mary's meatballs

1/2 lb italian sausage (or 3 links)
1/2 lb ground buffalo (or any lean ground meat of your choice)
place in bowl with garlic powder, paprika, dried oregano, sage, basil - approx 2 teaspoons of each
add 1/4 bread crumbs - i like to use crushed croutons but crackers work well also
and a dash of dried red pepper flakes
add one to two tablespoons of spaghetti sauce (or you can use an egg to bind it)

mix well, very thoroughly, with your hands - yes, its very messy but i've never been able to properly mix this up using anything else; i tried to use a fork, spoon, etc

form into small balls, slightly smaller than a golf balls (smaller balls will cook faster and i think they're cuter:)

heat a little bit of olive oil in skillet to prevent sticking and place balls into hot oil, stir constantly to brown on all sides being careful not to overload your pan; i usually cook these in two 'shifts'

remove from pan and drain on paper towels to get rid of excess grease then place in your sauce and cook an additional 20 minutes on low with lid on to prevent splatter

meatballs - part deux
since i was unable to open my jar of sauce AND found that my supply of dried herbs was basically non-existent, i finished cooking my meatballs in the oven, placing them in my glass pie pan, pouring a little red wine over them and then adding fresh sage, thyme and rosemary. i covered them with foil and baked them for 20 minutes in a 350degree oven.

serve over your favorite pasta (we use whole wheat spaghetti cooked slightly al dente)
nice side dishes include a green salad, steamed broccoli, and of course garlic toast

mary's easy and quick garlic toast
i start with a fresh loaf of pan frances from our local HEB grocery store
slice thickly and place on cookie sheet
pre-heat your oven to 350 or 400 for extra crispy bread (i like mine to be soft in the midde)
melt just under a 1/4 of margarine in the microwave and add paprika, basil, garlic powder, oregano and dried parsley, mix well and spread on your bread before baking in the oven til it reaches your preferred level of "toasted-ness"
enjoy!