“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie.” -Jim Davis

Holiday Cooking

With the holidays right around the corner, sweet treats are sure to be the talk of the town. What better way to finish off the year than with a hearty meatball meal, just before we all head for the cookies and cakes!

This week’s recipe is Lemongrass Pork Meatballs & Coconut Rice!

Fun Food Facts!

Lemongrass history

Lemongrass is showing up more and more as an essential oil, and for a long time, people thought of it as a tea flavoring. However, lemongrass is used in a wide range of delicious fun recipes! Surprisingly, lemongrass can grow up to 4 feet tall! Although it’s rare, lemongrass can bloom flowers! And this week you get to enjoy its lemon scent with a hint of rose fragrance.

When it comes to lemongrass, history goes all the way back to the 17^th century when lemongrass was being distilled for export in the Philippines. For hundreds of years, lemongrass was a popular oil in India known locally as “Choomana Poolu!”

Meatballs history

You might think that with meatballs and pasta going hand in hand that they might have originated in Italy. But the meatball was actually an American version of an Italian Polette! From 1880 to 1920 nearly 4 million Italians migrated to the United States. With more favorable economic conditions, more and more meat was used to create Polettes. As the size of the small ball of meat grew, it received a new name: meatball.

Trivia

What is a Polpette?

While similar to meatballs, Polpettes are made with any meat—fish, chicken, pork, beef, and so on. They are much smaller and are usually half meat and half breadcrumbs. Usually, Polpettes are very small and often are served as the main course.

The Premiere Cooking School for Kids and Teens

We hope you enjoyed this week’s recipe! With 2017 coming to an end, give your child a head start next year with a January Cooking Class!

To see a list of our upcoming classes, click here!

Also, what do you think is the most important reason for a child to start learning how to cook early? Which food fun fact was your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below!