My neighbor, ya know, the one who is like Wonder Woman next door,  brought me this dish a few months ago when I was sick. She made enough to feed my whole family and it was amazing. I really wanted to, like, lick the pan clean but I thought she might see my tongue marks on her dish.

This is a super easy spaghetti and meatballs recipe. I made it tonight, and the prep time could not have been more than a few minutes.

I’ll put it to you like this: you’ll have it simmering before you drink 1/2 a glass of wine.

And, in case I’ve never mentioned, I’ve got the pickiest eaters on the planet and they even eat THIS.

Enjoy! {Thank you, Wonder Woman!}

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Sauce:
2 jars Francisco Rinaldi spaghetti sauce (available at Target)
If you need more, add 1 can Hunts tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano, and used a blender to make it smooth.  Add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Heat on the stove while you make the meatballs. {Drink the wine. I added that part in. ;}

Meatballs:
1lb ground beef
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 t season salt
1T italian seasoning

Mix together and form into meatballs. Spray a cookie sheet with pam, and place meatballs on cookie sheet. Brown in the oven @ 375. When they have browned, put meatballs into sauce and let simmer 30 minutes. Serve over pasta. Drink the rest of your wine. Lick your plate. Go back for seconds.

{If this post made you laugh, cry, or pee in your pants, click here: Super Neighbor Spaghetti to go to the site and leave a comment! Don't be a stranger! ;)}

So, I’ve got a little mini-announcement to make.

Mom, I promise this is not an early April Fool’s joke.

Dad, I have not been kidnapped by aliens.

Aunt Bonnie, you should be thrilled!

No, I did not find new parents for Jordan-the-chicken-thrower-outer.

I still need to sleep with my gel eye masks on, since I have a stressful moment every now and then, and I cannot go to work all puffy eyed.

Am I driving ya’ll crazy?

Ya wanna know?

Here it is:

I’m thinking of becoming a vegetarian.

I haven’t fully decided yet.

I’m not sure exactly where this started. Well, I sort of know.

Over the last year, as I’ve explained before, I’ve lost about 60 pounds, depending on what day you ask me, but right about 60 pounds. As most people know, the hard part about losing weight is not so much losing it, as it is keeping it off. Other than those last 10 pounds that I never seem to be able to ditch, I probably am at the weight I should be at, and now that the holiday are over (so long cake balls, I’ll miss you….)I’ve started to focus on eating healthier.

I know that’s a common naughty word at New Years, the whole resolution thing.

In my case, it’s really timing. If I had hit my goal weight in June, I would be saying the same thing. It just so happens I got here in January.

I’ve been reading quite a bit over the last few days. I started with reading on ‘clean eating,’ the macrobiotic diet, and I’ve read quite a bit on plain old vegetarian diets. For now, I’ve settled on a transition which is called ‘Flexitarian.’ My goal is to move on past that in a few months.

People eliminate meat from their diets for many reasons. Don’t get me wrong here. Remember where I live? My husband would re-locate to the nearest Outback if it was an option. I enjoy eating steak, there’s no doubt. But, there is also little doubt about the long term health benefits of eliminating meat, red meat in particular. And who the hell wants to go to Outback and order chicken? I might as well throw out the whole barn, right? Plus that, if you read more than about two sentences on anything regarding animal processing, it will make you want to go OUT BACK and barf.

Okay so today was my first REAL day.

My goal was to focus on the clean eating, mostly plant foods.

Did I mention that Cheez Its are vegetarian friendly? As are Diet Cokes?

{BIG. FAT.LONG. SIGH.}

Alas, my friends, I’m going to have to bid my orange crackered friends a fond farewell for now. They aren’t meat, but part of this process is eliminating processed foods as well. Dammit.

I did very good all day.

I actually don’t eat a lot of meat.

My bigger problem is the processed food.

I went meat free all day, no issues, I wasn’t even hungry and I was on the home stretch.

And then I decided to make spaghetti and meatballs using the recipe that my super neighbor shared with me.

Even then, I was doing okay.

I made my little meatballs. Threw them in the oven. Said bye-bye through the window, and finished up my work.

And that’s when I fell prey to the biggest predator of all diets: peer pressure.

My friend Jason called and I told him what I was cooking.

I had already told him about my new found diet plans.

“Wow, he said, you’re making MEAT BALLS?”

By this time, I was back in the kitchen, pulling them out of the oven.

They were all brown and crispy. Yummy looking.

I started to hear that old song in my head:

“On top of spaghetti, All covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball…”

Darn, those meatballs looked good.

“Go on, try one, Jason said.”

“Ya think?” I wasn’t even hungry. I was just flat salivating all over the kitchen though.

“Sure,” he said. One little bite of meatball on your first day isn’t going to kill you.

I dumped the meatballs into the sauce and got my meatless self out of there asap.

I sat on my bed.

“I can hear those meatballs calling my name,” I said.

“Shannon, Shannon, you know you want one of us.”

“Mmm hmm.” He was like the meatball devil, whispering in my ear.

We’ll see how it goes. In case anyone is wondering, no, I am not (yet!) dragging my family with me. They are more carnivorous than cavemen. Baby steps. In case anyone’s forgetten, that was me and my clan featured on the front on the New York Times Style section, a few shorts months ago, in the article on FAST FOOD FAMILIES. Trust me, we weren’t eating veggie wraps in that photo.

I’m not sure what I’ll do on Memorial Day and July 4th.

I hear you can get great BBQ Tofu Riblets?

Anyone wanna join me?

Stay tuned.

(By the way…I tasted a bit of one meatball. It was fabulous. I put the rest back.)

“It rolled off the table,
And on to the floor,
And then my poor meatball,
Rolled right out of the door.”

{If this post made you laugh, cry, or pee in your pants, click here: On Top Of Old Smokey to go to the site and leave a comment! Don't be a stranger! ;)}

I’m finally coming down from my Oreo Truffle high, and was at my hair dresser today when  we all started discussing cookie recipes. I mentioned the Oreos, and one of the ladies mentioned CAKE BALLS.

Apparently I am way behind the times, because this recipe is all over the Internet, but I’ve never had them at a party.

I think if you had these and the Oreo’s together, it might just be some sort of criminal mischief. I wouldn’t carry more than an ounce or two at a time, it’s surely illegal.

Like the Oreo Truffles, there are few ingriedients. You DO have to turn the oven on, but just barely, and even with the oven, even a cookie dummy like me can get through this recipe.

The best part? Because these are based on basically just cake mix and cake icing, you know, the kind you lick with your finger and pretend like no one saw you, the combinations are endless. You can do chocolate, vanilla, I even found several for recipes red velvet cake. And, if you’re like really creative and have loads of endless time, two things I know nothing about, you can roll them in sprinkles or nuts or coconut, whatever your little heart desires, and your bathroom scale can handle.

I could barely mash those Oreos for the truffles, without finding the crumbs down my bra and in my toaster oven, so I will wait on the sprinkles. But hey, knock yourself out, these sounds just fabulous, easy, and a perfect holiday party treat.

Directions

Okay. I think I’ve fulfilled my mission to make everyone fatter than me by January 1.

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