If you are a grandparent, more than likely you have found yourself secretly hoping that you will be considered ‘the favorite’. Usually, there is no malicious intent behind that desire, and there is no way you would ever admit to it. But deep down, it is there.
I am Guilty!
I have to confess to that desire. However, in the case of Colton, I have to compete with two other extremely wonderful sets – and these two sets are his ‘real’ grandparents. Me? I am just ‘Gran’. Colton’s dad is a close friend of my son, and when Colton was born, we were graced with the honorary titles of ‘Gran’ and ‘Papa’. I don’t care if it is honorary or not; Colton belongs to us, just as much as he does to the other grandparents. I may never reach the consistent title of ‘favorite’, but I do know that I can reach it for a little while during his visits. How do I do that?
Meatballs.
When Colton was younger, they all came out to visit. It just happened that I was making meatballs that day – some to use for dinner that evening, and the rest to freeze for later. I made a double batch, so when they came out of the oven, I saw no harm in allowing the boys to sample a few. If it wasn’t for a quick grab, there would not have been enough for the spaghetti sauce that night. If the smile on Colton’s face was any indication, I reached ‘favorite’ status for at least a few hours.
The glory of meatballs is that they are versatile. You can make small ones, medium-sized or single-serving-large ones. They can be used in a red sauce, a white sauce or as a topping to a basil-pesto pasta. They can be used as appetizers, cooked in a crockpot with barbecue sauce, or simply eaten fresh from the oven as a snack. If frozen, you can take out as many as you need and pop them in the oven.
Looking to be the ‘favorite’ with your grandchildren? Cookies are delicious, but with meatballs, you can add a little zing and a lot less sugar!
Meatballs
1 lb. ground beef
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. ground Italian Sausage
2 t. Basil
1-1/2 t. Garlic Powder
2 t. Oregano
1 t. Thyme
2 T. Parsley
½ t. Pepper
1 t. Salt
2 Eggs
½ to ¾ cup Italian Bread Crumbs
Mix all ingredients until well blended, without over kneading. Mold into 1-1/2 to 2-inch balls, or desired size. Place on a foil-covered cookie sheet or shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, until done.
You can either immediately add them to your spaghetti sauce or cool completely and store in a zip top storage bag and place in the freezer. Keeps well up to three months.
For other great recipes, come hang out with me in The Kitchen!
Hopefully I a a bit off grandchildren just yet but my teenagers would love the these!
Those look great and I am so glad you have such a loving relationship with your grandbabies!
Thanks, Farmgal! I do love my grandbabies – they are so much fun to spoil! 🙂
Great story and good looking meatballs, Julie! Luckily I AM the favorite of my grandkids! Might still have to find their favorite foods though!
Thank you, Shawna. The fun part of finding out their favorite foods will be spending all that time getting the answer!
Aw, that’s a really sweet story, Julie. It’s always nice to be considered the favorite of a grandchild! 🙂
I have two of my own, and you can bet I’ll be searching for their favorite thing, Kristi! I only hope that each set of grandparents are a ‘favorite’ in some respect! 🙂
What fun! The meatballs look delicious too!
They are, Lisa. You need to try a batch!
We are the favorite. Others set doesn’t even acknowledge them hardly. We are there for everything
I feel sorry for the other set, Candy. They are really missing out on a lot of joy in their life! I am so glad you are there for the kids, though. And I know you spoil them — in a good way, of course! 🙂