I'm semi-back, but only sporadically. I miss the table and the daily banter. This recipe looks delicious! I love pork and beef combined. Big Spicy Meatballs (Real Simple) 2 pounds lean ground beef 2 pounds ground pork 1 medium onion, minced 2 slices soft bread, crusts removed and torn into pieces 5 cloves garlic, minced 2 eggs 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan 3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 cups ricotta 1 jar store-bought marinara sauce Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients, 1 cup of the Parmesan, and 2 teaspoons of the pepper. Mix just to combine. Shape the mixture into 16 to 18 large meatballs (each should consist of about 3/4 cup of meat). Place on a baking pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta with the remaining Parmesan and the remaining pepper; set aside. Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes in upper third of oven. Remove from oven and turn on broiler. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture onto each meatball. Broil 3 to 5 minutes or until the ricotta just starts to brown. Serve the meatballs with jarred marinara sauce.

I got a complimentary copy of a magazine the other day in the mail called "Cuisine at Home". It had some pretty good recipes in it, but this one is definitely on my "make" list. You don't even need the mixer! OLD-FASHIONED CHOCOLATE CAKE 3 c. flour 2 c. sugar 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. table salt 2 c. hot water 3/4 c. vegetable oil 2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar 1 Tbsp. instant coffee granules 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 with rack in the center. Spray two 8x2" round cake pans with nonstick spray. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Combine water, oil, vinegar, instant coffee and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined--a few lumps are ok. Divide batter between pans, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert them onto the rack. Leave cakes upside don (this flattens domed cakes) to cool completely. GLOSSY CHCOLATE ICING 1 stick unsalted butter 1-1/2 c. sugar 1-1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder Pinch of salt 1-1/4 c. heavy whipping cream 1/4 c. sour cream 1 tsp. instant coffee granules 2 tsp. vanilla extract Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in sugar, cocoa and salt. Mixture will be thick and grainy. Combine heavy cream, sour cream and instant coffee and a large measuring cup, mixing until smooth. Gradually add cream mixture to chocolate until blended and smooth. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth and hot to the touch, 6-8 minutes. Do not boil. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Cool icing at room temperature until spreadable, 2-3 hours. This cake can also be made in a 9x13 pan (bake 35-40 minutes) or 24 cupcakes (bake 20-25 minutes).

I've never cooked eggplant, but the idea of ratatouille intrigues me. I think you either love or hate eggplant....how many of you like it? This is a recipe that's a Mediterranean relish or antipasto. The instructions look long and daunting, but it's just cooking it in batches. If you like antipasto, this should be delicious! Caponata gets better overnight, so make at least a day ahead if possible. It will keep 3-5 days in the frig. Serve with pita bread or Italian bread or crostini. Caponata----Relish/Antipasto (Mediterranean Harvest cookbook) 1 1/2 lb (1 large) eggplant, cut in half lengthwise 3 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 3 large garlic cloves, minced 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1/2" dice 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes 2 tbsp plus 1/4 tsp sugar 3 stalks celery, sliced 1/2" thick and blanched in boiling salted water 3 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained 1/4 cup coarsely chopped green olives 1/4 cup wine vinegar or sherry vinegar Preheat oven to 400*. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush the foil lightly with oil. Score the cut sides of the eggplant halves with a small knife, cutting down to the skin, but not through. Place on the baking sheet, cut side down and bake 20 minutes, until the eggplants collapse and the skins begin to shrivel. Drain and cool, cut side down in a colander. When cool enough to handle, pull off and discard the skin, scraping any eggplant that adheres, and chop. The eggplant should be soft and is not meant to hold its shape. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring until tender but not browned, 5 minutes; and add 2/3 of the garlic. Cook 1 minute until the garlic begins to smell fragrant; add bell peppers and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring, until just about tender, 8 minutes. Add 1 tbsp oil and the eggplant, and cook, stirring, 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and the remaining garlic to the skillet. Cook 30 seconds, just until the garlic begins to color, and add the tomatoes, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp sugar. Cook, stirring 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes have cooked down somewhat; they should not be dry however; and they smell fragrant. Return the eggplant mixture to the pan and stir. Add the celery, capers, olives, vinegar, salt to taste, and remaining 2 tbsp sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, 15-30 minutes, until the vegetables are thoroughly tender and the caponata is quite thick, sweet and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper and cool to room temperature.

Grandma's Cake 2 cups crushed vanilla wafers 1 cup chopped pecans 3/4 cup butter, softened 2 cups sugar 1 16-ounce can pumpkin 1 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs 1 1/2 cups cake flour 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp ground cinnamon Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three round 8-inch cake pans. (I used a 9x13 glass baking dish). In large bowl, combine wafer crumbs, chopped pecans and butter. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until crumbly. Press mixture evenly on bottom of pans. In same bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil and eggs. Beat 1 minute at medium speed. Combine cake flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add to pumpkin mixture. Beat at medium speed 3 minutes. Spread batter over crumb mixture in pans. Bake 30-35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack and cool completely. Caramel-Pecan Filling 3 cups powdered sugar 2/3 cup butter 4 ounces cream cheese, softened 2 tsp vanilla 1/4 cup caramel topping 1 cup pecan halves In small bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy. On serving plate, layer three cakes, nut side down, with 1/2 cup filling spread between the layers. With remaining filling, frost sides and top of cake. Spread caramel topping over top of cake, drizzling some over the frosted sides. Sue