Cowboy Meatballs
Active Time: 50 mins Total Time: 50 mins Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb. 93/7 lean ground beef
5 slices (5 oz. total) bacon, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated yellow onion (from 1 small [5 oz.] onion)
1/4 cup panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs) or finely crushed saltine crackers
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. black pepper
4 oz. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 1 cup), divided
1 Tbsp. finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce (from 1 [7-oz.] can), divided
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, divided
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 (10-oz.) cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes and chiles (such as Rotel)
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce (such as Sweet Baby Ray’s)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
Sliced scallions

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F
Gently mix ground beef, bacon, egg, onion, panko, chili powder, garlic, pepper, 1/2 cup of the cheese, 1 tablespoon of the chipotle chiles, 1 tablespoon of the Worcestershire, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl until combined.
Portion and roll meatballs into 12 (2-inch) balls (2 oz. each); arrange at least 1 inch apart on a parchment- or foil- lined baking sheet.
Bake meatballs in preheated oven until browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
While meatballs are baking, stir together tomatoes and chiles, barbecue sauce, chicken broth, tomato paste, and remaining 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, 1 teaspoon salt in a large skillet. Bring to simmer over medium-high, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring often and pressing down on tomatoes with back of a wooden spoon or with a potato masher, until tomatoes are broken down and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Transfer browned meatballs to sauce and return to medium. Cook, stirring gently and spooning sauce over meatballs, until evenly coated and an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meatballs registers at least 160°F, 3 to 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese; cover, and let cook, undisturbed, until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.
Serve hot, garnished with scallions.

Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake
Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Total Time: 2 hours Yield: 12-14 Servings

Ingredients

Crust
1 1/2 cups (201g) vanilla wafer crumbs (or graham cracker crumbs)
1/4 cup (52) sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
5 tbsp (70g) butter, melted

Cheesecake Filling
24 ounces (678g) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (207g) sugar
3 tbsp (24g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (230g) sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 large eggs, room temperature

Cinnamon Filling
1 1/4 cups (281g) packed light brown sugar
5 tbsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (98g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (112g) unsalted butter, melted

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 tbsp cream cheese, room temperature
6 tbsp (84g) butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (173g) powdered sugar
4–5 tbsp heavy cream

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MIXED VEGETABLE PAKORA BAKED
PREP TIME 10 mins COOK TIME 25 mins TOTAL TIME 35 mins Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS
1 loaded cup cauliflower florets, raw
¾ to 1 cup chopped onion
½ to ¾ cup broccoli florets, raw or steamed
⅓ Cup carrots, baby or chopped
⅓ Cup chopped potato, raw or cooked
1 green chili
½ inch ginger
¼ cup packed chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp mint leaves (optional)
⅓ Tsp ajwain (carom seeds) or toasted cumin seeds
¼ tsp or more cayenne
½ tsp to ¾ tsp salt
1 tsp Chaat Masala or amchur (dry mango powder)
2 Tbsp semolina flour (use brown rice flour to make gluten-free)
⅔ Cup or more chickpea flour
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tsp oil
Water as needed

INSTRUCTIONS
Chop the veggies roughly into similarly sized chunks or florets (1 to 1.5 inch). Add all the chopped vegetables, green chili, ginger, cilantro and mint in a food processor and pulse a few times to make an evenly finely chopped or grated state. You can also add a ⅓ cup or more greens of choice at this step.
Transfer to a bowl. Mix in the spices, salt, ⅓ tsp chaat masala and semolina.
Add the chickpea flour to the bowl, sprinkle the baking soda all over and mix in (or mix the baking soda into the chickpea flour before adding). Add a Tbsp or so more chickpea flour if needed. You need just a light coating of flour on all the veggies. See pictures above.
Let the mixture sit for 2-3 minutes so the veggies can leak some moisture into the flour. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Add oil and a sprinkle of a water (1 -2 tsp) to the bowl and mix in. Depending on the vegetables, you might or might not need more water. The mixture should not be a batter, but should stick into balls with your hands. Add water a tsp at a time till the mixture just starts to stick.
Using your hands or a tablespoon or ice cream scoop, place scoops on parchment lined baking sheet. Keep the scoops small, around 1.5 inches, so the veggies can cook through. Spray oil (or brush) on the pakoras.
Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on the outside. Cool for a minute. Sprinkle the remaining chaat masala and serve with mint chutney or tamarind date chutney or ketchup or sauces of choice.

NOTES
Mint Chutney:
Blend ½ cup mint, ½ cup cilantro, 1 garlic clove, ½ inch ginger, ½ green chili, ½ pear or apple, salt, cayenne, lemon juice, chaat masala to taste. Taste and adjust salt, lemon and chaat masala and add water if needed.

Variation: Add ¼ to ½ tsp turmeric with the spices.
Use other veggies like zucchini, sweet potato, seasonal squash.

Avocado Tuna Salad
Prep Time: 2 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes Servings: 6 sandwiches

Ingredients

US
3 (5-ounce) cans tuna in olive oil well-drained
3 tablespoons finely diced celery
3 tablespoons finely diced bread and butter pickles
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Dressing
1 large ripe avocado divided, see note 1
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup mayo plus more as needed
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

Metric
425g tuna in olive oil well-drained
24g finely diced celery
24g finely diced bread and butter pickles
14g finely diced red onion
8g finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Dressing
1 large ripe avocado divided, see note 1
15g lemon juice
80g mayo plus more as needed
5g Dijon-style mustard
5g olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Thoroughly drain tuna and set aside.
Halve and pit the avocado. Mash 3 tablespoons and add to a large bowl. Dice the rest and set aside. Add lemon juice, mayo, mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper to the mashed avocado. Whisk until smooth.
Add tuna, celery, pickles, red onion, parsley, and diced avocado to the bowl. Stir gently to combine. Adjust seasoning and add more mayo (1 to 4 tablespoons) if needed.
Enjoy on toasted bread with mayo, in a lettuce wrap, or with pita chips. Best enjoyed immediately, as avocado browns after 1–2 hours.

Recipe Notes
Note 1: Wait until the avocado is fully ripe for the best creaminess and flavor.
Storage: Avocado Tuna Salad is best eaten the same day since the avocado browns over time. Freezing not recommended.

Royal Eggs (Huevos Reales)

2 Tbs (30 ml) raisins
1/2 cup (125 ml) dry sherry
12 egg yolks
2 cups (500 ml) sugar
1 cup (250 ml) water
1 cinnamon stick
2 Tbs (30 ml) toasted pine nuts (pignoli)

Combine the raisins and the sherry in a small cup and allow
to steep for at least 30 minutes. Beat the egg yolks until they
make a ribbon. Pour into a shallow greased pan which is set
in a larger pan partially filled with hot water. Bake in a
preheated 350F (180C) oven until the eggs are set, about 20
minutes. Cool to room temperature and cut into cubes or
diamond shapes. Meanwhile combine the sugar, water, and
cinnamon stick in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil
for 5 minutes, remove the cinnamon stick, add the egg cubes,
and simmer over very low heat until the egg cubes are saturated
with the syrup. Stir in the raisins and sherry and serve garnished
with pine nuts. Serves 4 to 6.

Espresso Cheesecake
Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 1-hour Servings 12

Ingredients

Crust
2 cups OREO cookie crumbs (not double stuffed) about 20 cookies
6 tablespoons butter melted
¼ teaspoon salt

Filling
24 ounces cream cheese softened (3 packages)
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons flour
¼ cup espresso or strong coffee
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 eggs

Ganache Topping
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
4 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate roughly chopped (bars are best to use BUT you can use high quality chocolate chips)

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese softened
4 tablespoons butter softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ to 1 cup powdered sugar
espresso beans optional

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Rocky Mountain Snowdrops
Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Cooling Time 2 hours Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes Servings 25 cookies

Ingredients

1 pound white chocolate
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
1 ½ cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 ½ cups mini marshmallows
½ cup dry roasted peanuts

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and set it aside.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Remove it from the heat and allow the chocolate to cool slightly.
Stir in the peanut butter, cereal, marshmallows, and peanuts until well combined.
Drop the mixture by 2-tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet.
Allow the cookies to cool completely before serving.

Notes

Cool the cookies faster by popping them in the fridge.
If you prefer to use a microwave instead of a double-boiler, microwave on half-power in 30-second increments, stirring between each session, until the chocolate is melted.
When storing, be sure to use wax paper between the layers to keep the cookies from sticking.
If you prefer bars or squares, line a 9×9-inch baking dish with wax or parchment paper allowing the edges to overhang. Pour the mixture into the paper-lined pan and allow it to cool completely. Remove the wax or parchment paper with the cooled mixture in it. Remove the paper before cutting it into bars or squares.
I used white chocolate baking bars for this recipe. However, you can also use white chocolate chips or white melting chocolate. Almond bark can also be used.
For an easy, no-mess way to measure your peanut butter, line your measuring cup with plastic wrap before adding the peanut butter. When it’s time to add it to the mixture, just plop it in!