A box full of love / gluten free meatballs

Good evening

Tonight I have a teeny tiny box to share

The box is the same size as those jewellery boxes intended for earrings 

I received a similar one of these boxes at christmas from my dear friend Margaret, my mum saw it and wanted a similar one to send her friend

It was an absolute pleasure to make as I know Elizabeth is a very good and dear friend to my mum

I used Bo Bunny papers

A flower from Wild Orchid Crafts

The ribbon and charm were both in my stash

The special thing about the box is that it is full of love

And from there we have a totally unconnected leap to meatballs !

I am sharing another gluten free recipe this evening

I am sure we have Italian blood in our family as all things pasta related are consumed with passion

I had to adjust our normal recipe as the addition of breadcrumbs is a no-no, we could have used some of AJ's GF bread but I thought out of the box for this recipe and went down a totally different route

Rustic Parmesan Meatballs

Ingredients:

1lb minced beef ( I use lean minced steak, fry in fry light then drain of any excess fat)

1 large egg lightly beaten

1/2 large mild onion (diced)

4 tbsp parmesan cheese

4 cloves fresh garlic

1 tsp oregano

seasonings

Method :

Combine all ingredients (except mince) in a large mixing bowl, mix really well and then add minced beef ( I find it is much easier to mix together with my hands)

Roll into small balls, I usually end up with 24/25 meatballs

Brown in a little oil, then simmer in sauce of choice for approx 20 minutes or until cooked through

Trust me - the addition of parmesan in these meatballs is divine, so much tastier and more moist than breadcrumbs !

We served ours with Glutafin Gluten free penne

I make my own sauce and call it hidden vegi sauce, as I like to hide lots and lots of vegetables in it,  cunning 'mum speak' for getting the boys to eat their five - a - day, although even that is not good enough now apparently as there is now talk of us supposedly having to consume anywhere from 7 to 10 fruits and veggies a day to meet the minimum healthy requirements

For my sauce I generally start with the basics of a tin of tomatoes, fresh garlic, tomato puree or passata (whichever I have handy), chopped onion, fresh basil from the herb pot in my kitchen and a stock cube, I use the Knorr stock pots as they are totally gluten free, and then I throw in a selection of whatever veggies I have in, for this sauce I added a courgette, a stick of celery, a couple of diced carrots, mushrooms and a red bell pepper

All the veggies are lightly softened in a little fry light, I add in the tomatoes, passata, stock cubes and seasonings, I simmer on a low heat until all the veggies are tender and the sauce has thickened and then throw in a handful of fresh herbs just before serving

A few quick thankyou's before I say goodnight

Thankyou to Andrea for the gorgeous little bunch of sunshine by way of yellow roses

Thankyou to Trish for the stunning bouquets of spring flowers 

Thankyou to Ann E for the beautiful daffodils

Thankyou to Kate for the two new mugs added to my collection

The house looks so happy and cheerful with all the pretty blooms

Also thankyou to Ann N and Margaret who both helped with drinks this week

Hope you all have a restful weekend

Love and meatballs

Tracey

xxx