Meanwhile... Back In Utah

I am back in Utah! After spending over twelve hours in various airports, dealing with traveling standby and planes that smell like rotten body odor... I am back! And let me just say, I have never been so happy to be back after all of that shananigans. I did meet a nice man on the plane from San Francisco to Salt Lake City though. I don't know his name, I never asked, but he graduated from BYU Hawaii so we talked about that for a while. He asked me if this was my first year at college... HAHA! I laughed and said it was my third year, I just look really young. (Never mind that I am young... we'll just skip that part, haha).

It's weird to think that just ten hours ago I was still in the air. Now I'm resuming my unproductive/non-exciting life while listening to John Mayer's newest CD. - Which is wonderful by the way, everyone should check it out. My favorite is Something Like Olivia.

Arizona was great. I'll miss the heat, surprisingly. I'll miss laughing at my Grandpa's crazy sayings and hearing all of my Grandma's adventures as a Las Vegas flight attendant. I'm just missing Arizona period. But I know Utah will be good to me... maybe. Until it's time to leave for Idaho to visit Brittany for a the Fourth of July! All in all... one chapter of my summer is closing as another opens. We'll see how it turns out! I know I'm excited.

These last three years... I know they've been hard. But now it's time to get out of the Desert and into the sun. Even if it's alone. ~The Format

Sauce and Meatballs

I know this is quite a weird post, and doesn't go with the general theme of my blog... but I'm going to publish it anyway! I like to post things about my personality and things I find interesting so on that note, I am sharing my Sauce and Meatball recipe today.

Step One: Preparation
Cut onion, use as much or as little as you would like. I usually use a little less than half of a large sized, white onion.
Slice garlic, to taste. You can chop the garlic real fine or grate it, which ever you prefer.
Chop Italian Parsley. You never know how much you're going to use so chop more than you think you'll need.

Step Two: Throwing it Together

Sautee the onions with Extra Virgin Olive Oil until transparent in the same pot you are making sauce in.

When the onions are nearly finished, throw the garlic in as well. Don't let the garlic get brown!

After everything has been cut and the onions are sauteeing, it's time to start the tomatoes. On a day I'm feeling ambitious, I will boil down whole, fresh tomatoes until the skin starts to peel. Once it's started to peel, run them under cold water and sluff off the rest of the skin. Make sure to pit the tomatoes before throwing them back into the pot. This is done the best by slicing around the top and pulling out the core. 

Now, on a day I am not feeling so ambitious, I will use a big can of whole, stewed tomatoes. Pit these the same way and rinse the seeds off. 

After following either option, put the tomatoes in the pot with the onions and let them boil down for about 20-30 minutes on medium heat. Stir to keep from burning.

Step Three: Adding Sauce

After boiling the tomatoes for a while, start adding canned sauce. Today I added four family sized cans of Hunt's tomato sauce. (Be sure it is the sauce that has not been prepared.) 

Next, add three small cans of tomato paste to thicken the sauce. Note: you can add as little or as much tomato paste as you want. The consistency is to your own preference. 

You may also need to add a couple cups of water if your sauce is too thick. It's ok! You're allowed to add it.

Cook the sauce on a temperature that allows the sauce to slowly boil. Usually this is medium to medium-low heat.

Step Four: Season it!

And now it's time for some fun!

The seasonings I use are Basil, Oregano, Italian Parsley, Salt, Pepper, and ... Brown Sugar. 

I always use more Oregano than anything else. Italian Parsley is next and is always a close second in quantity. I use half as much Basil as Oregano, because I don't care too much for an over powering taste of basil. Pepper and Salt to taste. Make sure to taste the sauce before putting in your salt. It may not need any depending on the type of canned sauce you use. And last but not least, the Brown Sugar. Add three or four good pinches and you're done!

Step Five: Momma's Meatballs

I'm convinced that my mother makes the best meatballs... because she does! This is how she does it:

Today I used two pounds of lean ground beef. Put it in a giant mixing bowl. Next, grate two slices of bread (do not toast it first, yes it will grate I promise). Take your time grating the bread, you don't want the crumbs too big. Add two eggs, Italian Parsley, salt and pepper. (I added Oregano and a few onions today as well). 

Once everything has been added to the bowl, squeeze the meat with your hands! Make sure the meat is evenly mixed with all the ingredients. Now it's time to roll the meat. Make balls the size of my palm, haha. Like so:

A nice size golf ball, if you will. 

Once the sauce is boiling, drop the meatballs in the pot. My mom always drops them in an even circle so they don't stick together. They will sink to the bottom as you add more circles of meatballs. Like so:

After the meatballs have been put in the sauce, cook for 3 hours on medium low. Make sure that the sauce slowly boils for the full three hours. 

And as always, listen to some nice Italian music! ;)

Have fun! And I hope you enjoy the recipe! We sure enjoyed it tonight.

Moments That Matter Most

Today I caught myself doing something of which so many of us find ourselves guilty. My sisters are in town visiting me here in El Mirage. Little Julianna (who's not so little anymore), came up to me and said, "Kristi, can I show you a song I wrote on the piano?!" She was so excited and in my hastiness to finish a chapter of the book I am reading I said, "Not now, Julianna." I resumed reading for a short minute before I realized that moments like these happen every day. I paused long enough to know that not letting another one pass me by is well worth the two minutes my little sister required of my time. I walked into my Grandmother's piano room and Jules turned around with the biggest smile on her face and played her song. She felt satisfied and I felt enlightened with the knowledge that life's simplest moments, the moments that pass us by, are the moments that are most important.