easter weekend

Since moving from NY to SF, I have had to forfeit spending Easter Sunday with my family. Of all the holidays at home, this is definitely the most low key considering my loud Italian family.

When I was a kid we spent Easter with my dads side of the family, and it was a full-on Italian affair. My Aunt Rose makes the best lasagna you.will.ever.have. I am still trying to perfect her secret, but one is she puts mini meatballs (read: the size of a penny) into the dish. Its really amazing. And don't worry, we are going to break down the meatball recipe below.

For me though, holidays have always been the time to enjoy food with my family, hang out with my cousins, and play games. To this day, we always play a game at every family gathering. Our most recent fave is a game called left, right, center, which is the perfect formula for us: allows us to bet, uses dice and is easy for anyone to play, and as many people can play as possible. Everyone starts the game with $3, you roll as many die as you have dollars, and your roll determines where your money goes. Whoever is left with the one dollar at the end gets all the money in the middle, and you can imagine it gets pretty competitive. We have played with the idea of using $5 bills instead of 1's, but my brother declared he would have no problem "stabbing anyone in our family to win" so we decided we should keep it limited.  My family likes to bet, as you can see.

That probably tells you a lot of where I come from...maybe a little too much...?

Aunt Rose's Meatballs
one pound of chop meat (85/15)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced finely (we like a LOT of garlic--you can definitely cut this back to 2)
breadcrumbs-about 1/2 cup
one egg
fresh parsley, chopped fine--about 3 tablespoons
about 1/2 cup of grated pecorino romano (grate it fresh)
salt and pepper to taste
a small amount of water (you will add as you go)
olive oil for the pan

(Keep in mind this is largely based on the feel or consistency of the meatballs, so it takes practice. My grandmother has patiently walked me through these a few times, and I am finally getting the hang of it...)

• combine all ingredients above into a decently sized bowl. 
• add a small amount of water at a time--like a tablespoon, and mix it until they feel slightly sticky but don't stick to your hands. you may need to add more breadcrumbs, you may need to add more water.
• once you have that perfect consistency, preheat your pan and coat in olive oil.
• start forming your meatballs, and they should be no larger than a penny. collect them in the bottom of the bowl, and once the pan is heated, add the meatballs and brown on all sides.
• If you are making a sauce (which I did not in this instance) you can slightly undercook them (maybe 2-3 mins per side) and finish in the sauce so they are still chewy inside. If you are eating as is, cook through on all sides for about 4 mins.

These really come out AMAZING and they are like a mini snack. Enjoy!