my first attempt at something new

new kitchen toys!

While this blog was inspired by my classroom resolutions, it was also
inspired by some pretty great Christmas gifts. I opened a box of all kitchen stuff and I was pretty pumped {Thanks, Mom}. You might think me crazy but a bread knife, new utility knife, new box grater, hand mandolin and rolling pin were on the list. I've been wanting a rolling pin forever- using a can has gotten pretty old. The splatter guard was not on the list but was a welcomed addition to the kitchen none the less.

Today, I set out to make my first "new" thing. I posted a status on Facebook looking for a recipe for Italian style meatballs except, newsflash: I have a picky eater on my hands. He's gotten better since we first met (a lot better-he actually tried sushi on NYE- cooked of course). But he's picky. He likes simple things and isn't a huge fan of many veggies. But he does love pasta and that prompted me to make some meatballs. We often buy them but the cost does not equal the taste and we are even picky about which ones we'll eat, making it a little harder to have them on hand. I got a few responses to my status, this particular one being from my sister and thought, what the heck. Let's try it. So I ventured out into the snow and grabbed the necessary items, came home and started cooking.

The exact recipe can be found here, but I made some of my own adjustments along the way. Prep states 10 minutes- probably took me a little bit longer, and it said 10-16 meatballs; I got about 50. They were considerably smaller than what the initial recipe stated but we like them that way.

Ingredients (I used)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I used about 2)
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil  (about 2 here as well)
tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper (used a bit more pepper)
2 crushed garlic cloves (I used about 8... what can I say, I like garlic)
2 eggs
2 lbs ground beef (it was a little over- the store has a hard time packaging 1 lb apparently)
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I made these: see below, and used a little over a cup)

                                           Fresh Breadcrumbs

going to put this to good use!

grab a few slices of white bread (or any of your choice I guess) and throw them in the food processor, pulse until crumbs. wallah... fresh breadcrumbs! I used this food processor, another new present for Christmas thanks to an awesome friend who enjoys cooking new things as much as I do!

But back to the meatballs.
Heat up a pan w/ some olive oil. While that's heating, mix all the ingredients together (gently-over mixing can make them tough) and roll into balls that are the size you want. Like I said, it said 10-16. I got 50... Figure out what works best for you. Place a few meatballs in the pan at a time (this really depends on how big or small your balls are) and let them cook until brown. I put aside some for dinner and put the rest away in a freezer bag for a future dinner.

I'll definitely make these again. They were pretty easy, and tasted pretty good. Come on, you know I tried one. I might add even more garlic (yes, I realize it's a lot but it
will keep the vampires away) and I would try to chop the basil a little finer but overall, I'm pretty happy with my first attempt at something new and thankful to my sister for her recommendation!



Do you have a meatball recipe that you love?

Happy Fooding!