The Dinner Party

If you weren't making the feminist art circuit in the late-seventies, early eighties, maybe you missed The Dinner Party,


Broaden your education a bit, O.K.? 

Now let's talk about food, not china.  Ye gods  Every time I set foot in the supermarket the prices are higher.  It's become expensive to cook even, well, soup, for example.  This week I made a Russian peasant soup, Shchi.  It basically consists of cabbage, sauerkraut and broth, with a few seasonings.   The meat is short ribs, no  longer cheap, but oh so flavorful.  A half-gallon of broth costs a lot unless you are using overly-salty bouillon cubes  or making your own.  I got the kraut and the cabbage both on sale.  The onion and garlic and the celery rib were cheap.  Of course, we are eating this soup for three nights.  The sour cream we garnish it with was also on sale. 


I have invited some neighbors for a dinner party this weekend.  When I invited them, I asked about likes and food allergies.  Two people don't like fish and one man is lactose intolerant.  Hmmm.  There goes the cheese plate.  So what are we having?  I'm making a well-seasoned mushroom spread that will be served on toasted slices of baguette.  The other appetizer is an unMexican salsa served on endive leaves.  This will double as a salad, and it looks pretty yummy.  The main course is Boeuf Bourgignon, that old dinner party standby, served with noodles and green beans.  I'm making a rum cake with no milk or cream (coffee and rum instead) for dessert.   So no seafood, no dairy and the menu sounds pretty good.  

We've been eating internationally this week, with Chinese and Spanish as well as Russian dishes.  I made a delicious Spanish Cod recipe.  Unless you like tilapia, fish is an expensive item.  The cod was on sale for $8.99.  Scallops were on sale for $15.99.  Jeeminy Criminy, those don't look like sale prices to moi. 

Bought tuna at Walmart this morning.  Have you noticed the contents of the cans are less and less?  The latest was 5 ounces.  You really can't serve 2 people with 5 ounces (more like 4 once the liquid is drained off) of fish.  So of course one must buy 2 cans, which would better have served 3 rather than the two of us.  I mix the tuna with a little chopped scallion, chopped celery, chopped parsley, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a little chopped pickle, and a big spoon of mayo.  With some chips and cherry tomatoes and a few crudities, it hits the spot.  

Significant Other found great wine glasses at Building 19 here in the Boston area for $3.00.  They fit in the dishwasher quite well and look rather elegant.  This is the third time he's gone back and bought more.  I sneered that he would NEVER find them again today, but there, they were.  

I looked at some great Italian shoes at a fab price, ones that fit my feet, but they felt like walking on a bed of nails, I kid you not.  Didn't buy, of course.  Rats. 

Shopping is a crap shoot, but I have found something that takes pet stains out.  The upholstery on our dining room chairs is ancient, and starting to show its age.  No idea how to replace this wonderful Danish wool fabric.  Don't think it's possible.  Ah well.  How many cats have raised hell on it?  Impossible to count.  

Onward.  We are cleaning out and pounds and pounds of paper are being conveyed out of the home office to the dump.  Recycling rocks. 

The Cheeseparer  

Grocery Shopping Considerations

Making out the weekly shopping list is work, but a little thought will take you a long way towards nutrition and saving money. 

Marble Cake from an old German recipe (Marmorkuchen)

Considerations:  store specials, weekly budget (ours always decreases as the month progresses) nutrition and weight control.  Other considerations are food in the pantry or freezer and time.  These considerations are always a balancing act.  We shop mostly at two stores, the one where we shop weekly and the nearby one where we run into get bread and milk when running low.

Sometimes we make a run through Aldi, Walmart, Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.  I like Aldi for it's excellent coffee, Walmart for its prices on granola bar and canned soup (Select Harvest is minimally processed and tastes wonderful.) 
Whole Foods is good for hard-to-find produce and other items, and Trader Joe's for cheese, crackers and some produce.  We also shop Ocean State Job Lot for pasta, jam, capers, and stuff like artichoke hearts.  You can't be sure of finding what you need, but if you do, the price will be terrific.  Ocean State always has the Red Mill brand at good prices.  We also love the Danish reduced sugar jam when its available. 


This week we needed to be frugal as well as weight watching. (The pictured cake is one of the reasons for diet week). I started Monday's dinner with a 12 ounce ham steak from the freezer with 1/2 head of caulifower and a nice salad.  We kept a few ounces of the ham out for the next days breakfast of eggs, ham, tomatoes and onions all cooked up together. 


The next night I made the South Beach Diet White Chili with on-sale chicken breasts.  We had a big skillet of homemade cornbread which served us well for three days.  In addition to corn meal, it had scallions, cheese, jalapeno and frozen corn in it.  Made with buttermilk.  Yum!  I do love good corn bread.  Always use stone ground corn meal and cut down or eliminate the sugar.  Use more corn meal than white flour.  Now you're cookin'. 


We had a second meal of the chili, always better the next day.  Salad of orange slices and avocado with the chili.  Yowza!  Have dropped 2  pounds already, what with 2 workouts and a walk. 


Tonight we're having curried cauliflower (the other half) and garbanzo beans.  Fried apples.  The rest of the cornbread.  


Tomorrow a Dr. Oetker's pizza, (from the freezer) so yummy and just the right size for two light eaters.  Saturday I'll buy a few Asian veggies for a stir-try of steak and veggies.  There is one small strip steak in the freezer.  I always have rice and Asian spices around.  I'll buy a few mushrooms and a broccoli spear or two.  None of these meals are difficult or time-consuming.  We like trying new recipes like the vegetable curry.  Try to include one or two vegetarian meals into your week.  And at least one "meat as flavoring"  like the stir-fry steak.  


If you shop the weekly specials with an eye to what is already on  hand, you'll be surprised how some lovely menus can come together.  The planning takes time, yes, but you can do it during commercials or while waiting for the soup to boil.  Go thru your recipes.  Try new foods with new ethnicites.  Eat cheaply and well.  


The Cheeseparer

Pasta with Sausage in a Vodka Cream Sauce

This recipe serves one, but I double or triple it depending on the number of hungry mouths to feed.  It is absolutely delicious and you can use an ordinary brand of Vodka.  Serve with Italian bread or grissini (thin break sticks).  Add a green salad.  One day you'll be famous for your chef skills.  Pasta with Vodka Sauce and Sausage by Emeril Lagasse


Spaghetti, Italian sausage, and most of the ingredients are often on sale.  Don't skip the heavy cream, by the way.  You can used a good grade of canned sauce and add vodka and cream.  I jazz it up with a bit of fresh garlic.


I just returned from New York, where the living is not cheap, nope, but as always, there are ways to economize. 

We visit Aldi

In December, during a visit to Hudson, NY,  we visited an Aldi supermarket.  You may not know, but it is a German company, and when the owner died, he was the richest man in Germany.  Aldi has been on our shores for a number of years and actually owns Trader Joe's.  


We have a relative in Chicago who shops at Aldi, and when we found a store in Hudson we decided to check it out.  Excellent Dresdener Stoellen, a famous German Christmas bread that usually has a famously high price, but Aldi's and Trader Joe's were excellent.  We also found coffee (a pound plus) for $4.45 and it was excellent.  


We discovered there is an Aldi 22 miles from us, not exactly a hop, skip and a jump, but within driving distance.  Today, being out of coffee, we investigated the store, in Raynham.  


Aldi is not like other stores.  You pay a quarter for the shopping cart, and when you return it, your money is also returned.  This takes away the need for the cart jockey roaming thru the parking lot.  You also bring your own bags and boxes to Aldi to pack up your groceries, which you must do  yourself.  Payment is by debit card, cash or food stamps.  


Are you getting the idea?

We  grabbed the good coffee and also a dozen eggs ($1.49) and some butter cheese with dill.  Admired the beef filets wrapped in bacon.  A good deal with a fancy dan dinner at home.  Canned goods were cheap. Also, stuff like rice in bulk packages.  I didn't recognize any of the brands.  They must have their own.  Spotted an "All Natural" ice cream that looked good.  We also bought 2 lbs of carrots and a chocolate bar.  I picked up 3 scrubbing sponges for 99 cents and that was it.  The produce looked pretty good.  Someone probably from the local firehouse was buying in quantity.  


Life every other store in the country, Aldi's had lots of chips and salsa.  We think it would be a good place to shop once a month to stock up on staples.   It's not Trader Joe's (very limited selection of cheese), but the products were definitely cheaper than a regular supermarket.  Hard to compare with Walmart, because Aldi's has their own brands.  If they are as good as the coffee and the stoellen, you will want to try them.  


Speaking of chips and salsa, I happen to like bean dip.  It's an endangered species.  Just plain old Fritos Bean Dip.  Our local grocery doesn't carry it, and I have to trek to one of the big Shaw's or Stop 'n Shops.  Just moving through the store is the equivalent of a workout.  It cost $2.99.  Salsa seems to have become the dip du jour, but I do confess to liking bean dip.  


On Super Bowl Sunday, I could actually just go without, but Significant Other likes his chips and dip before the game.  The Super Bowl party we were going to was cancelled, so we're staying in with our favorite Super Bowl Sunday Menu:  Meatloaf with Marjoram,  twice baked potatoes with sour cream and chives, buttered carrots and salad.  I went all out and made a cranberry cake with a lemon glaze and a cranberry-orange compote.  It rocks.   Made it for the holidays.  Twice.  That good.  


Living in the Boston area we are naturally Patriot fans, and it will definitely be a white-knuckle stress-filled evening.  One needs comfort food, yanno?  


I'll report back on my next trip to Aldi.  We'll sample a few more products.  The cheese is good, by the way.  The world would be greatly diminished without cheese. 


On to more profound thoughts, 


The Cheeseparer

What Is It With Meatballs?

What is it about Meatballs?  ©

Let's start with the basics.  What is a meatball?

A meatball is made from an amount of ground meat rolled into a small ball, sometimes along with other ingredients, such as breadcrumbs, minced onion, spices, and possibly eggs. Meatballs are usually prepared and rolled by hand, and are cooked by frying, baking, steaming, or braising in sauce.

Meatballs are an old food.  The ancient Roman cookbook Apicius included many meatball-type recipes. Every cuisine contains meatballs, from the Afghans to the Vietnamese.  Most everyone likes meatballs. 

The word  "meatball" has even entered the language as slang.  In slang, unlike cuisine, meatballs get no respect.  Meatball" is an insult for a stupid, clumsy or dull person. Meatball is also a slur for a woman who is short and stout.  The Urban Dictionary has page after page of references to "Meatball," most of which I could not read aloud in public. 

Meatballs have invaded the movies, too.  "Meatballs" was a 1979 film; the first time Bill Murray had a starring roll.  A recent kids movie I saw with my granddaughter is  "Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs."  

The folksinger Josh White wrote a famous song called, "One Meat Ball."  It's about being poor, hungry, and ashamed.    Another song kids sing is:  On top of spaghetti, which is really about a meatball. 

What is it about meatballs? 

My first memory of meatballs was as a ten-year-old living in Lakewood, Colorado.  One day, out of the blue my mom, who hadn't an Italian bone in her body, made spaghetti and meatballs.  I thought this was the tastiest food I had ever eaten.  For years I begged her to make this dish again, but she seldom did.  It was probably too much work.  No canned sauce in those days.  Certainly no frozen or prepared meatballs.  Everything from scratch.  My mom preferred to make fancy desserts.

On my first trip to Italy, I learned spaghetti and meatballs weren't on the menu, at least not together.  I also learned pasta was eaten before the main course.  The combination of spaghetti and meatballs is actually Italian-American, served in so-called red sauce restaurants. 

Craving meatballs, I always sought out restaurants that served red sauce food. Once my husband and I and our two little boys were in Denver.  I had always heard of a good Italian restaurant there, Smaldones, reputed to be owned by the Denver mob.  We looked up the address in the phone book and drove over. Looked like a bar.  Walked in anyway.  Everyone in the place turned and looked at us.  We were obviously "foreigners."  That didn't stop the help from being exceptionally nice to our kids and us, too. We sat in a booth.  They brought a high chair for the youngest kid.  The pasta was excellent. Good Chianti. Tasty succulent meatballs.  Cheap, too.  We congratulated ourselves for being adventurous. The Smaldones are long gone, but the restaurant is still in business.

Another memorable meatball experience took place in Kendall Square.  When I began working there, the Red Line T stop was a gaping hole in the ground, and the Marriott was under construction.  A lot of cheap restaurants served MIT students and us working stiffs--the F & T Diner where the steelworkers drank Boilermakers on Friday, Alexander' s Cafeteria where the keypunch operators ate.  Remember Key Punch?  I thought not.  Where I liked to go was Vinnie's sub shop.  Meatball subs! Nirvana.  A nice Italian roll with three golf-ball sized meatballs smothered in marinara sauce with a generous topping of cheese.  Vinnie's was a typical place takeout with gruff men at the counter.  Once someone asked for mustard on his meatball sandwich.  Vinnie himself refused the request, "I'm not puttin no mustard on meatballs."  Bravo, Vinnie. 

My kids loved spaghetti and meatballs, too, and I made this more often than my mom, but not regularly.   Then I discovered the world's best meatball recipe, Sicilian meatballs.  The ingredients are simple, and everything is fresh:  parsley, garlic, grated cheese.  

Swedish meatballs are also renowned.  If you visit the IKEA cafeteria, you can eat tasty inexpensive Swedish meatballs.  Don't miss the ligonberry sauce.   I have a handout for Swedish meatball recipes, too.

Sometimes I prepare a Mexican soup called "Abondigas."   Guess what?  It has meatballs Pick up a recipe for that, too.  If you have it, use fresh mint instead of cilantro.  Albóndigas are thought to have originated as a Berber or Arab dish imported to Spain during the period of Muslim rule. Spanish albóndigas can be served as an appetizer or main course, often in a tomato sauce, while Mexican albóndigas are usually served in soup with a light broth and vegetables. 

Did you know there are even vegetarian meatballs?  A misnomer, to be sure.  Maybe we should call then food balls. I made some and brought them along today. 

So, what is it about meatballs? 

What's not to like? They're tasty, cheap, not too hard to make. When you eat meatballs, you're eating culture and history, too, not just food.
Grab a recipe or two and whip up a batch.  Your kids will love you. Let them help.  You can even make tiny meatballs and put them on pizza.  Now there's a thought.  Food for thought.

Fellow Toastmasters, I hope I've given you some insight into meatballs.