Our First Giveaway Part 2!! Foodie Friday Meatball Salad

It's Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum! Please join us for the most delicious party of the week!

It's also time to announce Part 2 of our very first Giveaway!

Are you ready??!!

      We were SO excited this week to be contacted by CSN Stores. Who would have thought it?? We're always so amazed that people are interested in what we have to say. They have VERY generously offered to sponsor a super Giveaway right here at Bramasole!! CSN Store are a wonderful online source for pretty much everything you could ever need- things like TV stands , and cookware  (you don't want to know how much time I spent browsing THAT site)- they have over 200 stores !! 


CSN is going to send our lucky winner a 60 dollar gift certificate good in any one of their stores!!! How cool is that! Do you know what you can get for 60 dollars?

You might get this for 39.95

or 6 of these for 49.99 with FREE shipping!

or this (which I LOVE) for  69.99 and FREE  shipping (it's worth the extra 9.99!)

And to top it all off, they have asked me to review a product that I've actually mentioned on this blog- more to come on that

Here's what you have to do to enter:

1) Leave a comment on THIS post- 1 entry (tell us what you'd use the gift certificate for- we're nosy!)

2) Become a follower and let us know you did- 1 entry (you don't have to be a blogger to comment or follow!)

3) Become a fan of Bramasole's Facebook page- 1 entry (let us know!)

4) Blog about this Giveaway on YOUR blog and link back to us- 1 entry (make sure you let us know)

5) If you Twitter and tweet about the Giveaway- 1 entry (please let us know- Allie tweets, I don't)

There you go- you can have up to 5 entries! This Giveaway (part 2) will close on Friday night, May 14th at midnight (eastern time- we're in NC)

Now be sure to go and enter Part 1- you'll find that HERE . To enter Part 1, be sure to leave a comment on THAT post. Part 1 of the Giveaway is ending on Thursday, May 6th at 10 p.m. (eastern time)

Just a quick disclaimer- part 1 of the Giveaway is coming directly from us (Pattie and Allie) and is open to all our followers and readers

Part 2 is coming from CSN Stores and is open to residents of the US and Canada

Good luck to all!!

Allie started this blog as a way for me to write a bit about our family and our history and to share our home and kitchen. Though they never knew the world wide web, I just know that my Grandma Josie and my Nonna Norma would be so pleased to know that you've all been reading about them and sharing your stories with us. We are so grateful for this opportunity and feel so blessed to have made some wonderful new friends.

Grandma Josie~~~~~~~~~~~~Nonna Norma

Today for Foodie Friday, I got a bit off track (as usual). The plan was Pollo Nicoise- you may see that this weekend. :) You guys must be getting used to hearing that from me. I've been working to expand my business a bit, the end of school year chaos has started, and there's been lots of yard work to do. 

My Grandma Josie had the most GORGEOUS roses and gladioli....


 I'm getting side-tracked again

This is a dish that I've made often for picnics and beach outings, or days at the park. It travels well, and best of all, it's made with leftovers- any good Italian cook knows the value of leftovers! I've also made it for evenings at home as a light dinner that keeps the kitchen cool- I make the meatballs in the cool of the early morning and throw the rest together at dinnertime. Enjoy!

Insalata di Polpettine (tiny meatball salad)

First make the meatballs:

about 1 1/4 pounds ground meat- I prefer the "meatloaf mix" of beef, veal, and pork,

3 eggs

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

about 1-1 1/2 cups leftover mashed potatoes (I used leftovers that had been mashed with butter and cream cheese- any smashed up potato is fine, even if it's lumpy :) !)

2-4 tablespoons chopped parsley

1-2 tsp minced, pressed garlic (this is to your preference)

1-2 tablespoons prepared pesto

handful of dried cranberries

OPT: I have in the past (when I have them in the fridge) tossed in a handful of finely diced leftover roasted or grilled vegetables- this is made from leftovers, so experiment!)

salt and pepper to taste

seasoned fine dry bread crumbs

extra virgin olive oil to coat bottom of fry pan

Colorful mixed greens

cherry tomatoes

thinly sliced yellow squash or yellow bell pepper

raisins- I used the Jumbo mixed raisins- love the sweetness and color!

thinly sliced red onion

With your hands (this is important- you can't make good meatballs without the love of your hands! My grandma said so), mix together  the meat, parmesan, potatoes, parsley, garlic, pesto, and cranberries. Season with salt and pepper. Smoosh it together really well. ("smoosh" is a professional chef's word!)

Roll mixture into tiny meatballs- about the size of a large walnut. Roll the meatballs in the seasoned bread crumbs. Heat some olive oil in a saute pan and toss in the meatballs is batches. Fry, turning frequently, till browned and crisp. This won't take long- the oil should be hot and the meatballs are small. Remove to a rack to drain and cool. 

Arrange salad ingredients on a large shallow platter. Mound meatballs on top and serve with your choice of dressing (I like a good balsamic vinaigrette) When I make them for dinner at home, I like to heat the meatballs in the oven just a bit- the warm meatballs on the cold, crunchy salad is excellent. They're great at room temperature for a picnic too- just pack them separately from the salad and mix on site.

Mix in whatever you like!

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Dessert!

Dessert tonight is a simple Panna Cotta (see recipe here ) served over glazed orange segments. I made a simple caramel by melting some sugar with a few tablespoons of water and allowing it to turn golden. That was mixed with some of my homemade ginger/orange preserves which I melted and warmed. I poured this mix over some sliced, peeled oranges and refrigerated. Put a spoonful in a shallow dish and unmold the panna cotta on top. Spoon some syrup or honey over the custard if desired and garnish with a mint leaf

Be sure to enter both parts of our Giveaway by commenting on both posts. Let us know if you're following or linking or tweeting (okay, maybe Nonna wouldn't understand "tweeting"!) We are so excited and looking forward to hearing what you'd do with the 60 dollars.

Thank you to Michael for hosting our very favorite party and...

As Always,

Buon Alimenti, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie