Making Mom's Meatballs

Sharing this recipe could get me in BIG trouble!

Cooking on board for me is one of the biggest pleasures of boating. Now, I have a *full fridge* and a freezer. I can prepare meals in advance and freeze them just like I used to at home. I'm pretty happy about that. So when we got to Daytona I was pretty excited to make Mom's Meatballs for everyone so that when they stopped by I could force them to sit eat and enjoy just like Mom used to do!

I'm pretty sure I'm releasing one of the recipes that has been handed down for the longest amount of time in my Italian family but I'm okay with that as long as you promise to keep it between us! HA! Seriously, Mom's meatballs (Mom, being my Great Grandmother's Mom) have been present at every family function including wedding and birthday parties since before my Mom was even a twinkle in Pop-Pop's eye. These meatballs are so good they will put to shame every store bought meatball you every put in your mouth. There is an art to this and I can't give away any big secrets but I can give you the basics! Believe me, you''ll thank me later!

Meatballs (makes 15 meatballs)

1 pkg of Ground Veal, Pork & Beef or just plain ground beef
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs or bust up some chunks of day old crusty bread, soak them in a little milk and add your own Italian spices
1/2 onion Parmesan Cheese
Jar of Pasta Sauce *

You can already see my recipes are very lazy, a little of this a little of that, it works. A Chef is an artist, pay attention to your masterpiece and it will turn out fine!

Throw the meat and the egg together and use your hands to mix, mash and squeeze ingredients together. Wash you hands then do the bread or breadcrumbs, I suggest the day old bread method. Rip off some chunks of bread into bite size tidbits and throw in a small bowl with a little milk & spices (garlic powder, pepper, oregano, etc). Put just enough milk to moisten, if you put too much just drain it off later. Mix that with meat and add Parmesan cheese until your meat is not too sticky. I use about half as much cheese as breadcrumbs (or bread).

Now saute up a little onion & garlic and brown each meatball just enough to cook the out side. Place meatballs in the Crock Pot* and keep on Low Heat setting for at least 5 hours. These meatballs will melt in your mouth and your sauce will be the most delicious Italian gravy you have ever had. Trust me!

*If you don't have a Crock Pot you can use the stove with a big pot but you must constantly stir and tend to it. You can also use whatever kind of pasta sauce you want, I use Tuttorusso's Crushed Tomatoes and season myself. :)

Buon Appetito!