Menu + A Recipe

This photo is for you mom!  If I could I would send some meatballs to you but since I can't, this will have to do until you visit again.  xo Me


My menu planning notebook is filling up with all sorts of wonderful meals and ideas. I thought I should get back to sharing some of that here again. This week is a special one. Along with Easter, we are also celebrating a birthday! Because of Cub Scouts, Chaz decided he wanted his Birthday Dinner a day late. Smart boy! This way he is able to relax and really enjoy his food.

In honor of this week's celebrations, I have a little gift for you. I am sharing my secret recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs! It's a highly requested recipe that I have, until now, closely guarded. Enjoy it!

Sunday Easter!
Braided Easter Bread
Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb
Asparagus Orzotto
Greek Style Yogurt with Strawberries and Honey

Monday
Onion Glazed Grilled Salmon
Broccoli
Black Bean and Corn Salad

Tuesday
Leftovers

Wednesday Chaz's Birthday Dinner
Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs
Cheesy Garlic Toast
Tossed Salad
Banana Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Thursday
Zucchini and Summer Squash Quiche

Friday
Texas Style Beef Stew
Corn Bread

Saturday
The boys are having a sleepover. We'll probably do "make your pizzas"

***

"The World's Best Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs"

Meatballs:

1/2 lb ground veal
1/2 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1 c fresh bread crumbs (about 4 slices of good bread whirred in the food processor)
1/4 c seasoned dry breadcrumbs
2 Tbls chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 c fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 big fat cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg lightly beaten
3/4 c warm water

Combine all ingredients lightly in a large bowl. (your hands are best for this) Don't compress or your meatballs will be hard and a little dry. From in to meatballs - what ever size you prefer. We like them slightly smaller than a golf ball. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350º until done and a little crispy on the edges. The exact time will really depend on how big your meatballs are.

Sauce:

1 Tbls olive oil
1 baseball sized onion chopped
2-3 fat cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 c Chianti or other good red wine
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 Tbls chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 Tbls chopped fresh oregano
1 Tbls chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

*When the meatballs are done, scrape up all the browned bits from the cookie sheet and add them to the sauce.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch Oven. Add onions and saute until translucent, 5-10 min. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook on high for about 3 min, cooking down the liquid slightly. Stir in the tomatoes, herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for an hour or so (or longer, it doesn't matter. Though you'll probably want to cover the pot if you go for longer than an hour). Add the meatballs whenever they are done and gently stir.

I always double or triple (or sometimes more!) the recipe and then freeze in meal sized portions. I do think that one batch of meatballs is probably good for two batches of sauce. The sauce and meatballs are not only wonderful with pasta, but they make a great meatball sub or even a filling for a calzone. Don't forget to plan for all of the meatballs that will be snuck from the pot while the sauce is cooking!