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.

Brazilian Spiced Chicken in Coconut Milk

Change can be a beautiful thing. But, it can also be a pain in the ass.

And whenever I choose (or have) to deal with change in my life: it’s usually both.

See, I just moved into my first real apartment.

Right now, my life is unpacking boxes while listening to Hall & Oates.

It’s lamps with no lampshades and a freezer with no ice cube trays and an unmounted TV and a half-put-together Ikea coffee table.

And it’s kind of amazing.

And last night, I made my one of my first real meals in my first real apartment. 

Now, cooking in a new apartment may sound great, but that’s actually where the pain in the ass part of change comes in.

See, when you’re moving into a new place, sometimes you realize you accidently have absolutely nothing whatsoever that you need to make a meal. No, really. Literally nothing. 

Sometimes you open your drawer to find, well, basically this:

And sometimes you get so excited by the shiny spice-rack thingies at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, that you don’t actually bother to pay attention to the fact that they only have random ass spices like Ground Fennel and, you know, Marjoram. Which... really?

And sometimes the only measuring spoon you have looks like it time-traveled from the 1970s.

And sometimes you realize you don’t have any measuring cups. Like at all.

But that’s okay, because then you maybe get to feel a little like MacGyver when you craftily use Japanese teacups to measure your rice instead.

Then sometimes you go to open a can of coconut milk and realize you don’t have a can opener. And that’s slightly less okay because you are, in fact, NOT actually Macgyver. 

So then you have stop what you’re doing and to go to the grocery store. And swear under your breath the whole drive there. Okay, maybe that last part wasn’t technically necessary...

But I guess change wouldn’t be so beautiful if it wasn’t such a ridiculous pain in the ass some of the time.

And it definitely wouldn’t be as delicious. 

Brazilian Spiced  Chicken in Coconut Milk

(adapted from the recipe found here)
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper 

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 large jalapeno pepper (or 2 small), seeded and chopped

½ teaspoon ground ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes

1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk

1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the cumin, cayenne, turmeric, and coriander. 

Season chicken with salt and pepper and rub with half of the spice mixture, set the other half aside. 

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken in the skillet. Cook 10 minutes on each side until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove from heat. Once cool, chop into bite-size pieces and set aside.

Heat the remaining olive oil in the skillet. Saute the onion for a few minutes then add the jalapeno, garlic, and a ginger and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes, or until fragrant and beginning to brown. Mix in the canned tomatoes and coconut milk, add the other half of the spice mixture and chicken back into the skillet. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Let simmer on medium-low for about 10 more minutes. Serve over rice. Garnish with parsley.

Fall Pizza with Sage Pesto, Roasted Butternut Squash, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto

Rainy days make me crave a lot of things. Most of which involve fire places and blankets and hot tea.

But today, tea just won't cut it.

Let me tell you about this pizza.

This isn't your typical pizza.

See, all of the years I spent with my Italian grandmother--and you know, the frequency with which I cook Italian food--mean that sometimes, you have to think outside the box.

Don't get me wrong. I love me some spaghetti with marinara sauce and some plain old margarita pizzas. But what a lot of people fail to realize is that pasta and pizza don't only come in one form. They can be some of the most versatile foods. No, really, I swear.

This go around, I wanted it to feel like Fall... in my mouth. Okay, that sounded weird, even to me.

I'll try again. I love fall, the colors and the flavors and the smell of it all. So when it's cold and dreary outside, sometimes it's nice to be reminded of what you like about this season. The caramelized onions, the roasted butternut squash, the warm creamy goat cheese, the sweet hint of nutmeg, the smooth taste of sage, the crisp bite of salty prosciutto. 

Dear god this pizza is good.

Fall Pizza with Sage Pesto, Roasted Butternut Squash, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto
adapted form here.
Serves 4-6

1 batch of Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

1/2 cup fresh sage leaves, torn1/4 cup toasted pine nuts4 tablespoons olive oil2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese1 1/2 cups butternut squash, cut into small cubes1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon pepper1/8 teaspoon nutmeg1 red onion, thinly sliced6 thin slices prosciutto, torn8 ounces fresh mozzarella, shredded 
8 ounces goat cheese, sliced and crumbled

Prepare whole wheat pizza dough and let rise. 

Preheat oven to 375.

While dough is rising, combine sage, pine nuts, grated parmesan cheese, and olive oil in a food processor and blend until combined and smooth. Set aside.

Toss butternut squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Place in one flat layer on baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes or until tender/soft to the touch. Set aside. 

In a skillet, add the other 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and onion, sauté until caramelized, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes. 

Once dough has risen and you are ready to assemble pizza, spread pesto all the dough--use as little or as much as you like. I love sage so we used the whole batch. Add butternut squash, onions, and mozzarella. Top with torn prosciutto pieces and goat cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan or sage leaves as optional garnishes. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Chewy Apple Oatmeal Cookies with Cinnamon Glaze

Sometimes my taste in food makes absolutely no sense.

Exhibit A: for most of my childhood I hated avocados. Yet somehow, that never stopped me from eating, and enjoying, guacamole.

Which, yes, has onion and lime and cilantro and a bevy of other ingredients, but, for the most part is still just... a giant bowl of mashed avocado.

I also kind of hated oatmeal. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about it actually. 

It's not the taste so much as the texture that throws me for a loop every time I think I want a bowl in the morning. It's just so... mushy. 

AND YET: I have always loved oatmeal cookies.

The logic behind this is that, as a rule of thumb, oatmeal cookies are generally pretty soft. 

See, I'm not a fan of overly crunchy cookies. 

Thus, although it's not a guarantee, I'd rather go for the usually soft and chewy oatmeal raisin, then the gamble of a chocolate chip cookie that, despite looking deliciously chewy, may or may not be hard enough to chip a tooth.

And since it's fall, and I like pretending that adding chunks of fruit to my dessert makes it healthy (which, it totally does)--I thought it would be fun to spice things up and trade out the raisins for fresh apples.

The tart, juicy burst of flavor from the apples is just perfect in the midst of the chewy, oatmeal of the dough. Plus, since there's wonderfully nutritious fruit in them... you might as well have another.

Chewy Apple Oatmeal Cookies with Cinnamon Glaze
Makes 3 dozen cookies

1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 granny smith apple, chopped (about 3/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large mixing bowl, whip together the butter and both sugars until smooth. Add the vanilla and eggs, mixing until combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the mixture inside the mixing bowl gradually, mixing until combined. Stir in the oats and apples.

Place rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough onto baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown in color.

Cinnamon Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and whisk together. Drizzle over cooled cookies.