Most Gen-Xers and older are probably familiar with the classic advertising campaign from Prince Pasta: the little boy (Anthony) running through the narrow streets of the North End of Boston to get home for dinner because "Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day." As an college student studying advertising, this memorable commercial was highly regarded. Prince Pasta became one of the country's iconic brands, firmly establishing itself in our food culture. 

Busy week ahead along with some cold nights (what else is new) so this week's meal plan includes lots of easy and fast meals, soups and one-pot dinners. As I often try to do, I asked the boys to each pick one dish to be included in the week's menu. So it comes to no surprise pasta and meatballs and fish tacos made it on the meal plan. Recipe links below:

Monday: Pasta & Meatballs picked by the little one. For a picky eater, he hasn't found a meatball he doesn't like. For me, I'm especially found of Great Grandma Turano's Meatballs from Dinner: A Love Story.

Tuesday: Portuguese Kale + Potato Soup can be made quickly with very just a few humble ingredients. Plus it tastes that much better the next day.

Wednesday: Barefoot Contessa Jambalaya because I will have leftover sausage from Tuesday plus I love one-pot dinners.

Thursday: Fish Tacos, Rice & Beans plus Avocado and Mango Salsa from ChopChop. My oldest requested this knowing it is our "vacation" dish, but hopes it will make him think of summer!

Friday: Beef & Broccoli was a unanimous request from both my boys. I often have to double the recipe because they can not get enough of this stuff.

Have a great week!

Memorial Day is right around the corner, which means the premier of summer blockbusters. And as a mom of two young kids, I will be watching them over the winter months. On my couch. Once they've hit cable. Sigh. Anyway, this post is not about the movie-going habits of this poor sap, but my continued quest to find the perfect meatball recipe.

As I mentioned in the prequel post "In Search of the Perfect Meatball Recipe", we've tried almost every meat combination and cooking technique for making these orbs of ground meat goodness. But there was one recipe that I've been dying to try - Polpette alla Napoletana by Mario Batali. It has all the makings of a great meatball - simple ingredients and traditional preparation. What peaked my interest was his technique for adding toasted pine nuts.  The result - a lush, crunchy, buttery surprise in each bite.

According to umdaddy, this was the end to any movie franchise on this topic. He claimed it to be the best meatball ever. Both boys devoured them. And my favorite -- my oldest shouting with excitement that he never knew there were "seeds" in meatballs and wanted to plant a meatball tree in the yard. If only my boy. If only.


The Good: well-balanced flavors. Pine nuts add a crunch and rich component.

The Bad: these bad boys did not hold up too well. I'm guessing I did not wring out enough moisture from the bread.

Grade: A-. We would've given it an A+ (or if we're sticking to the movie analogy, two thumbs up) if it hadn't been the fact it did not keep its shape or hold up well.

Click here for the  Polpette alla Napoletana by Mario Batali. (You'll be glad you did)

Serving Lion's Head to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit

Chinese New Year and the Year of the Rabbit begins on February 3rd and is celebrated for 15 days. The holiday was always a joyous and exciting time of year when I was growing up. There was always a big Chinese New Year feast at our family's restaurant. All my aunts, uncles and cousins would come together and dine on whole steamed fish and chicken (representing abundance). Also on the menu was braised Chinese mushrooms, longevity noodles (representing long life) and my dad's famous lobster Cantonese. No one was allowed to speak of anything sad or fight as this was considered bad luck. And the highlight of the day had to have been when the adults handed out red envelopes stuffed with money to all the kids. 

So now as an adult with my own family, I find myself wanting to pass down some of these Chinese New Year traditions, superstitions and all. The house is clean, cleaning out any bad luck. We placed a pair of clementines in each room of our house symbolizing happiness, good fortune and health. Red envelopes are stuffed and ready to hand out to the boys. All that is missing is the big feast. I'm a little behind with menu planning and shopping due to all the friggin' snow we've been getting. But thought I'd share a new recipe we tested this week that was a huge hit and will definitely be part of our family's Chinese New Year tradition.

Lion's Heads with lots of mane (or cabbage)

Lion's Head 
Adapted from Ming Tsai's Simply Ming One-Pot Meals

Note: Chinese dishes have evocative names. The lion's head refers to the meatballs and the cabbage represents the mane. A lion represents strength and the roundness of the meatball represents family, togetherness.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 lb ground pork
3/4 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 tbs minced garlic
2 tbs minced ginger
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs sesame oil
1 cup steamed white rice
2 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small head napa cabbage, cut into thin strips

DIRECTIONS
1. Set up steamer (bamboo steamer or dish elevated above water-filled wok)

make-shift steamer in a wok

2. In a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, onions, garlic, ginger, Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, rice and eggs. Season with salt and pepper and mix by hand until combined.

3. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch balls. Place a 3/4 to 1-inch bed of cabbage in the top of the steamer and top with the meatballs. Season with salt and pepper and steam until the meatballs and cabbage are cooked through (10-12 minutes). Transfer the cabbage to a platter , top with the meatballs and serve.

The Good: Super easy to make. No rolling around meatballs in oil.

The Bad: The cabbage cooks down dramatically. Wish there was more cabbage to go around.

Grade: A. The boys could not get enough. Great, quick, healthy weeknight meal.

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.

We made our annual trek to visit the in-laws in Lancaster county last weekend. The boys, while at times feisty during the 7+ hours in the car, had a wonderful time. It's a weekend complete with doting grandparents, trains (note: parents of "trainiacs", the Strasburg Railroad Museum and Choo Choo Barn are a must-see), playtime with relatives, and a good dose of country air.



For umdaddy and I, we get to relax (thanks to doting grandparents), spend some quality time with relatives and get our dose of country air. Some might think a trip to Amish Country equates to simple, butter-laden meals by candle light. In actuality, we were treated to some fresh-from-the-garden, sophisticated meals in the comfort of central AC (no, my in-laws are not Amish in case you were wondering).

One dinner consisted of a comforting and delicious baked lasagna with meatballs. Instead of slaving over a frying pan, we tried baking them in muffin tins for the first time (a tip I saw on Good Eats).

We were also treated to a cookout complete with burgers, dogs, and local corn on the cob. We had fun improvising and whipped up a delicious Greek pasta salad (check out the recipe at the end of the post). And every meal ended with a delicious dessert. Check out these adorable brownie cupcakes made to look like grilled meat.


And no road trip is complete without some food off a major highway in either a chain restaurant or hole-in-the-wall establishment. We decided to roll the dice and dined at El Sombrero, a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Southington, CT (off of I-84). I'll be posting my restaurant review of El Sombrero soon!

It was a successful and great mini-vacation and I'm already looking forward to our trip next summer.


{Recipe} Greek Pasta Salad
 Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:
12 ounces farfalle pasta (bow-ties)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
1 cucumber, cored and chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS: