He tells me it’s because if I’m busy, then I won’t miss him too much.

But I know the real reason. I’m a bit of  a spontaneous big project starter. Not small projects. BIG projects.

Like the time he went to work and came home to a ripped out kitchen floor, my sister in the backyard with a table saw, and boxes of wood floor strewn all over the garage.

Or maybe like the time he went to work and came home to find me NOT home. I wasn’t home because I was down the street at the new historic building I had leased with my sister, paint-sprayer in hand. We had decided to open a store. That BIG project lasted almost 6 years.

Now that I think about it… all my spontaneous projects have two common themes. My sister. And power tools. Hmmm. We’re a lively pair.

Just like Meatballs & Minestrone. Each ones makes the other a little better. 

(In my mind, I’m the minestrone & my sister is the meatball. Because it’s my blog and I get to be the minestrone.)

No more NyQuil & blogging for me.

Let’s get started! Meatballs first!

• Ground Beef
• Garlic
• Lemon Zest
• Parsley
• Parmesan Cheese
• Bread Crumbs
• Egg
• Basil
• Oregano
• Salt
• Pepper

In a mixing bowl, add one egg.

Grate in some parmesan cheese.

Try to refrain from eating the entire block of parmesan.

Maybe have just a taste. I did.

Add the zest of a large lemon. Yum.

I always put lemon zest in my meatballs. A trick I learned from the oh-so-fast-talking Tyler Florence a few years back.

The acidic taste adds a great brightness to the meatball. Makes you go mmmm….

Chop up some flat leaf parsley.

And some basil… first you roll the leaves together.

This makes it easier to chop.

Chop into ribbons…

and then go ahead and chop the ribbons up a little smaller.

Mince up the garlic.

Toss it all in the meat mixture.

Add in the bread crumbs. Mix until well incorporated. Don’t over mix!

Form the meat mixture into meatballs.

Pan fry in a little extra virgin olive oil, turning to make sure the meatballs get crusty browned on all sides.

Remove the meatballs from pan & drain on a paper-towel lined plate.

Drain the excess fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.

These browned bits are gooood. Don’t get rid of these.

Now for the minestrone!

• Beans (white & light red kidney beans)
• Frozen Spinach
• Carrots
• Onions
• Garlic
• Canned Diced Tomatoes
• Oregano
• Black Pepper
• Crushed Red Pepper
• Dried Thyme
• White Wine
• Beef Stock
• Tomato Paste

Product Endorsement: I love love love tomato paste in a tube.

You can use a little & then toss the rest in the fridge. No more wasted opened tomato paste cans!

I bought this at my local Williams-Sonoma. It’s the good stuff. Made from San Marzano tomatoes. Yum!

Dice up the carrots, onions, and garlic.

Saute until the onions start to caramelize.

Add in the frozen spinach & some tomato paste….

Throw in the beans…

the browned meatballs & spices…

the diced tomatoes…

and the beef stock.

Simmer for a good 45 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

Serve topped with some grated parmesan.

Veggies, meatballs, beans… a perfect comforting meal!

Recipe:          Click here for printable recipe

Ingredients

        For the Meatballs:

• ½ lb. Ground Beef
• 1 Whole Egg
• ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
• the Zest of 1 Whole Lemon
• 3 Tablespoons Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped
• 3 Whole Basil Leaves, chopped
• 3 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons Bread Crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for pan frying

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients except oil into a mixing bowl. Combine well. Roll into small sized meatballs. Add olive oil to a pot over medium-high heat. Add in meatballs, working in batches if necessary, browning the meatballs on all sides. Transfer browned meatballs to a paper-towel lined plate. Drain excess fat from pan.

For the Soup:

• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 Whole Carrots, diced
• ½ Large Onion, diced
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1½ Cups Frozen Whole Spinach Leaves
• 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
• 1 Can (12 oz.) Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Can (12 oz.) Light Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
• Meatballs (ingredients, above)
• 1½ Teaspoons Dried Chopped Thyme leaves
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Oregano
• 2 Teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
• 1 Can (12 oz.) Diced Tomatoes, juice and all
• 1 Carton (about 4 cups) Beef Stock
• Parmesan Cheese, grated, for garnish

Instructions:

Add the olive oil, carrots, onion, & garlic in the pot over medium-high heat. Saute until the onions start to caramelize. Add in the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. Serve piping hot in bowls topped with grated parmesan.

Click here for printable recipe

I’ve been a little busy.  OK.  A LOT busy.

The start of T Ball season.

Nature walks.

Girls’ Nights Out.

__________________________________

But today I have stopped all my business and made you this Black Bean Dip.

Just for you! (Even though I didn’t save you any…)

What you need:

• Canned Black Beans
• Canned Diced Tomatoes
• Canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo
• Red Onion
• Lime Zest & Juice
• Gah-lick
• Cilantro
• Grape Tomatoes
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese (optional)

Chop your Gah-lick….

and your cilantro…

and the onion, jalapeno (remove seeds if you like it mild), & 1 Chipotle Pepper.

REMEMBER 1 pepper– NOT 1 can of peppers! (ahem… Bobbie)

Zest the lime. My microplane is still missing. I plan on filing a police report soon.

Drop all the goodies into your food processor. Squeeze in the lime juice.

Don’t have a food processor yet? Food processors make fabulous Easter Basket Fillers.

Pulse. Pulse. Puuuuuulse.

Top with more cilantro, tomatoes, & some cheese if you are feeling feisty.

Serve with Organic Blue Corn Chips. Eat.

Eat some more.

Something this good should not be so healthy!

Recipe:                  click here for printable recipe

Ingredients

• 2 (12 oz.) cans Black Beans
• 1 (12 oz.) can Diced Tomatoes
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• ¼ Red Onion, chopped
• ¼ cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
• 1 whole Jalapeño, seeded & diced
• 1 single Chipotle Pepper in Adobo, diced (not 1 whole can– 1 pepper)
• Zest of 1 Whole Lime
• Juice of 1 Whole Lime
• ¼ cup Grape Tomatoes, halved (for garnish)
• Additional Cilantro, to taste, chopped (for garnish)
• Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese, to taste (for garnish)

Instructions:

Combine first 9 ingredients into bowl of food processor. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with tomatoes, additional cilantro, and cheese if desired. Serve immediately with chips or crudité (veggie dippers).

click here for printable recipe

The Perfect Burger.

It is different for everyone. Char-coaled, flame-broiled, onion-fried, thick, thin.

My hubs likes his thick, slathered in mushrooms & swiss.

My sister likes hers plain-jane. Nothing fancy… just lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, ketchup, & mustard. At restaurants we can’t “share” a burger, because I’m a fancied-up burger lover.

My grandma likes the burgers from Braum’s. My in-laws could live on a Johnnie’s #3.

Everyone likes theirs different.

But just for today… It is all about me. And my perfect burger.

Here’s what we need:

• Ground Chuck
• Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese (would you expect anything else?)
• Fresh Baby Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Horseradish
• Sour Cream
• Fresh Bakery Style Buns
• Salt & Pepper

Fresh Ground Chuck. Why? Because Ground Chuck has the right fat to lean meat combo for the best burger flavor.

*CAUTION* Stay AWAY from pre-formed/ pre-packaged patties! You will not get the best texture or flavor you can get.

This is about a 6 ounce ball of beef.

Using your *clean* hands, form into a patty about 3/4 inch thick. You don’t want to overwork the beef, squishing & molding the tar out of it, or you will wind up with a tough burger. Just mold it enough to make a patty that is not falling apart.

This next step is crucial:

Using your thumb, make a deep depression in the middle of the patty. (I learned this trick from Bobby Flay… Thanks, Bobby!)

According to Bobby, this does 2 things:

1. Prevents Flying Saucer shaped burgers… puffed up & bulging in the middle
2. Prevents the burger cooker from “smashing” down the burger as it cooks, therefore smashing out all of the juices in the meat.

No one wants to eat a flying saucer shaped burger OR a dry hockey puck burger.

Season both sides of the patty liberally with kosher salt & black pepper. That is all the seasoning it needs.

It was darn cold outside when I was making burgers, so I preheated my dash of oil in a cast-iron skillet over HIGH heat.

This burger method also works great on grilling, but cast-iron is just as good!

We preheat the pan so the burger won’t stick.

When the oil shimmers… the pan is ready.

Drop the patty in the pan and cook UNDISTURBED for 3 minutes.

NO spatula smashing. NO moving. NO lifting to sneak-a-peak. UNDISTURBED! It is forming a crust. A perfect crust.

When the 3 minutes is up, flip over and again cook UNDISTURBED according the doneness chart below:

• Rare: 3 minutes first side/ 3 minutes second side
• Medium-Rare: 3 minutes first side/ 4 minutes second side
• Medium: 3 minutes first side/ 5 minutes second side
• Medium-Well: 3 minutes first side/ 6 minutes second side
• Well: 3 minutes first side/ 7 minutes second side
• Hockey Puck: 3 minutes first side/ 8 minutes second side

This doneness chart works for both cooking on cast-iron & cooking on a high heat outdoor grill.

If you are adding cheese… you want to melt it directly on the burger patty during the last minute of cooking time.

I like my burgers Medium-Well, so I added the cheese 8 minutes in… one minute left on my 2nd side of cooking.

Cover the burger with a lid, so the cheese gets perfectly melted.

Horseradish + Sour Cream = Creamy Horseradish Sauce

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Creamy Horseradish Sauce. I like mine a bit more potent than the average human… so add a little, then taste & adjust to your liking.

All mixed!

(psst… with the remaining horseradish you could make my sister’s Potato Cakes)

Slice the tomatoes.

There’s my favorite knife, again. Not only is it good for slicing bread & sour cherry-berry cinnamon roll cobbler, but it is perfect for slicing tomatoes!

I had some potatoes cooking in the oven, so I threw my sliced buns in there to get toasty.

Time to assemble! Slather on some creamy horseradish sauce.

Top with the cheesy burger patty.

Add some thick sliced tomato slices.

I sprinkled on some kosher salt to the tomatoes… because you can’t get much better than ripe tomatoes sprinkled with salt.

Are you getting hungry, yet?

Pile on the baby spinach. Because iceberg lettuce was invented by terrorists.

Add your top bun and stand back and gaze upon your masterpiece.

Perfection.

To me. My perfect burger.

What is your idea of the perfect burger?

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