An Updated American Classic Appetizer - Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I was invited to a friend's party and knew there were going to be a lot of Brazillian's with a lot of Brazillian food. I wanted to make something classic american and decided on Sweet and Sour Meatballs. I updated the recipe (my mother in-laws) so I didn't have to go out shopping.

Updated Sweet and Sour Meatballs - Makes approximately 50 mini meatballs

2.4 lbs. package of ground turkey (85/15 lean)

4 slices of bread (I used chiabatta) coursely ground into breadcrumbs..approximately 2 cups

1 package lipton onion soup

2 eggs

2 jars heinz chili sauce

2 cups - mixed berry jam

2 tsp. lemon juice (approximately the juice of one lemon)

2 tsp. brown sugar

Directions

1) Mix ground turkey, breadcrumbs, onion soup mix and eggs in a mixing bowl..mixing until meat can hold together to form into balls.

2) Using a medium scoop dish out equal portions of the meat onto cookie sheets that have been sprayed with cooking spray or brushed with olive oil. Form each portion into a ball by rolling in your hands.

HINT: keep a bowl of warm water near you to make the rolling easier dip your hands in the water every two or three meatballs.

3) Bake in oven at 3:50 until cooked through (approximately 15 minutes)

4) In a mixing bowl combing chili sauce, jam, lemon juice and brown sugar and combine well with wisk.

5) Add meatballs to a slow cooker, pour sauce over and coat each meatball with the sauce. Cook on high for one hour and turn to low or warm. Serve warm.

(Traditionally the recipe calls for beef, bread crumbs, dry minced onion, a variety of spices, chili sauce, jellied cranberry sauce and the meatballs are fried in oil before going into the sauce..this version is slightly healthier and very tasty.) Feel free to write to me for the original recipe if you would like.

Dessert Sliders!

These cookies were such a hit at the last BBQ we attended. Everyone thought they were too cute eat, but when they did bite into them, they were delicious as well! This is more of an assembly, than cooking and there is no baking required. I saw these on the news the other day and thought I could that! They used grasshopper mint cookies but I thought the flavor profile would be better with the carmel fudge cookies. They were so fun to make..and easy.

Dessert Sliders

Yields: 36 sliders. I made an assembly line and did 18 cookies at a time, it took me less than 30 minutes from start to finish.

1 package vanilla wafers (Nilla Brand)

2 packages Keebler Fudge Shop, Carmel filled

1 small package of sweetened shredded coconut (died with green food coloring)

1 each of Red and Yellow, Betty Crocker Icing Tubes (the spray can works better)

2 Tbsp. Sesame seeds

2 Tbsp. Caro Syrup ( I would rethink this part)

Directions:

1) Brush tops of vanilla wafers with caro syrup and sprinkle sesame seeds.

2) Squeeze yellow frosting around edge of vanilla wafer (mustard) and place keebler cookie on top (burger) sprinkle the coconut (lettuce) on the burger, top with the red food coloring (ketchup) and place the vanilla wafer with the sesame seeds on top.

Note: The caro syrup never dried and was left sticky and hard to cover with plastic wrap for transortation. Someone online suggested just using water to get the sesame seeds to stick. I may try honey and bake the tops for a few minutes.

Artichoke & Cheese Tarts

I made these for a party this weekend. They were very easy to make and an easy recipe to double and make a lot of. Having the mini tart pan and tart shaper from Pampered Chef was a real nice tool to have to make the job easier. I received the recipe from a family friend and I see it is very similar to a Pampered Chef recipe that Joelen sent me. So I guess there are a lot of variation to this recipe. I think anything would be great in these easy cups.

Artichoke & Cheese Tarts

32 Wonton Wrappers (3" square)

8 oz. cream cheese

14 oz. jar of artichoke hearts, chopped fine

1/2 red bell pepper chopped fine

1 cup cheddar cheese

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

pinch of cayenne

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2) Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray and press in the wonton wrappers. Fold the sides in so as to make a flower. If you are using the tart shaper you can press and twist and it will do the job for you.

3) Mix all the ingredients together well until well combined.

4) Fill each cup with artichoke mixture.

5) Spray or brush edges with olive oil.

6) Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until edges are browned.

Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

TIP: I doubled the recipe and had 96 pieces total. So I would say each batch should make 48, not the 32 the recipe states.

We're Chopping Broccoli

I was given this recipe from my Aunt Pat's sister Alice but I added the cheddar cheese to it. I've seen a similar broccoli salad by Paula Deen but this one has sunflower seeds and craisins (dried cranberries) instead of raisins. It is a great pot luck or picnic dish. I took it our block party last year and every one asked for the recipe. It very easy to assemble and sometimes I cheat and use pre-cooked bacon so this can be a no cook dish as well.

Broccoli Salad

4 bunches of broccoli chopped into florets (about 8 cups)
1 vidalia onion, diced fine
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup craisins
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 lb. of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Dressing: 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup mayonnaise, 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar


1. Assemble all items into a large bowl
2. Mix dressing separately and blend with other ingredients just before serving.

TIP: It makes a lot, so be sure to halve it for four or less.

God Bless America!!

The 4th of July is always a great time to get together with family to celebrate our nations day of Independence. Here is a cake I baked for the occassion. It was delicious. I will say I am not a talented baker or cake decortator but the taste was out of this world!!

Lemon Cake with Buttercream Frosting & Berries

Lemon Cake

1 cup of butter, softened, plus more for greasing pan

3 cups of flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 Tbsp. lemon zest

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. lemon extract

1 cup low fat buttermilk

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and grease & flour a 9 x 13 baking pan

2) Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside

3)Mix butter, sugar, eggs, zest and vanilla until creamy.

4) Add flour in three additions alternating with the buttermilk in two additions.

5) Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Grandma's Classic Buttercream

2 Tbsp. Flour

1 cups of milk

1 cup of butter

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1) In a heavy bottomed sauce pan bring milk and flour to a slow boil and remove from heat. Cool at room temperature completely.

2) Once flour mixture is cooled, combine butter, sugar and vanilla in a mixer until well blended.

3) Add in flour/milk mixture and beat on high for about 10 minutes or until light and fluffy

4) Frost cooled cake and decorate as desired.

Tip: I used a pint of rasberries and 1/2 pint of blueberries. The fruit and lemon cake combination was excellent!! I also doubled the frosting and filled the cake. It was too much frosting...even though it is one of my favorite things.

Frugal Fiesta!!

I fed 14 people a full meal for about $40! Can you believe that? It is true and no, they weren't all ultra skinny girls who eat a tablespoon of food. This was 10 hungry concrete workers and a few Italian women :-) Here is how I did it. I didn't get any pictures because before I even had all the food out they started digging in.

The menu was following:

Ground Turkey Seasoned with taco seasoning* (6 lbs)
Mexican Rice (12 cups)
Black Beans (8 cups)
Soft and Hard taco shells (18 each)
Shredded Lettuce (1 head of iceberg)
Sour Cream (1 pint)
Cheddar Jack Cheese (2 lbs)
Tomatoes (4)
Onions (1/2)
Chips & three kids of salsa: Basic medium tomato salsa, roasted chipotle salsa, Artichoke and lime salsa

*I always make my own taco seasonings as I try and eat a low sodium diet. I found this recipe from Bill Echols on www.allrecipes.com. It is called Taco Seasoning I. I omit the salt all together and think it is great. It saves 2400 mg. of sodium per this entire meal. I generally use 2 Tbsp. of this for 1 lb. of ground turkey.

Taco Seasoning
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes ( I sometimes use cayenne)
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. sea salt (optional)
1 tsp. black pepper