Fresh Tomato-Basil & Garlic Linguine

One of my all time favorite things to eat is pasta!  I love Italian food as a whole but especially pasta.  I bought some fresh herb linguine at the farmer's market this week.  Because it's more expensive (about $2.00 a person), it's real treat!  Seeing as I've only made it for my husband and and I, it's a luxury that easier to afford every once in a while.

The freshness of it makes it more tender and SO delicious!  There's a big difference from the usual dried kind.

Tonight I wanted to use it in a way the pasta shines through.  I didn't want to smother quality pasta in a heavy sauce, so I made one of my go-to easy and scrumptious pasta recipes!

This recipe only has 5 main ingredients: pasta, grape tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and onion.  Everything was cooked in a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and butter, seasoned simply wth salt and freshly ground pepper and finished with grated Parmesan cheese.  You can always add more like crushed red pepper, olives or mushrooms for even more flavor.  I came up with this "recipe" myself, so it's a loose one that can be tweaked to your liking. I used a lot of garlic, but it really makes it savory and the basil gives it a sweet burst of freshness! This dish would be delicious with crust bread on the side!  

Simple, easy, fresh, and lovely.

It's a fast meal to make and easy to make for just a couple of people or a whole table full!  This beautiful Tomato-Basil Linguine will make you look like a home chef!

Fresh Tomato-Basil & Garlic Linguine

Serves 2

2 servings of linguine, fresh if available, cooked 

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise 

Bunch of fresh basil (about 20-25 leaves)

4 Cloves garlic, thinly sliced (minced, if good but whatch to make sure it doesn't burn.)

1/4 c. Red onion, sliced thinly

Extra virgin olive oil

Butter

Salt & Pepper

Fresh Parmesan cheese

In a skillet over medium heat, add approx. 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 tbsp. butter.  

Add the onion and cook for a minute.  

Add the tomatoes and some salt, and cook for another minute. 

Add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes until everything comes together and the tomatoes are softened and onions are tender.

Pour in the cooked linguine, the rest of the basil, and add about 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, black pepper and salt to taste.

Divide up in bowls, and finish with a little more cheese and pepper, and a sprig of basil.

Enjoy!

Savory Herb Crusted Chicken with Tomato-Garlic Cream Sauce

 

In case this picture doesn't do the trick, let me explain to you just how amazing this chicken recipe is! 

 

This was actually the first time to make this recipe that I found on Pinterest and decided to make in the very last few minutes before starting to cook!  I just happened to have most all of the ingredients needed for this mouthwatering chicken that's covered with a veil of cream sauce filled with roasted tomatoes and garlic. 

 

Oh. my. goodness, I want seconds nooooow!!

(Sorry for channeling the bratty girl from Willy Wonka.)

 

 

Ahem.

 

The flavors in this dish are incredible!  The chicken is seasoned well and pan fried with a light breading.  The base of the sauce comes from the "good bits" from the pan, chicken broth, cream, garlic and tomatoes that I quickly oven roasted.  It all comes together and marries like any well done recipe really should!  I decided to make some spaghetti and toss a little of the sauce and use that as a bed for the chicken breasts that's smothered with the rest of the tomato cream sauce.I did make some changes from the original recipe.  Here are the main ones:  

 

I used EVOO instead of butter.  (Other than adding a tiny bit to the sauce.) 

 

I didn't have any canned Italian tomatoes, but I did have Roma tomatoes that I needed to use.  I seeded and chopped them, tossed with EVOO, minced garlic, dried Italian seasoning salt & freshly cracked pepper and roasted them at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Easy and incredible.  This could even be done ahead of time. 

 

Unfortunately I didn't have fresh basil , so I did use dried Italian seasoning.

 

All of the changes were scrumptious.  I think either way this dish is perfection.

My mouth is seriously watering as I type!

 

I mean look at how the hot piece of chicken is soaking up the warm herb cream sauce?

The camera was loving this dish, but a girl can only take so many pics when she's drooling!!

 

 

To be honest, I knew the recipe looked good, but it tasted even better than I expected .... Way better!  This chicken is restaurant quality.  This would be a perfect meal to treat family and friends with!  It may look like it would be difficult, but it's really not.  It didn't take me long at all to make this and it came together so beautifully with the French green beans (haricot verts) I roasted.  You can substitute the pasta for mashed potatoes for a more home style option that would be a really comforting meal!

 

Please, for the love of your taste buds make this recipe!!   The whipping cream does put it in the very infrequent rotation of recipes for us, but you know that makes this dish even more special.  I'm already trying to think of a reason to make it again.  If you need a new chicken dish to try out, this is the recipe to make!   

 

 

Herb Crusted Chicken in Tomato-Garlic Cream Sauce

  Adapted from Our Kind of Love

Serves 2

 

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, pounded thin

1/4 c. Milk

6 dashes of Hot Sauce

1/2 c. Italian Dried Bread Crumbs

1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Garlic Salt

1 tsp. Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2-3 cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 c. Chicken broth

2/3 c. Whipping Cream, I didn't use "heavy" 

1/4 can of Italian diced tomatoes, drained and finely chopped

That is where I substituted for fresh roasted ones. Instructions above.

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste

Fresh Basil

(Please note that this is the recipe after I tweaked it to make it my own, other than the canned tomatoes.  The seasonings may not be precise, but they are very close.  I love the taste of hot sauce in the milk and please feel free to play with the sauce adding more less cream or additional spices if you like doing that!)

 

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Pour milk in a shallow dish and add the hot sauce and salt and pepper.  Go ahead and put your chicken in there to soak while you're preparing the rest of the ingredients.

 

Place breadcrumbs, paprika, garlic salt and pepper in another shallow bowl or plate.

 

In a large skillet, heat EVOO on medium heat. 

 

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the milk and place directly into the breadcrumb mixture.  Make sure it's thoroughly coated with crumbs.

 

Cook the chicken until brown and cooked through.  Since your cutlets will be thin, it won't take too long.  Remove and keep warm in aluminum foil.

 

In the same skillet, add garlic (I also added a smidgen of butter) and saute for almost a minute.

 

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Using a wooden spoon, scrape the pan to loosen all the good bits.

 

Stir in the cream and tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes.

 

Reduce heat to low and add the cheese.  Reserve some for plating if you wish.  Add fresh basil, pepper and stir the sauce until heated through and thickened.  This will just take 3-5 minutes.

 

I served the chicken by slicing it on a cutting board first.  Plate the chicken--I did this over pasta--and generously pour the sauce over the chicken. 

Divine!  You're ready to eat!

 

 

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Fresh Mediterranean Inspired Salads

 

I thought I would share with you these beautiful salads while I'm working putting together a post of our sweet Valentines Day for you.  Hope yours was wonderful, too!

 

I am loving salads more all the time!  I've been trying new ones at restaurants and come home inspired to experiment with delicious flavors.  I've always naturally loved the light and healthy flavors of Mediterranean food!  Lately I've been making salads inspired by their cuisine a couple times a week, and they're delicious.

 

  I've always been an olives freak (I can't get enough! I'm always given all the olives in the salad at Olive Garden.  It's just known that I'm the olive eater!)  Of course I love extra virgin olive oil, chickpeas, feta cheese, and cucumbers....you get the picture.  Although chickpeas are a more recent love over the past few years, I'll sometimes eat them a few days a week!  I always buy them canned, so I drain and thoroughly rinse the beans to get all the salt water off before adding them to anything.  (Actually I do this with any canned bean or vegetable.)

 

I've recently discovered that I like very finely diced red onion in these salads.  Mom has always like this, and I love cooked onions but have always picked raw ones off salads. I gave it a try again and this time  I've realized ... a little red onion is amazing in Greek salads!!!  Put them right in your homemade Greek vinaigrette dressing for a slightly milder taste that still adds that sweet heat undertone.

 

 

I think I was spurred on when I went to Gloria's World Village Cafe (in Murray, Ky.) with my Mom and sister and ordered the gyro salad.  It came with tzaziki sauce as the dressing, and of course had all of the other fresh Greek ingredients.  We all ordered this with delicious falafal and loved this salad so much!  I was inspired to use tzatziki for my salad dressing and that's what I'm doing now.  It's really fresh tasting and has little-to-no fat and higher protein from the Greek yogurt that's in it.  How's that for a salad dressing!?

 

I'm sharing with you a couple of my new favorite Mediteranean inspired salads.  This first one is more of a classic Greek salad with store bought tzatziki dressing, although I make an easy homemade Greek vinaigrette that's absolutely divine with it, too!  I'll give you the ingredients for that, as well.  If eaten by themselves (as I often do for lunch) either salad would be delicious with warm pita bread on the side!

 

 

Classic Greek Salad

Romaine Lettuce

Chickpeas

Kalamata Olives, or any kind

Red Onion, finely diced or slivered

Cucumber, diced

Grape Tomatoes

Crumbled Feta Cheese (Trader Joes has herbed kind that's delish)

Tzatziki Sauce

Salt & Pepper

 

If you don't use the tzatziki sauce for dressing, please try out my...

 

Homemade Greek Vinegarette:

2 parts Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 part Red Wine Vinegar

Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

Dijon Mustard, enough to make a little creamy

Pinch of Dried Oregano

Sea Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

(Finely minced shallots would make it perfect!)

 

Add all of this to a Mason jar with a lid and shake, shake, shake it up!!!

This is dressing absolutely delicious on salads.

 

The other favorite new salad is....

 

 

Creamy Cucumber-Tomato Salad

Graped Tomatoes, halved

English Cucumber, chopped

Red Onion, finely chopped

Fresh Basil

Tzatziki Sauce

Lemon wedge

Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

 

 

In a medium bowl, mix tzatziki dressing, juice of the lemon wedge, basil, onion, salt and pepper.

Stir until blended together and set aside.

 

Add the the cucumber and tomato to the same bowl and mix together so the dressing is saturating the vegetables.

 

This creamy cucumber & tomato salad is wonderful!!  I make it in single servings for my lunch at home, and that's my whole meal,  It would be wonderful served as a side dish in the summertime with whatever you have on the grill!  I want to try it with some feta cheese, too. Be sure and store in in the fridge if you're not eating it right away. 

 

 

Linking up at these friend's parties:

 

 

 



A Taste of Home

This precious cape cod house is our new home!  Mr. Cozy just put a fresh coat of black paint on the shutters last week.  They are working shutters that are probably original to the 1945 house.  I love that they can actually swing open and close!  I think it just adds to the character.  Oh! actually the shutters on the window to the left were completely missing when we bought the house.  We found them behind the shed in the back, and they looked well worn and one was broken in half.  My hubby knew just what to do...so with a little time, wood glue and a clamp, they were good as new within just a few hours!  I'm really glad they're back on the house, because I think they help to show off the pretty windows.  Thanks, Honey, for all of your hard work on the house!

The shrubs were very over grown, but we've trimmed them back so you can see the windows much better.  We also planted a pink pincushion flower right beside the steps.  We hope to eventually add to the landscape more with perhaps some red knock-out rose bushes and other perennials!  There's so much potential here!

The two trees you're looking through in the picture are dogwoods.  The one on the right blooms pink and the left white.  By the size of the trunks we know they're very old, and they're some of the largest dogwood trees I've ever seen!!:)  I'm very proud of them.  I also love the Japanese maple in the front corner of the house, although we need to trim that one branch of the large maple tree that is hiding the Japanese maple and the house a little bit. (Not sure if you can see that from this picture.)  I know...one thing at a time, Leslie!

*Sigh*  I'm so happy living here!  So many things to be thankful for.  It feels as though I have a little piece of Heaven in the middle of the city!  It's all my own...wake me up...and I really a homeowner?!?

I wanted to show you my bounty from the farmers market Saturday, that we can walk to!  Look at how pretty the bunch of carrots are, and the ripe tomatoes came from an Amish stand.  The pretty green tomatoes are from Mr. Cozy's parents' house.  I can't wait to make some fried green tomatoes with those!!  (It can be hard to find them still green like that.)  I thought it was pretty to place everything in my colander, at least for the day!  My friend Shareen does that, and I like the idea.

I'm off to start supper now. Although I'm not sure yet what I'm making, it's going to involve fried green tomatoes!

Blessings! :)

I'm linking up with my friends at:

 

Homegrown Cucumber Salad

Good Morning Friends!

This is a very simple recipe that will give you possibly a new way to use some of the abundance of your garden!  We are blessed with grandparents who have big "family gardens", so they love to share their harvest with everyone!  We've had home grown tomatoes and cucumbers growing out our ears (so to speak!).   Just knowing that our loved ones used their hands to plant and tend to these beautiful vegetables in family soil makes every bite seem a bit tastier.  

This salad is so simple. No really, it's almost embarrassing how few ingredients there are.  We love to eat this  with just about anything in the summertime, especially when we are grilling or have a platter of fried chicken.  This salad is not only bright in color, but flavor as well with the simple ingredients and addition of the fresh basil.  When peeling the cucumbers, I do what my mom and granny has always done--I like to leave thin  stripes of the peel so that when you slice them, they have pretty two-tone green cucumber in your salad.  It's the small things remind me of home.

I'm going to take advantage of the fresh vegetables and fruit while they still last.  In a few months we will only be dreaming about taste of the fresh summertime harvest that we now have at our fingertips!

Homegrown Cucumber Salad

3-4 Cucumbers, peeled and sliced

2 Slicer Tomatoes, rough chopped

Newman's Own Olive and Vinegar Dressing

Fresh Basil

(shredded, torn, however you like)

Salt & Pepper 

In a bowl, put the cucumbers and tomatoes.  

Add enough dressing for the vegetables to be completely saturated, plus some.  

Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Mix all of this together and allow to sit for at least 2 hours covered on the counter or overnight in the fridge.  

Before serving, stir again and add the fresh basil to the top.  

Serve with a slotted spoon and enjoy!

Serves 6-8

Thank you to Kim at Savvy Southern Style for featuring my peanut butter cookies.  Please check her beautiful home out if you haven't already!

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Sharing with You My Wonderful Weekend

Beautiful sunset over our "Shire".

Finally after at least a month, we got some rain this weekend.  A nice thunderstorm, in fact!  I can't help but to love waking up to a steady rain and rumbling thunder on mornings that I don't have to jump right out of bed and work.  My husband and I were both off this weekend and we had the best Saturday not doing much of anything(!!!) around the house.  Instead of mowing the yard and doing other previously planned things, all we did was watch our favorite movies, The Lord of the Rings and make yummy food! 

 Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of all of this, but for breakfast I made texas toast style, cinnamon & sugar french toast with homemade raspberry maple syrup!  Yummm!!!  I came up with this recipe, and I'll have to make it again just to tell you all about it. We slowly woke up while enjoying this with fluffy scrambled eggs and bacon.  Later that afternoon we enjoyed a good lunch of my homemade tomato soup with triple grilled cheese sandwiches  (OMG, good!)  See, we never keep white bread around the house. So whenever I bought this loaf of white texas toast bread, we were trying to think of the best ways to use it.  I mean, what's better than french toast and a gooey grilled cheese??   Heath surprised me with ordering a pizza for dinner, so I didn't have to mess the kitchen up again, and we feasted on it while finishing The Return of the King.  Perfect Saturday for us.  Okay, I almost don't want to admit this, but I think I kept my pj's on until about 4:00 that afternoon.  (I said it was a lazy day!! :)

I have to say that we don't eat like this everyday!  It was for sure a splurge day, and I'm back at the gym to get those extra calories off.  It was sure worth it, though!!

The next day we drove in to visit my family, because my brother just got back from being in Germany for the summer.  He was taking classes there and doing some great sightseeing with his German friends he made here in the states.  It was so nie to catch up with him while he shared with us his great picture and stories! Mom made a big Italian supper of lasagna, fresh salad and different loafs of fresh bread with olive oil and cracked pepper for dipping!  Everything was delicious!  The dessert was my favorite, though.  Turtle ice cream cake that was to die for!!  Everyone somehow found room to eat a piece of this dreamy dessert and it was the star of the night! 

If all of that wasn't a big enough night of celebration...it got even bigger!  My younger sister just announced her engagement!!!!  I am so happy for them, but can't believe my "best sister" is going to start planning her wedding!   She will be a beautiful bride and a wonderful wife, I already know it.

 What an exciting time this is right now.  I just had to share a piece of my life with all of you!  God has blessed us and our family so abundantly!  I'm excited to see what else he has in store for us soon to come!  I'll be back to my usual recipe posts very soon, don't worry.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!   Be blessed! 

Mama's Fresh Tomato Pie

Mom just started making tomato pie this year.  The first time was during a "girl's day" that we like to plan a few times a year.  We ate this with a green salad and crusty French bread.  I didn't know exactly how I'd like it since I'd never had anything quite like it-- but I loved it!!  It's something we've both wanted to try for years after watching Paula Deen make it.   I was excited when Mom surprised me by serving it for lunch that day!

Mmm, garden inspired tomato pie is a base of a buttery, crisp pie crust with a filling that combines fresh tomato slices, lots of bubbling cheeses and a bright bunch of fresh basil leaves--it's a Southern dish, yet Italian tasting at the same time.  (Now that's a great marriage of foods, to me!)  Mom adds her delicious twist to it by adding lots of Parmesan cheese to the top, along with extra slices of tomato and black olives. It not only looks beautiful, but the aroma of this dish is seriously irresistible when you take it out of the oven!

This is not a "healthy meal," due to some of the ingredients, but the key is moderation!  This meal is very much a treat for all of us with a nice side salad.  It is meatless, but it's hearty enough to be the main course.  For another option, you could make this a delicious side dish with some grilled chicken!  It could also be a new option for brunch, especially made into individual mini pies.  How cute would that be?
 Now that tomatoes are starting to get really good, this pie would be a perfect new summer recipe to make after coming home from the farmer's market!  I only put my favorite recipes on here, and this is one of them!!  Rustic tomato pie is a warm weather comfort food that I really hope you guys will try out sometime. :)   Thanks, Mom!

Mama's Rustic Tomato Pie

4 tomatoes, sliced

10 fresh basil leaves

1/2 onion, finely diced

1-9 in. Pre-baked deep dish pie crust

1 c. shredded Colby-jack cheese

1 c. shredded mozzarella

1 c. mayonnaise  (Yes, trust me on this one!)

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

salt & pepper


"Garnish"

tomato slices

black olives


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place the sliced tomatoes in a colander in the sink in 1 layer.  Sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for 10 minutes.

Layer the tomato slices, basil and onion in a pie shell.  Season with salt and pepper.

Combine the grated cheese and mayonnaise.  Spread cheese mixture on top of the tomatoes.

Add the extra tomato slices and scatter the black olives.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over the top and bake for 30 minutes until lightly golden brown and bubbly.

Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes.  Cut into slices and serve warm.

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Delicious Thyme & Lemon Pork Loin Chops with a Tomato & Balsamic Reduction

This is just a simply fresh and delicious recipe.  I kinda came up with this on the fly, and it turned out very yummy!  You can definitely substitute skinless, boneless chicken breasts if you have that.  I am still using that huge pkg. of discounted thin pork loin chops that I bought and froze a couple of weeks ago.   It begins with a simple "marinade" if you want to call rubbing a few things on the pork and allowing it to sit for 30 min.- 1 hr.  Pan searing the meat to get all crispy on the edges and removing it, only to add grape tomatoes, thyme, a bit of lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and all the pan juices that followed the meat to the aluminum foil.  Pour this balsamic tomato sauce over the pork and Voila!-- easy, gorgeous, and so good to eat!  The marriage of the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar balance each other well in taste and color!  This was a fun dish to make.

I think I actually began to make this just for an excuse for me to use my brand new, beautifully shiny, All-Clad French Skillet!!  It was fun to cook with such a nice piece of cookware (this is my first All-Clad) and I must say that it definitely served me well-- I'm hooked!  I got the recent deal at William's Sonoma for the 9 and 11 in. French Skillet.  Well, actually Mr. Cozy is the one who told me I should get it--yes, he knows that kitchen treasures are my favorite!

I served this with just whatever I had on hand.  (You have to realize that I made this meal right after getting back from vacation, and I wanted the challenge to use whatever ingredients I already happened to have!)  Fresh roasted corn and hot whole wheat rolls rounded out the meal.  A salad would be perfect here, too! So here I go explaining in "Leslie's terms" this easy recipe. --I do not have an organized recipe here...just to warn you--

Thyme & Lemon Pork Loin Chops with Tomato & Balsamic Reduction

Lay out your pork loins and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper, fresh thyme, lemon juice and a little extra virgin olive oil.  I let this set for about 30 minutes or so.

Get about 2 Tbsp. olive oil hot at med high heat and throw in a couple bunches of thyme sprigs.  Let them fry for about a minute, turning a couple of times.  Take out, place on a paper towel to drain, and set aside.

Now that your oil is delightfully seasoned with thyme, pat your pork to get the excess liquid off and place the pork in the pan to cook for only about 2-3 minutes on each side.  (This cutlets are quite thin.)  Try to only turn them once, to allow the edges to get nice and crispy!

Take pork out of the pan and place in aluminum foil to rest.

Back to the pan:  add a little more oil if necessary, the tomatoes, more thyme leaves, and balsamic vinegar.  Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get all of those tasty bits in the sauce.

This will cook down for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes get soft and the balsamic vinegar reduces down a bit and gets thicker and sweet.  Add a touch of minced garlic and all the juices that have pooled  in the bottom of the foil your pork is in; cook for a couple minutes longer.  (If you can continue to add the vinegar until it looks like there is enough for your pork.  Taste along the way.)

Plate your pork and pour the balsamic tomato goodness err..I mean, reduction all over the pork.  Garnish with the fried thyme leaves!

I'm linking up with...

Delicious Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

      "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie....that's Amore!!!"

     This is not your Grandmother's spaghetti and meatball recipe! This starts with a slightly spicy tomato and basil marinara made from scratch. That is then doused over big, hearty meatballs made from ground sirloin, Italian sausage, fresh parsley and parmigiano reggiano cheese among other yummy things, which is then smothered with freshly grated mozzarella and topped with a shower of basil leaves and more parmigiano reggiano before being baked off until hot and bubbly!  Is your mouth watering yet?

     Of course this recipe stems from non other than one of the "Ultimates" from Tyler -the most amazing chef- Florence.  I am a big fan of his, and he made me a big fan of meatballs!  I didn't even like them before this recipe! These are juicy and packed with so much flavor. They pair perfectly with this marinara sauce that is a recipe that I came up with, and we love it!!  I use this for just about everything Italian...pasta primavera, chicken parmesean or just plain with pasta.  The sauce is made from scratch and you can tell a difference in the taste from this and a jarred kind.  I think the dash of olive oil while it simmers makes it so rich and delicious, along with fresh basil.  (I really need a basil plant for as much as I like it.)  My husband loves it so much, there are times that he actually craves it!  So being paired with these incredible meatballs, you have a home cooked meal that's dressed to impress without being fussy.

     It's pretty simple to make, even though there are a few steps. I like to prepare the meatballs ahead of time and have them in the fridge ready to cook when the guests are about to arrive.  Also, I have made the sauce the morning of and put it in a crock pot on low until dinner is ready.  Doing that actually intensifies all the flavors in the meatballs and sauce even more.  I just made this a couple of nights ago when some good friends of ours came over for dinner and a movie.  The spaghetti and meatballs were a huge hit, although I made way too much!  I tend to do that--cook about 3 times as much as I need.  Good thing we love leftovers!

     These spaghetti and meatballs are truly comfort food that will make you feel good! So, make a fresh Caesar salad and toast some bread to dip in olive oil and try this to change up your same ole spaghetti routine for Sunday's dinner!

Hearty Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

kosher salt

extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped (I used pre-minced)

2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh italian parsley

1 c. milk

4 slices firm, white bread, crusts removed, cut into cubes

(this time I used 2 cups of dry bread crumbs instead and loved it)

1 1/2 lb. ground sirloin

1 1/2 lb. mild italian sausage

1 egg

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

Freshly ground black pepper

Homemade Marinara (recipe follows) or good quality jarred tomato sauce

1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated

basil leaves

1 lb. spaghetti

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti.

Heat 3 Tbsp. of oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and allow soften for a few minutes.  Add the garlic cook for a couple more minutes.  About 10 minutes all together.  Take pan off heat and let cool.

Pour Milk over the bread in a bowl and let soak while veggies are cooking.  If using dried bread crumbs, do the same thing.  Combine meats in a large bowl. Squeeze out excess milk from bread crumbs. Add egg and moistened bread crumbs and season generously with salt and pepper.  Add cheese, parsley and onion mixture and mix well.  Your hands are the best tools here!  Shape into about 20-25  meatballs.  I think I made about 25, and froze just a few for a later time.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat a "3 count" of oil in the skillet over medium heat, and brown meatball on all sides, about 10 minutes.  I like using a cast iron skillet for this.  Transfer them to a baking dish and spoon about half the sauce over.  Shower the mozzarella and scatter about half of the basil leaves on top.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Put meatballs in the oven and bake, about 28-30 minutes. Serve atop spaghetti with homemade marinara and more basil leaves for garnish. 

Serves 6-8

Homemade Tomato and Basil Marinara

2-28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes

1-28 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 small can tomato paste (didn't use this time, and wish I did)

1 onion, diced

2-3 cloves minced garlic

15-20 basil leaves

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 1/2 tsp. tsp. dried italian seasonings

1 tsp. sugar

salt and freshly cracked black pepper

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil.  Add onion and cook until softened.  Add garlic and red pepper and cook a couple more minutes.  Carefully add the crushed and diced tomatoes.  Stir in tomato paste.  Add sugar, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and fresh basil leaves.  

Taste and adjust seasoning.  Add about 2 Tbsp. olive oil for an incredibly wonderful, rich and flavorful sauce. Bring to a soft boil for about 5 minutes, and reduce heat and let simmer for at least 30 minutes -- the longer the better. If using, transfer to the crock pot after letting the sauce simmer for just a few minutes.  Turn crock pot on low and cook until ready to use.  Pour in drained pasta and stir together before plating with meatballs.

I'm linking up with Savvy Southern Style