Italian Wedding Soup

Meatballs:

1 small onion, grated
1/3 cup Italian parsley 

1 teaspoon oregano

2 large eggs

2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt 

4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 lb. ground beef
Freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup minced yellow onion
1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
10 cups chicken stock
12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In medium bowl combine, meat, egg,bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, basil & onion powder; shape into 3/4" balls.

3. Shape meatballs and put on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cook in oven until lightly brown.

4. In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock, finished meatballs and spinach and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium.

5.  Add orzo and cook at slow boil for 10 minutes or until orzo is tender.

6. Stir frequently to avoid sticking.

7. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Slow Cooker Beef Ribs with Homemade BBQ Sauce

Homemade BBQ Sauce:

• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons cup honey
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/3 cup brown sugar  
• 4 tablespoons apple vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
• 2 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp onion powder

Directions: 

Mix bbq sauce ingredients into a bowl.  Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.  Put ribs in slow cooker and cover with bbq sauce.  Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.  Enjoy!