music and meatballs

yesterday was stressful. after walking the dog in the much-needed sunshine, it was time to cook dinner. music always lifts my mood, so I blasted my library on random and let the universe decide what I would be dancing to in the kitchen.

I opened my freezer full of meat [thank you reasor's meat sale], and after a minute of deciding between chicken, beef and pork I settled on meatballs stuffed with cheese. I had leftover tomato sauce, and I hate to let things go to waste.

except the tomato sauce was moldy.

but I didn't know it until the meatballs were browning. [oh no!! SAUCE EMERGENCY!!! what will I make my sauce out of?] luckily I made some chicken stock the other day, and I had a random can of tomato paste. turns out if you whisk those together and add some basil and garlic, you have instant tomato sauce!

1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1 handful of breadcrumbs [start with less and add more if the mixture is too wet]
a smattering of seasonings. use what you like in your meatballs. I used:

• red pepper flake
• chopped garlic
• chopped parsley
• worcestershire sauce
• onion powder
• italian seasoning
• salt and pepper
• parmesan cheese

combine above ingredients together. you'll also need:

4 cubes of mozzarella
tomato sauce
olive oil
parsley
more parmesan

1. divide meat mixture into four sections.
2. stuff each meatball with mozzarella.
3. pack together tightly to keep it from falling apart.
4. brown over medium heat on all sides.
5. remove.
6. add tomato sauce. [if there is a lot of fat in the pan, soak it up with a paper towel and discard]
7. simmer until reduced a little.
8. add meatballs back in.
9. stir every now and then until the meatballs are done.
10. add parsley.
11. sprinkle with more parmesan.

cook's note: no pasta necessary! although a hearty helping of cheese and butter spaghetti wouldn't hurt... we just ate ours with crusty bread.