Buffalo Meatballs!!!

   I've noticed that buffalo anything has been a huge hit! So I came up with this recipe that's super fast and easy for you guys when you have a buffalo craving. It's just a little bit of a different take on it for you guys. 

By the way I've made this twice this week trying to perfect it for you guys. My husband already wants me making it again! 

Here's what you'll need:

1 pound ground turkey

2 large cloves garlic

1/4 cup fresh grated parmasen

1 egg

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dry mustard

1/4 grated red onion

Salt and pepper

Some sort of non stick spray (I use extra virgin olive oil) 

Your favorite buffalo sauce

Let's start out my adding everything to the meatballs! Grate in your garlic and Parmesan. Add all of the rest of your ingredients. (Except your spray and buffalo sauce) 

Side note: you don't have to use red onion. Any onion you prefer is fine. Same with your Parmesan cheese. If you don't want to grate it in you can use any type you like. Remember you can substitute or change anything to your needs or preference. I think that's what cooking is all about.

   After you add everything to your turkey mix it all up. It will be a little sticky but I found that I preferred these without breadcrumbs in them. (I love breadcrumbs in my beef meatballs.) I also found that ground chicken was WAY to sticky for me. 

Now roll them into walnut sized balls and put on a baking sheet that is sprayed down with your non stick cooking spray. I usually spray the tops of the meatballs with the spray too. Just to help them brown up a bit. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes ( cook time depends on the size of your meatball.). Make sure you check them frequently because you don't want to overcook them. If you do they will be super dry. 

   When your meatballs are almost done heat your buffalo sauce up in a sauce pan. (or microwave) As soon as you pull your meatballs out of the oven toss them in your hot buffalo sauce. 

This is the point in the recipe that you will clear your sinuses. :) 

Toss until completely coated. 

That's it's! It's that easy. Now serve however you like. You can serve these as an appetizer with some ranch dipping sauce or you can serve them for dinner like we did. 

I served these tasty little puppies with some roasted carrots. First off this is one of the easiest side dishes ever!! 

Peel your carrots. 

Chop up to desired size.

Toss with extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper. 

Roast at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Yes they shrink. But that's ok because they are delicious!! 

How simple was all that?? 

We served our meatballs in pita pockets with some red onion and sour cream. I know sour cream sounds weird. You can use ranch or blue cheese of course! :) 

NOTE: my nana just posted something to my Facebook that I can't believe I didn't think of. She said "blue cheese would be good too". If you love blue cheese with your buffalo wings then replace the Parmesan cheese in the meatballs with blue cheese. Oh man I may have to make these again very soon to eat that deliciousness. Thanks Nana! :) 

Well I hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know what you guys think! 

Super Easy Shredded Beef!!

   So for this post I wanted to show you guys something that is versatile and that can be used in more than just one meal. I had a chuck roast in my freezer that I was dying to use so I got it out and defrosted it. Once I had it defrosted I decided I was going to stick it into the crockpot. As I threw this recipe together I was hoping it would be delicious. Well delicious is an understatement to say the least. 

Let's just jump right into this one. I'm so excited to show you guys!!! 

   Liberally season your chuck roast with sea salt and pepper. I patted it into my meat. Heat a pan drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Brown your roast on all sides.  

 After your meat is browned on all sides put your meat into the crockpot and add a quart of beef stock. Chop up half of a red onion and throw that in around your meat. 

Now add: 

2-3 Tbsp Worch sauce

2-3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 

2 Tbsp tomato paste

A few cloves smashed garlic

2-3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 

I cooked mine on low overnight. It was about 10 hours total in the crockpot. When I got up in the morning I went to shred the beef and it literally took 30 seconds with one fork. It was so tender. 

   That is literally it! So easy! So delicious! And so throw and go! You can make SO many different types of meals out of this. My husband and I ate sandwiches out of it with thick toasted bread and provolone or mozzarella cheese with Dijon mustard. As you can see the container in the picture below has been eaten out of. (Make sure and save ALL of the juices from it.) I'm going to make another roast within the next week and show you guys a pasta dish I have been dreaming about lately. Of course I ran out of beef before I had a chance to make it but I think you guys will love it. 

   Besides sandwiches I also made a couple meals with my shredded beef and baked potatos. Super easy and super delicious! Just bake off some potatos and add a little butter and salt. Top with the shredded beef and some of it's juices so the potato can soak it up. Top all of that with anything you prefer. I just used some sharp cheddar, sour cream and sriracha. I made a meal out of that with just a salad on the side. It was perfect. 

   You can use this beef for anything. I of course ran out way to quick before I could show you anything else but just be creative. You can make little mini pizzas and top it with the beef or use it in tacos, pastas, sandwiches, soups etc. 

I will be sure to post this pasta that has had the wheels turning in my head lately. 

I hope you guys enjoy!!! And don't forget you can freeze the beef and use it for something later. 

   New post coming soon after this one. I have a few in my "vault" I need to get to work on. 

Go like my fan page on Facebook!!! Just search Pinch of Sea Salt Blog and click the like button!! 

 Stay tuned!!

Creamy Tomato Soup with Egg Noodle Topper!

   So today I'm going to give you guys another soup recipe. When I first made this tomato soup I absolutely fell in love with it. Besides being so delicious and creamy it's budget friendly and even more important kids will love it!!!

I really felt inspired to make this dish because of the weather changing. We just moved into a new house in a country like setting. Surrounded mostly by woods and deer in our front and backyard everyday. With my favorite season fast approaching a nice warm and comforting soup is just what we needed. I'm super excited to share one of my new favorite soup recipes with you guys. 

Well let's get started already!! 

Of course I'm going to use my immersion blender in this recipe but your food processor or blender will work fine as well. 

The immersion blender is way faster on clean up though. I'm just saying. ;)

Ok ok for real this time. 

 So you want to start out by heating some extra virgin olive oil in a large soup pot. Chop up:

A few medium carrots

Half of a large onion

A few tablespoons of fresh thyme

And peel 4-5 cloves of garlic

Add that all you your pan and grate your garlic in. You want to sweat this out until everything starts to soften. Season with a  pinch of sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

   Once those sweat out add a few tablespoons of tomato paste. Let that cook out for a minute or two while you mix it into all of your veg. 

   Add a quart of chicken stock plus a cup of water. 

 

   Add a large can of whole peeled plum tomatoes. Mash these up by hand with a wooden spoon or a potato masher. It doesn't have to be perfect since we will be blending it up later anyway. Now add some fresh chopped basil. Oh course my grocery store was out so I had to buy either dried or the basil in a tube. I opted for the tube basil and it was surprisingly better than I expected. So add a good handful of fresh chopped basil or a tablespoon or two of the tube basil. Let this simmer for 30 minutes. 

   After your soup has simmered for 30 minutes blend it all up nice and smooth. I of course used my immersion blender. Man I love that thing! 

 

   Now let that keep simmering while you make your béchamel. Now you can just add a cup of heavy cream and be done with it but adding this béchamel makes the soup so creamy and delicious while at the same time thickening it up. 

Start of by melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a pan. Add 3 tablespoons of flour and whisk together. 

 

   Let that cook out about 30 seconds and start adding 1 1/2 cups of half and half while whisking. (Whisking while adding the cream prevents it from being lumpy)

Now keep whisking until it starts the thicken and season it with some sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. 

 

   Once it has thickened up add it into your soup. Stir well to combine. I actually just whisked it all together. Let that simmer and thicken up while you make this super fun and yummy topper for your soup. 

   For your soup topper whisk together 4 eggs, a large handful of fresh chopped parsley, freshly grated parmasan (1/2 to 3/4 cup) and sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. 

   Of course I forgot to take a picture of the eggs in the pan but it's pretty simple. Your going to want a large skillet on medium low. Pour the egg mixture in over a pat of melted butter. Do not touch it. Lay a sheet of foil over the egg mixture and let it cook low and slow. Once the egg "omelet" surface has stiffened up and there is no more runny egg on top you can slide it out onto your cutting board. Let it cool some and then roll it up and slice it into little noodles. (You can trim the edges that are super thin and crispy.) 

   Now you just top your soup with your "egg noodles". The noodles give this soup such an amazing and new take on your tomato soup. They are so so delicious. It blew my mind the first time I made it! 

So with fall fast approaching and the temperatures dropping this soup is perfect to cozy up with on a cold night. Add a gooey grilled cheese sandwich and your set!!! 

   I really hope you guys enjoy this dinner. It is definitely one I'm proud to make for my husband and know he is completely satisfied and that he loves it. I really think that feeding my husband or family a meal they truly love and enjoy is a huge part of the reason I love to cook. It makes me proud of how far I have come with the way I cook. Five years ago I probably couldn't cook to save my life and now I love cooking dinner for my husband most every night.  

I really hope you guys enjoyed!! If you like to read my blog then please go and like my fan page on Facebook. Search "pinch of sea salt blog" and like the page to receive updates. :))