The DVD of Enchanted was released this week. And thanks to the folks at Click Communications, I have a preview copy that I hope we can watch this weekend, since we were too busy last week.

You see, it was my daughter Lucie’s fifth birthday, which included a fancy Disney princess party. Unfortunately, her little majesty decided it was her party and she could cry if she wanted to. Yes, she spent most of the time pouting or up in her room crying and screaming. Luckily, the other kids had a good time and everyone enjoyed a gorgeous and delicious Disney princess birthday cake made by Cutting Edge Cake Design.

The Queen Mother (that’s me) wasn’t happy with the bratty princess who was FINE once she started opening presents. So after I cleaned up, I went to my royal chambers for several hours to work on my plans to have this blog “prettied up” by Girly Blog Designz. (I’m so excited! More details coming soon.) The Queen was still peeved at the princess the next day, but finally issued a royal pardon.

Since Lucie is too adorable to be mad at for very long, like most fairly tales this tale of the pouty princess had a happily-ever-after ending. And so does Enchanted, a romantic spoof of Disney fairy tale films.

Enchanted features an animated heroine (Amy Adams as Giselle) from a kingdom far, far away who finds herself transformed into a real live woman in bustling New York City. Susan Sarandon plays the evil sorceress Narissa (who may just outdo another Disney baddie, Glenn Close as Cruella De Vil). Narissa exiles Giselle from her fairytale kingdom and James Marsden is the handsome prince who travels to the Big Apple to rescue her. Of course, all the moms will swoon over Patrick Dempsey (from “Grey’s Anatomy”) as a contemporary knight in shining armor. Idina Menzel plays his girlfriend Nancy who suspects Giselle might just be a little too good to be true.

The film is rated PG and Amazon.com reviewer, Tami Horiuchi, recommends it for ages 6 and older with parental guidance due to some scary images and mild innuendo. Besides watching a fun movie with my family, I’m looking forward to spotting the 13 scenes in Enchanted that reference Classic Disney movie scenes.

Below is an example of a scene from Enchanted and a similar one from Lady and the Tramp. Of course, Lady and the Tramp featured spaghetti and meatballs and not pizza. But you get the idea. And speaking of spaghetti and meatballs, here’s a recipe for a healthy version from the queen of all media, Martha Stewart. It features spaghetti squash, which my pouty princess just loves.

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatballs
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the squash

1. 2 spaghetti squashes (about 2 pounds each), halved lengthwise and seeds removed
2. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3. Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

1. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3. 2 tablespoons tomato paste
4. 2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes with basil
5. 1 teaspoon dried oregano
6. Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the meatballs

1. 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2. 1/2 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
3. 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
4. 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
5. 1/4 cup milk
6. 1 pound ground turkey (since we have so much ground venison, we’d use that instead. It’s even leaner than turkey.)
7. 1 large egg (Since Princess Lucie is allergic to eggs, I’d use more breadcrumbs and cheese to make the meatballs “stick.”)
8. 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
9. Freshly ground black pepper
10. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. To prepare the spaghetti, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle cut sides of squashes with oil; season with salt and pepper. Place cut sides up on a baking sheet. Bake until soft to the touch, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (Another energy saving way is to cut them in half and place in a microwave safe dish with a little water in it. Cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and microwave for 5-10 minutes or until your squash is soft inside. The outside of the gourd will remain firm.)
2. To prepare the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for an additional minute. Stir in the tomatoes and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Keep warm over low heat. (I won’t tell if you use sauce out of a jar.)
3. Prepare the meatballs. In a medium bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, and garlic with a wooden spoon until combined. Add the milk, and stir until incorporated. Add the turkey, egg, salt, and pepper, and mix with your hands until well combined. Form mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook the meatballs until evenly browned, turning often, about 6 minutes. Repeat with remaining meatballs. Transfer meatballs to the sauce, and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes. (Double the recipe and freeze halve the meatballs to heat up in the crock pot with sauce for a quick dinner.)
5. When the squashes are cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh of each squash with a fork into strands, and place into a large bowl. Serve topped with meatballs and sauce, and sprinkled with cheese, if desired.

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