Tonight's "dinner" was just sampling what I was cooking for Fathers Day tomorrow -- meatballs, sausage, and sauce (mom's gonna handle the vermacelli).

I keep playing with different recipes, at least until I find a real favorite. I LOVE America's Test Kitchen, on TV and the magazine. They redo classic recipes all the time (often scientifically) to make them "better", but it's often a bit bizarre.

Following (halving) their recipe for Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs for a Crowd I thought would be fine -- well, it was fine -- it's just bizarre. I did NOT add gelatin to the meatballs (infamita!), I used the beef/pork/veal "Meatloaf Mix" instead. But I did follow the Panko/buttermilk part! o.O

But with just some minor adjustments, everything came out pretty damn good -- especially the sauce (tho I did add meat to it).

The meatballs, next time, I'll up the beef (don't know the ratio Pathmark uses for their Mix). ATK is the best -- but certainly not traditional all the time. But by adding some common sense, their recipes are a great starting point.