Brown Bag it Day, Wine and Meatball Boats

Hello and welcome to the 25th Day of May. On the National Front, we have Wine Day and Brown-Bag-It-Day. Both lend themselves nicely to an assortment of delicious recipes to share. Although I would not recommend Brown Bagging It with Wine. The whole idea behind Brown Bagging It is to have a healthy-er alterative to fast food lunch.

Packing a lunch from home saves money – since most Brown Bag lunches these days consist of leftovers warmed in the microwave. That doesn’t mean simply rehashing last night’s dinner. You can change it up. Cook a roast, then grind the meat to create an awesome spread for crackers or sandwiches. Yesterday’s taco filling could be today’s burrito.

Today is also National Wine Day – and we are all suppose to raise a glass made just for sipping and savoring the beauty of the day, or to wash away our cares or whatever else might be reason enough to have a glass of wine. Now these sandwiches we’re sharing today would be great with a glass of wine. At lease in my book. Hubby not so much. I’ll have wine with my pizza, he’ll have a soda with his. Different strokes, I guess.

Could these sandwiches be Browned Bagged? Maybe. But that might be a bit messy. Besides, I don’t care how great your microwave might be, something happens to bread in the process. No, these sandwiches are more for relaxing with that glass of wine at the end of the day.

When Kiddo was a kid, he had a saying that always brought a smile to my face. It was like a secret between us. When he would share some bit of his Catholic Faith with friends who were not Catholic, they didn’t always get his meaning. And so he would say “Oh just get in the boat.” I knew what he meant, even if his friends didn’t get it. Kiddo meant that all things are possible with faith – just get onboard and trust in God. These Meatball Boats make me smile – believing as I do that all things are possible with a little faith.

Meatball Boats
Meatballs
1 lb Ground Beef
1 large Egg
1/3 cup Breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 tablespoons Parsley, chopped
Kosher Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 (16 oz) jar Marinara Sauce

Heat oven to 375-degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, set aside until ready to use.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef with egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan Cheese, garlic and parsley. Season meat mixture with salt and pepper. Mix well without overworking the meat, for into 12 evenly-sided meatballs.

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil. Cook meatballs in the hot oil until seared on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add marinara sauce, gently stir meatballs into the sauce. Cover with a tight-fitting let. Reduce heat to a simmer, and let cook until meatballs are no longer pink, about 10 minutes or so.

While the meatballs simmer, prepare the bread boats.

Bread Boats
4 crusty Italian Sandwich Rolls
12 slices Provolone Cheese
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Cut a long rectangle cut through the top portion of the bread loaf without removing the top completely. Hollow out the hoagie roll to create a “boat” for the meatballs.

Lay slices of Provolone inside the boats, place in the heated oven to bake for 5 minutes, just until the cheese has melted.

Remove from oven. With a slotted spoon, remove meatballs from the marinara sauce, snuggle meatballs into the bread boats. Ladle marinara sauce over the meatballs. Sprinkle with shredded cheeses, beginning with Mozzarella and finishing with Parmesan.

Return boats to the oven, bake for about 6 minutes. Turn oven to broil, toast lightly, about 2 minutes longer.

Eat with a knife and fork or serve with plenty of napkins and simply dig-in. Don’t forget to pour that glass of wine . . .

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Keep me safe, O God; You are my hope