Last night, naked beneath the sheets, watching The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, my gentleman lover whispered in my ear, ‘You look like her.’ Glancing over my long dark locks draped against my chest, and then up at the bubbly blond, Vera Miles, looking doe eyed at John Wayne, I looked back at him perplexed. He said, ‘No, the cook, the polish woman in the background with the strong back, “making fix-ins”… she’s hot.”

Part of me wanted to scream, ‘but why can’t I be the perky blond, why do I have be the polish woman with the strong back who constantly smells of garlic and onions — why? But after further thought, I realized maybe I am that woman by the stove, just with larger breasts and sans the Polish heritage… so be it.

In any event, perfect comfort food for me is meatballs and sauce. I love listening to Dino, drinking wine and chopping garlic. It’s instant therapy and not something I grew up with. My dinner table did not resemble The Sopranos, See post on glop and onion soup. Meatballs and sauce is something I learned when I first noticed how devastatingly handsome Italian men are.

The Sauce:

1 onion finely diced
1 carrot diced
1 celery stalk diced
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
1 cup of red wine
2 Tbls of butter
Handful of chopped fresh basil
Dash of thyme
Salt & Pepper to taste

Sautee you onion, carrot and celery until onions are translucent in pan with 2 tbls. of olive oil. Add you garlic, cook until fragrant. Add your tomatoes, red wine and butter. Simmer on low. Add basil and salt and pepper.

Worst Cook Ever Meatballs:

Preheat oven to 350

1lb. ground beef or turkey
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1 tsp. of chili flakes
1 cup of chopped Spanish onions
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 - 2 cups of Italian seasoned bread crumbs (judge consistency — moist, but firm)
1 cup parmigiano reggiano finely grated
2 eggs
splash of milk
salt and pepper

Mix together with your hands and form meatballs the size of golf balls. Place them on baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes. Add them to your sauce. Toss with pasta or enjoy with crusty bread.