Meatballs!

Meatballs are a really fun way to get kids involved in cooking. My girls just added ingredients like bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder and ketchup to the ground beef without measuring (I kept an eye) and then helped me roll all these little balls. My only rule was no hands in the mouth! I really didn't want them to get sick from raw meat. They listened and did a great job.

The sauce I made was easy! I just used cranberry jelly and chili sauce to make a sweet and sour mix. Click here for the recipe!

These were fun and delicious!

Curry Potato Salad

Here is the recipe for a potato salad I recently made. I borrowed from Bobby Flay and my friend Laura to create a delicious side dish!

Boil potatoes for about 20-30 minutes until tender. Cut into bite sized pieces once cooled.

Dice half a red onion and one whole bell pepper and add to large bowl with potatoes.

Sauce:

2 cups mayonnaise
1 shallot or 1/2 red onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup water
3 tsp. curry powder (yellow)
lemon or lime juice from 1 fruit

Saute the shallot and garlic for 3-4 minutes in olive oil over medium heat. Add the curry powder and cook it for another 2-3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water to loosen mixture. Set aside to cool. In a blender add citrus juice and mayonnaise. Add curry mixture to blender. Blend until mixed and smooth. More lime or lemon juice may be necessary to help blend the sauce.

Pour over potatoes, pepper and onion in a large bowl. Stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Layered Dip

Seven, six, five...layers! I usually call this seven-layer dip out of habit, but after I make it and tally the layers it can be another number. It is delicious and a crowd pleaser:

In a glass baking dish (8x8, 9x9, 9x13...)

Layer 1: one can of refried beans
Layer 2: salsa (I use Pace Mild Salsa or the sauce packets from those taco dinner kits)
Layer 3: guacamole (3 avocados, juice from half a lemon or lime, garlic salt to taste, mash and stir in a bowl before layering)
Layer 4: sour cream
Layer 5: grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Layer 6: thinly sliced scallions
Layer 7: sliced olives

Serve with tortilla chips. Tostitos scoop chips or Garden of Eatin' Blue Corn Tortilla Chips are excellent!

Strawberry Tart

I saw this in a cooking magazine, but never wrote down the recipe. It looked easy and beautiful, so I thought I would make it as an impromptu dessert. I mixed my strawberries with some sugar, corn starch and lemon zest. It balanced really well with some vanilla whipped cream I made. I would definitely make this again because it is so pretty and also because it tasted great!