Recipes from Wednesday Night

Hi Loopy Ewes! Wednesday night was a lot of fun, as always! Dawn, thank you so much for the dishcloth you made for me! It's beautiful! Dawnelle and Dawn, thank you for all of your help with my sock. It's coming along, and I feel much better about it. Ingrid, I'm so impressed with all of your finished projects. That blue bag is awesome! Pam, your scarf is gorgeous! Judi, your dishcloth is looking terrific! Susan, your sweaters are amazing! (Would you mind sharing the patterns?) I'm so glad that you all liked the food. Here are the recipes:

Chicken Spanikopita Meatballs (adapted from recipe for Spanikopita Burgers from Everyday with Rachael Ray Nov/Dec 2005)

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, plus some for drizzling
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 10-ounce box frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, lightly crushed in the palm
• 1 pound ground chicken breast
• 1/4 pound crumbled feta cheese
• 1 teaspoon grill seasoning, such as Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and the butter. When the butter melts, add the chopped red onion and chopped garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the onion and garlic to a large bowl to cool.

Wring the thawed spinach dry by twisting it in a clean kitchen towel over your sink. Break up the block of spinach as you add it to the cooled onion and garlic. Season with 1 teaspoon of the oregano (one-third palmful) and 1 teaspoon of the grill seasoning. Add the feta and a healthy drizzle of olive oil. Stir together, then add the chicken and mix well.

Form small meatballs about 1 ½ inches across and put on a nonstick cookie sheet. (You should have about 18 meatballs.) Bake the meatballs for 10-12 minutes or until firm to the touch and golden. Serve with cucumber yogurt sauce or ranch dressing.

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

• 1 cup Greek yogurt or plain yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cumin

Combine the above ingredients in a bowl. Taste for seasoning and serve with meatballs.

Sun-dried Tomato Dip (from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)

• ¼ cup of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 10 dashes, hot pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)

Puree the tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, red pepper sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the scallions and pulse twice. Serve at room temperature. Good with chips, crackers and veggies.

Flourless Chocolate Cake (from Everyday Food magazine Jan/Feb 2004)

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or 8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate)
• 6 large egg yolks
• 6 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 275 degrees; with rack in center. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Place butter and chocolate in a large bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring each time, until melted; cool slightly. Whisk in yolks.

In another bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar; beat until stiff and glossy. Whisk 1/4 of whites into chocolate mixture; gently fold mixture into remaining whites.

Pour into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until cake pulls away from sides of pan and is just set in center, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Serve dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Have a good weekend, ladies!
Kathleen :-)