Meatball Tortellini Soup

8 oz ground beef
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, grated
salt and pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
6 cups chicken stock
1.5 cups water
1 (9oz) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
4-5oz baby spinach

1. Combine beef, Parmesan, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, egg, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a medium bowl; mix with your hands until just combined. Form into 1-inch meatballs; set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook, turning, until golden, 3-4 minutes; remove to a plate. Add carrots and celery to the skillet; cook, stirring, until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, put broth in a large pot, add water, and bring to a boil. Add carrots and celery to broth; return to boil for 3-4 minutes. Add meatballs to broth, along with remaining parsley and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer until meatballs are just cooked through, 2-3 minutes.

4. Add tortellini to pot and cook 4-5 minutes. Add spinach, stirring, until wilted.

5. Serve topped with additional Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

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Bay Scallops and Parmesan Angel Hair

12 oz angel hair
6 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1.5-2 lbs bay scallops, rinsed
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp coarsely cracked black pepper
1/3 cup whipping cream
1.25 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 oz baby spinach, rinsed and patted dry
lemon juice
additional pepper and Parmesan (optional)

1. Cook angel hair according to package directions. Reserve 1.5 cups of cooking water, before draining pasta and setting aside.

2. While pasta cooks, combine flour and salt in a small bowl. Toss scallops in flour mixture and set aside.

3. In the pasta pot, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil and the butter over medium heat. When butter is melted and beginning to bubble, add pepper. Cook and stir 1 minute. Carefully add about 3/4 cup reserved pasta water (mixture may steam) and bring to a boil. Add pasta, whipping cream and grated Parmesan. Cook and stir until cheese is melted and pasta is coated. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.

4. In a large skillet, heat remaining 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add half the scallops and cook for 2 minutes per side or until opaque and firm. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining scallops, adding a bit more olive oil if necessary. Set scallops aside.

5. Add spinach to skillet, cook and toss about 1 minute or until just wilted.

6. To serve, arrange scallops and spinach over a bed of angel hair, with lemon juice, and additional pepper and grated Parmesan, if desired.

Serves 4-6.

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Turkey Marinade Injection

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
6 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp salt
4 tsp garlic powder
4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp ground bay leaves
2 tsp ground thyme
2 tsp ground sage
2 tsp ground black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.

2. Simmer 5 minutes. Allow to cool before injecting into turkey.

Makes 2 cups.

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Cranberry Sauce

1 (12oz) bag fresh cranberries
2 large oranges
1 cup pure maple syrup

1. Rinse the cranberries under cold water. Zest the oranges.

2. Add the cranberries and zest to a medium saucepan. Squeeze the juice from both oranges into the saucepan. Add the maple syrup and stir it all together.

3. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until it’s nice and thick. If the sauce still seems a little thin, just simmer longer until it’s the right consistency.

4. Transfer the sauce to a dish and cover. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store in the fridge.

Makes approximately 3 cups.

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Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Shortbread

2.5 cups all purpose flour
6 tbsp sugar
1 cup butter (no substitutions), cold, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp peppermint extract, divided
1 cup peppermint bark candy, chopped

1 bag (10oz) bittersweet chocolate chips

1. In a food processor with knife blade attached, pulse flour, salt, and sugar until combined. Add butter and vanilla, and pulse until dough begins to come together. Place dough in a medium bowl. Gently knead in peppermint bark pieces until evenly blended and dough forms a ball.

2. Line a 9x13" baking pan with wax paper. Pat dough into roughly a 9x10" rectangle; freeze 15 minutes. 

3. Preheat oven to 325 with baking rack in top third of oven.

4. Cut dough into three sections, the "long way" and into one-inch "sticks" the "short way." Place sticks 1" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

5. Bake cookies 23-26 minutes, rotating once, or until lightly browned on the bottom and just beginning to get a hint of light brown on top. Transfer cookies to wax paper-lined wire rack to cool.

6. Once the cookies have cooled completely, place half the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave 75 seconds at 70%; stir. Continue heating chocolate chips at 10-15 second intervals, stirring between, until completely melted. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract. Dip each cookie 3/4 of the way in melted chocolate, using a spoon to help coat cookie evenly. Place on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet. Repeat for remaining cookies, melting more chocolate when the first batch is used up.

7. Place cookies in freezer for 15 minutes to harden, moving cookie sheets to refrigerator until the chocolate finishes setting.

8. Once completely hardened, store in tightly covered container, separating layers with wax paper.

Makes approximately 36 cookies.

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