Meatball Subs

Summer reminds me of cookouts, baseball and amazing food (can we say, Apple Pie)! This isn't typically something I would make, or eat, but my husband is a HUGE meatball lover. He saw this recipe in the cookbook I received a while back from a giveaway and requested this be one of the first to make from it. Boy was I glad he wanted this! It was so incredibly delicious; much better than I was anticipating. Given the choice, I'd never choose a meatball sub .. over anything really. This however was different. It had substance. It didn't need a bunch of toppings to mask the taste. These would be great for a summer gathering or even a cookout at your house, just cut the buns in half and voila!

Meatball Subs

Adapted from: Simply Suppers

Yields: 4 subs

For meatballs:

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup milk

3/4 lb ground beef

1/4 lb Italian sausage

2 Tbsp finely diced shallots (or onion)

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

kosher salt

finely ground black pepper

For sandwiches:

2 cups tomato sauce

4 crusty sandwich rolls/buns

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

To prepare the meatballs, preheat oven to 395 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs and milk until mixed well. Add the remaining ingredients for the meatballs and mix well with hands. Season with salt and pepper as desired. When well combined, shape into 16-20 meatballs.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil until a few droplets of water sizzle when sprinkled onto the skillet. Working in batches, cook the meatballs until well-browned on each side, about 4-5 minutes total time. Transfer the browned meatballs to a rimmed baking sheet and continue this process until all meatballs are browned.

Cook meatballs in preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes, until the center is no longer pink. DO NOT turn the oven off.

To assemble a sandwich, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the tomato sauce. Add the meatballs and toss until well coated and warmed. Place meatballs on sandwich buns and place on a clean baking sheet. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly amongst the four sandwiches and bake in oven until the cheese has melted, about 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Corn Chowder

Usually chowder is a fall or winter recipe. Also, I'm not a big fan of soup. The recipe and picture just looked amazing from reading my new cook book and so I dog-eared it. It took a week of coercing myself to get the energy to make this, but in the end it really didn't take that long at all! If you're not really a soup fan like myself, then just give this a try; you won't regret it. If you love potatoes and corn, then you will absolutely love this recipe. The one complaint I think I had was that if you eat the soup by itself, it's sort of bland-tasting so I HIGHLY recommend adding cheese and even bacon pieces. I think next time I'll add a little more salt and pepper as well as melt in a little cheese. The recipe below is the original.

On a side note, I am about two weeks away from my due date. That is why the posts have been MIA lately and probably will continue to be. I have pictures, new recipes, and more, but what little energy I have is reserved for naps, cleaning and daily contractions. I apologize, but please do enjoy the rest of my blog posts in recent months for all of your recipe needs. I'll be posting my favorite summer recipes in the coming weeks to give you all a taste of what my summer will (hopefully) be like this year!

Corn Chowder

Adapted from: Simply Suppers

Serves: 8-10 *

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup yellow onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups chicken stock

4 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cups half-and-half

4 cups corn kernels, thawed if using frozen

kosher salt

finely ground black pepper

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for topping

1/4 cup cooked bacon, crumbled, for topping

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, warm the butter and oil until a few droplets of water sizzle when sprinkled into the pot. Add onions, garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 4 minutes. Dust the onion mixture with flour and stir to coat. Cook for 1 minute and whisk in the chicken stock. Increase heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil.

Add potatoes and bring mixture back to a boil. Stir in half-and-half. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Add the corn and simmer until the corn is softened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot and garnish with cheese and bacon as desired.

* NOTE: This recipe makes a lot of soup. If you are a smaller family and don't want too many leftovers, then halve the recipe.