SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS

Remember those tomatoes we canned during the summer? Well here is the perfect opportunity to try them out. I like to use fresh tomatoes in spaghetti sauce when they are in season, but during the winter home-canned tomatoes are the next best thing. The sauce recipe originated with my husband's Grandma Nida. After experimenting, I added a few extra spices to make it a little more to my taste. The meatballs are from the Williams and Sonoma Italian cookbook. I checked it out from the library one day and came across this gem! I've changed a few things in that recipe too. I like to double the meatball recipe and freeze half of them for later meals. You'll use a lot of garlic, (YUM!) just keep the breath mints handy;)

SPAGHETTI SAUCE

1 quart diced tomatoes
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 can tomato soup
1/2 large onion (or 1 T. dried onion flakes)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 t. oregano
1/2 t. thyme ( or 1/4 ground)
1/2 t. basil

Add all ingredients and simmer until reduced in amount, about 1 hour.

MEATBALLS

1 lb. hamburger
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
1 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, shredded

Combine all ingredients and roll into balls. The recipe suggested frying in olive oil. That was a little too greasy for me. I baked them for 10 minutes, flipped them over then baked another 10 minutes. The recipe also suggested adding 1 T. fresh, chopped parsley-I omit this, my family doesn't like the green stuff;)