Sunday dinner part one

I love an early Sunday afternoon dinner. I wish my kids lived closer so that this would be a tradition. Maybe someday. I had a few good friends over on Sunday and I want to share my joy of cooking. I love to cook for company. I always cook for an army. I still have not learned to cook for just my husband and myself. There are always leftovers. I am not a big leftover fan.

I will show you how I make spaghetti sauce and meatballs. I am not an exact measurer so you may have to wing these recipes a little if you try them. I have been cooking these dishes for so long that it just comes naturally.

These are the basic spices you will need for both recipes. Garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, onion salt, minced garlic, parsley, mint, salt, pepper, sugar,grated cheese, bread crumbs and oregano.

I start by browning fresh garlic in olive oil. It doesn't have to be too fine because I will be putting it in the blender

Don't let it get too brown. just a nice light brown. You don't need a lot of olive oil. You will be adding the whole mixture to your blender.

I then start to open my cans of tomato's. It is very important to use Italian style tomato's. It does not matter the variation. You can use crushed or whatever kind you want. I happen to use Italian style peeled tomato's then blend them in the blender. I usually make a big batch of sauce and freeze some. I use at least 10 cans of tomato's and 2 or 3 of the bigger cans of tomato paste. You do not need to blend the paste.

I use Italian peeled tomato's and blend them up in the blender so they are not chunky.

I set aside about a half a cup of tomato's so that I can blend it in with the garlic and olive oil that I have been cooking. You have to let it cool for a bit when your garlic is done. I put the big pot on the stove with all of my blended cans of tomato's to get it to boil. Make sure your pot is big enough for the meatballs you will be adding. I add seasoning at this time too. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, onion salt and oregano. Add a teaspoon of sugar to cut the acid in the tomato's. If you are making a big pot like I do, I would say a teaspoon of each of the seasoning to start. I add more as I am cooking. Once it starts to boil, I add the tomato paste. Add a can of water for each can of paste you add.

I start to heat my electric fry pan (always remember, hot pan - cold oil) always let your pans heat before adding oil.

I get my mixer ready to make my meatballs. I use about 3 pounds or a little more of ground beef. Add 1 egg per pound of beef you will be using. I will sometimes make even more beef and freeze containers of just meatballs to make meatball sliders or meatball calzones. My whole family loves when I make meatballs because I feed them meatballs for breakfast right out of the pan after I have fried them. If you have a kitchen aid mixer they are great for mixing your meatballs.

I use the flat beater bar to mix them.

Add beef and the eggs. Add minced garlic (be generous), salt (I would add 2 teaspoons), pepper, parsley, garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, onion salt, grated cheese, oregano and a pinch of mint. I would say a teaspoon of each but more minced garlic than a teaspoon. Once it is pretty well mixed, start adding bread crumbs gradually. You want a good consistency. You need to be able to roll them out without them sticking to your hands. I also add maybe a quarter of a cup of warm water so that the meatballs stay moist. Once you have all of your meatballs rolled, start to fry them. Be generous with the olive oil. It needs to come up over the sides of your meatballs. Make sure you turn your meatballs so that they have a nice crisp coating on them. Do not try to cheat by "baking" or cooking your meatballs in the sauce. It will not taste the same.

While your meatballs are cooking, blend the garlic and olive oil mixture and add it to your sauce.

Once your sauce is boiling put the flame on low. Add your meatballs when they are done. Let your sauce cook for 5 or 6 hours. Stir occasionally and taste it. See if you need to add more seasoning.

It may seem like a lot of work but you get so many meals out of it. You cannot compare a jarred sauce to your own home made. It really isn't that hard.

Try it! I am sure you will get rave reviews!