Category: Appetizers

Ricotta Stuffed Meatballs

On By Taylor MavingIn Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Sides1 Comment

It was my fiances grandparent’s 60th anniversary party last weekend, and we all brought appetizers. Mitch and I go to this local restaurant a lot called Rocco’s and they have the BEST meatballs! One of our favorite thing about them is the generous dollop of ricotta cheese that they put on the side. Mitch came up with the idea to put the ricotta cheese in the actual meatball. So after some Google searching I came up with this recipe. It was AMAZING, and a big hit at the party!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef, veal, pork mixture
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
2 cloves finely diced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup of ricotta cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil

Sauce: I made homemade sauce-will post that recipe on a later date!

Steps:

1. Start by adding the basil to the ricotta cheese. Then take the ricotta cheese and form little balls and place on a greased baking pan. Make about 20 and place in the freezer to chill for about an hour or so.photo

2.  In the meantime combine the meat, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, salt, oregano, garlic, parsley and pepper into a bowl and mix together with your hands.

3. Once the ricotta cheese has formed into a ball and is frozen, simply take the meat mixture and form the meatball around the cheese. Make sure the meatballs are all a consistent size.

photo (7)

4. Place the meatballs into the oven at 425 degrees and bake for 25 minutes.photo (8)

5. Serve with sauce, parmesan cheese and red hot chili pepper flakes!!

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Crab Cakes

On By Taylor MavingIn AppetizersLeave a comment

I went to the Buffalo Chophouse this past weekend and somehow ended up with everyones leftovers so I decided to make crab cakes. They turned out super delish!

  • 1 pound lump crab meat
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 tsp Worcestershire
  • 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp siracha sauce
  • Fresh lemon wedges
  • 2 tbs whole grain mustard

Steps:

  1. Carefully check the crab meat for any cartilage. Put meat in a bowl and set it aside.
  2. Combine the breadcrumbs, crab, eggs, mayo, mustard, salt, old bay and worcestershire. . Shape into 6 crab cakes, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  3. Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan. Sauté until golden brown on each side. This will only take about 3-5 minutes per side.
  4. For the sauce I just added the siracha, lemon and whole grain mustard!