January 21st: Pasta alla Norma

 I had an eggplant in the fridge. I'd been meaning to use it all week. Suddenly it was 4pm on Friday and I was hungry. Pasta alla Norma it was. As I started making it, I could already hear Watts' voice in my ear later, "is there sausage?" Once a vegan, Watts likes a meal that has meat in it. To ward that question off, I took out the other half of the ground beef I didn't cook last night with tacos and made it into meatballs accompanied by the memory of Marge. 

Marge was in the choir with my mom at the church in Queens I grew up going to. She was full on Italian. When the church had a Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser, the meatball recipe used was from Marge. I have this forever etched in my memory. The result of making batch after batch of these, year after year. 

For dessert, there were brookies. You know? Brownies and Cookies made in the same pan. The perfect dessert for a night that turned unexpectedly snowy.