Pasta and meatballs get a facelift...

12 new recipes this week - although, I did make another one that was a repeat - I'll talk about in a minute. Sorting through the new ones we made, I think our favorites this round were Brown-Sugar Glazed Carrots, Mocha Toffee Crescents and the Milk Chocolate Gingersnap Cookies.

Now, back to that repeat recipe! Apparently some of his co-workers had been browsing through the blog and asked him if we ever do repeats a couple weeks ago. Jeff found out which one they were wondering about, but also let them know we rarely do repeat recipes - the one in question was a bar cookie we made way back in January of '06!

After he told me about this, I tried to figure out when I would have some extra time on my hands - so last Wednesday, I threw together a batch of those infamous Rocky Ledge Bars that are quite rich and studded with goodies. The only thing I did different this time with the recipe was to toss in those new caramel bits instead of chopping up the cubes. Man... we have to re-think this lack of repeats because these were so darn good!

He brought them in on Thursday as an extra-special bonus treat day - nary a crumb came home, so I think they were thoroughly enjoyed. I hope so anyway!

I have to say... we are completely stuffed from tonight's dinner! We had this very hearty Pasta with Turkey Meatballs and Bocconcini dish that we could not stop eating. Be prepared for a bit of prep time as you need to roll out about 24 smallish meatballs - I used a tablespoon cookie scoop to help speed up the process though. The turkey balls are simply flavored with minced garlic, Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley - I was going to add some dried herbs to the mix, but I cooked up a tiny one to check for seasonings and liked how it came out.

While they begin to brown in melted butter, you will want to get your pot of water boiling to cook the tiny ear-shaped pasta called orecchiette. This shape may be a little hard to find, so you could use any other short pasta if needed. When the meatballs have browned all over, a bit of water is poured in to help them cook through - the water will also loosen up any of the flavorful bits stuck on the pan to create the sauce that moistens the pasta. Once the infused water has been reduced and the meatballs are done, halved grape tomatoes are tossed in to soften and release their juices, helping to flavor the liquid. Now, here is where the magic happens - the pasta is drained and added back into the warm pot - the meatballs and juices are added, along with butter, parsley, a bit more Parmesan cheese and those bite-sized squishy balls of mozzarella called bocconcini are stirred in. The heat from the pot and pasta is just enough to soften the mozzarella, yet the balls still retain most of their shape instead of dissolving into the mix. I'm not sure it could get any better than this - so good!

Recipes
Pasta with Turkey Meatballs and Bocconcini