Chicken Soup with Meatballs- AKA Flying Meatball Soup

When I was a kid my Mom and Grandmother use to make Flying Meatball Soup, or at least that is what they called it. I think it was just Italian Wedding Soup with Chicken, whatever it was it was delicious.
This weekend Matthew and I were watching "Alex's Day Off" on THE FOOD NETWORK and good old Alex was making something she called "Chicken and Egg Soup with Veal Meatballs". Matt got excited when he saw the bone marrow roasting in the cast iron frying pan and asked if I could make the soup for him this weekend. Hmm, now as some of you may know, raw chicken is my mortal enemy. I hate to touch it, it feels like a cold wet bumpy bag of skin! So obviously this was going to be a challenge, I swallowed hard and said I would try it.
It sounds scary and to be honest, there are a lot of elements involved in this soup, bone marrow, a whole chicken, eggs, spinach and even meatballs! I already was crossing a lot of bridges with touching the chicken and roasting bone marrow so I gave myself the easy out when it came to the meatballs and ditched the veal for the regular low fat hamburger meat.
Here is the recipe and I have to say, it was really good! I think the meatballs were the best part, as Matt said at least twice, "These are the best Meatballs I have ever tasted!" The Soup was a success! Good for that, we have about 5 leftover containers left, anyone want some Flying Meatball Soup?

Hubby ratting- 5 out of 5 forks!
Cat ratting- Flynn would not leave my side while I was cooking, he just sat and smelled the air. I am gonna go ahead and say he thought it was a 5 out of 5 forks as well.

Recpie:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/chicken-and-egg-soup-with-little-veal-meatballs-recipe/index.html

Proof of me touching raw chicken... ewww...

Yum!

Lauren's Visit

Last weekend my good friend Lauren (and fellow foodie) came to visit from Boston. We had a fantastic day at NYC Chelsea Market. One of the more fascinating stops was the fruit & vegetable shop, cabbages as big as your head, apples smaller then a plum and mushrooms galore!  Lots of fun and the giant tub of Nutella made for a great profile photo ;)

Swanky Franks, Why are you so Swanky?

I'll tell ya why! Because they have fried dogs and grilled dogs! That's right, variety is on the Menu at this awesome scrumptious old school divey restaurant. Check out my Grilled Swanky Frank dog below and yes those are classic French fries and a coke! Please understand, I say divey in the most loving way. In Norwalk CT the Swanky Frank’s mascot (A dancing hot dog of course) wears a top hat and cane however the inside is a little bit more run down dinner but with lots of greasy soul! It’s the kinda place you want someone to call you “Hun” or “Sugar”, then bring you a milkshake with a wink.  

The Swanky Franks in Westport CT is a bit more like an old school 50's dinner. Their mascot is still Mr. Swanky Frank himself but he wears a different hat in Westport, a chief’s hat! He is a busy guy and has lots of food to prepare for his hungry costumers at this location. I went to this Swanky Frank’s just this week with my parents and we all loved it! Sorry there is no photo but we indulged in “Happy Days” style cheeseburgers and perfectly crispy onion rings! Of course we had to split the Original Swanky Frank Dog that comes fried for your pleasure. Don't forget to add SF's side toppers to your burger or dog! Fresh cut onion, dilly relish and Matt's favorite, the Thousand Island creamy mystery mixture that puts the kick in your meal!

Oh Swanky Frank, I am so happy I now know why you are so Swanky!
Melissa Rating- 3 & 1/2 out of 5 forks 
Hubby Rating- 4 out of 5 forks
Cat Rating- unfortunately they were not allowed in so no vote for the boys on this one.

NORWALK CT

http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Overview/270/swanky-franks

WESTPORT CT

http://www.yelp.com/biz/swanky-franks-westport

Introduction

Hi Foodies!
Just a fun little blog I thought I would start. Photos of my recipes and dishes from Restaurants. I will try to include recipes and photos as much as possible.

Kicking it off with a photo of my "Healthy" Collard Greens!
Recipe: Just wash, layer about 4 or 5 leafs over themselves, cut the long thick part off the stem off, Roll all 5 leafs together, slice into thin ribbons, repeat for about 15 leaves.  Then grill them with a tablespoon of olive oil on a low heat until a little crispy. Adding Garlic salt and pepper at the end is a must.
As for the "UNHealthy" Collard Greens- use bacon grease instead of olive oil. Just 3 slices will be enough, pan grill, then crumble, add the collard greens and mix. Let the two sit together on a low heat for about 15 mins or until just a little crispy. no need for the garlic salt for this version but maybe try crushed red pepper. YUM!

Husband Ratting- without bacon 4 out of 5 forks, with bacon 5 forks!
Cat Rating- no begging for this particular dish so 0 out of 5 forks for the boys on this one.
(It's so hard to get them to eat their Greens!)