A new take on an old favorite

The Food:
On Tuesday night I enjoyed a Sarah Duo Dinner, where Ms. Weisbuch and I sat at the table together for a simple spaghetti feast. In the interest of keeping my palate engaged, I modified my portion by adding in some quartered roasted brussels sprouts and some crispy prosciutto before topping with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Lately, I have been a brussel sprout addict. They are a regularly stocked item at weshop and I end up having them at least once a week - yum! My favorite way to eat them is roasted. The outer leaves end up caramelized and crispy while the inside is nicely tender. To do this you just cut off the bottoms and halve or quarter the sprout. The sprouts then go on a baking sheet where they are tossed in olive oil and seasoned in some fashion. Popular seasonings in my kitchen include: salt and pepper, salt and cumin, a seasoning mix a bought a the farmer's market, or salt and garlic. Salt is definitely a theme - it does something marvelous to the brussel sprout.
Anyway, with a few mix-ins, my spaghetti was elevated from a simple meal to a gourmet feast. Magic!

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful

The Circumstance:
Today was (in the word montage style preferred by Ms. Weisbuch):
blizzardy
blustery
bone-cold
bundle up
brrrrrrrrrrrrr
fuzzy hoods, falling snow, freeze fest, frigid......
I wanted, no needed, something satisfying and warm for dinner. I had grand plans to make a lasagna, and then brownies from scratch for my dancers at tonight's rehearsal. But, of course, life had to intervene. Its midterm season, and those plans would have been suicidal - yes delicious - but suicidal nonetheless.

The Food:
Avi and I decided that meatball subs would meet the above criteria of hearty, delicious, and most importantly, fast! We divided and conquered. I made meatballs using beef from Four Mile River Farm. I prepped the meat with salt, pepper, herbs de provence, an egg, and some grated Parmesan. Meanwhile, Avi whipped up a fresh sauce using diced tomatoes and green pepper. Once this was done, we assembled (sauce, meatballs, mozzarella cheese, and more sauce on top of a halved baguette) and broiled for a tasty dinner.


The Method/The People that Employed Said Method:
Avi took the classic sandwich eating approach...open wide, bite down, and repeat. Sure it may be messy, but it gets the job done. Favored by speed racers, superheros, and competitive food eaters, this approach had Avi taking his last bite a good 5 minutes before I did.



I took the civilized approach, using a knife and fork to tackle my prize. This is a technique favored by the seasoned procrastinator, it will guarantee that dinner takes up a nice, big block of time (especially if you decide to make a post about it afterward!)