Jan D'Atri

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breadcrumbs

Man Cave Meatballs

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Dad deserves a delicious dish for Father’s Day, and this one is hearty enough for a Man Cave meal, and elegant enough for a gourmet dinner!  Who doesn’t love a giant juicy meatball surrounded by melted cheesey deliciousness hiding inside a delicate puff pastry? They are so easy to prepare, and it all starts with puff pastry sheets. The only tricky thing about this recipe is to remember to buy the puff pastry sheets (they will be frozen) and let them thaw out in the refrigerator overnight. (Never thaw the puff pastry sheets on the counter at room temperature. You’ll end up with a doughy mess!)

Other than that, it’s a breeze! I love meatballs that have an equal amount of beef and pork or pork Italian sausage, although I’ve made these with turkey meatballs and they’re just as delicious!

The original recipe calls for adding raw onion and garlic to the meatball mixture, but I always sauté the onion and garlic first, then let it cool down before adding it to the mixture. By doing that, you’ll get a richer, sweeter flavor out of the meatballs!

Happy Father’s Day, Dads! Let’s hope meatballs are on your Father’s Day menu!

Watch my How To Video for Meatballs in Puff Pastry here!

Ikea Swedish Meatballs

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They’re as popular…maybe even more so, than their home furnishings!

Ikea’s Swedish Meatballs are Iconic! And, since the Euro furniture store posted the recipe on Twitter about a month ago, the internet has been obsessing over it.

Ikea released the recipe during the novel corona virus pandemic because, according to food a manager of IKEA U.K., “We know that some people might be missing our meatballs, which is why we’ve released an at-home alternative.”

So now you can get your meatball fix anytime you like! The meatball recipe is pretty simple. It’s very similar to an Italian meatball. The cream sauce (or gravy) is a breeze, too, although I was surprised that it included two ingredients I would not have expected; Dijon mustard and soy sauce (which accounts for its silky golden brown color.) As the directions point out, you’ll want to chill the meatballs in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before browning them in a skillet so they won’t fall apart. Yes, they’re that delicate!

So while you’re waiting for your favorite flat pack furniture store to open back up again, you can have a little taste of IKEA for dinner tonight!

Watch my How to Video HERE!

Leftover Turkey Soup

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It’s soothing, it’s simple and boy do we welcome it after a week of holiday binging! The Italian name for one of the favorite sipping soups of all time is “Brodo” or Broth. You probably have most everything you need in your refrigerator to make a big pot of panacea including leftover turkey and maybe some celery, carrots and onion from your stuffing recipe. If you can add a couple of rutabagas, some leeks, a few bay leaves and a squeeze of lemon, you won’t believe how delicious this pot of soup will be! If you ask my family, they’ll tell you that I make a pretty decent Brodo–especially with leftover turkey parts or better yet, the carcass of a Thanksgiving turkey. I’ve tweaked my recipe through the years, and, at least for now, this is my favorite variation. So after this last week of feasting, make a big pot of Brodo. It’ll sooth your tummy and feed your soul.