I have never had fondue up until last week. Hard to believe, right? I did not grow up in the 60s when it was in vogue. Nor did I register for a fondue set when it was in vogue again when we got married. My preconception of fondues was of dipping fruit in melted chocolate. When I saw that The Boston Parent Bloggers was hosting an event at The Melting Pot, I jumped at the chance to join fellow bloggers and discover the art of dipping for myself.

With over 140 locations, including three in Massachusetts, The Melting Pot is America's premier fondue restaurant franchise. More than a dozen other fellow parent bloggers were treated to a sampling of cheese and chocolate fondues. Bowls of bubbling cheese and chocolate are heated on induction cooktops - keeping the fondues warm without the worry of anyone burning themselves.

The cheese fondues came with bread, apples, and veggies.


Strawberries, bananas, cheesecake, Rice Krispies Treats, marshmallows, pound cake and brownies were available for dipping in the chocolate goodness.


Everything was pretty tasty and there was more than enough food and dipping to go around. The Melting Pot was the perfect backdrop for a group outing. It is hard to not have a good time when you are with a bunch of funny and smart people, cocktails and oh yeah, melted cheese and chocolate.

Boston Parent Bloggers Night Out (photo by Ben Spark www.benspark.com)

I don't know if our family will be dipping anytime soon. Sure, I think the boys would love to dip stuff in gooey cheese and chocolate. But unless you get the 4-course meal that comes with the Big Night Out, its not easy to get a complete meal without throwing down some serious cash.

I think The Melting Pot is a great night out with friends or a romantic night out (Valentine's Day has gotta be one of their busiest nights), but will probably wait until a special occasion and/or the boys are a bit older before bringing my family there.

I can now say I tried fondue. I even felt I could have been a good judge in last week's quick fire challenge on Top Chef All-Stars. But I still have some ways to go before I *really* know fondue. Until then, I'll stick to dipping strawberries in melted chocolate with my boys for Valentine's Day!



Thanks to The Boston Parent Bloggers for putting the event together and The Melting Pot for providing the fondues and venue!

We're a little over a month into the school year and can confidently say, packing lunch for my Kindergartner has been going well. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that my son loves leftovers (he did not get that trait from me). Fill thermos. Pack fruit and drink. Maybe a yogurt. Snack. Done. And the lunchbox is almost guaranteed to come back empty (don't hate).

The problem is my own lunches have been completely uninspired and slapped together with whatever is in the fridge. I had no excuse the one day we had some fresh baby spinach, scali bread from Boschetto Bakery in the N. End, and Niman Ranch Cured Ham. Make this. Ham and cheese will never be the same.

Mozzarella and Ham Panini
Adapted from Everyday Food

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices of Italian Scali bread
2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1-2 ounces shaved ham
1/2 cup baby spinach
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS:

Because umdaddy (my husband) grew up on raviolis, it's pretty much in regular rotation in our family's weeknight menu. I was delighted to try a new recipe that makes a nod to ravs and puts little fingers to good use. Did I mention this recipe only has seven ingredients?

Notes:

• This is a great dish to cook with kids. I had the boy count out the shells, grate and measure cheese, and mix ingredients. He also liked stuffing the shells - perfect for little hands.
• I added raw spinach to the mixture, which left me wanting more. I will try sauteing in oil and garlic next time before adding to the ricotta mixture.
• Marina sauce is not pictured above because umdaddy was upset that I went with store-bought (Russo's) instead of homemade gravy. But did he clean his plate? Yes he did. And the kids gobbled it all up.

Adapted from Real Simple, May 2010
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:
20 jumbo pasta shells (about half a 12-oz box)
{dirty little secret ingredient} store-bought marina sauce
2 15 oz containers ricotta
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup grated parmesan
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup grated mozzarella

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain and run under cold water until cool.

2. Spread the marinara sauce in the bottom of a large broiler-proof baking dish.

3. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, Parmesan, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. Spoon the mixture into the shells and place them on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake until the shells are heated through, 10-12 minutes.

4. Increase heat to broil. Broil shells until the cheese beings to brown, 2-5 minutes.