Monday, November 21, 2011

Back to the Blog


Hi everyone! I know I've been gone for a LONG time. But there are good reasons! As you may remember from my Frugal Foodie post, Caenaan and I were trying to buy a house... And we did! So, this is the first post from the REAL House of Hatfield! This summer, we also got a puppy, who has since grown into a dog. I also had a super busy summer, playing piano and music directing all over the state of Montana. Then, in September, I went to New York for six weeks to music direct a show over there! To learn more about that, visit my other blog, Montana Made Musicals.

So, since this is the first post in a long time, I decided to take it back to basics and show you guys a recipe that I have loved for my entire life. It's my mom's spaghetti and meatballs. Now, you should know that this recipe is almost always doubled, tripled, quadrupled or more! It's a great crowd-pleaser and also freezes well! You can make the meatballs, then freeze them on a sheet pan lined with parchment. When they are frozen, transfer them to a Ziplock freezer bag and use them in other recipes!

Mama Gina's Spaghetti and Meatballs

For the meatballs:

1lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/3 c parmesan cheese (finely grated)
1 clove garlic (can use 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp each oregano and thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1 T parlsey flakes
1/8 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Mix together in a large bowl with your hands! Shape into balls!
Place on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil
Bake until browned and cooked through

For the sauce:
1/2 onion sliced
2 T olive oil
2 cans tomato paste
3 or 4 cans hot water
1/2 cup red wine
2 tsp basil
Dash cayenne pepper
1 tsp sugar

Place olive oil and onion in a stock pot over medium high heat. Saute till tender. Add two cans tomato paste and saute, adding the water after everything is heated through. Add red wine, basil, cayenne pepper and sugar and bring to a simmer, adding the meatballs at the end. Even better on the second day!