Meatball Madness

I am currently reading A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, creator of Orangette. Which means I am currently obsessed. I've tried several of her recipes and am kind of in love. I guess I haven't had 100% success with her recipes-- mostly because I keep trying things I know I won't like (lemon cake and tuna corks, details forthcoming)-- but this all leads me to dinner. Oh dinner. Ohhhhh dinner. I was reading the book when I came across the recipe. I knew I had struck gold. I could almost taste it in my mind's mouth. Greek Meatballs with Lemon Yogurt Sauce? Yes, please. Over couscous? With fresh cucumbers? Yes and yes.

First, let's discuss how much I need a new, fancy camera. This is how mine looked:


They are perfect. I was particularly skeptical of the golden raisins in the recipe. Raisins and I don't like each other so much. I think they are weird and too chewy. But in the meatballs? They add the perfect touch of sweetness, and since they are chopped, you can't really tell you're eating a meatball. Then there are the pine nuts. Who doesn't love pine nuts? I had never used ground turkey before, but it was perfect to work with, and the flavor wasn't overpowering. The yogurt sauce was perfectly flavorful. It adds quite a punch to the meatballs, but it is absolutely divine. I served the meatballs over a pine nute couscous I bought at the grocery store and with cucumbers. It all went perfectly together. Sadly, I didn't get to eat any leftovers. My parents were fighting over them down to the very last one. Next time, my mom wants to serve them with warm pita bread.
This dinner was kind of medicinal. A) It was fantastic treatment for my taste buds. They were so happy. B) My mom watched Bria while I cooked, so it was a little break. C) It was so tasty, I just sat there and let the praise from my family soak in. It boosted my spirits a little. Usually all my baking and cooking is for Sam (because he is loose with praise), so it almost felt like home.

Thank you, meatballs. Thank you, Orangette. Thank you.