Don’t be fooled by my Scandinavian looks: I’m a quarter Italian, and those genes dominate my eating preferences. When it comes to meatballs, pizza, sausage, and any other edible that’s remotely reminiscent of the boot-shaped country, I go weak in the knees. Therefore, when I sawthis poston The Food In My Beard, I knew I had to share it: it’s all about meatballs in a holiday appetizer. Thank goodness I don’t know the author, Mike, personally, because I’d be a total glutton at one of his parties if this is what he serves.

His recipe for meatball Wellington involves making a meatball mixture and shaping it into a long strip, filling the strip with mozzarella, and encasing the entire thing in a layer of thick tomato sauce and puff pastry. I’m on cloud 9 just looking at it.

So, if you’re in the mood for something a bit less labor intensive thanbeef Wellington, or even a slightly fancier bite than stromboli, then perhaps these will do.