You say potatoe, I say potato.....

Here's a recipe for my family's favorite homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs. I know some people call it spaghetti sauce and others call it gravy. I grew up calling it sauce. My husband, who is Italian calls it gravy. No matter what you call it, it's just yummy. I surely don't claim to be on the FoodNetwork, although I watched it for many hours while pregnant. I had to have weekly and biweekly IV medicine (which had to be administered slowly over the course of many hours) due to a rare pregnancy-related illness to help my 3 little miracles survive in utero. But that's a post for another day. I've been experimenting with cooking for quite a few years now and if my husband loves this, then you can bet it's pretty good. At least decent anyway! :) My mother-in-law is Italian and she can make dirt taste amazing. I haven't learned how to do that yet but I've been paying very close attention to what she prepares and how she prepares it. My parents, my sister and her husband, my friends and family just love this so hopefully you will too.

Spaghetti Sauce/Gravy ingredients:

2-3 TB olive oil
1/3 of a large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 - 28 oz. can tomato puree
2 - 6 oz. cans tomato paste
1/4 tsp. basil (dried)
1/4 tsp. oregano leaves (dried)
1/4 tsp. sweet basil (dried)
1/4 tsp. parsley flakes (dried)
Salt to taste
(I've used fresh spices but I don't know the exact measurements for those - sorry)

Meatballs:

1 pkg (2 lbs.) ground veal/pork/beef
2-3 large eggs (depending on how much ground meat- for 1 lb. I use 2 eggs for 2 lbs. I use 3)
1 generous handful grated parmesan or romano cheese
1 generous handful Italian bread crumbs
pinch of salt, pepper and parsley
(I try to get the consistancy to be moist and a bit slippery, not sticky)

1 pkg boneless pork ribs (optional)
1 pkg. sweet italian or spicy sausage (optional)

Saute chopped onion, bayleaf, basil, sweet basil, oregano, parsley and olive oil over medium heat until onions are soft. I add the garlic at the last minute so as not to burn it. If you're adding ribs or sausage, brown them next. Add the can of tomato puree and one can of water then bring to a boil. Next, add 1/2 cup soy sauce then bring to another boil. Add 2 cans of tomato paste and 1 can of water. Bring to a boil one more time and add salt to taste. (I add a wooden spoon full. You can use more or less for your own taste.) Gently add the meatballs and simmer on medium or low heat for 1 1/2 hours. Serve over your favorite pasta and voila you have dinner for a couple of nights.

*Note it tastes better after it sits overnight. I made a pot yesterday and we had it for dinner tonight. I don't know what happens in the refrigerator during the night but something does. I had to add more water tonight because the gravy was thick.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

I had to throw in a picture with this post. Here's a picture from Christmas Eve. Still trying to get that perfect family shot. My middle child, Mr. Chips (on the left) is pretending to sleep and Calamity Jane is not happy unless she's moving full speed ahead running 100 mph. (As I type this she's running circles around the island in my kitchen. ) If I could have just half of her energy I would be good.

Much love from NJ,

Sue

xoxo