Tag: onions

Mama Maria’s Meatballs

Mama Maria's Meatballs

I am so excited to share this recipe. I can’t say I have been making anything keto for years but, this is one of the first recipes I tried that I have made over and over again.

This recipe comes from a great cookbook, Keto Restaurant Favorites by Maria Emmerich. I have tried a few recipes in this book, and they have been great.

These meatballs are not only delicious but super simple. I double this recipe every time. To simplify things I purchase marinara sauce rather than make homemade. Rao’s Homemade Sauce is our favorite low-carb marinara, and I can find it easily in my local stores.

Mama Maria's Meatballs
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Mama Maria's Meatballs

Keto, Low-Carb, Gluten-Free
Course Main Course
Servings 8
Calories 449kcal
Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. ground beef
  • 1/4 c. chopped onions
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 lg. eggs
  • 1 c. grated Romano cheese plus additional for serving
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
  • 2 tsp. fine sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 2 c. mushrooms about 1 lb., finely chopped
  • 1 c. beef broth
  • 2 c. marinara
  • Fresh Basil for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350℉
  • In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, onions, garlic, eggs, Romano cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Add the mushrooms to the meat mixture.  Slowly stir in the broth, 1/2 cup at a time.  The mixture should be very moist but still able to hold its shape when rolled into meatballs.  Form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs.  Arrange the meatballs in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, turning occasionally, until evenly browned.
  • Serve with marinara.  Garnish with extra Romano cheese and fresh basil, if desired. 
  •  Store the meatballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, please on a rimmed baking sheet in a preheated 350℉ oven for about 3 minutes.  

Notes

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 449; Fat: 34g; Protein: 29g; Carbs: 6g

Greg’s Smoked Boston Butt

Greg's Smoked Boston Butt

 

Memorial Day and grilling go hand in hand. I don’t recall ever spending the holiday when we did not grill. When I was growing up, it was Uncle Tab grilling chicken over his big homemade pit with all of the family gathered ’round. Things changed once we moved away from family and we started traditions of our own.

One of the oldest recipes on NJSD was this delicious smoked Boston butt! I initially shared this recipe in 2011, shortly after I started NJSD. Greg began cooking this years ago and has made a few adjustments over the years, but this is the original recipe. Occasionally he will smoke the butt at a lower temperature and cook it slightly longer. Sometimes he will change up the mop recipe a bit. You can use this recipe as a guide and make it your own.

I can usually find Boston Butts on sale around the spring and summer holidays. I buy two so that I can freeze one for later. This Boston Butt is perfect served with your favorite baked beans and my cousin’s Twisted Slaw, click here to go straight to her recipe.

I hope to have my app icon up and running by this weekend.  I am computer challenged when it comes to setting up some of this stuff.  I hope to get a little help with that soon.  I have only come up with one app icon that I truly like but here’s a sneak peak.  What do you think?

 


Greg's Smoked Boston Butt
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 (5-7 lbs.) Boston butt (bone-in pork shoulder roast)
  • Rubber gloves
  • Ingredients for rub mix:
  • ½ c. brown sugar
  • 6 tbsp. black pepper
  • 6 tbsp. salt
  • 4 tbsp. garlic powder
  • 4 tbsp. onion powder
  • ½ c. paprika
  • Ingredients for mop sauce mix:
  • 2 c. white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. salt
  • 2 tbsp. black pepper
  • 3 small onions, sliced thin
  • 3 lemons, 2 sliced thin, 1 squeezed
  • ½ c. water
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced thin
Instructions
  1. To make rub, mix brown sugar, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika together. Sprinkle rub over the pork and massage onto meat. Cover and refrigerate 8-24 hours.
  2. Prepare smoker or grill for indirect grilling. Greg keeps his grill at 225 degrees.
  3. To make mopping sauce, mix white vinegar, salt, black pepper, onions, lemons, water and jalapeno peppers.
  4. Place roast, fat side up on hot grate. Make sure you don't place it directly over the heat source. Close grill and cook 12 to 16 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 195-200 degrees. Mop the butt every hour. When done, remove butt from grill. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for about 1 hour. With rubber gloves on, pull the skin and fat away from roast. With your fingers pull the pork into bite-size pieces. Discard fat, if desired. (You can also chop the meat if you prefer.) Serve alone or on buns with your favorite barbecue sauce.

 

Crispy Onion Rings

 

onion-rings

Independence day will be celebrated a little differently this year at the Melton house. Instead of the typical grilling we are planning a fish fry. Greg and Wes went deep sea fishing in Florida recently, and we have grouper, snapper, and wahoo in the freezer.

We seldom fry because I don’t like the splattering mess that it creates. However, Greg will set up the fryer outside, and we will be in business. With delicious Vidalia onions in season, I plan to cut up a few so that we can have these terrific Crispy Onion Rings too!

The coating is light, crispy, and fabulous. Savannah even said these onion rings were better than The Varsity, and I must agree! They fry up very fast and can be kept warm in a 200° F oven.

 

Crispy Onion Rings
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 quart vegetable oil, for frying
  • 2 to 3 large Vidalia onions, cut crosswise into ½-inch rings
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt, more for sprinkling
  • 3 to 4 c. club soda, chilled
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 3 c. all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ c. cornstarch
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the cornstarch, baking powder, and 2 tsp. kosher salt. Whisk in 3 cups club soda until the batter is smooth. Add more club soda, about 1 tbsp. at a time, until the mixture is the consistency of thin pancake batter. Let stand for 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil to 380°F. Dip 8 onion rings in the batter, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Fry the onion rings in the hot oil over high heat, turning occasionally, until golden and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining onion rings and batter and serve hot or warm.

 

Guacamole

Guacamole

Mexican food has always been one of my favorite cuisines to prepare and eat. When I was a young, not-so-good cook, I got my hands on a Mexican cookbook that helped fuel my love for cooking. As a result, I had several favorite Mexican dishes that were part of my regular line-up.

Homemade guacamole is about as good as it gets when you want an appetizer that everyone will love. Of course, the fresh taste is always a plus, but the health benefits are also impressive. They are heart-healthy, and they may even help prevent cancer.

Homemade guacamole is super simple, and fresh is always best! You can customize the recipe by adding additional onions or tomatoes, cayenne pepper, or Tabasco for a bit of heat. Serve as a side with all your favorite Mexican dishes, add to avocado toast, or, even better, top a toasted hashbrown patty with this fresh guacamole! Top that off with a sprinkle of everything but the bagel seasoning, fried bacon, and an overlight egg for the perfect breakfast!

4.0 from 1 reviews
Guacamole
 
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Ingredients
  • 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
  • ¼ c. chopped onions
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 to 3 tbsp. cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped
  • 2 to 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Place avocado in a medium bowl and mash a little. When you mix all of the ingredients together it will break up even more, so if you like chunky guacamole don't mash it up too much to begin with.
  2. Add onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatoes, lime, salt and pepper and stir. Taste for seasoning.
  3. Let stand in the refrigerator, or at room temperature, for 1 hour.

 

Finally Figured it out Brunswick Stew

brunswick stew 1

I have made Brunswick stew for years. Dozens of recipes, hundreds of different suggestions, and many pots of good Brunswick stew. Good, but not great. It was not until I made this Brunswick stew that I had the flavor that I have been looking for all of these years.

In the past, I have added this and added that and never created the perfect Brunswick stew. This time I left out the potatoes and ketchup that I usually use. I started with one of Greg’s Smoked Boston Butts and chicken that I roasted in the oven. I used a not too sweet homemade barbecue sauce, but only a little bit. I added two cans of cream-style corn and a little over one can of baby lima beans. It was PERFECT!! My family and friends loved this stew!  This is the recipe I will follow for Brunswick stew from now on.

I believe the key to getting this stew exactly like I wanted it was leaving the ketchup out. I’m pretty sure that every Brunswick stew recipe in every cookbook I own has ketchup. I left cubed potatoes out because I knew that part of my stew would go in the freezer for later. Cubed potatoes end up a little mealy if frozen, so I try to avoid them in soups and stews that I know will go in the freezer. I suggest that you add the corn and beans to your liking. Your stew should be rather thick but if it’s too thick add a little water after 1 hour.

 

Finally Figured it out Brunswick Stew
 
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Ingredients
  • 4 c. finely chopped barbecued Boston Butt
  • 2 c. finely chopped cooked chicken breast
  • ¼ c. unsalted butter
  • 2 lg. onions, chopped
  • 1 (28-oz.) can whole tomatoes or diced tomatoes
  • 1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 1 to 2 (14.75-oz.) can creamed corn
  • 1 to 2 (15.25-oz.) can baby limas, drained
  • ¼ tsp. hot sauce, or to taste
  • ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ c. barbecue sauce
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven. Add onions and sauce until soft. Add tomatoes, breaking up with hands as you add them if you are using whole, tomato sauce, corn, lima beans, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, salt, and pepper and mix, tasting for seasoning. Add Boston butt and chicken and combine. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour.
Notes
Frozen baby limas may be substituted. Do not use Fordhook Butterbeans.