This week's featured recipe is Spaghetti and Meatballs! This recipe was one of the staple recipes my mom made when I was growing up. Since Spaghetti and Meatballs was one of my dad's favorite meals, my mom perfected her recipe and we all really like it!

The taste is substantially better than store-bought prepared spaghetti and meatballs, yet with a little planning (and yes, a little effort) Spaghetti and Meatballs can be a quick and delicious meal!

For example, I always make my meatballs in advance. When ground beef (80% or 85% lean) is on sale, I purchase several pounds (at least) and make it all into meatballs.

Rather than browning the meatballs in a skillet on the stovetop, I put them all on large cookie sheets and bake them. This is easier, with less mess. They only take about 30 minutes to bake, and you don't need to worry about blackened outsides with pink middles.

Then, I freeze most of the meatballs in meal-sized heavy duty bags. (Either Ziplock freezer bags or Food Saver vacuum bags.) I save out some meatballs for using fresh, of course. In the future, whenever we want to have meatballs, I just thaw a package of my homemade meatballs and put them in with the sauce. We find that the meatballs taste even more flavorful when they're been frozen for a few weeks!

Now, about the sauce. I make my own tomato sauces (recipes are linked in the Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe ingredients list) and have them canned. For simplicity's sake, you have the option of using whatever sauce you like: plain pizza sauce, store-bought sauce, or our personal favorite, a mixture of homemade pizza sauce and homemade tomato soup.

I know all those "homemades" can sound a little daunting, but don't stress out about it! If you don't usually make spaghetti and meatballs from scratch, then start small. Just make the meatballs first. Then make pizza sauce. Or, experiment with taking the ingredients list from my sauces and modifying plain tomato sauce (the kind that comes in those little 30-cent cans) to suit your tastes.

So, there you have it: the story behind one of our long-time family favorites: Spaghetti and Meatballs! If you happen to drop by our house unexpectedly and I offer a meal, this is probably what you'll get! Just be sure to request some Italian Cheese Bread, which can be made and baked in a jiffy, as well!