Fun Finds & An Easy Meal

My mom's side of the family is Italian.  My great grandparents...Maw Maw & Paw Paw...are from Italy and the time spent with them growing up made for some of my most favorite childhood memories.  I was blessed enough to have them around until I was 21.  They were some of the most beautiful people.  My Maw-Maw started the tradition of Sunday pasta & zucca.  She made the pasta and the meatballs all from scratch.  She taught My grandma how to do the same and the tradition still lives on today.  Sunday Funday pasta & zucca with the family are my most favorite Sundays.  You've never had pasta, meatballs, and zucca until you've had my grandma's.  Best around, hands down (I know I'm biased ;)  

I still haven't mastered the art of making everything from scratch.  I won't attempt the pasta, but I'm getting better at the zucca.  Meatballs have always stumped me.  I can never make 'em quite like grandma.  And that's really a shame because they're amazingly delightful.  I did find this recipe recently and figured it was worth a shot.  How could I possibly screw up a baked version of grandma's fare?!  Luckily I didn't!!  Although they're nowhere near the same, they are just as delightful and delicious to boot!

BAKED MEATBALLS ALLA PARMIGIANA

via I Breathe, I'm Hungry

1- 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

2 TBSP. fresh parsley, chopped

3/4 C. grated parmesan cheese

1/2 C. all purpose flour

2 eggs

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. dried minced onion

1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 C. warm water

Parmigiana Topping

Marinara sauce (I use Victoria brand Marinara - Old World Style)

Mozzarella cheese

This really is a quite simple dish to prep and bake.   I like to prep mine during the day or even the night before , refrigerate, and then bake before serving.  

Combine parsley, parmesan, flour, eggs, salt, dried onion, italian seasoning, and water.  Whisk together until well mixed and add in the ground beef.  Now take off your rings because your hands are about to get dirty.  You'll want to mix the beef and the liquid mixture together by hand until it's well combined.  

Then you'll form the mixture into meatballs about 2" around like this...

Once your meatballs are prepped (you might need two baking dishes for this), pour one tablespoon of marinara over each meatball.  Then place slices of mozzarella on top of each marinara covered meatball.  

Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes and voila...

baked meatballs alla parmigiana!!!

Y'all...these are SO good!!! I'm really partial to my grandma's meatballs and don't often eat them unless she's the chef.  However, this recipe has definitely become a family favorite.  My youngest loves grandma's meatballs and he says these are "even just as delicious, mom!!  But grandma's are still my favorite."  Sweet boy knows what he likes.  These are great served on their own with a side of mashed potatoes, but they're just as good served over pasta....minus the melted mozzarella. 

Now I want to share a few fun finds that made my closet and holiday collection smile :)  

First up, Halloween.  I KNOW it's too early to talk about it.  I know.  But I also know that Home Goods/Marshall's sell out of this stuff with a quickness, so I went ahead and got a head start on my holiday shopping so I wouldn't miss out.  It's all put away and stored right now, but I'm tempted to start my Halloween decorating when September hits (is Sept. 1st too early?!?!?  #kidding  #sortof)

Do y'all shop at Ross??  I LOVE Ross.  Their home decor is on point.  Not always, but often.  It's definitely a hit or miss, but goodness...when it's a hit it's a home run!!  I ran in the other day while I was in town and found these fantastic wire baskets with wooden handles for a whopping $3 on clearance!  SOLD!  I bought them all.  I have no idea what I'll do with all of them, but this one makes a cute little home for my flour and sugar containers.  

I think I've told y'all before how our nearest grocery store is about 25 minutes away.  Well...we do have one in town, but they're overpriced and never have anything I need.  It's a pretty tiny little grocery store.  About a year ago our little town got a Wal Mart.  Since they have pretty much everything I need, I typically do my grocery shopping there.  While I was walking to checkout the other day I noticed a display of fitness gear.  Y'all...they have some CUTE stuff!!  And it's pretty decent quality, too!  New gear always makes me excited to workout, so I picked this up.  The whole outfit cost me $17.  Not too shabby.  So if you're looking for inexpensive workout clothes, head on over to Wal Mart and check out what they have in stock.  

We won't be experiencing any cool weather anytime soon here, but I know that my favorite store will sell out of their Fall/Winter clothes pretty quickly, so I went ahead and picked up a few (inexpensive) things for the change in weather (whenever that happens).  Just wanted to share in case you're anything like me!!

I know this isn't a flattering angle, but this sweater is the cutest!!!  It looks great with skinny jeans and covers enough of the lower half to wear with leggings, too!  The material isn't too thick or too thin...just right for cooler temps.  And it's soft, too.  For $17.90, it's a STEAL!

EYELASH LACE-TRIM SWEATER, FOREVER 21

I know I'm late to the feather vest party and this trend is probably out, but I love it.  I looked everywhere for one last season and couldn't find the right color.  This is exactly what I was looking for.  I know I won't wear this all the time, so the $33 price tag is perfect for this occasional accessory. 

SIDE PANELED FAUX FUR VEST, FOREVER 21