meatballs!

when i joined marin sun farms' meat csa back in march, i signed up for "package #3," which is one of the smaller boxes: every month 2 lbs of steaks, 4 lbs worth of roast/braise meats, and 5 lbs of ground meat. i thought for sure i would have a problem figuring out what to do with the 4-lb roast every month, but in reality it hasn't been one at all since we have regular weeknight dinners with the sweenlinghouses.

in fact, the actual problem has been what to do with all the ground beef. there's just two of us at the house of froon, so eating our way through 5 lbs of ground beef every month is no easy feat. adding to this is the reality that most cookbooks i own don't really have much in the way of ground-beef recipes. you'd think it was a low-brow ingredient or something. hunh. wait a minute... ok, so now it's all starting to make sense. hmmm.

well, i don't really know what cookbook writers have against ground beef. maybe it's one of those things where they're supposed to act like it's not worthy, but at home, where they're away from prying eyes, they eat mounds of mounds of it. (real appetizing visual, right? :) kinda like what i'm convinced people who SAY they don't like pigs in blankets actually DO when they come face to face with said tasty morsels at parties (eat mounds and mounds of them, in case you were wondering. but i know you know this, since i've already shared with you my theory.).

the reality, as far as i can tell, is all of us meat eaters love ground beef. no, seriously. don't be such a snob. show me a carnivore who says s/he doesn't love a juicy burger and i'll show you a big fat liar. ok, maybe not LITERALLY "big" and/or "fat," but definitely a liar. c'mon, admit it, you've stood in the massively long line at an in n' out, marvelled - probably while also expressing annoyance - at how long it was, yet found yourself still standing in it anyway, all in the name of being able to get your grubby little paws on one of those perfectly-wrapped, egg-bun encased numbers. yummmmm. and if you *won't* admit it: LIAR! [+ accusatory finger jab!]

anyway, i digress. i wasn't trying to point out all the liars among us (and how many of you are out there? show of hands, please.). the point i was trying to make is there is a serious shortage of ground-beef recipes; this is somewhat unfortunate for mwah, since i happen to have an oversupply of ground beef. that said, i do have a few that i love; meatloaf, as you already know, is one of them. spaghetti with meatballs is another; recipe below.

personally, i recommend when you make this dish that you make lots of meatballs (reflected in my recipe) because you can use the "extras" for tasty things like, say, meatball subs. GENIUS! which, by the way, is what i had for lunch today (meatball sub, not a genius.). even yif really liked it, and let me tell you: he is one PICKY eater. honestly, i never thought i would say this, but p must be a very patient, er, "lady." (i'm SO going to regret complimenting her. i just know it. ;)


Spaghetti with Meatballs

Tomato Sauce
2 tbsps olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 28-oz can whole, peeled tomatoes
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
2 tbsps tomato paste
2 tbsps chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
2 tbsps sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Meatballs
1 1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
6 tbsps basil, finely chopped
2 medium eggs
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1-lb hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1-lb ground beef

1-lb spaghetti
Grated Parmesan cheese

Tomato Sauce
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté until onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rest of sauce ingredients, except salt and pepper. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens and reduces by about 1/2 (1 1/2 hours or so). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.

Meatballs
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, mix breadcrumbs and milk together and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the meatball ingredients and blend well (using your hands is easiest). Form into 1 1/2" meatballs and place them on a baking sheet and bake until meatballs have browned on edges and are cooked through, about 25 minutes.

While meatballs are baking, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente. Drain pasta then mound in 6 dishes. Top each with meatballs and sauce. Pass Parmesan cheese so people can garnish as they desire. Serves 6, with enough extra meatballs and sauce for a sandwich or two.

cheese, glorious cheese!

for those of you who don't know me very well, you should know i love cheese. and by "love" i mean if possible, i would eat as much as i could every single day. now, i have my share of delusions, but fortunately, thinking i still have a fast metabolism isn't one of them. good thing, too, because one day i would wake up and wonder how the fudge i had "somehow" turned into a sphere.

anyway, because i actually have a grip on reality in this one aspect of my life, i limit how much cheese i eat - probably with one meal every few days or so. ok ok, so sometimes it's more often than that; after all i've never met a cheese platter i didn't like. *sigh* being "over-30"... never mind lines, wrinkles, and grey hairs (btw, i found a couple the other day. i pulled them out - grey hairs, i mean, not lines or wrinkles - but i have a baaad feeling that solution just isn't going to scale.), it's the FOOD you have to give up that really sucks. *sniffles*

self pity aside, one of my favorite ways to consume cheese is via mac & cheese. over the years, i've tried lots and lots of recipes. and when i say "lots" i mean LOTS. oh the hardships i've endured. the pain.... the suffering... if you only knew. (NOT) i've decided after all this experimenting that a really sharp cheddar truly is the best when it comes to mac & cheese. and believe me, i've given it a serious go; i'm an equal opportunity lover when it comes to cheese - sizes, colors, shapes. if you're cheese, i already love you.

below is my favorite recipe, developed over the years. i'm not going to pretend it's low fat or anything, so don't go eating this every night and then wonder why YOU'RE turning into a sphere. all that aside, this is a great dish to make for a weeknight dinner, because it's fast and easy to make. i like to serve this with steamed broccoli on the side. after all, why not try to squeeze in a little healthy, right? deeeeelish!


Caroline's Favorite Macaroni & Cheese

3 cups small elbow macaroni
1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
6 tbsps unsalted butter
4 tbsps flour
1 cup whole milk
2 cups chicken stock (substitute vegetable stock for vegetarian version)
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 green onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

salt and white pepper to taste

Melt 2 tbsp butter and in a small bowl mix into fresh breadcrumbs. Set aside. Bring a pot of salted water to boil in a medium saucepan. Cook pasta until al dente and drain. In a medium saucepan, melt remaining butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is softened and turns translucent. Then add flour and whisk until mixture turns golden, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk and then broth. Continue to whisk and bring roux to boil. Add green onions and whisk until they turn bright green, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add cheese; stir until melted.

Preheat broiler. Stir in macaroni to cheese sauce and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper then spoon into 4 individual gratin dishes. Sprinkle crumbs on top and broil until crumbs are golden brown and cheese is bubbly, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately; be careful, dishes will be HOT! Serves 4.