Sunday is my favorite day of the week. I try to ignore the fact that Monday is very close to follow- but it is my one day to spend the entire day at home and cook. Last week I was not at home all day. Brett and I decided to run some errands and stop by my parents house quick to help them with a TV. When we walked in we found my dad under the sink with water pouring out all over the floor. Needless to say we didn’t just up and leave- even though I could see Brett slowly backing away from the door.

While he and my father disassembled the entire sink/faucet and ran to the store for a new one- I went home and began making some sauce. Knowing that they all would be drained (haha puns) from the unexpected task I told my parents to come over to my house for a warm home cooked meal- spaghetti and meatballs.

I love making a big pot of sauce with meat. Leftovers-for-days and it’s super simple! One of the reasons this was on the agenda was because my friend made me buy some organic ground beef the day before. Apparently, it would “change my life” but really my sauce owned it.

Starting the sauce is the easy part, for this recipe I made about half the amount that I normally do which is usually more manageable if you don’t want to make enough to feed you for a month. Once, you get your red sauce together and simmering I began to make my meatballs. (recipes will be at the end of this post).

I apologize in advance because I don’t have a lot of prep photos. I was trying to throw together a meal in a pinch after a busy day and most of them came out way too blurry.

When I make my meatballs I like to add the breadcrumbs last. Mostly because I hate having super..bready..meatballs. If that makes sense. I usually start with half the amount of breadcrumbs and begin working it in with my hands. I then gradually add more until I get a good consistency to pack them into shape without falling apart.

Also, be sure to fend off any meat predators! Portia is super nosey.

Carefully drop the meatballs and sausage (if you choose) into the sauce and stir carefully. The meatballs are a bit fragile so use a wooden spoon (metal might start cutting into them) and gently stir. You need to frequently stir because you don’t want your sauce to burn at the bottom. also make sure your meat is all submerged in the sauce so it cooks evenly.

Alternatively, you can also bake the meatballs in the oven on a baking sheet. Living in a primarily Italian-American area of the country I’ve heard all sorts of variations on red sauce and meatballs (in fact, I might catch some debate over this entire post). I’ve also heard of people searing their meatballs in a pan first before dropping in the sauce. All things I have tried but I like to just cook mine right in the sauce. Less mess and it leaves them the most tender – to each their own.

(yes, everything is nestled in there)

After about and hour of simmering, my guests arrived and we sat down to inhale a good old fashion Italian dinner. Red wine is a must.

Portia was obviously still curious but alas, wasn’t able to join us.

(can you tell I was out of peppercorns for my pepper mill last week?)

It was a great end to a hectic day. After Christmas and before New Years it’s sometimes good to get back to basics. The rest of the week we had to rally and get ready for a wedding in New York City after New Years and then we got our first snow fall of the year!

Typical Weim.

Simple Marinara Sauce

• 2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic,, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesean cheese
• 1 bay leaf
• 28oz water (as needed)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• dash of red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper

Start by heating the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauteed until translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Add garlic and continue to sauteed for about another minute. Stir in tomatoes, parsley, cheese, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and bayleaf. Then add water if you plan to simmer and cook down for a while. I like to just fill one of my empty tomatoe cans with water and add it (easy measuring).

Cheese & Weim Meatballs

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced.
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped.
• 1  egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

There isn’t much heavy duty prep worked involved with mixing meatballs. I can say though- that you should just take off any rings you have on and get your hands in there. It is really the best way to blend everything together. As I said earlier. I add all my ingredient into one big mixing bowl and add about 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs. Then, begin working everything together with your hands and fingers. Smooshing (is that a good culinary term?) it all in between your fingers to get it nice and blended. Then I continue to gradually add more breadcrumbs as needed until well blended and you are able to form the balls into fairly solid balls. The best thing to do is when you are forming the balls and you think you have a good one. Keep tossing it from hand to hand like you would a hacky sack or something, you want to go a little longer than you think- which will ensure they stay together in the sauce and don’t just fall apart. I make mine a little larger than a golf ball, where I end up with about 10 meatballs.

Then carefully drop in the sauce and leave to simmer, stirring occasionaly (AND CAREFULLY) for about 45 minutes-1 hour.

Buon appetito!