meatballs

Pork and Apple Meatballs

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

It was the game day after our apple picking adventure and we were in need of something a little more substantial to munch on during the Michigan game. We had a lovely platter of cheese, crackers, and apple slices and my baked buffalo cauliflower. We actually kept a portion un-coated in the batter and I might even like them better sans-breading. (Gasp!)

It was decided that I should go ahead and make some meatballs. With an abundance of apples sitting on the table I thought it’d be a good idea to use them! Pork and apples are a classic combination that works well in meatball form, too.

We had mixed reviews on whether or not these appetizers needed a dip. While everyone enjoyed them plain-Jane, my husband couldn’t help himself from grabbing some honey. That man puts honey on just about everything.

Pork and Apple Meatballs (with honey) | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

My aunt couldn’t understand why they’d be served with anything and preferred them as is. I found that serving them with the honey we purchased at the apple orchard helped highlight the pork flavor and provided a sweetness that amplified the apple.

An Original Recipe

Pork and Apple Meatballs

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 1 pkg (19 oz) Italian sausage
  • 1 apple, peeled and finely chopped or grated
  • 2-3 tbsp diced red onion
  • 1 egg
  • S+P, to taste

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients until just incorporated. Form into ping-pong sized meatballs.
  3. Place in a lightly greased casserole dish and bake 20-30 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 160 deg F is reached.
  4. Serve with a drizzle of apple blossom honey (optional).

Pork and Apple Meatballs | Sew You Think You Can Cook | http://sewyouthinkyoucancook.com

#SundaySupper: Meatballs

~ lk529 ~ 21 Comments

I’m pretty excited about today’s #SundaySupper theme. Meatballs! The meatball varieties are almost endless and I can’t wait to see what everyone has cooked up. You can check out the extensive list by scrolling past my recipes. Thanks to Sue of A Palatable Pastime for hosting today.

I didn’t know which direction I was going to go with my recipe and decided to look to my bookshelf instead of the internet. I had a few good contenders from Alex Guarnaschelli, Amanda Freitag, and Giada De Laurentiis, but when I saw Chili Meatballs with Cheese Dipping Sauce from Rachael Ray I was sold. I thought, “Well that’s different!” And they were. However, they were not very photogenic meatballs (which is probably why it wasn’t one of the photographed recipes in her cookbook). When scrolling through photos on my camera my husband thought they were a healthy no-bake granola-ball type of thing. They were definitely delicious though and I was already thinking about how I could improve the meatball and try again. I was going to put the crushed tortilla chips in the meatball instead of coating them in the chips and I was going to pulse the kidney beans so they’d be more incorporated with the meat. Firecracker pointed at them, but wouldn’t give them a second glance to try any. Chili Meatballs

When I got around to making Chili Meatballs v2 I ran into some issues. Number one being that I accidentally donated the can of kidney beans during Chick-fil-A’s Leap Day food drive. Number two being some unwelcome ants hanging out by my stove. (Thank goodness for an awesome Terminix guy who could show up on his way home that day!) I needed to cook my ground sirloin lest risk it going bad, so it was on to Plan B.

Plan B had to be something that allowed me to get everything done on the “safe” side of the kitchen and didn’t require a trip to the store. (I feel like that latter condition pops up a lot, but hey, when it’s cold out who wants to bundle up two babies for a trip to the grocery store?!)

I created my meatball mixture during naptime and baked 5 of them just to be sure they tasted good enough to share and attempt photography during daylight hours. Question: How in the world does one take photos of balls of meat?! I couldn’t come up with anything and will not be submitting my photos for this week’s Readers Choice Awards. More dedicated planning probably would have helped to add some fun garnishes and background props. Lighting, time, and skill would also be beneficial.

The result was a Lauren original that Firecracker devoured! He spied the plate of meatballs sitting on the counter. I’d venture to guess that he thought they were a sweet because I’d not seen the “Can I eat it?” reaction for anything else. I completely expected him to run away when I offered him a bite, but to my surprise he took that bite! And then came back for another. And another. I put the plate down on his table and watched in awe while he ate a total of 4 (cold) meatballs. I was sure to tell him what he was eating (“meatballs”) so that he could associate the word to the food and hopefully eat meatballs again. He ate another 3 for lunch the next day.

Bourbon Baked Bean Meatballs Sew You Think You Can Cook

I served these alongside some steamed broccoli and “creamettes”. Creamettes are a wonderful creation of my grandmother’s – cooked pasta (usually elbow macaroni, but I used shells because that’s what I had) sauteed in butter until lightly crispy and seasoned with salt. Simplicity at its most delicious.

An Original Recipe

Bourbon Baked Bean Meatballs

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb ground sirloin
  • 2/3 C canned bourbon baked beans, smashed
  • 1/2 C panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground mustard
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large casserole dish.
  2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until combined, using your hands. Form 20 golf ball sized meatballs.
  3. Arrange meatballs in the prepared casserole dish. Bake 12-15 minutes, until cooked through.

Bourbon Baked Bean Meatballs for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Meatball Appetizers:

Meatball Soups:

Main Dish Meatballs:

Meatball Desserts:

8387592742_f6164fd5a8_oJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

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Chicken Chorizo Meatballs

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

It’s Mexican Monday everybody! I’m too afraid to go back through and find out when my last Mexican Monday post was, I’m sure it’s so far back it’d be embarrassing. And a little sad. Our Mexican Monday endeavor has finally kicked the bucket. Not intentionally, mind you, and I can come up with all sorts of scheduling related excuses. And there’s always that feeling of getting caught in a rut.

But not today! (Or well, the day we made and ate these.) Today there’s a brand new Mexicany (it’s a word, don’t worry about it) recipe to share. Meatballs with chorizo! Aka meatballs with flavor! I used ground chicken instead of ground beef because that’s what I had, but I definitely want to try these with ground beef, too, I imagine they’d be even better!

I’m not quite sure what pasta/sauce pairing would work with these so I would suggest using these for some game day grub or party appetizer. Queso makes a great dipper, or salsa, sour cream, even guacamole. They’d probably even work over top a taco salad, too.

Chicken Chorizo Meatballs

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 onion, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 3/4 C panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 C grated cheese (I used a combo of Monterrey and Colby Jack)
  • 1 tbsp dried cilantro
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 2 links Mexican chorizo, skins removed

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet.
  2. In a small skillet over medium-high heat saute onion in olive oil until tender. Add the garlic and cook another minute, set aside.
  3. In a large bowl whisk together egg and milk. Add the panko, cooked onion and garlic, cheese, and spices. Mix in the meat; I found a fork worked well to incorporate the chorizo into the chicken. Season with S+P.
  4. Form into golf ball sized meatballs; I found wetting my hands helpful in preventing the mixture from sticking to me. Place on prepared baking sheet.
  5. Bake 12-15 minutes, until an internal temperature of 165 degrees F is reached.

*This recipe is adapted from Renee at http://leitesculinaria.com/101202/recipes-chorizo-meatballs.html*

Chicken Chorizo Meatballs | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

After we found out we’d be moving to Ohio I started to do some Facebook research on the spouse group connected to my husband’s organization here. I was excited to discover that there were multiple clubs and plenty of opportunities to get to know people.

One of the groups is the Recipe Club. You can imagine that I was excited for this one! It took five months before I could fit this extracurricular activity into my new mom schedule. I could have gone in December and was prepared to bring Broccoli and Grape Pasta Salad but I came down with a winter fever the night before.

Last week I was not only able to attend, but the theme of the night of “New Recipes” (something you’ve never tried before) fit in perfectly with a food blogger’s normal kitchen routine. The meatballs I was even planning to make could easily be adjusted to feed more and bring to the potluck-style event. Don’t worry, I did hold a few back for Stuart.

If you bring these to a party you can make them a but smaller than I did (or not!) and provide marinara for dipping. If you have these for dinner just whip up a quick batch of pasta! The leftovers can easily be made into an epic sandwich, too.

Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb ground turkey
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 C Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
  • 20 cubes mozzarella, from approximately 4 oz
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl, use your hands or a wooden spoon to combine the ground turkey with garlic, eggs, parmesan, breadcrumbs, and S+P.
  2. Form balls from 1 tbsp of the meat mixture. Place a cube of cheese into the ball, grab a little more of the meat mixture and seal it up. Repeat until all the meat is used up – I got 20 golfball sized meatballs.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs 2 minutes on each side. (I had to do this in two batches of 10.)
  5. Bake meatballs in a lightly greased casserole dish for 10-13 minutes, or until cooked through.

*This recipe is modified from Kayle at http://www.cookingactress.com/2014/12/mozzarella-stuffed-meatballs.html*

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs | Sew You Think You Can Cook