Today in my magic kitchen: Great Balls of Lamb

At the time of the making of this video, we have a 15-year-old boy with the sense of humor of a 15-year-old boy. But to keep it real, I have the sense of humor of a 15-year-old boy, too, and I have no excuse. That said, if I make any kind of meatballs, he'll say, "I love balls," and we all roll our eyes but come back with, "That's what she said," 'coz we're mature like that.

When he was a toddler, he was a very picky eater, and one of the few meats that I introduced him to and he liked right away was a lamb meatball. It wasn't even as good as this recipe since I've had a couple of years to work on it.

This is Mama Miche, and today in my magic kitchen: Erik "Estrata"

When my mother-in-law was still alive, she made this for Christmas Day breakfast for as long as I knew her. For some reason, I wrongly assumed that this was what my hubster ate on Christmas Day as a child, but the asparagus strata became a staple just a few years before I came into the picture.

Also, for some reason only my husband understands, he calls it Erik Estrata. It's delicious, so he can call it whatever the fuck he wants, and I'm happy to make it every year for our Christmas Day breakfast. It is also good for any large family gathering. You make it the night before, refrigerate it overnight, and put it in the oven in the morning. It cooks for a little over an hour. And it has all the major food groups.

This is Mama Miche today in my magic kitchen: Roast Beast (Grinchy shout-out)

I am a sucker for Christmas movies. The classics that I grew up watching with my Momster are my favorites to watch with my family, and honestly, the season isn't quite right if I don't see ALL my favorites. Every version of Dickens, "A Christmas Carol" from Mr. Magoo to "Scrooged," "It's a Wonderful Life," "Miracle on 34th Street," and every single Rankin/Bass animated movie and Charlie Brown...obviously I could go on and on.

My question is about the characters like Scrooge and the Grinch. Through the course of their individual stories, their characters transform to be the epitome of the spirit of Christmas, and yet, if you call somebody Scrooge or Grinch, it is implied that this is pre-transformation. Why?

Potato latkes. Where do I begin to tell the story of how great a food can be? Latkĕs or latkēs, through the years, have sparked controversy. And more than one controversy beginning with the pronunciation. Do you say Latka, or latke? Is it CHanukkah or Hanukkah? Oy! so much to unpack. As most people know, during the festival of lights, Hanukkah, Jewish people eat a lot of food that is cooked in oil, one of the most delicious being latkes. We eat food cooked in oil because of the miracle of the oil lasting eight crazy nights when there was only enough for one night.

You have probably heard me say before the way to sum up any Jewish holiday is: we fought, we won, let's eat! And just about every Jewish holiday has particular foods associated with them. Matzah and Passover. Apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah, Sufiganot (donuts) and latkes for Hanukkah.

This is Mama Miche, and today in My Magic Kitchen: Brussels sprouts with bacon

Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite vegetables. I've kinda sorta always liked them, on and off, throughout the years. The only way we had them growing up was the frozen with butter sauce kind, and usually, I liked them. Not always. Sometimes, they tasted bitter.

But as I got older and moved out on my own, it wasn't until maybe my 40s that I started buying fresh Brussels sprouts and roasting them, just with a dash of salt and pepper. Perfection. This is my other favorite way to eat them. Bacon takes it to that next-level chef's kiss.

Today in My Magic Kitchen: garlic mashed potatoes

In my never humble opinion, mashed potatoes are the epitome of comfort food. They go with just about any main course and any other side. Garlic mashed potatoes are just my favorite way of making them because I love garlic, and I'm not afraid of vampires. That's right! Let Mama Miche make your kitchen magic!

This is Mama Miche, and today in My Magic Kitchen: Green Bean Almondine (with crispy shallots)

Green beans. I don't know very many people, if any, that don't like green beans. I know many people who don't like broccoli, cauliflower, or squash but most like green beans. They are quite versatile vegetables, with so many ways to prepare them that are delicious and nutritious. This recipe is one of my favorites!

Try it, and let Mama Miche make your kitchen magic!

This is Mama Miche, and today in My Magic Kitchen: YaYa’s Sweet potato casserole

I don't know about anyone else, but holiday meals make me very nostalgic. Thanksgiving has always been a favorite of mine. Why? It's all my Momster’s fault. She made amazing Thanksgiving feasts. Totally a feast! Not your run of the mill dinner. And prepping for the Big Bird day are my earliest memories of helping her in the kitchen. She gave me big responsibilities. At least, that's how it felt. I made a chopped salad every year. That was my job. I assisted with everything but the salad was all mine to make. I took great pride in making it colorful and delicious.

My favorite side that was a staple at every Thanksgiving spread my Mom hosted was her sweet potato casserole. My daughter requested it so it was time to teach her to make it. There's a new chef in the house! Helping Mama Miche make your kitchen magic.

This is Mama Miche, and today in My Magic Kitchen: Miche's version of the viral Lasagna Soup

This is such an easy recipe to make. I'm not sure what makes a recipe go viral on TikTok. I wish I knew! Maybe then people would stick around for more than 40 seconds of the voiceovers I write and we'd have a thriving business. So, if you know the secret, please don't gatekeep. I'd love something we created to go viral. In a lasagna soup, not Covid, way.

This is Mama Miche, and today in My Magic Kitchen: Pho

I was born in Vietnam. Technically, I am not Vietnamese. It's the place of my birth, but it's not my family ethnicity. Most people do not look at me and see a person with Asian features, but I swear on all that's holy, when I was growing up, and people would ask where I was born, and I would tell them, they'd look confused and then nod and say, oh yeah! I see it a little around the eyes. And then I'd roll them. My eyes, I mean. Like seriously? My ethnic look isn't Asian at all. Eastern European, Italian, Spanish, Greek, Jewish. I can play any of those roles if any casting directors happen to be looking. But, since the days of Rita Moreno playing an Asian in movies, and yes, she did. (Tuptim in the King and I), casting me as Asian is about as obvious.

This is Mama Miche, and today in My Magic Kitchen: Split pea and lentil soup(s)

This week in the magic kitchen, you get two recipes for the price of one! How and why? Because I make both of these delicious soups the same way. They don't taste the same because their main ingredients are different, and they each have a different flavor profile, but both rock hard in a comforting way. The way split pea breaks down and becomes almost creamy without any dairy is very cool. Lentils cook down but don't mush the same way.

This is Mama Miche, and today in My Magic Kitchen: CHOWDAH, aka New England clam chowder

This installment of our fall soup series is New England clam chowder. Warning: it's addictive!

As a mom and home cook, I prefer whole foods, not the store (though I've been known to drop the whole paycheck in Whole Foods), but what I mean is I prefer not to get my meals out of a can or freezer bag. But there must be exceptions to every rule, and this recipe is it. Not one fresh ingredient to be found! The only tools needed are a large double boiler, a can opener, and a large spoon to stir!

This is my MIL's recipe, and it's beyond quick and easy. You open cans, and you mix up everything in the pot you cook in, it literally gets no easier or quicker than this recipe, and it’s so much better than any can of clam chowder. The only change I made is adding our Twice Stolen Spice™ instead of oregano alone. It makes it so much better, and it was already really good.