random thoughts – Day 1,165 – (Friday) – meatball day

Vacation Day #2. A couple weeks before my eldest niece came home for her first visit in two years. Mom, my sister, and I talked about things we might want to do while she’s here. There were some things we knew that Niece wanted to do, which included eating Espresso Pizza, and learning how my Mom made her meatballs and spaghetti sauce, back in the days when she did so.

Getting busy on Meatball Day.

Today was designated “Meatball Day” and we convened at my sister’s house. Mom and Sis had already stocked up with all the ingredients, and after a pizza lunch from Espresso, we got busy. 

Garlic was chopped by Eldest Niece and added to a bowl with ground beef, and eggs, bread crumbs, seasonings, and parmesan. Another bowl had the same ingredients with crushed Saltines in place of the bread crumbs, which is how I remembered Mom making them when we were out of bread crumbs. We wanted to see if we could tell a difference. Once the bowls were emptied, we mixed more.  

We had a deviation. Usually, Mom browned the meatballs in the kettle the sauce would be cooked in, but the six pounds of beef yielded a lot more meatballs than would fit in the pan for browning, We baked the meatballs in two roasting pans instead of pan browning. There were so many meatballs by design so there would be leftovers.

While the meatballs baked, the sauce was underway with tomato puree, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes, seasonings, and the onion and peppers the eldest niece had chopped. Then the baked meatballs were added to the heated sauce and set to simmer.

Once that was done, we were able to settle in for another important activity – Scrabble. Mom, Niece, and I love to play, and in our everyday lives, we all have the game (multiple copies even), and have nobody to play with. Today, Mom, Eldest Niece, Youngest Niece, and I played while the sauce simmered and until supper time.

Napping amidst
the commotion.

While all the cooking commotion and competitive board gaming was going on, Winston napped nearby. Once he had done a couple initial laps around the living room and kitchen, he settled into his bed and he was such a good boy. He can get comfy and sleep anywhere that I bring his bed.

Then we feasted on salad and fresh bread, angel hair, sauce, and meatballs. And it was good. Very good. The whole day was good. There are more adventures lined up for tomorrow. And meatballs in the fridge.