Meatballs and Sauce

It's Food Day at the office tomorrow and this is my Halloween treat to the crew!

Meatballs - you'll need:

1 lb ground beef
1 cup softened bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbl soy sauce
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
chopped scallions and sesame seeds to garnish

Mix all ingredients (except scallions and sesame seeds) until thoroughly combined.  You don't want any lumps at all, your mixture should hold together well and be smooth.

Place meatballs on a greased cooking dish that can accommodate the grease that will render when baking.  Bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 350* - until the meatballs are well done through the center.  Drain in a colander the place in a crock pot or serving dish.  I always cut one per batch with a fork to check that the centers are well done.

Sauce - you'll need:

1 cup ketchup
1 Tbl yellow or Dijon mustard
3/4 cup pineapple juice
2 Tbl soy sauce
3 Tbl brown sugar

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.  Pour over meatballs and heat through. 

I like to let this mixture sit in the fridge overnight - the flavors seem to marry much better.  Reheat and serve.

I garnish mine with scallions and sesame seeds - it just makes a pretty presentation.

These serve nicely over rice or with picks as an easy to eat finger food.  You can serve the left overs (but you won't have any as these things go fast) on a sub roll with a slice of provolone cheese as a meatball sandwich.

We just love these and I hope you do too!

Basic Chili

There are a thousand ways to make chili. For years I made mine with beef and beans, until a friend asked for no beans, then my family turned on me and bailed on their long loved version of my chili.

Now they like meat only but lately I've added bell peppers to the mix. It's just the two of us and we've really started to like it that way! You can add pasta if you like - some do, some don't.

You'll need:

2-3 Quarts of Tomato Juice
3  lbs. Ground Chuck (some like it extra meaty)
2-3 Bell Peppers (diced and sautéed- optional)
Chili Powder - to taste
Salt
Pepper
Onion Flakes

This is as simple as it gets! When browning the beef, sprinkle liberally with chili powder, add salt and pepper and a few shakes of onion flakes. Drain beef and add to crock pot. Add tomato juice and peppers, sprinkle a liberal amount of chili powder, salt and pepper again, then cook on low heat for at least 4 hours.

If you add pasta, cook it first then rinse in cool water and cool completely.  Add at the very end of the cooking of your chili.  If you don't, you'll get starchy pasta pops.....and that's never good.

You'll have to adjust the seasoning to suit your heat preference. We like it pretty zippy! I serve my chili with Fritos and shredded Velveeta! You can add sour cream or just use crackers - cornbread is pretty yummy with chili too! Just curl up in your team jersey and dig into a big mug of chili and cheer your little heart out!