Whatever happened to the dinner hour? That time-honored ritual around the table where the family gathers nightly to share what happened that day. Between soccer practice, dance classes and countless other after-school activities, the dinner hour is often replaced with drive-through fly-by’s and pizza delivery.
I’ll admit it’s easier for a family to order their own particular meal from a menu–hold the lettuce! But making this type of dinner a habit may encourage a family of picky eaters with, most likely, not-so-healthy eating habits. Having at least a few meals around the table each week coaxed my kids to enjoy the “green things” on their plate, especially if they were hungry enough to initially try them.
This recipe proposes a dinner hour truce, satisfying the pickiest of palates. It’s a meal that encourages laughter and sharing around the table. Who can resist a tumble of meatballs served over a tangle of spaghetti?
If you prefer not using hamburger, substitute with ground bison or turkey. Don’t like the green stuff (i.e. basil)? Pass it on the side. Carb fearful? Just eat the meatballs. No time to cook? The meatballs may be homemade but bottled pasta sauce brings timely sanity to the preparation. (Psssst…a little known fact is the tiniest of hands makes the best meat balls!)
I served this with veggies and ranch dressing dip. Maybe one day I can wean them off the ranch dressing but in the meantime it helps them learn to love the “green things”.
Disclaimer: This is not a recipe you can whip up in 30 minutes. This is a Polish Grandmother Recipe. And anyone who is a Polish Grandmother, or anyone who has a Polish Grandmother, or anyone (like me) who lives next door to a Polish Grandmother, knows that Polish Grandmother Recipes can’t be completed in less than thirty minutes. But … Full recipe post »
On Sunday’s journey back from Utah (an impromptu trip utilizing a free AMEX companion plane ticket), while poring over photographs taken hiking Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon, I lamented that I forget to take my wide-angle lens. Still. I could never capture Ansel Adam‘s American West no matter how many strings of cameras I roped around … Full recipe post »
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Hi there! I'm Peggy Lampman...
...a contemporary American author, photographer, and food blogger. Welcome to dinnerFeed. More about me & my site...
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