In A Nutshell

 This is a gateway food to things too decadent and heathenous to talk about on a mere suburban cooking blog. Eating the cheesy pizza tree should be considered engaging in risky behavior. 1 lb pizza dough, homemade preferably or store-bought mozzarella cheese cut into 32 little 1" cubes (or cheese sticks cut into cubes) 1/4 cup melted butter 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan 1 T chopped parsley 1 egg whisked with 1 T water Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 450º. Divide the dough into 32 pieces; wrap each piece around a cube of mozzarella and form into a tightly sealed ball. Place the balls seam side down in the shape of a x-mas tree or just a circle. Brush egg wash on and bake for 15-20 minutes. Brush the melted butter on the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and parsley. You can serve this with warm marinara on the side.

Great cold-weather food! I have adapted the recipe from Food & Wine magazine and I keep tweaking it all the time. It is delicious served over rice with an ice cold beer. 1/2 cup canola oil 1/2 flour 1 large onion, chopped 1 large celery rib, chopped 1 large green pepper, small-diced 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup tomato paste 6 cups chicken broth 1 bag frozen, sliced okra meat from 1 rotisserie chicken 1 lb sausages (andouille, kielbasa or whatever you have on hand), grilled 1-2 T cajun seasoning (to taste) 1/2 T mild or hot paprika 1 bay leaf chopped hard boiled eggs chopped scallions hot sauce of your choice filé powder In a large heavy pot, heat oil and sauté all the vegetable except for the okra for about 10 minutes, until very soft. Add the flour and cook until golden; stir in the tomato paste and spices and cook for a minute or so. Add the chicken broth and bay leaf and bring to a boil-- then add the sausage and okra and let this simmer for about 20

This recipe is adapted from Bon Appétit magazine; the soup is SO delicious. I like to fry the meatballs in a little bit of olive oil rather than bake them but the choice is yours. Serve with some crusty bread and a bit of parmesan cheese on the side. For the meatballs : 1 egg 1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs 1 lb ground chicken 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated 2 T chopped parsley 1 t garlic salt black pepper to taste Mix everything together gently and form into meatballs approximately 1 1/2" in diameter.  Place the meatballs on a parchment lined baking sheet and chill for 30 minutes to let them firm up a bit (to be honest, I usually don't do this). Fry them in a little bit of olive oil, turning gently on occasion until the outside is browned a bit (you don't have to worry about cooking them all the way through, they will finish cooking in the broth). For the soup : 8- 10 cups chicken broth (homemade is best if possible) 1 cup chopped carrots 1/2 cup orzo 4 cu

This recipe comes from Fine Cooking Magazine and is supposed to be served as a wrap with butter lettuce, but the grocery store did not have butter lettuce so I made it into a salad instead-- which I think was a good call. 1 1/2 lbs skirt steak 1/4 cup gochujang (Korean red chile-bean sauce-- it's delicious!) 2 T sesame oil 2 T soy sauce 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 T rice vinegar spring lettuce or butter lettuce kimchee sliced scallions grated carrots Mix the marinade ingredients and pour half over the steak; I like to let this marinade overnight. Grill the steak for 3-4 minutes per side and slice thinly. Serve atop the lettuce and scatter the other ingredients over and around the steak and pass the remaining marinade to use as dressing to taste. Alternatively you can keep all the ingredients separate and let people make their own lettuce wraps using butter lettuce.