Spaghetti & Meatballs

With a few secret ingredients…

We're adding a few secret ingredients to this week's recipe. They might sound strange, but they do actually make a delicious addition and add additional vegetables to a meal that is already delicious and easy to convince pickier family members to eat. 

Ingredients

1/2 pound lean ground turkey (you can go with lean ground beef, but it will slightly alter the taste.) 

1 cup breadcrumbs (you can make your own, or grab a jar of Italian breadcrumbs at the store) 

1/2 cup butternut squash puree

1 clove garlic minced 

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon crushed black pepper

Nonstick cooking spray

2 teaspoons olive oil 

1 (26 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juice, pureed in a blender 

1 tbsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp onion powder Or 1/2 cup fresh diced onions 

1 tsp thyme 

SMALL pinch marjoram 

SMALL pinch rosemary 

1/2 cup water 

1/4 cup carrot puree

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

pinch of cayenne pepper 

1 bay leaf

1 pound of spaghetti, whole grain or whole wheat if you can, but it's not mandatory

Purees 

1 large butternut squash

1 lb carrots 

Tools: Chef's knife, cutting board, baking pan, aluminum foil, large pot, blender, food processor, instant pot 

Let's get started with making the purees for the recipes, and if you find you like this, you might find ways to sneak them in other recipes. Grab your carrots and give them a quick wash, then peel off the outer layer. Next, chop them into large chunks (three inches long or so is best for working with an instant pot.) Pour one cup of water to your instant pot, set up the steamer basket or tray, and add your carrots. Set the lid on top, set the pot to steam for 5 minutes, and walk away. This has been a game-changer for us; rather than having to steam veggies for 20-30 minutes, all we need is 10 minutes and our instant pot. Once that's done, grab your food processor and chuck in the carrots.  

Here we're going to say Learn From Our Mistakes. Do not try and puree or blend all of your carrots at once. Don't do it. Whether you're using a food processor or a blender, you will burn out the motor. We know, your blogger did it. Go one to two carrot chunks at a time, with a tablespoon of water, until it's fully blended and there aren't any solid pieces left.  As you finish one section, pour it into a separate bowl, and move on. 

Now once you finish your carrots (or while they're steaming in the instant pot), you can start working on your butternut squash. Start off by splitting it in half. Grab your chef's knife and go down the middle vertically. OR you can cut it horizontally and then cut each of those in half to get at the interior. Once you have your squash split, grab your spoon and scoop out the 'guts' and seeds. You can chuck them, roast them or plant them as you see fit.  Now set your oven to 400*, and lay the squash face down on a lined cookie sheet (or round sides up, if that makes more sense.) You're going to roast the squash for 50 minutes or until soft. Your squash is likely to come out not only looking brown and wrinkled in several spots but also with a bit of the sugars on the sides. It's completely normal and not to be worried about. This time you're going to snag a spoon and scoop out the meat of the squash. Run that through the food processor or blender for two minutes or until smooth. You'll want to add water as needed to make for a smooth consistency and make it possible for your blender to work easily. 

And now, let's go on to the spaghetti! 

In a large bowl, mix the turkey, breadcrumbs, butternut squash puree, garlic, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until well combined. Shape the mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place them on a sheet of waxed paper or aluminum foil. One trick that works well for making meatballs is using an ice scoop. We don't advise a melon-baller because the meat is too sticky to come out easily. 

Now, coat a large nonstick skillet or frying pan with cooking spray and set it over high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the olive oil, stir it once around the pan, and then add your meatballs and brown them for 4 to 5 minutes, turning occasionally.  You're not looking to cook them fully at this point, but instead to brown the outside for a delicious taste later. 

In a large pot, add the pureed tomatoes, water, carrot puree, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil, onion, marjoram, rosemary, bay leaf, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are no longer pink in the center. Remove the bay leaf; they're not particularly tasty.

Next, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (Ideally, you want your water to be as salty as the ocean.) Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Before you drain your pasta, take a half cup of water and mix that into the sauce. Next, drain the pasta into a colander.  Spoon a little bit of your sauce into each bowl, then pasta and then more sauce, and top with meatballs. Enjoy! 

What did you think?  Are you willing to try it? We can honestly say that we've made it and enjoyed it for ourselves, and because the vegetables are pureed, they're not easy to spot by sight, taste, or smell.  Let us know what you thought in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. 

Now, if on the other hand, your oven went out while you working on this, or refused to hold a consistent temperature, we can help! You can reach out to us by calling ((214) 599-0055) or on our contact page. You can set up an appointment time that works for you and let us take care of getting your home back and running smoothly.

Five Appliance Trends That Won’t Last

And what to replace them with

Table of Contents: 

Open Concept Kitchens     

The Color of the Year 

Air Sous Vide 

Smart Appliances

Dual Dishwashers In Your Kitchen

Trends are something we love discussing here on Appliance Repair Service. We’ve talked popular ones, new ones, and ones that died miserable deaths. Now we’re taking a look at different ones that are popular here in 2022.  These are things you may be thinking about jumping on immediately, but we’d advise waiting a while to see how these trends play out, so you aren’t spending thousands of dollars on something you’ll hate in three months. 

Open Concept Kitchens

From the early 2000s up until now, the open concept was the most common style of new home on the market.  They’re all about a home being able to serve multiple purposes with very little change or adjustment. Being able to shift seamlessly from one room to another, and having the family together without having to hunt through different rooms. 

With Covid and the rise of people working from home, the open concept plan doesn’t work either in your kitchen or for your whole house. Being able to separate ourselves out, and find quiet during different points of the day is important. You might need to use one area for an office, or another for your child’s school area, and section those off. You don’t want to hear shouts of “hey, where do we have the oregano” when you’re in the middle of a zoom meeting” if it can be avoided after all. 

The Color of the Year 

Going for the color of the year is something many of us want to do. There are hundreds of blog posts, magazine articles, and social media posts all over the net talking about how to best use Very Peri in your house, your kitchen, or your wardrobe. Many of us want to have the most recent colors or designs when it comes to somewhere we spend a large amount of our time. It’s the same as working on the rest of your house, where you might update every few years and bring in either a color you love or whatever the most popular color series is.  In the kitchen, we’re not talking just about painting your kitchen the color of the year. Many companies also will update their ranges, ovens, and refrigerators to come in new and different colors. (This year for example is seeing many companies adding “Mint Green” as one of the colors they offer?) 

But, we have to point out that color trends change. Like we point out every year, colors that were popular this year may not be next year. A better option might be to choose a color palette that you love and work from that in different ways. You might bring in tile with several of the colors that you like. Or paint your cabinets different colors to blend into the overall pattern.  This allows you to more easily change out colors when you want to refresh, but it also means that you’re standing out on your own. 

Air Sous Vide 

Think about the concept of sous vide, if you’ve ever run into it. If you haven’t, it’s a process of sealing food into a bag and boiling it until it’s cooked just right. Air sous vide then, is the same concept, except you’re using air. 

There are too many mixed thoughts on this one and not enough hard reviews about how well it works or recipes that are repeatable. We don’t recommend getting this one until (and if) they manage to solidify the way it works.

Smart Appliances

We’ve spoken before about smart appliances, both the uses of them and the downsides. We want them to be able to do all sorts of things and make our homes more automated so that we can focus on other aspects of our lives. The truth is though, that propaganda is just that, propaganda. Smart appliances might promise you the moon, but they aren’t there yet. 

With this one, we advise keeping a level head on what they can do vs what they can’t. Instead of thinking that your oven will cook you a perfect steak with potatoes and broccoli on the side and a perfect bearnaise sauce on the side.  Instead, it’s able to turn on when you tell it to, alert you when it’s come to the proper temperature and let you know when what you’re cooking has finished cooking. 

Dual Dishwashers In Your Kitchen

This one is lovely, honestly. It’s just a matter of what do you need? Do you need to have two dishwashers in your kitchen? Do you entertain a couple of times a week and deal with all of the dishes inherent in that? Or do you have a large family that you prepare food for and you need to be able to wash all of the dishes easily and without leaving yourself exhausted?
If the answer to that is no, then you might want to reconsider whether you want to bring a second dishwasher into your home. While it’s really popular, it’s not always needed, in which case, why bother? Instead, take a look at how much you use your current dishwasher. Would a larger one be beneficial for you? Do you need a different style? Maybe one that can handle larger pots and pans due to the amount of cooking/baking you do now? 

Do you have any of these already or are you looking at getting them? Let us know over on our Facebook page, or in the comments below! 

Don’t forget that we can also help with the appliances you have already. If your dishwasher is refusing to clean dishes or isn’t draining fully, we can help. Call us at ((214) 599-0055) or reach out to us on our contact page.  

Top 5 Things You're Cleaning Wrong

When something looks broken but is just dirty.

Table of Contents

Cleaning Your Dishwasher

Cleaning Your Washing Machine

Cleaning Your Oven

Cleaning Your Cast Iron Skillet

Cleaning Your Refrigerator

How often do you think something is broken when really it just needed to be cleaned in order to work properly? Did you know that improper cleaning is one of the biggest reasons a tool or appliance can break? We've seen it too many times, so this week we're taking a look at 5 of the areas many of you are cleaning wrong. 

Your Dishwasher

If you're noticing your plates and silverware aren't coming out clean, it might be time to clean your dishwasher. Many people will just toss in a packet from the store that claims to do it all. Then a few weeks later the dishwasher is having trouble again, and you're wondering why you wasted your money in the first place. 

Mix up some hot water and dish soap, grab an old toothbrush, and attack the inside of your door. You'll want to spend time on the detergent capsule and cap (the place where you actually put the detergent in) and any other nooks and crannies where you notice a build-up of hard water, detergent, scum or dirt. Next, remove the racks and use paper towels to get rid of all of the food and debris at the bottom of the dishwasher. While you have the racks out, give them a once over to see if they have any cuts, nicks, or built-up gunk that might cause problems. Once you've done that, put the racks back in and run it while empty. Once you've got that taken care of, take out all of the accessories and give them a thorough cleaning with hot water and soap. Your final step is to pull out the filter, which will be located at the back of your dishwasher. Use just hot water to rinse it out and carefully scrub away any debris that may have become lodged in it.

Your Washing Machine

Many of us think that a washing machine should keep itself clean. After all, it's washing your clothes. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way, and soap scum can build up inside your washing machine, leading to dirty clothes.  Just like with your dishwasher, there are soaps at the store that will claim to clean your machine, and they do work for a time. These can actually do a good job at getting your drum clean. Unfortunately, there's more to your washing machine than just the drum. 

For this you're going to want to start with finding any seals or gaskets and carefully checking and cleaning those. We're talking super delicate; you don't want these to crack or become dislodged and leak everywhere.  From there you're going to grab white vinegar and use that mixed with water to clean the inside of your drum using a toothbrush and a sponge as needed.  It's not a difficult process, but it is one you should consider doing once every six months. 

We covered this more in-depth in one of our more recent posts, which we'll link down below in the additional reading section. 

Your Oven

We've talked a fair bit about how not to clean your oven. In truth, we cover it every year. We tell you not to trust the shiny "self-clean" button that it is full of lies. We remind you that using the self-clean button will often mean getting an entirely new oven. (Yes, it's clean at that point, but did you really want to spend that much money just to 'clean' your oven?) 

So, how should you do it?  Grab a pyrex pan or something else that's oven-safe and fill it with two inches of water. Set your oven to 225*F and put the pan in the oven. If this is the first time you're cleaning your oven, we advise letting it work for 30 minutes. If you keep your oven relatively clean, you can do half that.  Turn the oven off at that point and let it cool until you can touch the walls safely. At that point, add some dish soap to the pan, grab a soft sponge and start scrubbing.  Once you're done, make sure to go over everything again with clean water, cleaning away the soap. 

Like many things, we suggest doing this once a month. 

Your Cast Iron Skillets

We love our cast iron skillets. It's the only way to properly cook sausage and gravy in our opinion. BUT They're a pain to clean if you aren't sure about what you're doing.  Your blogger ruined one of her first pans by using soap. Learn from her mistakes and don't use soap on your cast iron skillets. 

There's a 'seasoning' coat that has to be baked into the pan at a high temperature. Each use of a skillet will add together for an overall flavor that builds over time. There are only three steps that have to be done to keep your pan clean and happy. After you're done cooking and the pan is still hot, use hot water to rinse the pan. Wipe down the pan with a soft sponge, without any soap, rinse it again, and then pat it dry. Your final step is to rub in a thin layer of oil using a paper towel. 

If your pan is dirty with rust or food that just won't come off, grab some kosher salt and ice and use that to scrub the pan, afterward repeating the steps above.

Your Refrigerator

Sounds easy right? Just take everything out and wipe it all down? Well, yeah. That's the majority of what you need to do. Cleaning your refrigerator is more of a time-consuming process than anything, and that's because you need to clean everything so thoroughly. If you don't take everything out, you can have crumbs or liquids pushed into the corners that start to mold or rot. We advise grabbing a large ice chest, putting everything in that, and then tackling your refrigerator with a vacuum, a sponge, and then a toothbrush, in that order. The vacuum is to get out debris, the sponge is for general cleaning, and the toothbrush is to get rid of any build-up you might have in corners or shelf slides. 

Image credit: Marco Verch

Which ones did you already know, and which ones surprised you? Let us know over on our Facebook page, or in the comments below. What other areas do you want us to tackle? Tell us that too! 

If you've tried cleaning and you're still having trouble with your appliances, let us know! We service all major appliances from all major brands. If we don't know what's going on, we'll keep digging until we figure things out. You can set up an appointment with us on our contact page or by reaching out to us at ((214) 599-0055). If you live somewhere between Dallas and McKinney or Garland and Coppell, we can help.  

Additional Reading: 

Why you should clean your washing machine, and how. 

How to clean your refrigerator

Self-Cleaning Ovens

Week-End Stir Fry to fill you up for days

We love this recipe and we hope you do too.

We're going for a filling meal with this one - one that's going to last for several days in the fridge. You can downsize if you want to, OR break portions down and freeze them for later noms. You can also swap out different proteins, based on what you want. You can add more or less of individual ingredients until you're happy with the amounts and variety of food. This is one of our favorite ways to use up left over bits and pieces of different veggies at the end of the week. 

 Ingredients: 

Bell peppers (preferably red, possibly orange and yellow. But we don't advise green peppers for this meal.) 

Carrots 

2 can Baby Corn

2 can Water Chestnuts

Broccoli

Snap Peas

White Onion

Chicken  - Preferably already breaded, but if not, you can DIY it. 

Rice Noodles  (or soba, both will work) 

Hoisin Sauce

Brown sugar

Fresh garlic

Sesame seed oil 

Tools: Grater, Chef's knife, cutting board, frying pan or wok, 6qt pot, measuring cups and spoons, Slotted spoon and chopsticks 

Instructions: 

We could just go with "chop the veggies," but we're not doing that to you. For the peppers, go ahead and start by cutting them into quarters and cleaning out the pieces of the white pith and the seeds. Then cut them into strips, and cut those strips into either chunks or halves, depending on how much you like peppers.  For your carrots, we suggest using a mandolin grater or cutting them on an angle. You want them to be relatively thin so that they'll cook up easily. For your onion, you want to dice it. Next grab your broccoli and break it down into small florets so that sauteing will be enough to cook it. 

Next, grab a wok, a caldera or an oversized frying pan. Set the heat to medium, and when the pan is hot, pour in two tablespoons of sesame seed oil. Next add your garlic and onions and add those to the pan, tossing occasionally. Once your onions have gone for a minute, add in the carrots and broccoli, moving them around the pan so that nothing burns. Once the carrots are bendy, add in your red peppers and snap peas. You want to cook them until they are nice and sauteed. Finally add in your water chestnuts and baby corn. Those you're adding in just so they're heated through. At that point, pour everything into a heat proof container and set it to the side. 

In a separate pot, bring water to boil, and add your soba noodles and boil for 6-7 minutes or until cooked, but still slightly firm. Reserve one cup of the pasta water, and drain the rest, setting aside the noodles.

Cook chicken in wok, as if on a frying pan, checking and turning regularly to keep anything from burning.  Once it's fully cooked, you can remove it and chop it up if you want, or leave it as is.  

Now for our sauce. This one is... as odd as it sounds, mostly based on how you're feeling today. Start off by peeling and chopping your garlic, and tossing it into your wok, to sauté. We're not going to say how much to use here, because it's based on a) how much food you've made and b) how much you like garlic. We would advise starting with a ratio of 1 clove: 1/2 cup of brown sugar :1 tbsp of sesame oil: 1/2 cup of water, but there's no reason to stick with that. Now add in 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 tbsp of sesame oil, and 1/2 cup of water, mixing slowly and thoroughly. 

Once your sugar is fully melted and integrated, grab your chicken and add that back to the pan, coating all sides. Now add your veggies and repeat the process, and finally your soba noodles. 

If you want to add in a bit of kick, you might consider adding some crushed red pepper or Sriracha during the making of the sauce, but that's up to the individual. 

Let us know what you make over on our Facebook page or down in the comments. We'd love to see photos of what your meal ends up looking like! 

Now if you're looking for help because your stove is having issues, refusing to light, refusing to stay lit or is sputtering, we can help! You can call us today at ((214) 599-0055) or go to our contact page and make an appointment today.  We'll work with you to find a time that works for your schedule. 

Make Your Garden Thrive Even In a Drought

Dry Plants That Fit in Texas 

Table of Contents: 

Gravel- Uses, and benefits 

Design Tips

Examples of Plants 

Let's face it, gardening in Texas can be.. complicated. You have to deal with unpredictable weather, heat that goes all over the place, and never knowing if you're going to have a tornado drop on your head. It's great! If you are brave enough to work with the elements, though, you can find that it's possible to grow plants that not only are beautiful but can survive even in drought years in Texas. 

We'll start off by saying that we aren't professionals at this. What we are are people like you that live in Texas and have had many plants die under our care, despite our best attempts. To that end, we're looking at how to transform your garden into a beautiful, functional space with plants that will grow back year after year.  

It sounds weird to say, "ok, the first thing your garden is going to need is gravel," but, well, it's true? When you're dealing with a garden that you want coming back year after year, you need to limit water consumption. The biggest abuser you have? Your grass. Grass is an extremely thirsty plant, not to mention finicky! Imagine if you didn't have to fight with that any longer? No more mowing, no more watering and weeding, and hoping temperatures don't reach up so high the roots burn or so low they freeze.  Oh, and did we mention that the water you are saving can be put to plants you love?  Are you sold? Great! 

So now that you're looking at different types of gravel, there are a few things to keep in mind. 

- There are a TON of color options. It's fantastic. Whether you're going for a light and airy feeling or something a bit more earthy, there's guaranteed to be gravel for you. 

-Since you don't have to stick to specific planters or worry about grass roots, you can put your plants anywhere! And just use the gravel as filler in-between. 

- Make sure to add raking and replenishing to your calendar. You should only half to do it twice a year, though, instead of standing out there for hours every weekend. 

Design Tips for a Dry Garden 

Now that we've got you sold on the benefits of gravel, let's consider how to design your dream garden.  Start by grabbing a layout of your property. Whether you're working in just one section of your home (ie just your front yard or just your backyard) or you want to blend the areas together, you need an idea of how your property looks so that you can plan things.  Once you've got that, add in any permanent features you've got on your property. Do you have a deck that you're putting in? What about trees around the property that you want to take advantage of? (Hint, you definitely should take advantage of the trees you have, as they provide shade for your other plants.)  Basically, you'll want to sketch out anything that is definitely staying on the property or any major changes that you know you're making.  From there, consider a few things. 

- Repeating plants in random areas gives a cohesive and pleasing look, without being too manicured. (Unless that's the look you're going for.) It also guides the eye throughout the garden, creating a flow that is pleasing whether you're walking or just looking around. 

- Use light and airy plants like pampas, fountain grass, and kangaroo paw. These not only add color to the landscape, but their beautiful foliage adds texture and movement all year long. 

- Use pavers across the entrances to areas to keep gravel contained. This way, you're doing less in the way of sweeping/raking/corralling. And it means that any plant material from 'outside' your garden can easily be scraped off. 

-For stepping stones, borders, or other breaks in the gravel, you can get really creative. You can use everything from large stones to slices of wood, reclaimed wood, or timbers. 

Choosing Plants 

Honestly, this step is simultaneously really easy while also being really difficult. We know, we've been full of conundrums this week. We're sorry. So let's look at the hard part and get that out of the way. What you want to do is compile a list of drought-resistant plants. While we do have a few examples for you to consider, we're not going to say that this is all of them.  The easy part is going through and choosing which of those plants are most appealing to you. Do you like to focus on light and airy plants? Do you want to focus on color throughout the year? What about a focus on plants that are useful in medicine or around the home? Your answer is going to change which of the plants you choose and how your garden is going to end up looking. One thing we do want to say, though, is that just because these are water-wise plants doesn't make them all bland and boring. 

You can have many beautiful flowering plants in your garden like the Kangaroo Paw, Disoma,  California Poppies, or Mediterranean Lavender. Adding in "Blue Cloud" salvia will give you a beautiful shrub all summer, while the "Teddy Bear" magnolia offers up a beautiful bronze on the underside of its leaves all year long. 

If you enjoy cacti and succulents, those can be an option to mix throughout your yard, and still create a beautiful array of flowers for you to enjoy. Check out barrel cacti for some examples.  

If you want something that's hardy but would do well in the shade of a tree, check out the cordylines. They do best in shaded areas, add texture to your yard, and are a stunning red or pink. You might consider mixing in coastal rosemary around the edges of those areas, as they love the shade, but they also enjoy well-drained areas. 

Whichever plants you choose, make sure to talk to experienced gardeners so that you can get the best tips for caring for your yard, whatever the weather brings. We hope that you'll consider showing us what you plant in your yard, whether it's great big cacti, beautiful flowers or an herb garden. Let us know over on Facebook what you get up to. 

If that's not what brought you to our humble corner of the internet, it might be that you're in need of appliance repair. And yep, you're still in the right place. If your dishwasher is broken or your dryer is busted, we can help. You can reach out to us by phone at ((214) 599-0055) or by heading over to our contact page. We'll work with you to set up an appointment that works with your schedule to get your home running again.