Dinner is Served, Day Two

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm cold and when I'm cold, I want comfort food. What better then, than a bowl full of spaghetti and meatballs? Let's get cookin'...

You will need:
1 lb. of thin spaghetti noodles (consider yourself healthy and buy the whole grain kind)
1 large jar of tomato sauce
1 15 oz. jar canned tomatoes (or if you live nearby, stop over and I'll give you a jar of my own tomatoes!)
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
2 or 3 pieces of white bread (or wheat...and it can even be a little stale)
1/2 c. milk
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 medium onion, finely minced
2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. parmesean cheese
1 package of cleaned, sliced mushrooms (Baby Bellas work well!)
1 bell pepper


Begin by soaking your bread in the milk, in a large bowl. This forms the glue that will hold your meatballs together. When it's saturated, add in your ground beef and work it together with your fingers, till the bread is all "mushed" into the beef. It'll feel gross, and probably cold. Suck it up, this is going to be good. Add in: garlic, onion, 1 tsp. oregano, salt, pepper and 1/4 c. parmesean cheese. Mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Note: Parchment is your best friend. Never run out. Note Two: If your meatballs aren't sticking together, you need more "glue" in there... That's why I said 2-3 slices of bread. Usually I need 3, but it depends how big your slices are.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until they are nice and brown on all sides. You will want to give 'em a roll in the oven once or twice so they brown evenly. Note 3: If your meatballs are too fat - they won't cook through. I speak from experience. 1 inch balls, here, folks.
While those little balls of delight are cooking, start on your sauce. Pour your canned tomatoes and your tomato sauce into a nice-sized pot. Heat over a medium flame...and add in your mushrooms, bell pepper, and the rest of your parm and oregano. Simmer while the meatballs finish up. When they are browned, take them out and add them to your sauce.
Now let's boil some noodles. This is real simple, ready? Boil some water...sprinkle in a little salt...and when it's rolling, add your noodles. If you've got little ones at your table, like me, be nice and break them in half first. The noodles. Not the kids. Cook as directed on the package. Again, not the kids.

When the noodles 'al dente' and drained, add them to your pot of sauce. Remember how I said to get a nice-sized pot? This is why. Gently combine the noodles to cover them with sauce. Don't beat it all up or you'll ruin the meatballs.
Serve up piping hot bowls with a piece of crusty bread or garlic cheese bread. Later this week we'll be making calzones, and the dough is very versatile, so I'll tell you how I turn it into a really good pull apart cheese bread. Mmm....now I'm kinda bummed I didn't do that today.
Bon Appetit!