Recipe Round-up: But, Mommy!! You know I don't like...

Anything? Yes, I've got a picky eater in my house and it's not me. Well, mostly not me. My eight year old is the most vexing child when it comes to making dinner. A meal he liked last week has become the most vile thing this week. Case in point: when D was younger, once of his favorite foods was a crock pot meal called Cream Cheese Chicken. He'd eat it with gusto, it's ranchy, ricey goodness being shoveled into his mouth with abandon. Then, out of nowhere, "I HATE THAT!!!" And he does. With a passion rarely seen in children his age. A dish he ate for years now relegated to the ever growing list of things my child won't eat. 

What's a mother to do when her child just refuses to eat, well, anything? I don't cater to his food whims. I'd never leave the kitchen if I did. I am more inclined to make a few things I know he will eat more often than I'd be wont to do otherwise. One of D's favorite dishes is the old stand-by--spaghetti and meatballs. It just so happens that the rest of us love it too. Now, I'm sure you all know how to cook pasta and have your own favorite sauce whether it be jarred or scratch made. (Jarred please--Mid's brand. OMG, yum! If you can find it--buy it, use it. Thank me later. Seriously.) But meatballs. Meatballs!! They're a dish that left me stymied for years. No matter what I did, they turned out hard and nasty. Until I borrowed a Taste of Home ground beef cookbook from the library. (Angelic music plays...) EUREKA!! Here's the holy-grail of meatballs for our family. I confess, I'm not the one that makes them, the husband does that. He's just got this magic touch with them that keeps them light and delicious. 

Meatballs!

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2-3 Tablespoons steak seasoning (that's a guesstimate, I eyeball it.)
• 1 envelope spaghetti sauce mix
• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 
  

Directions

• In a bowl, combine the eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, 3 tablespoons spaghetti sauce mix and salt. Crumble beef and pork over mixture and mix well. Shape into 20-24 meatballs.
• In a large skillet, cook meatballs until no longer pink; drain. Stir in your spaghetti sauce of choice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to package directions. 

Notes:

On occasion, we'll grate some zucchini into the meatball mixture. When we do this, we usually reduce the number of eggs to one since the zucchini adds enough moisture on its own. It's just one way to get a little bit of veg into my oh so finicky child. 

I hope you all try this meatball recipe! And if you think you've got one that's better, please share!! Until next time...