on the grill and marinate it in the wonderful flavors. It could be a great grilled dinner on a weekend or even a weeknight. Serve some delicious Rose with it and you have a fabulous meal…
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I hardly ever make gnocchi. I do always notice it in Whole Foods- in there fresh pasta section. I have had it a few times before in restaurants and also during our trip to Italy last summer. It obviously depends on how well the gnocchi is made- if it is well made, it can be fluffy and light. If it is not made properly, it tends to be tough and heavy.

A friend had tried the gnocchi at Whole Foods and told me it was really good. I was browsing, and the red pepper gnocchi caught my eye. I bought it not knowing what to do with the pasta- but I was sure I could come up with something delicious.

The day after turned out to be a cold and rainy day- perfect for a sausage ragu, I thought- hmm, with lots of red wine- yum! I also decided to utilize the red pepper gnocchi. So, that is where this recipe came from. I took the sausages out of their casings and cooked them with onion, garlic, rosemary and wine, of course…

It was so nice to smell the lovely aromas in the house while sipping some wine and enjoying the evening. My daughter was at a play date and my husband wasn’t home from work yet. It is my favorite thing to do- being in the kitchen, cooking while enjoying a glass of wine.

Anyway, the meal turned out delicious. The gnocchi was excellent- although- my daughter didn’t care for it much. She liked the ragu part but didn’t like the smoky red pepper flavor as well as the gnocchi texture. The adults thought the gnocchi and the ragu complemented each other really well- especially with a glass of wine.

Try this dish- it is perfect for a weekday since it doesn’t take very long. Serve it with a salad and some delicious wine, of course.
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I love making frittatas for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is also a great way to get rid of leftovers in the fridge.

The usual base is potatoes, onions with a bit of garlic. Those three things are always in my pantry. So are the eggs, cheese and some kind of vegetable in the crisper.

In this case, we were getting together with family for brunch and my cousin was making blueberry pancakes. I decided to make something savory. She was also serving bacon with the pancakes so I decided to keep the frittata vegetarian. In the past I have made it with baby spinach, asparagus or green beans. This time, I decided to top it with a baby arugula salad. It looks pretty and tastes delicious. It took me no time to put the omelet together. I sliced the potatoes really thin and sauteed them with onions and garlic. I then covered the potato mixer with eggs beaten with a bit of half and half and cheese. Any kind of cheese can be used. I had a pack of four Italian cheeses- it was delicious. Once the frittata was fully cooked, I mixed arugula with a bit of lemon juice, salt and olive oil.  I then topped the dish with the arugula salad right before serving. It looked gorgeous- the bright green against the creamy yellow eggs. The taste was not so shabby either- the slight bite of the arugula went perfectly well with the savory, creamy eggs and potatoes. We all enjoyed the brunch with the delicious pancakes, bacon and mimosas.

• 6 eggs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Pepper
• ¼ cup half and half
• 1 cup shredded four-cheese mix (asiago, provolone, parmesan, mozzarella) divided

Add the eggs, salt, pepper, half and half and half cup cheese. Beat well and keep aside.
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