Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 pound orecchiette pasta
• 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 3/4 cup grated Romano
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock, hot
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 8 ounces bocconcini mozzarella, halved
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

1.) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

2.) In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, ketchup, Romano cheese, and the salt and pepper. Add the chicken and gently stir to combine.

3.) Using a melon baller (or a teaspoon measure), form the chicken mixture into 3/4-inch pieces. With damp hands, roll the chicken pieces into mini meatballs.

4.) In a large (14-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and cook without moving until brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn the meatballs over and brown the other side, about 2 minutes longer. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes are soft and meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl and add the Parmesan. Toss to lightly coat orecchiette, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Add the meatball mixture, mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup of the basil. Gently toss to combine. Garnish with the chopped basil.

Recipe found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/orecchiette-with-mini-chicken-meatballs-recipe/index.html 

Oven-Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

This is delicious!  Seriously.

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh Brussels sprouts
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Rinse sprouts in cold water and then cut off the tough ends.  Pull any scraggly leaves off the sprouts and then cut each sprout in half.  place in a medium sized bowl.
3. Whisk together oil, 1 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.  Drizzle over the sprouts and then toss to combine.  Spread the sprouts evenly on the baking sheet and roast 20-25 minutes or until crisp-tender.
4. Remove from oven and transfer to serving dish.  Drizzle with 1 Tbsp vinegar and sprinkle with kosher salt, to taste.  Serve immediately.

Homemade Crescent Rolls

These may not be quite as good as dad's, but they are still pretty good! And easy too. Warning: it's a big batch, so you may want to save this recipe for when you are having guests.

Yield: 48

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp yeast
2 cups warm water
9-10 cups all purpose flour
at least 1 cup butter

Instructions:

Combine milk, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup butter (cut into pieces) in microswave safe bowl. Microwave for about 2 minutes. (There may still be little pieces of unmelted butter. That's okay). Stir in 1-2 cups of flour. Then add 1 egg and 1 tbsp salt. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes.

In the meantime, dissolve yeast in 2 cups warm water and 1tbsp sugar. Let sit for a couple of minutes until bubbly. Then add to milk mixture (make sure milk mixture is warm, not hot, or it will kill the yeast).

Using a fork or wooden spoon, gradually stir 9-10 cups of flour (including flour already used). At the end, dough will be dense and sticky. If too hard to stir, use your hands to incorporate the rest of the flour. Smooth the dough out and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place and let is rise, until about double the size (45-60min approx).

Preheat oven to 350.

Once dough has risen, divide dough into four equal balls. One ball at a time, roll the dough into a circle on a floured surface. Once it's rolled out, spread with butter (recipe recommends 2 tbsp per dough ball, I used much less though).

Using a pizza cutter, divide flattened dough into quarters. Then divine each quarter into 3 slices . (12 slices per dough ball.) Roll each slice into crescents, starting with the wide end. Place on a greased cookie sheet (or use a silpat). (Standard cookie sheet should fit 3 rows of 8.)

Place the pan or rolls in a warm place (on top of oven, perhaps) and allow to rise until they look full and are touching. Cook 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Brush warm tops with butter (optional, I did not do this.)


If you want to see more pictures, check out: http://www.howdoesshe.com/delicious-dinner-rolls/

Pasta with Slow-cooker Pork Ragu

(from Real Simple Jan 2013)

Ingredients:
1 large carrot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 1/2 lbs boneless pork shoulder or butt, trimmed and cut in half
3/4 lb fettuccine
parmesan

Instructions:
1. In a crockpot (ideal size: 4-6 quarts), combine carrot, onion, garlic, tomato paste, thyme, oregano, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Add tomatoes. add pork and turn to coat.

2. Cover and cook until pork is very tender, on low for 7-8 hrs or high for 5-6 hrs.

3. 20 minutes before serving, cook fettuccine, drain, and return to pot. Meanwhile, using 2 forks, shred pork and mix with rest of liquid in the crockpot. Toss the past with the ragu and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.