Making the perfect meatball for National Meatball Day

First you have to get some super fun glasses!! Look at these, aren’t they lovely?? Then you have to have some fancy ice... fancy ice you say, I say Dam straight. Fancy ice is everywhere and aesthetically speaking they have become part of the presentation of cocktails. So what is the key to fancy ice? Purified water, a fun ice mold and time... that’s it. Purified water keeps the ice from becoming cloudy. I love, love, love these small ice balls. The nice thing is that they last longer that smaller ice and they look like bubbles. Aren’t they so much fun?s So you could be the fancy ice queen for parties this summer. Every party invite you get just say, “I’ll bring the fancy ice.” Yes it requires a little planning but once you own the molds (10 bucks) the cost is just the $1.25 per gallon of purified water... how fun is that? So let’s get down to making this cocktail. Fill glass halfway with fancy ice Add 2 ounces of limoncello Pour over a bit of Prosecco Finish off with club soda
 Garnish with a piece of fresh or dried lemon and a sprig of rosemary. Voila you have a beautiful summer spritz. If you want to reduce the ABV, skip the Prosecco and just add club soda. Enjoy, I know I will

Puff Pastry Cheese Straws Karri Perry, Blue Ribbon Favorites Oven: 425 degrees-preheated Bakes 10-12 minutes Ingredients: - 1 package frozen puff pastry - 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese-grated - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan - 1/4 tsp garlic powder - 1/4 tsp black pepper - Egg wash-1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tsp water - 1/4 tsp Flake sea salt - Allow pastry sheets to defrost slightly so they are pliable. - Working on a parchment-lined baking sheet, open one puff pastry sheet, and turn it so that the puff pastry sheet is longer horizontally. - Use a rolling pin, flatten and seal seams with just a few rolls. - Fill the top half of the sheet with 1/2 cup of freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper. - Fold the empty half of the puff pastry onto the cheese and press the dough together. You’ll have a rectangle of dough with cheese in between the layers. - Using the egg wash, gently brush the dough (you’ll only use about 1-2 tsp of egg wash) - Sprinkle the egg-washed dough with - 2 Tbs of cheddar and Parmesan cheese. - Cut the dough into 8 strips. - Twist and gently stretch each piece of dough. Be sure to leave 1-2 inches between each piece of dough, dough will puff during baking. - Sprinkle all the dough pieces with about 1/2 tsp of flake sea salt. - Place baking sheet with the prepared dough into the freezer for 5 minutes—this is an important step-it really helps them to bake up beautifully. - In a preheated 425 degree oven, place the chilled cheese filled twists on the middle rack. - Set the timer for 10 minutes, and check to see that they are puffed and golden. Depending on the oven, they make bake an additional 2-3 minutes. - Let baked cheese straws cool on a baking sheet. They will firm up as they cool. - Repeat the process for the second pastry sheet.