Recipe Monday

Happy Labor Day to all! (well, belated, but oh well!)

As many of you know I just love to cook! Of course John loves my cooking as well. (I think I have added about 15-20 of pure cooking love lbs. to his muscular body since we started dating and have been married.)- And of course, I have to taste all my cooking, so I have definitely gained some of my "pure happiness" lbs too!

I come from a family that is always entertaining or going to parties. So, it's in my blood, people! I will come up with any excuse to entertain / cook for lots of people. Examples include: "It's Steeplechase, so let's have a brunch before we head to the race track!"; "John, it's your birthday, so let me cook dinner for 25 of our closest friends!"; "Oh, it's Christmas, so I must make some goodies for our friends",...... and this list could go on & on! I think before all is said & done, our friends may find themselves not wanting to come over for dinners because they might be seeing some of the "pure cooking love lbs" to their waistlines too!

I am always trying out new recipes & love to share the good ones with everyone!

So, I've decided that on Mondays, I will try to post a new recipe that I've tried that has passed The King taste test inspection. I hope that this might give you an idea on something to cook that week to help you out one night for dinner that week.....
Since yesterday was Labor Day, I am posting this today, on Tuesday.

Last Wednesday was my precious husband, John's, 28th birthday. I think that celebrating your birthday on your actual birthday is something that people don't do anymore. I get it, because people work, & everyone has such busy lives, including us. BUT.... I love to entertain, so of course, I would do a dinner for his birthday. Last year we did ribs and BBQ chicken. It was fun and very laid back. When I asked John what kind of dinner he wanted this year, he said Italian. Now, this came as no big surprise to me, because I feel like he requests Italian 2-3 nights/week when it comes to dinner. I love Italian too, but I think John has spaghetti sauce running through his veins instead of blood. Geesh!

So, of course, I ask him, "Well, what do you want me to make?"
He looked at me & said, "Do I get to pick anything?"
Me: "Yes, of course, it's your birthday dinner"
Him: "Well, there is something that I really really want."
Me: (thinking, Ok, he's going to say Chicken Parmesan (his favorite) or Spaghetti & Meatballs (his 2nd favorite)... "Lay it out there Birthday Boy...."
Him: "I want little plates of that olive oil with the dipping stuff and loaves of bread"
Me: "Huh?"
Him: "You know that stuff at the Italian restaurant tha.......
Me: "Yeah, yeah.... I know. You eat the entire plate within like 5 minutes....
Him: (very excited because I am on the same page as him)- "Yep! That's what I want for my birthday dinner!"

So fast forward to the dinner- we invited 25 of our closest friends in Nashville to dinner on Wednesday night. I made his favorite Chicken Parmesan as well as my homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs. Appetizers included my famous Sausage & cheese stuffed Mushrooms & Bruschetta.
Desserts were yellow cupcakes & chocolate icing (a John King favorite) and a variety cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory (featuring 4 different flavors of cheesecake)-

I decided to go all out for his birthday this year. Since our house is on the market in Nashville, I thought this might be the last birthday dinner that we have at this house, so I wanted to take advantage of it.

I set out chaffing dishes to keep all the food warm. In the past, I am a bad hostess because I am always in the kitchen keeping the food warm, but this time I rented these chaffing dishes to help eliminate the time in the kitchen so I could entertain & socialize while not worrying about the food. I will DEFINITELY do this again. I still was in the kitchen a lot, but that was due to poor time management on my part before the party. :( I highly recommend using them!

I utilized the bottom of our driveway off our our deck. Since John & I park our cars down there, I thought, "What an eye soar for 1/2 the people eating" - So I purchased some cheap muslin fabric and strung it on a rope that I hung to hide all the cars in the driveway. Thought it did the job pretty well! I didn't want people to feel as if they were at the bottom of a driveway. The opposite side of the table looks over our backyard, so it was a nice view.

And heaven forbid, if I had forgotten this!

All of us at dinner, minus a face or two that had to leave early.

So, for this "Recipe Monday", I will leave you with none other than my recipe for a very popular dish at the dinner. (Now, don't get disappointed, because it is not the recipe for the dipping oil (Although, I'm sure John would have wanted it to be....)

Neelley's Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs Recipe

Sauce:
3/4 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp white sugar
1 large Bayleaf
1 (15 oz) can Tomato Sauce
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning (generous Tbsp)
1 (6 oz) can Tomato Paste
3/4 tsp dried Basil
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Directions: Saute onion & olive oil in large pot until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar, & Bay leaf. Cover & reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 2 hours. Stir in paste, sauce, & rest of seasonings. Simmer for another hour or so. Serve.
*Note: I make my sauce the day before. I let it simmer all day on the stove and on extremely low overnight. I feel as if the ingredients blend more this way.

Meatballs
1 lb 80/20 ground beef
1 lb ground sausage (hot, if you like it like that)
1/2 cup of Breadcrumbs (seasoned)
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
1 (6 oz) can of Tomato Paste
I squirt in ketchup, spicy mustard, Worchestershire sauce- about 1- 2 Tbsp each- just use your discretion.
1 container of Mozzarella balls - (I use the kind that are soaked in Olive Oil & seasonings.)

Directions- Take all of your ingredients except your Mozzarella cheese balls & combine in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hands. Take your mozzarella cheese balls wrap the meat around each cheese ball. I make them about the size of golf balls. Place on jelly roll pan. Bake cheeseballs at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, you will start to see the cheese start to ooze out. Lower oven to 250 degrees until time to serve. Serve meatballs immediately or cheese will harden up.

Enjoy!!