What You Say About Society

I got an oil change for my Hyundai this morning. It's the last day of the year, FREEZING, right around 10 degrees, and I went at 8:17, perhaps the first customer of the day (they opened at 8:00). So I kind of expected the crew to be on the grumpy side. But of course, assumptions usually leave us feeling foolish. These guys were super cool and very friendly. I sat in the car while they worked. Used to be I'd sit in the waiting room during an oil change, read a magazine, whatever, but now I'm accustomed to chilling in my car while the work gets done. The classic rock station was playing -- a win for me. When Tom Sawyer came on the radio, they sang along. Awesome. One of the guys put extra punch into the line that ends with "what you say about society." That made me happy. Here's the lyrics if you need them. The lyrics have held up well over time. Though his mind is not for rent, don't put him down as arrogant. Good stuff.

So it's the last day of the year and I don't have many resolutions in mind for 2015. I'll continue to keep my eye on society and probably work to improve my skills in the kitchen. I might blog about food a lot in 2015 and share some recipes along the way. Like this recipe for crock pot meatballs. "Meatballs in the crock pot," you might be thinking, "surely you can't be serious." I am serious, and don't call me Shirley. Trust me on this one.

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds ground beef (85% mix)
1 cup (or little less) Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
add chopped fresh parsley
add onion and herb seasoning (I use Mrs Dash)
1 egg, beaten

1 jar spaghetti sauce (if you live in Buffalo-Niagara region, Pellicano's works great.)
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (Redpack with spices. Redpack is the best.)

DIRECTIONS:
1.      In a bowl, mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, spices, egg and a little milk for moisture. Make some meatballs!
2.      In crock pot, mix the spaghetti sauce and crushed tomatoes. 
3.      Place the meatballs into the sauce mixture. Cook on low for approx 3 hours.
4.      Add one or two tablespoons sugar to the sauce along with pepper and more seasoning if needed.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-slow-cooker-meatballs/ (Always cite your sources!) I made a few adjustments to the recipe.