Kate Gosselin's Love Is in the Mix (6 page)

Serve with a side of rice.

W
hat a concept: It’s pizza without the crust! We first tried these during that first year with six crying babies. It seems like an unusual combination but it has made its way to our table many times—and has become a definite favorite. These meatballs are great for dinner with a side of fries and steamed broccoli. It’s a time-saving recipe, too. Make and freeze a batch for a future dinner.

In a large bowl, using your hands, combine the first five ingredients, the ground beef through the pepper, until well mixed. Once combined, shape into 2-inch meatballs.

Cut the mozzarella cheese into ¾-inch cubes and place one cheese cube into the center of each meatball, making sure to cover the cheese completely with meat. Roll each meatball lightly in flour.

Sauté the meatballs in the olive oil until browned and then drain. Add the pizza sauce to the pan with the meatballs and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and then cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until the meatballs are no longer pink.

Serve them over pasta or rice, in buns, or on their own with toothpicks as an appetizer.

A
nother childhood recipe! My mom didn’t share my joy of cooking, but what she made was healthy and hearty. This is a true Pennsylvania Dutch recipe—in fact, it has many different names (ones I can’t even pronounce!) depending on the area. No matter what you call it, it’s really good.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut around the core of the cabbage. Remove the core and discard any damaged leaves. Steam the whole cabbage in a large pot of boiling water for about 5 to 7 minutes. Allow the cabbage to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove 12 large leaves and set them aside.

In a medium bowl, mix the ground meat, rice, onion, tomatoes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place approximately ⅓ to ½ cup of the meat filling in the center of each cabbage leaf. Roll up each meat-filled leaf and insert 2 toothpicks crosswise along the final seam to hold the cabbage roll together.

In a small bowl, mix together the stewed (or crushed) tomatoes, basil, and thyme. Pour two-thirds of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch pan. Line up the cabbage rolls in the pan. Top with the remaining one-third of the tomato mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.

T
his is a most tender and delicious roast beef. It’s especially wonderful in midwinter when it’s very cold outside. I remember asking Nana Janet for this recipe. She said she’d have to show me. She showed me alright! We got busy talking and we burned it! So she said, “I showed you what NOT to do,” and we laughed. Take my advice: don’t walk away from this one!

Rinse the defrosted roast and pat it dry. Place the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan with a lid. Melt the oil and butter over medium-high heat, and then place the roast in the pan and sprinkle it with ½ teaspoon of the salt.

Place the sliced onion on top of the roast. Sear the roast on one side until it is medium brown. Flip the roast and sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Sear the second side until brown.

Add 1 cup of water to the pan (there should be about ½ to ¾ inch of water in the bottom of the pan), lower the heat to medium, and cover. Cook until most of the water evaporates (about 10 to 14 minutes). Flip the roast, add another cup of water, cover, and cook again until the water evaporates.

Repeat these steps for 3 hours. Do not allow the water to completely dissipate or the roast will burn.

After the last water addition, at about the 3-hour mark, cook the roast for another 5 minutes and then remove it from the pan. Set it aside on a platter. Turn the liquid in the pan up to a boil, and add the flour slowly, while stirring, to create a gravy. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.

T
his is a great way to use up your holiday stuffing—something a bit more dinner worthy than the traditional turkey and stuffing sandwich. While there are a few steps involved in the assembly, the taste is definitely worth the effort. I don’t have to “shepherd” my kids to the table when I’m making this. It is a comfort-food winner.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the potatoes in a large pot filled with enough water to cover them. Bring to a medium boil and cook until the potatoes are soft (test with a fork). Drain the potatoes, transfer to a bowl, and mash with a hand mixer, adding the milk and butter until the potatoes are smooth and creamy. Set them aside while you prepare the meat mixture. If you are using leftover mashed potatoes, you may need to “plump” the potatoes with some additional milk until they are creamy.

Brown the ground beef on the stove top; add the garlic salt and mix. Drain the liquid from the pan, reserving the meat. Spread the meat evenly on the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch pan.

Spread 3 cups of gravy evenly over the meat.

Add the 4 cups of stuffing to the mashed potatoes. Blend together well, then spread the mixture on top of the ground beef. Sprinkle with parsley. Dot with additional melted butter, if desired. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve with the remaining beef gravy and mixed veggies as a side.

A
few years ago, I went searching for a great eggplant recipe after seeing excessive amounts of the purple stuff at my local vegetable grower’s stand. I didn’t know what to do with eggplant, so I challenged myself to buy a few and make something yummy. I played around with some ingredients and ended up with this recipe. I prefer to make it using unpeeled eggplants. The skin adds a nice color variety, and my mom always said about any fruit or vegetable, “The vitamins are just under the skin!”

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flour, and Italian seasoning.

Beat the eggs in a separate shallow bowl. Dip the eggplant slices in the beaten egg and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Place the breaded eggplant in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 5 minutes, then flip the eggplant over and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, spread enough spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of cooked eggplant slices over the sauce. Sprinkle with half of the Italian and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with another layer of sauce and another layer of eggplant, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle the fresh basil on top.