# Meatballs!



## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

I’m making baked ziti tonight for our one son and his family...
They always come here (at dinnertime) to show us the kids
costumes and to trick or treat on my block.

Anyhow, I discovered this trick only about a year ago...
after you roll your meatballs - roll them in a bowl with some 
dry breadcrumbs to coat them thoroughly and then place 
in hot oil...The meatballs don’t stick and they can be rolled 
around with a big spoon. 

In this size pan (10” ) do only six or seven at a time, don’t crowd 
them - so that there is enough room to continually roll them around.

Another thing everyone loves - is that I put in a little handful of sunflower
seeds into the meatball mixture...It has a nice crunch, and adds 
another layer of flavor...I keep a small container of sunflower seeds
in the freezer for this purpose. :smile:


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

Yeh the breadcrumbs and seeds are a nice touch. What'chu doin' with the Progresso Peeled Plum tomatoes?


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

I think its Tuttorosso, a good brand. 

Interesting and I’ll try the bread crumbs next time. We make a lot of meatballs. They freeze well. Mine are the firm kind. A dear friend who has the best spaghetti dinners, makes a soft meatball. 

I thought it was cute when at dinner her daughter said she loves her moms meatballs. Then she said everyone likes their own moms meatballs the best. 

I only fix meatballs with my spaghetti dinners. My friend bought an Italian sausage (long link form) from a local meat market, and cut it into 2” pieces an cooked in her sauce. I miss those dinners.


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

Startingover said:


> I think its Tuttorosso, a good brand.


Yes it is. I'm not familiar with that brand so Progresso was the only thing that came to mind.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

I love Tuttorosso, it makes a great sauce. I also only use plum tomato’s,
not crushed or purée. I made a big pot of sauce 2 cans of Tuttorosso
and one jar of prepared sauce. (in the old days - I used 1 can of tomato
paste instead of prepared sauce)

Also, I always put in some milk or half and half to the sauce - it cuts 
the acidicty out of the sauce.
For the amount of sauce I made yesterday I put in about 1/3 cup milk.

edit: forgot to mention, after I put the tomatoes into the hot olive oil
and garlic,( after frying the meatballs in the same oil)
I then mash the tomatoes in the pot, with a potato masher until
they are small little pieces. Cook the tomatoes for about 20 minutes,
then add the jar sauce and the meatballs and cook another 
40 minutes or so.


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## wooleybooger (Feb 23, 2019)

Sauce sounds good and kin to the sauce I make. 

I use 2 jars of Classico traditional, or caramelized onion and garlic or other Classico as long as the jar has the screw lid not the lug lid (I save the jars for canning). Any combination and added a pint jar of home canned tomato salsa (Mild), a pint jar home canned of carrots and a little sugar. That's a minimum added mushrooms if I have them. All that to a pound of linguine. Made it last night in fact.

And glory be. Both Walmarts close to me have Tuttorosso brand. I'll check it out. In the past I used Cento brand mostly.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

There was an old Italian lady who made the sauce for the Catholic spaghetti dinners. She never let anyone help cause it was her secret sauce. 

My MIL was quite frank. 
She said she didn’t think the old lady let anyone help.....because she added canned sauce to her sauce!!!

LOL


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

I don’t know why people are so secretive about recipes...I share all
my recipes and cooking tips and methods...

The funny thing is I’ve been accused of 
leaving out an ingredient when I share a recipe - cause they say - “it didn’t
taste like yours!” 
I don’t get mad anymore, I just throw back both arms and say. “Ay!” :biggrin2:


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## Colbyt (Jan 27, 2014)

Two Knots said:


> The funny thing is I’ve been accused of
> leaving out an ingredient when I share a recipe - cause they say - “it didn’t
> taste like yours!”
> I don’t get mad anymore, I just throw back both arms and say. “Ay!” :biggrin2:



Happened to me a few times. In each case it was a failure to follow the process which almost always affects the final product.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Colbyt said:


> Happened to me a few times. In each case it was a failure to follow the process which almost always affects the final product.


Yeah! It’s like Michaelangelo telling someone, “ just get a big hunk of stone, 
imagine someone inside it :smile: like a guy named David - and start chipping away! :biggrin2:


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## JLawrence08648 (Mar 1, 2019)

I'm going to roll them in bread crumbs next time.


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

Once to do it, you’ll never go back. :biggrin2:


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Two Knots said:


> I don’t know why people are so secretive about recipes...I share all
> my recipes and cooking tips and methods...
> 
> The funny thing is I’ve been accused of
> ...


People do do that. My Aunt Myrtle reportedly did, but with 8 sisters who cooked well, to compete with, who can blame her.:wink2:


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## Two Knots (Nov 12, 2011)

I know they do. I told the story about a business acquaintance of mine...
he gave me a delicious ricotta cake for a Christmas made by his wife.

I asked for the recipe and he wouldn’t give it to me, he said it was a family 
recipe that they won’t share with anyone.

A couple of year later I help him out with a big problem he was having 
and saved him lots of money...
he asked me for my bill, and I said , “No bill, but, I want that recipe.” he reluctantly
agreed, with a promise from me that I would never share 
that recipe with anyone.

He gave it to me in an envelope, the envelope was marked...
T.T.T.G.J! I thought it was something like “To The Greatest, Joann”
It actually meant - “Take To The Grave, Joann!” :vs_laugh:

I know I told you this before, but it’s still funny the second time around...
to me anyhow! 

so, yes, I know, people are seriously guarded about their recipes! Crazy!

Edit: I just caught that - 8 sisters! Mamma Mia, that’s a lot of
daughters!


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Two Knots said:


> I know they do. I told the story about a business acquaintance of mine...
> he gave me a delicious ricotta cake for a Christmas made by his wife.
> 
> I asked for the recipe and he wouldn’t give it to me, he said it was a family
> ...


And yet, the recipe is probably around somewhere. If you think of how long humans have been cooking.

I was given a SF Junior League Cookbook that I treasured, until I found most of the recipes in a Sunset Magazine cookbook.:sad:


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