I know.  Meatballs… boring.  I have to tell you that I have never been a fan of ground beef.  Meatballs and especially meatloaf are one of the few things that I don’t particularly enjoy. I think its because of the way these types of dishes where prepared when I was growing up . It was just wrong.

Now,  I have made my peace with ground beef.  However, it has to be a really lean cut and it has to be seasoned just right.  I decided to try this recipe and give it my own twist.  I promise you, it is very good.  Have some homemade tomato sauce handy, or get some of the canned type with basil or with mushrooms to go with it and lots of Parmesan cheese on top!

Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

For the Meatballs:
1 lb lean ground beef
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
A couple of sprinkles of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 egg, beaten
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.
About 2 tablespoons olive oil, to fry the meatballs.

Garnish: chopped cilantro
1 cup tomato sauce, Italian style
Basil, either fresh or dried.

Preparation:

1. Make the meatballs: Combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, egg, salt, pepper in a bowl;
2. mix together using 2 forks until just combined.
3. Roll into 1-inch balls; transfer to a baking sheet.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.
5. Working in batches and adding more oil as necessary, cook meatballs until browned on all sides and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
6. Add basil to tomato sauce.
7. Serve meatballs warm, topped with sauce. Garnish with cilantro.
8. Serve over pasta.

We  had some cooked frozen shrimp around from the night before. Usually tuned to The Food Network, a shot of Mario Batali on screen- so I though why not Fettucine Alfredo? I started browsing through the fridge and found my ingredients. Hope you like it! It’s easy, takes about 20 minutes!

Shrimp Fettucine Alfredo
A The Foodies’ Kitchen Original Recipe
Serves 6

1 pound pasta
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound shrimp, cooked
4 cloves garlic
⅜ cups parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon parsley leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon onion, minced
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese

Directions:

1. On a pot, heat the milk and the butter until it melts.
2. Prepare the pasta according to the box.
3. On a large skillet, sauté the shrimp, garlic, parsley and onions, just for a minute or two.  Enough for the cooked shrimp to heat and get the flavors of the onion, parsley and garlic.
4. Add the milk and butter, mix and add the parmesan in two parts.
5. Add the ricotta cheese and sour cream and thicken sauce. It will take a bit, about 4 minutes.
6. Combine with the cooked pasta and serve hot. Add a bit of extra parsley to decorate.

Yes, avocado pizza! I’ve been looking at new ways to use avocados in my cooking, and I got this idea from a website that features recipes using them, I’ll definitely make this one again.

Chicken and Avocado Pizza

Yields: 4 Personal Sized Pizzas
Recipe from The Amazing Avocado

Ingredients:
4 personal pizza crusts
1 cup tomato sauce
½ onion, finely chopped
2 grilled chicken breasts, shredded or cut into strips
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese (or you can use Mozzarella)
1 ripe avocado, sliced
Tabasco, to taste (optional)

Procedure:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Place pizza crust on a baking sheet; bake crust 7 minutes.
2. In small bowl, combine pizza sauce and Tabasco (Tabasco is optional).
3. Spread pizza with sauce; top with chicken, Avocado and cheese.
4. Bake until crusts are crisp on the bottom, and the cheese has melted, 4 to 6 minutes longer.
5. Enjoy with a nice cold beer!