At Nod, we believe your home should be a celebration of family. We'll be featuring our Managing Director, Michelle, at home celebrating her own family with recipes, crafts and décor created by our friend Sweet Paul. 

Spaghetti & Meatballs is not a common dish in Norway where I grew up.  However, I've fallen in love with the dish since I moved to America.  I think it's the perfect meal for a birthday gathering and is always best served family style. Throw caution to the wind and let the kids eat with their hands if they find the long pasta too difficult to wrangle with a fork….just be sure to have plenty of napkins on-hand!

You will need:

2 pounds fresh tomatoes or 1 can (28 oz) of diced tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 medium onion 1 glove garlic, minced

1 tbsp cane sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

salt, pepper

10 leaves fresh basil

olive oil

for the meatballs:

1⁄2 pound ground beef

1⁄2 pound ground pork

1 dry bun

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 small onion, minced

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

salt, pepper

lemon juice, to taste

olive oil

1.Heat oil in a medium pan. Add the onions and stir until it gets soft. 2.Now add the garlic and once it begins to colour lightly and fills the kitchen with aromatic scent stir in the tomatos with their juices and tomato paste. 3.Season the sauce with salt, freshly ground pepper, sugar and balsamic vinegar. 4.Reduce heat and leave to simmer gently, uncovered, stirring often for 30 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly. 5.Stir in the basil leaves and taste. 6.For the meatballs: In the meanwhile soak the bun in water until its completely soft, squeeze dry and break into pieces. 7.Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and stir until golden. 8.Now combine the ground meat, the bread, the eggs, onions and the parsley in a bowl. 9.Season with salt, pepper and some squirts of lemon. 10. Roll the mixture into small balls and set aside on a plate. 11. Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. 12. Fry meatballs slowly until golden brown, but not cooked through completely. 13. Let drain on paper towels and add into your hot tomato sauce. 14. Cook pasta 15 minutes before serving until al dente and serve with tomato sauce and meatballs.

By Paul Lowe:

When it comes to making simple crafts or elegant meals, Paul Lowe is the man to call. His blog, Sweet Paul has now spun into a successful magazine, providing tons of useful design tips.