Sharing the Love: Meatballs

YEARS ago, I was at my friend Peg's (Penny's). She's a wonderful cook. That particular day, she made meatballs and cheesy potatoes. SO GOOD. Recently, I called her for her recipe. I scribbled it on an envelope, which I promptly lost. Then I called her for the ingredients I couldn't remember from memory. And then I emailed her for the complete recipe. She warned me that this is the very last time she's sharing this recipe with me (She said my requests are getting out of hand. She's right.), so I needed to type it up and share it here, pronto. These are SO delicious.

Balls of Meat:
2 lbs ground beef
1/4 c milk
2 beaten eggs
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 T Worcestshire sauce (I skip this)
3 slices of bread (I put 1/2 cup crush saltine crackers instead)

Mix up, roll into balls. I coat a large skillet with olive oil, and then fry for about 10 - 15 minutes over medium-high heat. Once they are completely brown, I bake for another 10 minutes. In the pan where I fried the meatballs, I deglaze with two cups of beef broth. Then I make a mixture of about 1/2 cup water, and 3 T flour. I whisk that into the beef broth to make a delicious hamburger gravy.

Serve meatballs with mashed potatoes and gravy and my homemade flat bread, and a veggie for a perfect winter comfort meal!

Ninja

Last night, I was reading in bed around midnight when Jack came downstairs. He was still wearing part of his ninja costume (because that's how he rolls).

"Mom, can I sweep wif you?" Of course, I can't resist a three year old ninja, so I let him climb on up.

As I stroked his sweet, soft cheek, I said, "Jack, you're my favorite ninja."

"I'll be a ninja so I can take care of you, Mom."

"And I'll be a mom so I can take care of you, Jack."

And he smiled a sleepy smile and replied, "Deal."

And so, I snoozed with a ninja.

Pages Update

I must update this before I forget what books I've been reading!

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Wonderful books. Absolutely riveting. Early on someone said that there were parallels between Panem and America. And I have to admit, shamefully, that I see it. I even saw myself in the Capitol. As horrible as the storyline was, it really made me think about our world today and its excesses, while so many in the world struggle. Facinating stuff.

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

As I've said before I really love historical fiction, particularly from this time period. But neither the White Queen nor this one captivated me like I would have liked. I think its because I don't hear the old English dialect in her writing. When I read Alison Weir, for example, I find myself talking and thinking in that dialect...it's so catchy and wonderful. A good read, but not great.

The Forgotten Garden and The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

The House at Riverton was good but The Forgotten Garden was magical. I absolutely loved this book. I love a book that I can't wait to lie down at night to dig into. This was one of those!

As always, looking for more recommendations!

Some things I love...

This guy has been wearing his 'ninja' costume for two full days. And I love him, although I wish he'd get over his facination with guns, swords, and 'bad guys.'

Brach's Jube Jel hearts. Seriously, these things are like crack. I'm always glad when my grocery store runs out. It happens earlier than you'd think...I'm not the only Jube Jel addict.

A good neighbor. Seriously, I have a neighbor who is always there for me. Cup of sugar, sure. Baking soda, of course. A cup of Caribou on a bad day, she's got it. I'm very grateful for all of my friends who fill my heart with love. I am so very blessed.

Happy Day of Love!

Valentine's Day

Matthew has started to understand the basics of phonics. Mmmm.....iii...iii....llll....kkk. M-i-l-k. Milk! It's really fun to watch. I love all aspects of learning, but this one -- this one is super cool, dude. The whole world opens up. Last year, he had to write his name on all his Valentine's and it was a f-i-g-h-t (try that one with the silent letters, tough guy!). This year, he studiously wrote out 19 Valentines for his party next week, sounding out most of the names as he went. Awesome.

Project Happiness

(P300S no longer exists, FYI.)

Yesterday, when I went into the boys' room in the morning, all the blankets were lying in a heap...pulled off both bunks. When I asked Jack what happened he responded, "Wew, I was wooking for the Weapster."