Garlic Meat Balls in Tomato Sauce

Halloween night I tried this Garlic Meat Balls in Tomato Sauce recipe. Though I believe it's a virtue to be able to cook without precise instructions, I got a little unnerved over the amount of garlic. We're a garlic loving family and I didn't know if 21 small cloves of garlic was going to be enough. But, go big or go home, right? I took the plunge and instead of 21 small cloves I went with about 20 cloves. Some were quite large. Followed form with the garlic required for the sauce - same number, bigger size. I'm pretty sure no vampire was within a 50 mile radius of our house last night.

I also added a tad more parmesan than called for because, well, I always add more cheese than a recipe calls for. The recipe calls for honey, which based on previous experience I'm guessing was to cut some of the acidity of the tomatoes. As evidenced by this tried and true masterpiece, it's all about the butter, baby. Instead of the honey I threw 2 tbsp of butter in the pot to smooth the flavors out. Worked like a charm. If you're impatient, give the tomatoes a once over with a potato smasher once they've started to soften up.

Verdict: This one is a keeper. Even Ethan gave it a thumbs up once I threw some parmesan cheese on top.

Alterations: Adjust the garlic to your comfort level.

LOVE = large/regular size cloves and

LIKE = small cloves (or 1/2 the number of large/regular size).

Smooth any tomato bite over with some butter and skip the honey altogether.