After a rough end to 2016 and rocky start to 2017, I'm turning to comfort food more than ever. Warm bowls of soup, hearty pasta dishes, stick-to-your-ribs casseroles, and rich desserts has helped me forget about these chaotic and often troubling days ahead. I love the aroma of butter and garlic and the quiet work of a mise en place. But most rewarding is the moment I get to set down at the dinner table with my family and talk about our days, laugh at something silly my youngest blurted out inappropriately and look over at my husband who always has the knack of reminding me everything is going to be okay without saying a word.

I made this simple Genius One-Pot Lasagna from Food 52 and the boys and I loved it. It epitomizes comfort food at a time we could all enjoy some.

Each square = 100 calorie count

100 Calorie Brownie Bites. Photography by Christian Stella and Elise Stella

Pasta and meatballs. Is there anything else in this world more comforting and satisfying for both tykes and adults? I dare say no. We have our fair share of weeknight pasta dishes. And without fail, pasta and meatballs will make an appearance in our dinner rotation at least once a month. We have our go-to recipe for sauce (or "gravy" as my in-laws from Eastie call it). Nothing fancy - garlic, onions, deglaze with red wine, crushed or diced tomatoes, oregano and season with S & P.

As for meatballs, sometimes I'll just shoot from the hip and toss some ingredients together. And other times, I will seek out a recipe, hoping it will become the family's meatball recipe. We've tried turkey, all-beef, beef/pork/veal combo, all-pork, baked, pan fried, braised. You name it.

Then I came across a recipe from the new Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? cookbook that included prosciutto and sausage inspired by Mario Batali. I was willing to give it a whirl (with some adjustments). And boy was I glad.

Meatballs
Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups bread cubes from rustic bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch dice
1/3 cup whole milk
1 pound ground beef
1/4 pound sweet Italian pork sausage, casings removed
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Place the bread in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the bread is in medium crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a small bowl and add the milk. Set aside for 5 minutes.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, sausage, prosciutto, bread mixture, pecorino romano, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Lightly combine the ingredients in your hands. Add the 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and the eggs, and stir lightly with a fork to combine.

4. With your hands, lightly roll the mixture into 2-inch-round meatballs and place them on the prepared sheet pan. Brush the meatballs with olive oil. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the tops are browned and the centers are completely cooked.

5. Serve with your favorite gravy (a.k.a. marinara sauce)

The Good: Great texture. Loved not having to roll them around in a frying pan. Super meaty flavor.

The Bad: A tad bit more effort (removal of sausage casings. preparing bread crumbs). Ingredients  overpowered the prosciutto.

Grade: B+. Definitely will be making these again. Will try making them with a different cheese (Asagio?). Maybe switch to a lean bacon.

Well, we didn't actually have Tony preparing dinner in our kitchen (if only!). After watching this week's No Reservations, my husband and I came to the conclusion we had to make Boeuf Bourguignon. We've experimented with many classics in the past, but had yet to try making this classic of classics. The ultimate comfort food.

We watched carefully as Tony went step by step, in his usual irreverent and honest delivery, on how to make Boeuf Bourguignon (and was it me, or did Jacques Pepin look like he had a few too many glasses of wine during his omelet demo). Easy peasy. It also helped to have the actual recipe found on the travel channel's website. Three plus hours later, my family is enjoying a truly satisfying meal. The boys didn't even complain about eating the vegetables. It was the perfect dish on a cold and rainy day. Thanks Tony!

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