Before we got "health conscious" she'd fry them, now she bakes them. They just don't taste as good.
When we were kids we'd run through the kitchen and steal them from the plate where she'd sit them after the fryer, to drain the grease.
We'd "stab" them with toothpicks and run...I can't tell you how many times we'd burn our mouths 'cause we were too impatient to wait for them to cool off! LOL.
Mom swears she always had to make extra so there'd be enough for dinner! :) I remember her trying to limit us to only 2 or 3 and then giving up...I think she secretly enjoyed the fact we loved the meatballs so much...