Cheeseball

Who said Cheeseball? I did. We actually have a Cheeseball season in our family, and that season has begun. It usually runs from November 1st to January 1st, and we make sure to fill that season with as many cheeseballs as we can. This is a recipe I grew up with from my Grandmother and we made a few tweaks to it (like adding green onion) to make it even better

Cheeseball

8oz block of cream cheese

1 large block sharp cheddar, about 8oz (shredded)

1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire

1 large chopped green onion 

1 Tbsp pimento (finely chopped)

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (finely chopped)

Mix all ingredients together (except nuts)

Roll into ball and roll in nuts

*I use KitchenAid mix if you have one, makes it much easier

Focaccia Bread

I am not ashamed at all to admit my family has eaten not 1, not 2 but 4 of these this week. First we had it with my Butternut Squash soup recipe, because HELLO FALL.  But we loved it so much that night we decided to make it again last night to have with our homemade Cioppino, because honestly there is nothing better than fresh bread and butter. This Focaccia turns out perfectly every time and is so easy....TBH I'm drooling a little just thinking about it right now. Don't tell but it's on our menu again this week, so please do yourself a favor and make it for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

Focaccia Bread

 2 1/4 tsp Quick Rise Instant Yeast*

1 1/3 cup warm water (about 110-120 degrees)

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)

2 tsp Pink Himalayan salt from grinder

2 scoops Herbs de Provence (or to taste)

1) Add flour, olive oil, yeast and water into mixer and blend on medium for 5 minutes

2) Remove from mixing bowl, and move to another bowl (greased with olive oil all over sides and bottom) cover with a damp towel place in a warm location. 

3) Let sit for 60 minutes or until dough has nearly doubled in size

4) Turn dough out onto floured surface and roll into large circle or rectangle 1/2 inch thick the size of the pan you intend to cook it in. (I love using my pie pans for this, this recipe makes 2 perfect pie pan Focaccia). Use olive oil to grease cooking vessels.  Put dough in the desired cooking vessel and cover with greased plastic wrap. Set aside for 20 minutes to rise again

4) Set oven to 400 degrees, remove plastic wrap and use your fingers to poke deep holes into the Focaccia.  Drizzle olive oil evenly over the top of Focaccia as well as sprinkling the Herbs de Provence. Lastly grind Pink Himalayan salt over top of Focaccia

5) Bake for 20 minutes or until dough is slightly golden and cooked all the way through.

6) Mangia!

*Trust me, use the quick rise Instant yeast, it works 100% of the time without fail and without effort!

Creamy Lemon Pappardelle with Bay Scallops

We're trying to add one new dish to our weekly menu to mix things up a bit, I've found that for the last little bit we were rotating our favorites, which is great, however I needed something new. As each kid has a cooking night I decided to rotate who gets to look for a new recipe for the week. This first week was my Chef Anella. She had planned Linguine and Clams for her meal so when I proposed the idea of a new recipe she knew she wanted to stick to seafood. We haven't cooked with scallops in a bit, and I had just seen them at the store and was inspired. We looked at a few different recipes and then combined what we like/dislike to make the following recipe. This was a favorite we are going to need to have it again soon. What I loved most about it was although it was creamy, it wasn't heavy at all and the flavors came together bright and beautiful.

Creamy Lemon Pappardelle with Bay Scallops
1 lb Pappardelle
Lemon, zest lemon (keeping zest)
4 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
garlic, minced
4 oz marscarpone cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp basil chopped
Bay Scallops



Make sure the scallops are super dry. I use paper towels to pat them down and know they are ready when the paper towels are dry.
Season with pepper on both sides (only pepper, salt will come later).
Heat nonstick skillet over medium-high heat
Add a small drizzle of olive oil and the 2 Tbsp butter.
Once melted, wipe out the pan so only a thin layer of oil and butter remain (we want to sear, not fry the scallops)
Sear scallops on one side, about 1-2 minutes or until golden brown
Flip and sear other side until just cooked through
Season with salt and squeeze of lemon
Boil pasta water with a generous amount of salt, add Pappardelle and cook until al dente
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat
Add 2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil
Once melted and hot, add garlic and sauce until fragrant
Add 1/3 cup pasta water (from the Pappardelle) stir in marscarpone, ricotta, parmesan and lemon zest, stir until melted and creamy.
Add the pasta and toss until coated
Serve in bowls, topped with Bay Scallops and basil.

Mangia! Enjoy