Hey Good Lookin'

Whatcha got cookin'?
Well - spaghetti and meatballs.

I have recently gotten back on track with asking my kids to choose a meal a week to plan and prepare - as much as they can do on their own anyway.

A week ago it was Jenelle's turn and she chose spaghetti and meatballs.
We found an easy and delicious homemade sauce recipe and a separate one for meatballs.
They were so good that I'm going to include them here for you...yes YOU!

Here's the chef of the week preparing our dinner.
Her favorite part of this is mixing it all together with her (clean) hands.

As you can see with the loose hair cascading down her shoulders, she's off to a good start including at least one hair in every dish like her mom does!
Nothing says "I love you" in a meal like a little bit of you!
Just teasing Granny and Grandpa who are going to be eating in our home in a month!
:)
Anyway...the meal turned out amazing!
I wish I had doubled the recipe!

Basic Tomato Sauce (adapted and only slightly changed from this recipe at Simply Recipes)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 to 1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 28oz. can petite diced tomatoes, including the juice
1 8oz. can of tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat.  Add the chopped onion, carrot and celery.  Stir to coat.  Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and coo for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened and cooked through.

Remove the cover and add the minced garlic.  Increase the heat to medium high.  Cook garlic for 30 seconds.  Add the tomatoes, including the juice.  Add the tomato sauce and basil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a low simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered until thickened - about 15 minutes.

Authentic Italian Meatballs (adapted and only slightly changed from this recipe at Food.com)

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl by hand.
Roll meatballs into 1.5" size balls.
Spray a 9x13" pan with cooking spray.
Lay meatballs in the pan in a single layer.
Bake in the oven until they are cooked through.
Add the meatballs to the simmering sauce.

Enjoy it all with some pasta, garlic bread and a veggie of your choice!