Albondigas (Meatball Soup)

I have been very bad about cooking up the Mexican dishes for husband that I used to make for my family while I was growing up. Albondigas (meatballs) however, which is one of my favorite dishes, was one in particular I use to intentionally avoid my mom while she was making it so that it was that special meal she made just for me. The weekends I would come home to visit from college, she always had some simmering on the stove when I arrived. It was too funny when a few months ago, she told me she made it one evening and my dad was all excited saying, "Is Mireya coming home?!?!"

Today, since I have a cold and it was our first breezy, fall day I bit the bullet and decided to make some for hubby and I. This is one of those family recipes that uses a pinch of this and a dash of that and that's exactly how my mom described it to me when I called her this afternoon. I'll do my best to give you my interpretation of it! The nice thing about this meal is you can adjust it to your liking. I happened to have potatoes and zucchini from the farmer's market so I threw them in there. We've also used carrots, as well as celery. Also, this tastes even better as leftovers!



Albondigas
recipe by Yours Truly, with a hint of guidance from here

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped (I left them in big chunks so husband could pick them out)
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 quarts of chicken stock OR water OR a mixture of both (I did 2 qts. stock & 1 qt. water. If you use all water, the stock won't be as flavorful)
1/2 cup of tomato sauce OR 1 large tomato, quartered (I used sauce)

Heat oil in large stockpot (5-qt) over medium to medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add broth mixture and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. While waiting for stock to boil, prepare the meatballs.

Meatballs

1 lb ground chicken, turkey or beef (I used turkey)

1/3 c. raw white rice

~1/4 c. Maseca masa (corn flour, typically found in Mexican aisle) OR 1 raw egg

1 ½ tsp Johnny’s Seasoning OR mix of salt/pepper*

¼ onion chopped

A dash of cayenne pepper (optional)*

1/2 tsp. oregano*

1 tsp. cumin*

1 tsp. onion powder*

1 tsp. garlic powder*

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce*

*adjust these seasonings to your liking. Crazy about garlic? Throw in some minced garlic or more garlic powder.

Mix ingredients together. Form 1” meatballs. When stock boils, drop in one at a time. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer about 30 minutes. Adjust flavors of stock as needed, I added about 1 tbsp garlic powder. Add vegetables as desired, I added 4 small potatoes, quartered after about 10 minutes and 1 zucchini sliced 1" after about 20.

Garnish with all or none or a mix of the following: chopped cilantro, onion, jalapeno, radishes, fresh-squeezed lime juice and salt, if desired :)

Apple Cinnamon Cobbler

Once again, husband and I over-estimated how much produce we can eat between the two of us and I'm here trying to figure out how to use the rest of our apples before they over ripen (I've made applesauce, apple butter, pie, muffins, etc). Today, I made an Apple Cobbler and the vanilla in it is killer! I only had about 2/3 c. of sugar by the time I started making the batter (oops), so I substituted the rest with 1/3 c. light brown sugar. We served this up with some ice cream (ahem, before dinner) and it was a perfect snack for the perfect fall afternoon we were having!



Apple Cinnamon Cobbler
recipe from Nancy's Kitchen

10 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup water

Mix together and pour into 9 x 12 inch
glass baking dish.

Batter
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Mix together and pour over apples*, spread out. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until done.

*The batter has a similar consistency to cookie dough - I would recommend spooning it over in portions, rather than dumping it all directly in the center like I did and trying to spread it out of the apples.

One Sweet Day: First Look!

Our photographer, Jenny, had scoped out the property earlier that morning and picked out the perfect spot for our first look. My sister so kindly helped me make my way over there!

My soon-to-be husband was patiently waiting for me in the distance. I was so excited, and nervous! This was a good nervous though - I kept thinking "I'm going to be this wonderful man's wife in less than an hour!!"

This is one of my favorite shots, taken only seconds before he saw me!

Stealing a few kisses :)

Time to go take some fun shots!

Just now joining the party?

One Sweet Day: Setting Up
One Sweet Day: My Fabulous Ladies Get Dolled Up!
One Sweet Day:Gifts for the Girls
One Sweet Day: Every Little Girls Dream Come True

all photos by Jenny Jimenez

One Sweet Day: Every Little Girls Dream Come True

It was finally time for me to step in my dress and at this point, I snapped out of the nervous funk I was in. Once I held up my dress, I truly felt like a bride!

With a clear mind and a big cheesy smile on my face, my girls helped me into my wedding gown. Oh, and side note - Spanx are a life-saver. I'm just sayin'!

I was so giddy! In a few moments I was going to see my man!! Also, the dress actually zipped up, yay!

I had a couple of different earrings picked out for the day and at the last minute decided on a pair of dangly pearls I purchased for $3 during a big sale and some coupons - score!!

My bridesmaids helped me make sure the veil was attached just right.

There were a lot of guests hanging around outside and my sister took a quick peek to see who had already arrived!

Fluffing all of the skirts of the train.

And with that, this bride was ready to see her groom!

Just now joining the party?
One Sweet Day: Setting Up

One Sweet Day: My Fabulous Ladies Get Dolled Up!

One Sweet Day:Gifts for the Girls

All photos by Jenny Jimenez

One Sweet Day:Gifts for the Girls

I did one final check of the gift bags SIL so generously helped me put together at the last minute and called the girls over.

It was so much fun seeing their expressions as they pulled out the little goodies Husband and I picked out for them!

They all had a small bottle of champagne, with the exception of my under-age little sister who received tasty lemonade :)

There were Bridal Survival Kits from here that included lipgloss, Shout wipes, TicTacs, Band Aids, and Tylenol. They also had a big box of Sour Patch kids, cute blank note cards, and these earrings from here.

I think they liked their gifts :)

Their other gifts included matching socks, a teeny bottle of Corona, and Sour Patch kids as well! The boys also had a Bridal Survival kit that included everything but the lipgloss, which was swapped for Axe products - you know, because boys have a tendancy to be smelly and we sure didn't want smelly boys on our special day :)

Just now joining the party?

One Sweet Day: Setting Up

One Sweet Day: My Fabulous Ladies Get Dolled Up!

All photos by Jenny Jimenez

More Sisterly Love

Remember I mentioned my sissy was growing up way too fast and was having her senior pics taken last month? They were featured on Jenny's blog this weekend and boy-oh-boy are they hot!! I wish my senior pictures would've been this cool. Mine were the lame, "go lean on the fence and cross your arms" kind of pictures.

photo by Jenny Jimenez

Sisterly Love

Sissy came to town recently and we got dressed up and went to see Wynston Marsalis. It was just lovely to spend time with my baby sister (psst...I'm the one on the left :)

Did I forget to mention, I chopped it all off ;) Yep, I donated 2 ponytails, 10" each to Locks of Love. Ah, and was it ever so liberating!!

One Sweet Day: My Fabulous Ladies Get Dolled Up!

After completing the cupcake trees I was still a bundle of nerves, so the girls decided to put on a live Jason Mraz CD. We were totally rocking out as we did our hair and makeup...

They all looked so beautiful! One of my bridesmaids made all of our flowers and the bouts, she did such a great job on them!!

Each one of these girls holds a special place in my heart; I was so blessed to have them there with me!

My sister helped put my face on. It was such a great moment for us to share. Applying the final touches...

Just now joining the party?

One Sweet Day: Setting Up

all photos by Jenny Jimenez

Charleston Love

Gosh, I've been so dang busy this week with work I haven't hardly had any time to surf the internet, much less do any posting (imagine that!). I had a few quick minutes and thought I'd sneak in a post with a picture from SIL and her fiance's fun engagement session! Check out more here.

photo by child creations

Peachy-delish Cobbler!

Husband's buddy came over to watch football today which means I was in the kitchen most of the afternoon. I think this is going to become a tradition for them and myself, which I think is great since I'll be able to try new recipes and make them the guinea pigs, muhahahaha. We still had peaches leftover from the preserves (more on that to come) that desperately needed to be fixed up so I made this number for the boys tonight. I may have left it in the oven a minute or two too long, but really, I don't think they'll mind.

photo by yours truly

Peach Cobbler
recipe from Annie's Eats

For the filling:
2 1/2 lbs. ripe but firm peaches
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Pinch of salt

For the biscuit topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar, divided
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt

*Note – this recipe can be doubled easily by baking in a 9×13- inch baking dish and increasing the baking time for both the peaches and the assembled cobbler about 5 minutes each.

Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position. Preheat the oven to 425° F. For the filling, peel the peaches and then cut each into 8 wedges, removing the pits as you go. Gently toss the peaches and sugar together in a large bowl and let stand for 30 minutes, tossing several times. Drain the peaches in a colander set over a bowl. Whisk together 1/4 cup of the drained juice with the cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl. Toss the peaches with the juice mixture and transfer to a 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until peaches begin to bubble around the edges, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the biscuit topping. In the food processor, combine the flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse to combine. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl; add the yogurt and toss with a spatula until a cohesive dough is formed. (Be careful not to overmix.) Break the dough into 6 evenly sized but roughly shaped mounds and set aside.

After the peaches have baked 10 minutes, remove the peaches from the oven and place the dough mounds on top, spacing them at least 1/2-inch apart (they should not touch). Sprinkle each mound with the remaining sugar. Bake until the topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 16-18 minutes. Cool on a wire rack until warm, about 20 minutes; serve.