Book Confessions of an Ex-Ballerina

• In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ground pork, Panko, egg yolks, green onions, parsley, allspice and nutmeg; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1-to-1-1/4-inch meatballs, forming about 24 meatballs.
• Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add meatballs, in batches, and cook until all sides are browned, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.
• In a large stockpot or Dutch oven of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
• Melt butter in the Dutch oven. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in beef stock and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
• Stir in meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in pasta and sour cream until heated through, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Serve immediately.

• Preheat your oven to 350 ° F. Line a 9x13 baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a medium-sized skillet add the olive oil (1 tablespoon), onion (¼ cup), and 1 minced garlic clove over low to medium heat for 5 minutes.
• To the skillet add the black beans, diced tomatoes, paprika (½ teaspoon), cumin (½ teaspoon, salt (¼ teaspoon), and pepper (¼ teaspoon). On medium heat mix through for 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone. Remove from the heat and allow it to thicken up in the saucepan for 10 minutes.
• Add the tortilla chips to the baking sheet. Top the chips with the bean mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the bean mixture.
• Bake for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.
• Remove from the oven. Top the nachos with half of a squeezed lime, tomatoes (1 cup), 2 sliced jalapenos, and cilantro (3 tablespoons).
• Serve with sour cream and salsa.

• In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced sausage, and cook until lightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl and set aside.
• Add onions to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring often for about 5 minutes, until the onions have just begun to turn translucent around the edges.
• Add garlic and cook until lightly golden, about 1 minute.
• Add chicken broth, potatoes, and celery to the pot. Bring to a simmer and then cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes can be easily smashed against the side of the pot with a fork.
• Use a potato masher or spatula to roughly smash about half of the potatoes in the pot.
• In a medium pot, over medium heat, melt butter and then add flour. Cook, whisking continuously, until flour begins to turn lightly golden, about 1 minute.
• Slowly drizzle in milk, whisking constantly as you go to whisk out any lumps. Cook, whisking continuously, until mixture is thickened and bubbly around the edges, about 5 minutes.
• Remove pot from heat and slowly whisk in cheese, a handful at a time. Once all your cheese is melted, stir the cheese sauce into the soup. Add pepper. Taste the soup and add salt if needed.
• Add the sausage back to the pot and stir everything together.
• Serve, top with sour cream and more cheese if desired, and enjoy!

To make the brisket rub:

• Combine all ingredients in the rub and mix to combine.

To prepare the brisket:

• Rub the brisket on all sides thoroughly with the brisket rub.
• Combine the barbecue sauce and broth in the bottom of the crock pot and mix. Lay the brisket on top of the BBQ sauce.
• Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the meat is tender and cooked through.
• Remove brisket and slice, or shred, and return to sauce mixture.
• Serve hot with your favorite sides, on a bun, or on a baked potato.

Optional:

• Once the brisket is done in the slow cooker, remove the brisket (in one piece) and place it on a baking sheet. Line the baking sheet with foil for easy clean up.
• Bake for 15 minutes at 450˚F to get the smoked BBQ brisket color and texture on the outside of the brisket. The outside of the brisket will darken in color and the edges will begin to crisp as the inside stays tender and juicy.