Alternative Spaghetti and Meatballs

I knew I was saving a post from Maria for a good occasion. To be dramatic, my life is in total upheaval. To be realistic, I'm busy packing up for a move this weekend. Meg and my apartment was broken into a couple weeks ago, and for the moment, we are in diaspora. I'm at my parents' in the burbs, she's with Eric (and his two roommates). We travel back and forth spending a couple hours here and there sifting through piles of belongings and packing things in boxes. I've cooked maybe twice in the past two-and-a-half weeks, I even took photos, but I can't find the right cords or the memory card, I run out of underwear every other day it seems, and I've been wearing the same pair of jeans and five T-shirts for 20 days. But here is one thing that keeps me sane: food. I'm plotting out jamming some strawberries and making shepherd's pie and boeuf bourguignon and biscotti and and and. Sigh. This weekend. Meanwhile, enjoy this health-minded meal straight from Maria over in Indiana.

This is another recipe from the awesome Kroger coupon and recipe book. I'd never had spaghetti squash but remembered reading about it here on Food Eaten. I decided to give it a try. Kroger, sadly, only had one squash left. It had a few blemishes on the outside but it turned out to be perfect on the inside. I was a little nervous about the directions. I remembered Lainey saying she'd cooked hers in water, but this called for baking. I called my mom for advice, but she'd never used spaghetti squash. It ended up working well. But once again, I had to the use cardboard mozzarella cheese. This recipe originally called for meatless meatballs, but I love my turkey meatballs.

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Meatball Marinara 1 large spaghetti squash Turkey meatballs 1 jar marinara sauce Optional assorted vegetables (I was too hungry by the time I was doneto make extra veggies) Grated Parmesan cheese Mozzarella cheese to taste Preheat over to 350 degrees. Slice spaghetti squash in half. (I wish I had a video of this, it's not as easy as it sounds. Thoses uckers are tough!!!) Use a spoon to scrape out seeds and pulp, discard. Place squash halves face down on a foil covered pan and bakef or 1 hour. While squash is cooking, prepare turkey meatballs (see early blog post). When squash is done cooking, gently scrape the meat out of the squash with a fork and place in a baking dish. It really is magic, as Lainey pointed out. Top with marinara sauce, meatballs, mozzarella cheese and optional sauteed vegetables. Return to over just until warmed through and cheese is melted (unless you have fat free which will never melt). Top with Parm and enjoy!

Vegetarian Meatballs

Megan has been raving about her homemade vegetarian meatballs since I've gotten back from Africa. And if you know Meg, she on the humble/self-conscious side and would never brag about anything unless it was over-and-above delicious. Though I was out of the country, I think there are a few meatless-balls packed away in the freezer, waiting for me to steal. Meatless Meat Balls: 6 eggs 1 8-oounce package cream cheese 1 1/2 cups soda cracker crumbs (add more if needed) 1 cup portabello mushrooms, chopped into small pieces 1 cup pecan pieces, chopped 1 medium onion, minced 1.5 tsp salt Mix everything together. Form into balls. Heat oil in a large sauce pan and brown the meatballs in oil. Put into casserole dish. Cover balls with tomato sauce. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Good servied with spaghetti or with sauteed vegetables.

Spicy Meatball

My extended weekend in St. Louis wouldn't have been complete without a night in cooking together. Maria and I had been talking that we should do a cook off, a la Iron Chef America, but in the end we were all too tired from shopping and staying up later than I've stayed up in probably since college. So Maria, Maggie and I made turkey meatballs and spaghetti for everybody.

Of course we improvised it. Maria dug into the meat, egg, bread crumb mess.

Krista made vegetables.

Jenny took this artful photo. She can even make ground meat look good. Look at that flying oregano. Amy donated her apartment and cooking utensils.

Eight of us scrunched around this little coffee table in Amy's living room to laugh and eat. Life should always come with too many friends and too few chairs.

Turkey Meatballs for a Crowd:

3 pounds ground turkey meat

2 eggs

a bunch of unseasoned bread crumbs

a clove or two of garlic

parmesan cheese

salt

pepper

dried basil, oregano and parsley

olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Use your hands, but make sure they're clean. The consistency should be goopy, thick enough to roll into a ball and not fall apart. Roll meat into golf-ball-sized balls. Turn a burner on to medium high and heat up some oil. Pan fry the meatballs until they are brown on the outside. Check one or two to make sure they're done. Serve with spaghetti and meat sauce.