After a much-needed vacation, indulging on poke, shave ice and anything with pineapple, I'm trying to be more disciplined and get back to meal planning. This week's menu is inspired by my recent binge watching of David Chang's Ugly Delicious on Netflix. It's Asia vs. Italy this week. The winner? Us, of course ;)


SUNDAY: CHINESE PORK DUMPLINGS
After watching David Chang explore the world of stuffed pasta in the season finale of Ugly Delicious, I have been craving dumplings like crazy. I don't think anyone will complain when I make these dumplings (using ground pork instead).


MONDAY: LINGUINE WITH CAULIFLOWER, GARLIC AND BREAD CRUMBS
This dish from Food and Wine is super easy to make, plus my boys love this Meatless Monday dish. I love it because it is a great pantry staple dish. And have I mentioned how much I love cauliflower?


TUESDAY: KATSUDON JAPANESE PORK CUTLET AND EGG RICE BOWL
I'm excited to try this dish from The Works of Life this week. Pork cutlets, eggs, over rice? What's not to like? H/t to Cool Mom Eats. P.S. Make extra rice for Thursday's Fried Rice!


WEDNESDAY: PASTA WITH SAUSAGE, ROSEMARY AND TOMATOES
Umdaddy requested this meal this week. This is the perfect weeknight dish. I can whip this up quickly (I've made it so often I don't need a recipe), and it's comfort in a bowl. Plus I'll make extra for leftovers for lunch the next day.


THURSDAY: FRIED RICE
This is a great end-of-the-week meal as I look to clean out the fridge. I'll use the leftover rice from Tuesday's dinner for this dish. This is another meal I don't use a recipe for. My secret is Chinese sausage from DePasquale's. This flavorful, sweet sausage really makes this dish. The "Fried Rice" episode of Ugly Delicious also hit home the most for me as David Chang explores the history of  Chinese-American cuisine.


FRIDAY: TURKEY BURGERS
Ending the week All-American with our go-to turkey burger recipe from Martha Stewart. I love to serve this with a side of Baked Sweet Potato Fries from ChopChop Magazine. So easy and delicious.

Have a great week!

It's been a little quiet over here as I've been busy juggling duties here and here, all the while working as my kids' personal uber driver after school. But that has not stopped me from trying new recipes and cooking dinner almost every night. And yes, most recipes fall under the "Quick" and "Easy" categories as of late. So when I found this recipe for Brussel Sprouts with Sausage and Cumin from Ana Sortun in Food & Wine, I filed it in my "Recipes to Try" folder immediately.

It has been a particularly exhausting couple of weeks here at the umommy household. Juggling Milk Day at my son's school (which was a runaway success - can't wait to share the deets soon!), parent/teacher conferences, busy work schedules and some family issues had us ordering takeout, eating out or turning to old "go-to" recipes for dinner more than usual.

Everyone has their go-to dish: a meal you can whip up by memory and will sure to please just about anyone.  They often consist of ingredients you have on hand. And is usually something you can make quickly and feel good about serving. Read: not a frozen pizza/canned soup/box mac and cheese and the like. Don't get me wrong! Those meals can be life-savers too (have you seen our freezer and pantry?). A go-to dish is something made from (mostly) scratch. For us, it's pasta with sausage, rosemary and tomatoes.

We discovered this recipe in Michael Schlow's It's About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life cookbook. It is ultra simple to make and only takes a whopping 20 minutes to whip up once you get a pot of water boiling. Not to mention the entire family's favorite dish. Okay, okay. I'll share.

Pasta with Sausage, Rosemary and Tomatoes
Adapted from Michael Schlow's It's About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life


Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta (penne or rigatoni is best)
• 1 lb sweet Italian sausages, removed from casing and crumbled
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 28 oz can plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup whole Italian parsley leaves

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt and cook pasta according to directions
2. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to break up sausage and cook for about five minutes
3. Add garlic to sausage and cook for two minutes. Pour off all but a tablespoon of grease.
4. Season sausage mixture with salt, pepper, red pepper and rosemary
5. Add tomatoes and cook on high until tomatoes start to break down and sauce begins to evaporate and thickens (about five minutes)
6. Stir in butter and combine until melted.
7. Add cooked pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Add cheese and parsley and serve!

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.

As much as I hate to see Summer come to an end, it is hard to deny the pleasures of Fall: school (if you're a parent to school-aged kids), apple cider, pumpkin picking, fall foliage to name a few. My oldest son associates Fall with Halloween (naturally), his younger brother's birthday and Stone Soup.

My son's preschool would serve Stone Soup once a week for snack. Based on the old tale of hungry soldiers tricking a village into donating ingredients to make soup, each child is encouraged to bring a vegetable to be added to the school's version of Stone Soup (vegetable soup). Cute, huh? Even the pickiest preschooler enjoyed Stone Soup.


As soon as the temperatures dip below 60 degrees and the leaves show a tinge of red, soup is often a meal during the week at our house. I recently came across a Blue Ribbon Recipe (top-ranked recipe of all time) on epicurious for Pasta, Sausage, and Bean Soup (click here for the recipe). I adapted this recipe a bit using more veggies and white kidney beans. Staying true to our preschool's tradition, I had my son help prep and add the vegetables into the soup pot.

The result?


The Good: Easy to make, hearty, tastes better the next day. Both boys enjoyed it (and asked for seconds).

The Bad: If you don't drain the grease from the sausage, it can be very greasy.

Grade: A. Fall favorite!