If a fussy eater in your family wants to know "What's in this?" just say "Worms and eyeballs! Hungry?" This tasty meal makes any day seem as spooky as Halloween night to your kids! Boo!
Servings: Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 1 pound bucatini (fat, hollow spaghetti that looks just like worms)
  • 1 small red bell peppers
  • 1 1/2 pounds (1 package) ground chicken breast
  • 2 cloves garlic , chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
  • 2 scallions , cut up with kitchen scissors into small pieces
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (Chinese-style barbecue sauce, available in Asian foods aisle)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper , to taste
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup preshredded carrots (available in the produce department)
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 12 slices (1 1/2-inch-thick) challah bread or soft "Italian" style bread
  • 1 cup snow pea pods , cut up with kitchen scissors or knife
  • 1/2 cup tamari (dark soy sauce)
  • Directions
    Have your grown-up helper (GH) preheat the oven to 400°F. Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Cut off about a quarter of the bell pepper, and have your GH chop it finely. Slice the rest of the pepper yourself.

    Combine the chicken, garlic, ginger, scallions, finely chopped red bell pepper, hoisin sauce, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Roll the mixture into meatballs the size of chicken eyeballs. Pour 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil onto a nonstick cookie sheet. Place meatballs on the cookie sheet and coat lightly with vegetable oil, rolling them around gently with your hands to gently coat them; then make sure the meatballs are all separate and not touching each other. Roast the meatballs 12 to 15 minutes.

    When the pasta water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to package directions, just until al dente, that is, with a bite left to it—just like Dracula would like, right?

    When the pasta is almost cooked through and the meatballs are about 5 minutes from coming out of the oven, start stir-frying the veggies: Have your GH heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat and add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil and the sliced red bell pepper, the carrots, sprouts, and pea pods. Once the veggies are in, take over and move the GH out.

    Stir-fry veggies 1 minute, while the GH drains the wormlike noodles. Let the GH add them to your veggies. You pour in the tamari while the GH tosses and turns the veggies and soy sauce all together to combine and evenly coat.

    Transfer noodles to a serving platter. The GH gets the "eyeballs" from the oven and arranges them on the "worms".

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