Balsamic and Brown Sugar Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Let's talk about vegetables, people.

I was never against vegetables as a child. 

I was never one of those kids that would make faces, push their peas around their plate, feed the broccoli to the dog.

This is probably because my grandmother was Italian, and like any good Italian, she would cover everything, and I mean everything, in extra virgin olive oil. 

And I'm not talking about a healthy drizzle here or there, I'm talking about pouring, covering, smothering. 

Drowning, those vegetables would be drowning in oil. 

Which, you know, suddenly not so healthy anymore. But whatever. I ate them. And I learned to love them, oil or no oil.

Now, when I make vegetables, I usually do the bare minimum, a pinch of pepper, a dash of salt, a little drizzle of oil--my grandmother would be sorely disappointed, but I'm sure my arteries will thank me eventually.

 

This, however, is not one of those times. 

This is one of those times where I cover these little sprouts with brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes and, you guessed it, that childhood favorite, olive oil. 

And you know what? They're so worth it. 

Balsamic and Brown Sugar Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Serves 4-6 

1lb Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, and enough to lightly grease baking sheet
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt  
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 

Preheat oven to 400.

Wash and prepare Brussels sprouts, cutting in half if desired. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, tossing to coat Brussels sprouts evenly. 

Coat baking sheet lightly with olive oil then place Brussels sprouts into the oven. Bake for  25-35 minutes or until Brussels sprouts are crisp and caramelized on the outside and tender on the inside, shaking the pan occasionally so sprouts brown evenly.

Hum's Spaghetti and Meatballs

There are times when you just want to eat a damn meatball. Or, you know, 4.

When you're a little sad, when you're a little sick, when you're a lotta bit hungry.

Some people hate making meatballs.

They don't like the fact that the best meatballs are always mixed together with your hands, not a spoon. Which is sad, because that is absolutely the best part.

That sort of weirdly gross, totally satisfying feeling of making something with your hands. The feeling of breadcrumbs and meat and parsley between your fingers. The way you have to turn the water faucet on with your elbow because your hands are too dirty.

There are a million different ways to make meatballs. This is possibly one of the simplest.

It comes from my grandmother, like almost everything I love does.

The original hand-written recipe she left me is 2 sentences, which, sometimes, is all you really need.

Hum's Meatballs
serves 4-6

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix everything together, form balls in the palm of your hand, place in cooking pan greased in olive oil, bake for 30-45 minutes (or until cooked through).

You can also top meatballs with small amount of marinara sauce before baking in the oven to add flavor.

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Pasta with Beetroot Pesto

Sometimes you feel just a little bit fancy. 

But then you go to make dinner and all you want is pasta, which is usually, you know, not so fancy.

Okay, maybe I'm the only one who's ever had this problem. 

Luckily, I'm creative (most of the time) and quick on my feet (some of the time) and classy (okay, almost never, but whatever). And I can always create a pasta dish to suit any and every moment.

 

Pro Tip: If your hands look like you may have murdered someone, it's okay, we all know you didn't... Right? Let's move on.

 Pro Tip: This dish is better when made in heels. It helps you get your fancy on.

Pro Tip: If you accidentally serve yourself too large of a portion, eat it all anyway. 

Pro Tip: Swirling your pasta on your fork means you have manners. Fact. And even eating the entire forkful of pasta in one messy, excessively large bite can't take that away, no matter what anyone says.

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Pasta with Beetroot Pesto
Serves 4-6
 
Beets (about 3-6, depending on size)
1 Tbs Olive oil
1lb pasta
1/2-1 cup beet tops/leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
5-10 fresh basil leaves
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 
1-2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 cups arugula
4-5 oz goat cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash beets. Cut off beet tops and set aside. Cut beets into bite size cubes, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and place on baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes or until dark, caramelized, and tender.

Cook pasta according to directions while beets bake.

For the beetroot pesto, add beet greens, basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper into your food processor. While the processor is on, drizzle olive oil through the top funnel, add enough oil to give pesto desired consistency.   

Toss cooked pasta with enough pesto to coat, roasted beets, arugula and goat cheese. Serve.