Mama's Italian Meatballs

My family could eat some spaghetti and meatballs. We had it at least once a week. I know many meatball recipes have several kinds of meat mixed in, but this was the 60's and we were simple folk in rural Ohio, so ground beef was just fine for us. My Dad had been a cook in the Navy, so sometimes to make things extra exciting he made homemade noodles. When I came home and saw noodles hanging all over the counters to dry, I knew I was in for a treat. But the crowning glory were the meatballs. My Mama used to be a waitress at an Italian restaurant in Akron, OH before she and my Dad were married and one of the guys in the family showed her how to make them. I would guess I have eaten over 1300 of these in my lifetime. :)

Three years ago when my mother was dying of cancer, and could barely eat or swallow, this is what she was craving, and I made a batch for her. She hadn't been able to eat in days, but managed to get a meatball down and it was the happiest moment of my week that I was able ot make her recipe and that she actually got to eat one. <3

• 1 lb ground chuck
• 2 slices bread crumbs (because they didn't come in a can back then.)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 clove mashed garlic
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 TBL grated parmesan cheese
• 1 TBL dried parsley

Break up bread crumbs in bowl. Add egg, water, cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley. Let bread soak a few minutes. Mix with fork until well blended. Add meat and mix well. Shape by tablespoons into balls and brown slowly in skillet. cover and add a little water, simmer. OR (and this way is much yummier IMHO - put in oven and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. And if you have a cast iron skillet, all the better.