If you've got 'em, use 'em

 Sometimes, it's all about the pretty plates.

Behold. Meatballs. Not just any meatballs, but the most delicious, savory, light-as-air meatballs you'd ever care to taste. The recipe is from The Pioneer Woman so I can't take any credit- well, maybe a little, I basically doubled the sauce proportions to have a more saucy result and added garlic powder and a couple of hefty spoonfuls of yellow mustard- but this meal was special for two reasons. One, because unassuming comfort food was exactly what my hungry aunt and I wanted tonight. Two, because we served the meatballs (and accompanying mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli) in the prettiest, seafoam green, gold rimmed plates you could ever imagine.

The instructions are not complex. You make a standard meatball mixture of ground beef, finely diced onions, milk, rolled oats, and salt and pepper. You form the mixture into balls and brown them. You make a sauce- ketchup, worcestershire, vinegar, etc, and as I mentioned the added garlic and mustard. After browning them, you bake them covered in the sauce at 350 for 45 minutes, or until the smell permeates every corner of your house and you can't possibly bear another moment without tasting them. I let mine cook for a bit longer than the recipe suggested, actually. As I mentioned, nothing complex.

But when you scoop them from their baking dish into the seafoam green serving bowls- and it is a not unpleasant task, fragrant as they are, and so fetchingly brown and caramelized- something magical happens. They are elevated from comfort food to party food. They aren't just meatballs, they're dinner.

Meatballs are not meant to be elegant, and I won't pretend that these were. They were exactly right, comforting and filling and in every way substantial. And true, the dishes had to be hand washed. But we didn't mind- she washed, I dried, and I say, if you've got the pretty dishes, why not?

Tammy's Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

This is my mom's recipe for the most delicious mashed potatoes I have ever tasted, and since this opinion seems to be unanimous of all who have tried them, I feel certain I'm not just being partial. This recipe can be doubled, divided, or tweaked to your palate or pantry's desires.

Ingredients
4 or 5 large potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut into cubes
4 oz cream cheese (neufchatel is fine)
3 tbsp butter
3/4 cup milk, half and half or cream
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste

Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and return to pot. Heat the milk in the microwave about 30 seconds, until hot but not boiling. Add all other ingredients to potatoes and add about half the milk. Begin mashing. (A hand masher works MUCH better than electric beaters, which will result in a gummy texture.) As you mash, slowly incorporate more milk until the desired consistency is reached- you may use slightly less or more, depending on what you like. I usually mash mine pretty finely, but if you like chunks, go for it! Taste for final seasonings and eat up!

Delightful variation, if it tickles your fancy: Prepare as instructed, but add 2 tbsp sour cream, 1/2 cup chopped bacon, and a handful of chopped green onions for a spin on a twice-baked potato, minus the tediousness of, er, twice-baking.