M: My Best Friend's Wedding and Tomato-Balsamic Chicken Meatballs!

Can we please talk about how excited I am about Conan O'Brien coming back to TV in November? Ok, I had to get that out.

So, I have this friend...she's my best friend really...we've been best friends for about 14 years now. No, seriously...that's like unheard of, right? Pretty rare (especially for women!) to find even just one friend in your life that you can call a true best friend - like bail you out of jail (not that that has EVER happened!), drive across country if you're in trouble, do anything for you, know you better than anyone best friend. I am so lucky to have one of those! My incredible husband, Mom, two sisters, and brother are of course among those special people - I do have one exceptional family of wonderful people.

I think I have found some genuinely fantastic women in my lifetime to have as friends who are also really good people, strong, and just all-around awesome...you know one of them well, I think =)

So, this best friend of mine, Jen from Savannah, has just gotten engaged to a wonderful guy and I will be Matron of Honor along with her sister. I will also be heading to Savannah today to help her with some of those good ol' wedding plans =) I am super excited! I tell you this because you may be hearing a little bit about miss Jen in future posts...I mean, how exciting is planning a wedding, right?! Just for kicks, here is me and Jen right before my wedding =)



Ok, so I've gotten my whole I have great friends and family thing out of the way...Now onto the FOOD! So, I am actually mildly allergic to beef...I know right?...How weird is that? Well, it requires me to get a little more creative with dinners since beef is out of the question. When I came across this yummy looking recipe for Tomato Balsamic Glazed Chicken Meatballs from Sydney at the Crepes of Wrath, I knew I must try them! If you have not visited her blog, please do! Her recipes are truly fantastic!

This was actually the second time I've made these, and both times they have turned out wonderfully. They have such a good taste - lots of flavor from the parsley and parmesan cheese and can we please talk about how AMAZING this tomato balsamic glaze is?! SO good. I ended up doubling the glaze recipe this second time around. I served the meatballs with some thin spaghetti tossed with some EVOO and a little parm sprinkled on top. But I can imagine this would also make a great appetizer as well!

Alright, let's do this.



Whisk together the egg, parsley, tomato paste, garlic, milk, salt, and pepper until the tomato paste is completely dissolved. Add in the chicken, parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs and mix well. With this step, it's always best to just get your hands in there! Roll into medium sized balls - about 2 1/2 TB big - and place onto greased baking sheet.



Make your glaze by mixing together the tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and sugar. Brush on top of the meatballs or spoon on top. Then bake for about 30-35 minutes.



Then serve with noodles, or as an appetizer, or on top of a salad, or however you would like (sorry, that was a lot of or's)!



Tomato-Balsamic Glazed Chicken Meatballs

from the Crepes of Wrath

for the meatballs:

1 egg

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound ground chicken

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Italian seasoned bread crumbs

for tomato-balsamic glaze:

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3/4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, parsley, tomato paste, garlic, milk, salt, and pepper. Be sure the tomato paste is completely dissolved.

2. Add in the ground chicken, cheese, and breadcrumbs. I used my own clean hands to mix it up! Form medium size balls (approx. 2-3 TB big) and place onto a lined and/or greased baking sheet.

4. Make the glaze by whisking all of the ingredients together in a small bowl, then brush or spoon over meatballs. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball registers 160 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can just test one of the meatballs with a fork. Remove from oven and serve immediately with whatever accompaniment suits your fancy! I served with noodles tossed with olive oil and parmesan cheese. Makes about 15 meatballs.


Enjoy!