Happy New Year!

Time really does fly and after an amazing year filled with so many blessings what better way to usher in the new year than with a long time family tradition of nourishing the soul with amazing food that's said to bring health and prosperity in the new year. Black-eyed peas represent good health, collard greens represent money and together they make the most delicious meal you will ever enjoy on New Year's Day!

Black-Eyed Peas

Ingredients
makes about 6 servings
1 lb bag of dried black-eyed peas
1 lb of smoked ham hocks
1 chicken bouillon cube
Lawry's seasoning salt to taste

Preparation
Place dried beans in a large bowl and add enough cool water to completely cover the peas; let them soak overnight. Drain, rinse, and sort the peas. Place them in a large pot with ham hocks, bouillon cube, and add just enough water to cover the peas and pork. Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat for about 2 1/2 hours or until peas are tender. Adjust seasonings to taste. Pull the meat off the ham hock bone and spread throughout. Serve with white rice.

Collard Greens
Ingredients
makes about 4 servings
3 bunches of collard greens
1/2 lb smoked turkey neck or leg
1/2 sweet onion
2 Tablespoons of butter
1 Tablespoon Lawry's Seasoning salt
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 chicken bouillon cube
3 cups of water

Preparation
Pick the leaves off the stem of the collard greens and wash the leaves thoroughly several times. Place remaining ingredients in a large pot and bring to a simmer over low heat. Chiffonade the collard greens by stacking a few leaves on a cutting board, roll them into a cigar shape, and cut the roll into thin slices. Add the greens to the smoked meat broth, cover and cook on low heat for about 45minutes-1 hour until collards are bright green and tender. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve immediately.

Gracie's 1st Christmas

It's Gracie's 1st Christmas! Aside from all the great food and time with family, this holiday season I am most excited to pass on my family traditions and do all the fun stuff with Grace that my mother did with me. What's more fun than baking cookies for Santa? She's only 11 months old and I'm so happy that she was able to actually help make the cookies! 

Betty Crocker Classic Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

makes about 5 servings

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 egg

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation

Mix powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, and egg in a bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Heat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease cookie sheet. Divide dough in half, roll each half out to a 1/4 inch thick on a floured surface. Cut into desired shapes. Place on cookie sheet and bake for about 7 to 8 minutes until edges are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Decorate and enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

New York's Eataly!

I was 15 when I made my very first visit to New York City on a summer vacation and have been in love with the Big Apple ever since! Great food, amazing shops, outstanding shows...what more could you ask for? I just love the energy there. Every time I touch down in the city, I instantly get into a New York state of mind :-). I will make any excuse to come to the Empire State and when I do one of my favorite places to visit is Eataly! This epicurean mecca celebrates everything food! I love seeing all the beautiful produce, fresh fish, meats, cheeses, hand-made pasta, artisan bread, and of course my favorite: charcuterie! They have fantastic restaurants, fun classes, lots of rare and special books, and an extensive wine selection. This is hands down one of my favorite spots. I guarantee this specialty market is a Flatiron gem that will not disappoint!

Turkey Meatballs

Spaghetti with homemade meatballs is my favorite rainy day comfort food. Whenever its gloomy outside or raining, it always reminds me of one of my favorite meals my mother made growing up.We had spaghetti with homemade meat sauce a lot, and living in Florida sometimes it rained a lot too--so I guess somewhere in my brain the connection between the two was made and its been my rainy day craving ever since. I love the sweet smell of sautéed onions, garlic, and crushed tomatoes simmering away. On dreary days it seems like time stands still, which is perfect for rolling out homemade meatballs. For special occasions I will do a beef and pork blend but for my family I always make turkey meatballs. They are so moist and flavorful and taste just as great. So here is my take on simple rainy day turkey meatballs. 

    

Ingredients

Meatballs (makes about 12 meatballs):

1 lb lean ground turkey

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Sauce:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup sweet onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/3 cup red cooking wine

1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 bay leaf

Preparation

In a medium bowl, mix parsley, cheese, bread crumbs, milk, salt & pepper into the turkey meat until just combined. Make sure the ingredients are well incorporated but don't over mix. Using hands roll out mixture into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a sauce pan. Add meatballs, browning them for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove meatballs from pan and set aside.

Using the same pan, add chopped onions and cook them over medium heat until translucent. Raise the heat to medium high and add garlic and then the red wine to deglaze the pan-- getting all the brown bits of flavor off the bottom of the pan from cooking the meatballs. Let the wine reduce by cooking it for about 45 seconds. Lower the heat to low and add in crushed tomatoes, seasonings, sugar, and bay leaf. Stir until the onion mixture is blended into the tomatoes. Add the meatballs back into the pain with any juice that has run off. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the meatballs on low for about 45 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano.