Skip to main content

A is for Alphabet Soup and Albondigas

What initially started as an attempt to get Sean to try new vegetables, has morphed into a challenge to get him to try new things! The broader problem really seems to be that he has become very reluctant to try new things, and I can tell you he is very resistant to change. So, I've decided to use this challenge as a way to introduce him to new tastes, textures, just get him to try something new! We started last night by making Alphabet Soup with Albondigas (which is Spanish for meatball, in case you were wondering!). Now, he does indeed like meatballs, loves them actually, but these were 1) in soup (which he won't eat) and 2) surrounded by vegetables (gasp! the horror). It took a little work, but he did finally try one of the meatballs and to his surprise, they were quite tasty! We got him to try a sip of the broth, which he also discovered he liked! And of course the alphabet pasta was deemed acceptable as well. Did he actually take a bite of a vegetable? No. But you don't understand. He tried something new. Without throwing a fit. Without a fight. And to top it off, he liked what he tried!! I deem that a success.


Here's a picture of my helper (before Kung Fu Panda lured him away!)




For the Alphabet Soup, I used a recipe of Emeril's that I found on the Food Network's website. I made a few changes, though. I used 1 quart of beef broth, and 6 cups of water. I also added the meatballs, which weren't in the original recipe. Here's what I did for the meatballs...um, albondigas. :)


1 pound lean ground beef
3 slices bread, crusts removed
1/2 cup milk (approx)
1 egg
1 tsp Baby Bam (from Emeril's recipe above)
2-3 Tbsp fresh grated parmesan cheese


In a mixing bowl, tear the bread into small pieces and pour the milk on top. Let soak for a few minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Shape into small meatballs, and once the soup is boiling, drop the meatballs into the soup one at a time. Return to boiling and cook 20-30 minutes until done. (once the meatballs were cooked through, I added the alphabet pasta and cooked about 15 more minutes until the pasta was done)


Enjoy!!

Comments

Christi said…
Sounds Yummy! I am just loving your blog, you remind me of well...Me! Can't wait to see you Tomorrow. It's a great day when Christi and Katy get together!

Popular posts from this blog

Thick and Chewy Snickerdoodles

I admit, I love snickerdoodles.   Cinnamon and vanilla?   Yes, please.   What’s funny is that I never really had them much as a kid, just occasionally in the school cafeteria.   I know, ew. Anyway, snickerdoodles were one of the first cookies that the Munchkin helped make when he was little.   He could help dump everything in the mixer (or “loud noise” as he would call it!) and then it was fun for him to roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar before putting them on the baking sheet. Even since then, my go-to recipe for snickerdoodles has been this one by Emeril.   It’s a great recipe, baking up a thin, crispy cookie (at least when I make them!).   However, I was looking for something different this time, something thicker and chewier.   I found this recipe from the blog How Sweet it Is .   I decided to try it, and while I did keep the ingredient list the same I changed up the method a bit to suit me better.   The result?   What I was looking for – thick and

Homemade Cinnamon Dolce Latte

I recently professed my love of coffee and fancy coffee drinks.  After the success of the Peppermint Mocha , I decided to tackle the Cinnamon Dolce Latte, another one of my favorites.  According to the Starbucks website, it has flavors of "cinnamon, butter and brown sugar".  Well, I covered the cinnamon and brown sugar components, but left out the butter.  And you know what, I think it turned out quite well, if I do say so myself!  I honestly wasn't sure if the cinnamon flavor in the syrup was going to be strong enough, but it was.  I will admit to being impatient and not letting it steep for very long, so the cinnamon flavor might develop more if you do actually let it sit and cool off first.  If you wanted it to be even stronger, you could always add a tiny bit of cinnamon oil to it as well.  But be careful -- a little of that goes a long way! How much to make depends on how much you'll actually use.  I just made a single batch this first time, but considering

Chewy Ginger Snaps

Sit down.  No really, I mean it.  There are 12 weeks until Christmas.  Seriously.  Get out your calendar and count if you don't believe me!  Do you know how I know this?  Because I'm participating in the 12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies this year.  It's hosted by April of Abby Sweets .  And there's a linky thing to all the other cookie posts  down at the bottom of this post.  Or at least there's supposed to be.  ;) Aside from being horrible at time management and also being a huge procrastinator, want to know what my biggest problem has been?  Narrowing down what cookies I'm going to make!  There are just so many choices out there.  I decided to start with this recipe for Chewy Ginger Snaps. I got this recipe many years ago off an online parenting message board, and I've made it several times since then and adjusted the recipe slightly.  I'm sure there are several recipes out there, and I'm just not certain of the original source.  I quite often m