It's good to have goals. And for Gerald Barkley, a math and science teacher at a community college in Michigan, last weekend it was to make the world's first 350-pound meatball. "It started as a joke," his colleague told the South Bend Tribune (you know, just one of those, ha, what if we made a 350-pound ball of meat? jokes) inspired by a couple of major meatball records set last year: first on Jimmy Kimmel Live, which was later bested by Nonni's Italian Eatery in New Hampshire. More

Meatballs are having a moment. With the return to comfort cooking, everyone seems to be obsessed with the juicy meat orbs. For this week's Mixed Review, we tried an easy-to-prepare spicy meatball mix from Porta Mangiare, a gourmet Italian food purveyor, to see how it compares to the homemade version. More

[Flickr: Shot_by_Cam] Last week's Weekend Cook and Tell challenge was all about an Italian-American classic, and its favorite quaffable partner: Spaghetti, Meatballs, and Wine. We asked you to share your favorite spaghetti and meatballs recipe, and throw in the wine pairings. This challenge inspired some pretty varied responses, some included meatballs, some wine, but the common thread was pasta. Here are some favorites: To kick off this round up, here's a quote from dmcavanagh: "Meatballs are as personal as fingerprints, 100 different people could serve you theirs and no two would be the same." Growing up in an Italian-American family meant that EliEats was no stranger to the traditional Sunday ragu. Along with plenty of spaghetti, meatballs, sausage and... More

Love Ikea's meatballs, but can't bear to make the trek out there? Heather, of Gild the (Voodoo)lily, has the solution. Homemade meatballs + creamy sauce + buttered noodles = comfort wrapped in a nutmeg blanket. Bring a plate of this over to the fire and settle in for a cozy evening, sans Ikea parking lot slush. Previously: Ikea Groceries: Some Assembly Required... More