A Life Lived in Fear is A Life Half Lived

I’m really bad about going to the store, because I hate it. By the end of the month I don’t have most of the ingredients I need if I’m in the mood to cook. Amazingly, I had everything on hand for these mini-meatballs with pesto. I went with the mini ones so I could shove them in my face. SUPER YUMMY.

Mini-Meatballs with Pesto

Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 small chopped onion (about 1/4 cup)
1 large egg

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients in a big bowl. Shape beef mixture into 1 inch meatballs. You can use an ice cream scoop to make it easier.
3. Place in ungreased 13 x 9 inch pan.
4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, makes 3 dozen appetizers if you want to be fancy and put toothpicks in them.

Pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic

1. Mix together in blender or food processor, or with a fork if you are feeling lazy (like me).
2. Can refrigerate tightly covered up to five days.

Recipe from Betty Crocker.

I’m going to try to make one new recipe a week, preferably baked noms. I figure I can take the extras to work so I won’t gain 200 pounds.

Shortbread cookies were the first cookies I learned how to bake because they are usually about four ingredients. This recipe is a little fancier by adding orange.

It comes from my favorite cookbook called “Cooking With Friends,” referring to the Friends TV show. It’s out of print but if you run into a used copy I highly recommend it! A lot of my recipes come from this book.

Orange Shortbread

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 medium orange
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease an 8″ square cooking pan and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of orange zest. Squeeze out and add two tablespoons of orange juice. Add to mixture along with the vanilla, flour and salt. Press dough into the pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the shortbread is pale gold, then cool for 15 minutes. Cut into bars.

(Recipe copyright “Cooking With Friends,” by Amy Lyles Wilson and Jack Bishop.)

When I visited my sister in Seattle, she baked these wonderful muffins. She got the recipe from our friend Katie. (My adorable coasters are from sakizome.)

Apple Muffins

1/4 c. butter
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 c. applesauce
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   In medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in applesauce.

2. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in three equal parts into applesauce mixture until well blended.
3. Spread evenly into 8-10 muffin cups.
4. Bake 20 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool in pan on wire rack.