1. Either prepare your Risotto or use leftover Risotto (if there is such a thing) and add 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and combine. If the recipe isn’t sticky enough, add another 1/2 cup parmesan cheese as an additional binder. NOTE: if you are preparing your Risotto fresh, make sure you let it cool down before adding the cheddar cheese so it does not melt into the mixture. The goal is to melt that oooeeeyyy gooooeeeyyy goodness while bathing in the vegetable oil.

   

   

2. Every time I do this next step I get all warm and cozy inside.  😀 Turn on your deep fryer and set the temp to 375 degrees. My deep fryer happens to be my favorite gift of all time! If you do not have one, no prob! Simply fill a deep pot about halfway full with vegetable oil, just enough to cover your Risotto Balls when frying. Turn your heat to medium(ish) and test your oil to see if the temp is high enough by adding a few breadcrumbs, if they start to sizzle and float on top you are good to go.

   

3. On a shallow plate, I use the lid of an old storage container, combine 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, garlic powder to taste, pepper to taste and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese to make the coating for the Risotto Balls.

   

4. Take a handy dandy ice cream scoop (so versatile) and scoop up your first Risotto Ball and form it into a perfect delicious ball.

   

   

5. Roll, roll, roll your ball gently down…oh wait, gently in the breadcrumb mixture to coat. Place aside on a plate and repeat.

   

   

6. Ever so gingerly place your Risotto Balls into the nice hot vegetable bath and fry until desired crispiness about 5 minutes.

   

   

7. Remove your Risotto Balls after their vegetable oil bath onto a plate lined with paper towels and sprinkle them with a little salt while they are nice and warm. Place them Lovingly on some warm marinara sauce and sprinkle with a little more parmesan cheese to taste and ENJOY!!!  😛

   

   

   

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   I encourage you to leave a comment or a success experience you have had!! The Leave a Reply fields are optional, if you want to remain anonymous just fill in the comment section and hit post! Thank you for sharing your experiences and remember “no [wo]man is an island.”

    

My Mom was one of the most talented Home Cooks I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She could take any ingredients and make it into something SPECTACULAR! One of my biggest regrets is not asking her for her recipes, though I surmise that kind of cooking magic was only for her hands and in some fashion with me now trying to recreate her recipes it keeps her alive in my hands, as well as my heart. So here is my hybrid attempt at another version of her Shepherd’s Pie utilizing the slow cooker to do the bulk of the work. I hope you would be proud Mom! ♥

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

1. In a crockpot or slow cooker (whichever term you prefer) place your ground beef. Add the jar of spaghetti sauce, bay leaves, dried oregano, garlic powder, pepper, onion and 3 whole cloves of garlic.
2. Mix all the ingredients together and set the timer to cook for 4-6 hours. Stir every hour or so if you are home. The garlic will start to soften and just permeate the sauce.

   

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   Garlic Breadcrumb Topping

   1. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and bring it to a sizzle about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the breadcrumbs and combine, coating all of the breadcrumbs.

   

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Faux Lasagna Assembly

1. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions.
2. Layer the bottom of an oven safe baking dish with enough noodles to cover the bottom.
3. Layer a cup or so of the crockpot spaghetti sauce over the noodles.
4. Add half of the mozzarella cheese and spread to cover the sauce.
5. Add half of the garlic breadcrumb topping, spread out over the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle this layer with some parmesan cheese.
6. REPEAT the layers and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and a little olive oil over the top to add a golden color when baking.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!  😛

   

   

1. Bring your stew meat out of the fridge and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes while you prepare your flour/dredging mixture. This will take the chill out of the meat and is better for the browning/searing process. In a plastic bag combine the flour, one tbsp of the pepper, garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Add your stew meat, seal the bag lid and shake it all about. Do the Hokey Pokey if you like, this is a no judgement zone.  Make sure to coat all of the meat. Set the meat aside. In a cast iron pot or any regular pot, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and heat it up on medium heat. Add about half of the meat and brown on all sides. Depending on how many pounds of stew beef you are searing, please do this step in batches to keep the heat of the oil nice and hot and ready for searing. After all of your meat has been seared, remove from the pot and set aside.

   

   

2. Add the remaining two tbsp of olive oil to your pot and add your diced onion. Let the onion cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the garlic. Saute the onion and garlic together for another minute or so, add a little more flour from the dredging mixture, about 2-3 tbsp and combine with the onions and garlic. Add the sherry to deglaze the pan, picking up all of those oniony, garlicy bits off the bottom of the pan. Add your stew beef back into the pot and add the beef stock and stir all the players together. Bring to a boil for about 3-5 minutes to thicken the sauce. Lower the heat to low or just above, cover your pot and let that meat do what it does best cook low and slow for 2 hours. Stir occasionally.

   

   

   

   

3. This step is purely optional! But I thoroughly recommend it! Pour yourself a glass of wine and read a good book.  😀

   

4. Now that the 2 hour mark has arrived. It is time to add the veges. I cut the veges pretty small because I want them to cook a little bit quicker as your family is pretty much probably starving by this time and the smell in your kitchen that has permeated the house is probably driving them crazy. I know every time I went to stir the beef my husband would say “when is dinner going to be done Woman?” To which I politely replied (politely, that’s funny), soon honey, soon.  😛 When the veges have been added to the pot, add a tbsp of the dried parsley, crushing it in your palm first to release the oils. Add more salt and pepper to taste and let them simmer for 30 minutes.

   

   

5. At the 30 minute mark, ladies and gentlemen start your grits. Follow the directions on your grits package but basically boil 4 cups of water. When the water is boiling slowly add your grits and a pinch of salt or two and whisk away. Turn your heat to low and let the grits thicken for about 10-15 minutes, whisking occasionally. When they are to your desired thickness, add the butter and cheese and a little salt and pepper and combine.

   

   

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   When all is said and done it is as always time to plate. Put a little (or a lot) of those cheesy grits to line the bottom of your bowl and add to your heart’s desire the beef tips, veges and gravy, sprinkle with a little dried parsley and Enjoy! Cheers to Family and the lost, hopefully to be found again, coveted tradition we call Sunday Night Dinner.  🙂

   

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