Meatball Subs and Caprese Salad

You might recall the night I made meatballs in the attempt to clean out my fridge of "things that needed to get used up".  I saved about 10 cooked meatballs, put them in a vacuum sealed bag, and popped them in the freezer.  When the teen and I were planning this week's menus he saw them and asked what I was going to do with them.  I suggested that we have Meatball Subs one day this week.  He had never had one - so I explained the ease of making them once the meatballs were already "fixed".  He gave it a thumbs up.  He also asked if he could try "one of those salads with tomato, basil, and cheese".  I showed him a photo of a Caprese Salad and asked if that was what he was talking about...yes, he said.  I stood there in surprise because, like me, he has always refused to eat fresh tomatoes!  However, when a kid wants to try something new, I try not to ever say no!


Part of his "I'm a mean mom and require learning about living independently" lessons each week is to help prepare a menu, see what we have, and what we need, make a shopping list, and go to the grocery store and shop.  So, this week he selected some whole wheat sub rolls, some fresh mozzarella, a vine ripe tomato, and jarred pasta sauce.  We have basil growing in pots on the deck so he was good there - olive oil, salt, pepper - all available.  He wanted to make sure we had plenty of grated cheese for topping the subs...check!  He is doing really, really good at learning these things (although he's none too wild about the shopping part, he's being a trooper - I also make him stick to a budget - the least favorite part).

Well, tonight was the night and I was happy that he loved the Meatball Sub Sandwich and unsurprised that he took two bites of the Caprese Salad and made a bad face, saying "I guess I just like cooked tomatoes Mom"!  Yep, that's what I thought...can't say that I blame you dude.

We both enjoyed our dinner and watched the most recent DVR'd episode of Modern Family while we chowed down.  Sometimes, when it's just the two of us, we find more to talk about when there is a humorous show going and everyone is relaxed and casual.  My older kids would be shocked to know that we often eat together in front of the television.  I have always been a hard core "we will eat at the table and no television at dinner" kind-of-mom.  Really, though, do I think he's going to NOT eat in front of a television as soon as he leaves home?  Nope - and at least he talks to me about what we see on the shows!  Sometimes I take what I can get :-)

Toast the sub rolls, warm the cooked meatballs in jarred
pasta sauce, spoon into the sub rolls, sprinkle with grated
asiago and dollops of fresh mozzarella - melt under broiler and serve!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

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