Spilled Milk

What makes a meatball tender and juicy? The Filler Man knows. We discuss how to make them, how to cook them, and then things get a little bulgur. Recipes: Chicken and Spinach Meatballs; Cafe Lago Meatballs. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com Recipes: Chicken and Spinach meatballs SPAGHETTI WITH CAFE LAGO MEATBALLS For sauce:2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, finely chopped, with their juices10 Tbsp. unsalted butter2 medium yellow onions, halved and peeled½ tsp. table salt For meatballs:1 cup fresh bread crumbs1/3 cup whole milk, or more if needed½ lb. ground pork½ lb. ground beef1 cup finely ground (not grated) Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley1 tsp. table salt5 grinds black pepper2 large eggs2 large cloves garlic, pressed To serve:1 lb. dried spaghetti To make the sauce, combine the tomatoes, their juices, the butter, onion halves, and salt in a large, wide pan, such as 5-quart Dutch oven. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, at a slow bu

Molly and Matthew get wings, fly high like a starfruit, unleash the beast, and get in touch with our inner rockstars. We're here to answer one question: do energy drinks have any culinary merit? The answer may surprise you. (But probably not.) EXPLICIT. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

Hoo boy, we've cranked the juvenile up to 11 (years old). We're talking about American-style hard tacos, and if the phrase "American-style hard tacos" is already making you snicker, you're our kind of people. EXPLICIT. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

It’s green. It’s leafy. It makes your teeth feel like you’ve been slimed, Ghostbusters-style. Join us as we savor an all-spinach lunch, straight from President Taft’s bathtub. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com Recipes: Fergus Henderson’s Spinach GungeOhitashi from Just One CookbookSpinach with Sesame Sauce from Just One Cookbook

This episode is dedicated to those among you who, like us, spent your youth sucking on Sour Patch Kids until your tongue was raw and bleeding.  We'll see you in the drugstore parking lot, and don't forget the sour watermelon slices. EXPLICIT. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

Everyone knows that size doesn't matter, except when it comes to asparagus. This week on Spilled Milk, we're discussing the finer points of our favorite spring vegetable: to snap or to cut, to peel or not to peel, to roast or to butter-poach, and why does my urine smell so weird? Recipes: Salt and Sugar [...]

The world's best cookie would consist of a layer of marshmallow sandwiched between two Oreos, in the shape of a peanut, with fudge stripes painted on it, plus crunchy fig seeds. That's a scientific determination, gleaned by snorkeling our way through five packages of cookies, which, oddly enough, did not include any Oreos. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

BONUS EPISODE! We just couldn't leave it alone. We're back with a few words on can openers, oven mitts, side towels, and...a dream sequence? www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

Forget the sexy, expensive stuff like knives and skillets. We're debating the best spatulas, peelers, and spoons. With one saucepan thrown in just because we like to break the rules. For links to our recommended utensils, see www.spilledmilkpodcast.com. Matthew likes: Calphalon spatula Exoglass spoon Green colander Molly likes: Kyocera ceramic Y-peeler Kuhn Rikon cheap-o peeler [...]

Do you fantasize about flanks and skirts and pan sauces mounted with butter? That makes three of us. This week on Spilled Milk, we're making our dreams come true in broad daylight, at lunchtime, as we cook and share tips for two of our favorite steaks: the skirt and the ribeye (sorry, flank lovers; we [...]

Molly and Matthew are trapped in the kitchen cooking pancakes while you've already started eating breakfast. Join us for another syrup-drenched episode; just don't call us Short Stack. Recipes: Buttermilk pancakes; cornmeal pancakes. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com Cook's Illustrated Buttermilk pancakes For Matthew's cornmeal pancakes, follow the recipe for buttermilk pancakes but replace about half the flour with [...]

Stale bread + nostalgia = French toast. Molly and Matthew dredge up hazy, eggy memories; then it's a present-day smackdown between Molly's artisan approach and Matthew's diner-style delights. Recipe: French toast x2. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com Recipes: Matthew's version of Cook's Illustrated's French Toast BURG'S FRENCH TOAST From A Homemade Life Look for bread with a soft, light [...]

This week, thanks to the miracle of the winter citrus harvest, we're tackling questions that have plagued mankind for centuries: why old people get wrinkles, how to operate a kitchen torch, and why, WHY, does grapefruit always squirt in your eye? Also included: the most ridiculous way to eat a grapefruit, a.k.a. The Mamster Method. [...]

If it comes in a wrapper and destroys fillings with extreme prejudice, we're putting it in our mouths this week. We've raided the supermarket bulk candy section for butterscotch disks, Milk Maid caramels, and other childhood favorites. Have they aged any better than we have? And if we love Werther's Originals, how old does that [...]

Notes from a broccoli bender: Cruciferous, by Calvin Klein. Dinosaur Trees. The case of Florets v. Stalks. Recipe: Roasted Broccoli and Shrimp. Note: Mildly NSFW. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com Melissa Clark's Roasted Broccoli and Shrimp, via The Wednesday Chef: http://www.thewednesdaychef.com/the_wednesday_chef/2009/01/melissa-clarks-roasted-broccoli-with-shrimp.html

Never promise hot chocolate and deliver hot cocoa, or you'll be sorry. What's the difference? Let's spend some time together confusing the issue amid slurps of chocolaty goodness. Recipes: Laduree hot chocolate; Matthew's hot cocoa. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

We found a list of chocolate tasting terms on the Internet, and we're not afraid to use it. Prunes, ash, wax, coffee beans, smoker's breath: this episode has it all! Plus: we speak French (poorly) a lot. Grab a bar of dark chocolate and join in.

Hey there, Honeycrisp. You can be our Aunt Rachel anytime. Join us as we get down to the core of our state fruit. Recipe: Whole Wheat Apple Cake.Links:Whole Wheat Apple Cake from The Wednesday Chef

Fill a French baguette with Vietnamese ingredients and you have one of the world's great sandwiches: banh mi. Combine Molly and Matthew with a banh mi and you have a recipe for quick-pickled antics. Recipe: The Official Spilled Milk Banh Mi (with lots of help from Andrea Nguyen). www.spilledmilkpodcast.com

They said it couldn't be done. Oh, wait, they said it SHOULDN'T be done. It's done. www.spilledmilkpodcast.com