Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

The first time I had shaved ice was in Taiwan. Shaved ice, lots of fresh mango, all drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. In oppressive heat, it's much more refreshing than ice cream. These days, manual ice shavers can be found in many of the Asian/Chinese supermarkets that carry housewares. I was so happy and surprised the first time I found one. Then I began to notice that most of my local (NYC) Asian-centric supermarkets carried them, I just hadn't been looking for them. They're usually hiding amongst the rice cookers. The manual one requires a lot of arm power, but it should only be about $20.

You can find the sauce online at www.cooking.com under Gourmet Foods > Sauces & Marinades > Pasta Sauces.

Ugh pasta with tofu? This is a flavor combination that is neither compelling nor palatably inspiring. No matter how much vinegar or how many brine-based ingredients you throw into the mix. Also, pasta and tofu seems a bit of textural redundancy. The dish isn't even aesthetically pleasing!

I've been a huge fan of the addition of tofu to Chinese-style meatballs. It lightens the texture significantly and gives an overall cleaner taste to the dish. For a healthier version, instead of frying, you can also throw these same meatballs into a gently simmering (light) stock, broth or soup. However, I would suggest making them the size of golf-balls, or slightly smaller. Add a couple fistfuls of coarsely chopped Napa cabbage to the broth. You can sub out the pork for chicken, too.

Yum-- I think I know what I'm making for dinner tonight. Thanks Chichi!