Celebrate the 4th With These Meatball Slider and Quick N Easy Cobbler Recipes

Here's the latest recipe from chef Jill Fisher! Jill, a licensed Personal Chef, teaches cooking classes at Conejo Valley Adult School and Williams Sonoma in Thousand Oaks and has written articles for local food magazines such as 805 Living. In December, Jill and her friend released their cookbook "i found my sanity in...My Best Friend's Kitchen."

CLICK HERE for Jill's other recipes published in Conejo Valley Guide!

It is a beautiful summer!  Be sure to enjoy the outdoors and the bounty of fresh fruit from our local farms and markets!  I have a fun recipe for Meatball Sliders – perfect for backyard dining.  You can actually step it up by purchasing a meatball basket at a cooking supply store and grill your meatballs on your BBQ for an extra blast of flavor!  I also have an easy, breezy cobbler recipe that you can use any fresh summer fruit with – berries, cherries, peaches, etc.  I put it in a soda glass for extra flair.  Have a happy and tasty Fourth of July!

Meatball Sliders

½ lb ground beef

½ lb ground pork

½ lb ground veal

½ cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

½ cup water

6 Tbsp Romano cheese, grated

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

3 cups tomato pasta sauce of your choice **

¼ cup vegetable oil

18 soft Hawaiian rolls

Mix all meatball ingredients together in a large bowl.  Form into 18, 2-inch meatballs.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Working in batches, fry meatballs until brown all over.  Transfer meatballs to a plate.  Drain off excess oil.  Add tomato sauce.  Warm sauce thoroughly.  Add meatballs to sauce.  Keep warm.

Place one meatball on each split soft roll.

** You can also try other sauces, such as teriyaki, BBQ, chipolte or the famous chili sauce and grape jelly (half & half).  Be creative!  

Quick N Easy Cobbler

1 cup sugar

1 cup bisquick

1 cup milk

1 stick of melted butter

1 quart of fresh fruit (peaches, berries, etc)

Mix together first four ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Spray and 2 qt casserole dish with Pam.  Pour the batter into pan.  Spoon the fruit on top but DO NOT STIR. 

Bake at 350F for approximately 40 minutes until golden brown.