My Mom and Meatballs

I love Fridays!  They are the delivery of the promise that the weekend is here.  Excitement that the week has come to end - the hope of finding a few hours to do something for yourself... freedom... I just love them!  Brooke and I went to the mall.  Oh, the mall... I grew up going to the mall. I think I spent every second I could at the mall.  As a middle schooler, I would walk around with my friends - we would go to the candy store and load up on candy and just walk around for hours.  Then as I started earning allowance money, I would take it and spend it all at the mall - on junk, I'm sure, though I can't remember.  When I got my first Summer job, trips to the mall became more of an errand - I was usually shopping for something specific - then slowly slowly over the years, my trips to the mall have become few and far between. 

I usually hit up other stores to look for things I need/want - for one, stand alone stores are faster to get in and out of. But... let me just say that Brooke and I love the mall!  There is so much to see!  And so much to buy!  And today, I saw so many sales!!  Check out my new fancy shoes!

It was wonderful!  My mom met us at the mall and walking around with her today filled me with the same feeling I had as a child when she would take me to the mall.  Not only was I filled with excitement and hope that she would buy something for me, but bigger than that, I just loved being with her.  She's so easy to be around - so sweet, so pretty inside and out, and so filled with love and acceptance.  I treasured being with her today - even though we were there for such a short time - I just love my mom so much.  I've told her before...I wish I could shrink her down to the size of a pencil and let her perch on my shoulder all day long - just having her near makes me feel complete somehow.  Does that make sense?  Those of you who are close with your moms understand what I'm saying... I hope!

Speaking of my dear mom... she came over on Wednesday morning and played with Brooke which gave me an hour to focus on cooking Giada's meatballs.  She looked after Brooke while I assembled these meaty little balls of goodness!  This is a super simple and really easy recipe that tastes like you've been slaving away all day.  They freeze incredibly well and if you don't have time to make your own marinara sauce, just pour a bottle of your favorite sauce over them.  I would serve these for company in a heartbeat.  In fact, I may make these for the annual Christmas dinner I enjoy with my high school girlfriends.  They are that good!

What makes these so tasty?  They are made with a combination of veal, pork and beef (sorry, my vegan friends).  So, here's the HOW:

First, I toasted 2 white pieces of bread (to simulate stale bread).  Then I tore the toast into small pieces and combined them with milk, breaking the bread up with the spoon as I stirred it all together.

In a large bowl, throw in your veal, pork and beef - then add Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, grated onion, garlic and egg. 

Mix until combined (I used my hands). 

Then it's time to make little balls, careful not to pack them too tightly.  I made them, put them on a cookie sheet and refrigerated them for an hour (you can refrigerate, per the recipe, for up to 24 hours) . Refrigerating them makes them easier to handle when you cook them.

Heat a little olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.  Add the meatballs and cook, turning them occasionally, until they are well browned on all sides.  Here you can see that I had three skillets going at once - it's all about saving time.

 

Your house will truly smell like a small Italian restaurant at this point.  You won't be able to resist trying one, so go ahead and treat yourself!

When they are all cooked and after you have drained them a bit and cleaned out your oily skillet, pour in your favorite marinara sauce (can be home-made or store bought - whatever your preference) and add your meatballs.  Let them simmer as long as you like! 

They are delicious!!! 

Click here for the recipe!  I doubled the recipe (it'll take a tiny bit of extra time to double it and you'll be so happy that you did!) and while I'd love to say that we ate half and we froze half, well... that didn't quite happen.  I walked out of the room for a matter of seconds and when I came back in, Sandy, our beloved yellow lab, was helping herself to a portion of them.  I would suggest that you double the recipe and freeze half of the meatballs (and don't leave your large dog unattended as she, like you, won't be able to resist!)

Enjoy this savory Italian meal one night this cold Winter!  (Meteorologists say that we're in for quite an Arctic winter.  Stay tuned....)