Not so spicy, nonetheless a meatball

What topic better follows a post on hunger than a recipe? And it's even more appropriate if I point out a way you can make it healthier.

Anyway, tonight's quickie is one of my favorite comfort foods -- the humble, satisfying, delicious meatball. Don't think Mama Lucia or Chef Boyardee. I'm talking the REAL stuff, the homemade goods, the simmered-all-day-in-sauce-to-make-the-house-smell-the-way-a-Godfather-flick-looks variety.

This is my mother's recipe, which is really my grandmother's recipe, which is really whatever came over on the boat in some ancestor's head and has no precise measurements attached. I hope you enjoy the simplicity of this timeless comfort food as much as I do. And if you don't, well, go scratch. There's no hope for you.

Mom's Meatballs

Ingredients

2-3 lbs. of meat (beef/pork/veal mix OR meatloaf mix OR ground beef OR ground turkey. Let's plan 'spot the healthiest option'!)
3 eggs
salt & pepper -- to taste
minced flat lead Italian parsely -- to taste
minced garlic -- to taste
spaghetti cheese -- to taste
breadcrumbs (only if needed to bind the mixture. I usually find I don't need it.)

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a fork or by hand. Unless you're bleeding, have open sores, or haven't washed in 3 days, I recommend doing it by hand. Why? Because it's squishy and fun.

Whatever you decide, be gentle. Don't overmix. Form the meatballs and place on a baking sheet covered in tin foil. Bake for 30 minutes, turning at 15 minutes.

When they're done you have three options: eat right then and there (blah); pop in a freezer bag for a future meal (such foresight! such planning!); or pop into your homemade sauce (recipe coming), where you'll leave it to simmer as long as you'd like until you pour it over some delicious pasta and open a bottle of Chianti.

Guess which option I prefer.

Salud!