I knew it was going to be a good day.

Today I:

Woke up before the kids.

Got out of bed.

Made lunches.

Got a hug from the biggest before he rode to school.

Dropped the littler ones off.

Came home & turned this up LOUD.

Mr 3 had a sleep.

 I did some washing.

Read a few pages of a book.

My mate made it to Top 5.

Bought some tickets to a band for me Hubby & the biggest 2.

Prepared tonight's dinner.

I knew it was going to be a good day.

GOURMET GIRLFRIEND'S MEATBALLS:
This morning I decided to cook up a batch of meatballs.
Do you love meatballs?
I do.
They are super easy to make.  Everyone makes them differently.
I am of the school that fills the meatballs and the sauce with lots of flavour.
I'm not a fan of meatballs that are just meat.
I also fry the meatballs before adding the liquid.
Did you know if your hands are wet it is much easier to roll the meatballs?
My usual rule applies here- using excellent quality organic produce will yield excellent flavour. Buy the best quality ingredients you can afford.
This is a GREAT dish for young children to cook or at least help you!
This meal will be the perfect way to end  a great day.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• 1kg organic beef mince
• 2 onions
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 organic egg
• 3 thick slices of old sourdough bread (to make 1 cup breadcrumbs)
• fresh basil, finely chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 cloves of garlic (you can use less if you like- I LOVE it)
• 2 tablespoons organic tomato paste
• 3 tins of Organic tomatoes
• olive oil

METHOD:

Place 1/2 bunch Parsley & 2 garlic cloves in a food processor and blitz till fine.

Slice crusts off bread and cut into large chunks.

Add to food processor and blitz till you have a fine crumb.

In a large bowl add mince, breadcrumbs, egg, parmesan cheese and a generous pinch of black pepper & salt.

Mix through VERY well.

Chop remaining garlic finely & chop onion into dice.

Heat some olive oil in a large pot to a medium heat and add onion & garlic.  Fry till translucent and fragrant- about 4 minutes.

While the onion & garlic are frying you can start rolling your meatballs.

Wet your hands under the tap and take a small amount of mince and roll.

Try to make the balls even in size- this means the cooking time will be the same.

As you roll them pop them into the pot with the onions & garlic to fry off.

Once all balls are in and browned off add the tomato paste.

Stir through and then add the cans of tomato, the remaining chopped parsley, basil & bay leaves.

Stir until simmering, lower temperature to lowest possible and cook for a couple of hours to let the flavours really develop.

Serve with pasta, or my Ricotta Gnocchi (recipe here) or even just with some lovely bread and a salad. 

Comfort food.

Here are the guys we are going to see later in the year with my big lads- the Punch Brothers. They are from NY.