French Onion Soup Mac and Cheese

INGREDIENTS   

• 4 T. unsalted butter, divided
• 3 Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 fresh thyme spring
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
• 1 cup beef bouillon
• 2 t. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound uncooked elbow pasta shells
• 4 cups whole milk
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
• 3 cups shredded Gruyère cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta in the boiling water until 2 minutes shy of al dente; drain and set aside.
2. Heat 2 T. butter in a large over medium-heat. Stir in the onions, thyme sprigs, salt and pepper and bay leaf. Cook over medium, stirring often, until the onions soften, about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Decrease the heat to low or medium-low. Cook the onions, stirring often, for about 60 to 90 minutes, until they are golden brown.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Once the onions are golden brown, transfer them to a plate and remove sprigs and bay leaf.
   
6. Deglaze the skillet with the remaining the butter, scraping the sides.
   
7. Once melted, add in the flour, whisking to create a roux. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it becomes golden in color and starts to smell nutty. Slowly stream in the milk while stirring constantly. The mixture will begin to come together and thicken. Stir in the nutmeg.
8. Stir in almost all of the cheese (reserve a bit for topping) until it is melted. Add in ¾ of the caramelized onions. Stir in the pasta. Toss it together until it is combined.
9. Top with the remaining cheese on top along with the remaining onions. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

Recipe image: Mymoderncookery.com

Chicken Piccata Meatballs

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 shallots, finely minced 
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup half and half
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs, divided
• 2 T. finely minced parsley, divided
• 1 large egg
• 2 T. capers, divided 
• I lb. ground chicken 
• 1 t. kosher salt
• ½  t. freshly ground black pepper
• ¼  t. garlic powder
• 3 T. olive oil, plus more as needed
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1¼ cups chicken stock
• 1½ T. fresh lemon juice
• 3 T.cold butter, cut into cubes

DIRECTIONS

1. Add half of shallots to a large bowl. Stir in Parmesan cheese, half and half, ⅓  cup bread crumbs, 1 T.parsley, and egg.
2. Roughly chop 1 T. capers and add to the bowl; add ground chicken. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix gently together until everything is well incorporated.
3. Add remaining bread crumbs to a work surface or shallow dish. 
4. Form chicken mixture into 12 meatballs, rolling each one lightly in bread crumbs to coat and to help shape the meatballs.
5. Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs to skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes, adding more oil if necessary.
6. Remove meatballs from skillet and set aside.
7. Add remaining shallots and capers to the skillet and cook stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Pour in wine and stock and bring to a boil.
8. Return meatballs to the skillet, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, stirring occasionally, to coat meatballs in the sauce, 6 to 7 minutes.
9. Once sauce is reduced, move meatballs to one side of the skillet and turn the heat to very low.
10. Whisk in lemon juice and cold butter, stirring constantly, until well incorporated and slightly thickened. Stir in parsley and remove from heat. Toss meatballs well with sauce and serve.

Recipe image: That Oven Feeling

Herb Dinner Rolls

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
• 1 T. dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 T. dried oregano
• 1 T. dried thyme
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 frozen dinner rolls

DIRECTIONS

1. To a small saucepan, add the butter, rosemary, oregano, thyme, and garlic and cook over low heat until the butter melts and the herbs are fragrant. Transfer the butter mixture to a bowl.
2. Meanwhile, prepare a round baking dish by greasing with butter or spraying with cooking spray.
3. Working with one roll at a time, roll the frozen rolls in the herb butter and place in the prepared baking dish about 1½ inches apart. Let the rolls rise at room temperature for 4 to 5 hours, or until doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
5. Bake the rolls until golden brown, 15-20 minutes.
6. Remove the rolls from the oven and remaining butter. 

Recipe and image: The Modern Proper

Tuscan Chickpea Soup

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
  
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 sprigs rosemary
• ½ tsp. thyme
  
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• pinch crushed red pepper
  
• salt and pepper 
•  ½ Pastina or Israeli couscous, pre-cooked
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Mince the garlic and add it to a saucepan with the olive oil and rosemary sprig.
   
2. Sauté the garlic on medium heat for about a minute.
   
3. Add the chickpeas, chicken stock, thyme, red pepper, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
4. While the soup simmers, add the juice of half a lemon.
5. Remove the sprig of rosemary. 
6. Purée the chickpea mixture with a hand-held blender to a smooth consistency. 
7. Return to the saucepan and add the cooked pasta.  Adjust to add more chicken stock or water if needed.
   
8. Serve with crusty bread and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Recipe author: Ariane Clevely
Recipe image: Budgetbytes.com

Strawberry Sherbet

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 quart of strawberries (4 cups)
  
• 4 bananas
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 3 T. lemon juice
• 2 cup of milk

DIRECTIONS 

1. Mash strawberries and bananas separately.
2. Combine all ingredients and freeze in ice cube trays.
3. When ready to serve, let them sit in a dish for a bit.

Recipe image:Mom on timeout

Banana Bread

 INGREDIENTS 

• 1⅔ cups all- purpose flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• ½ t. ground cinnamon
• ½ t. kosher salt
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
  
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup avocado oil
• 3 bananas peeled and mashed (about 1½ cups)
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts split (¾ cup is mixed in batter, ¼ cup is sprinkled on top before baking)

DIRECTIONS 

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Lightly butter and flour pan.
3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and set aside.
4. Beat together the sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
5. Switch to low speed and slowly drizzle in the oil, taking your time.
6. Add the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla, and continue to mix on low speed just until combined.
7. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture thoroughly combined. No flour streaks should be visible.
8. Using a spatula, mix in ¾ cup of chopped walnuts.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf and bake for 50 minutes.
10. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes, remove from the pan and let cool completely on the wire.

Recipe Image: Grumpyshoneybunch