Superbowl Meatballs

Happy New Year!

Hope your holidays were filled with lots of friends, family and delicious food.

As the Superbowl is just around the corner, this is the time to start considering foods for the big day. I like meatballs for casual get togethers. They are the ultimate party food!

The inspiration for this recipe came from my mother-in-law who gave me her recipe. I adjusted this recipe to make it extra saucy and to brighten the flavour with the addition of citrus. While it may seem a little different from other sweet and sour meatball recipes with the cranberry sauce & orange zest, but trust me, it tastes wonderful!

The best part about these meatballs is they can be made ahead and frozen. They cook from frozen very easily and the sauce is a snap to pull together.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef
¾ cup of bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp finely diced onion
2 tbsp milk
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper
vegetable oil for brushing

1 c Heinz Chili sauce
1/4 c orange juice
1 tbsp lime juice
1 c cranberry jelly
zest of 1 orange

Mix together the beef, breadcrumbs, egg, onion, milk, garlic, salt & pepper. Form into approximately 40 bite-sized meatballs and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze cookie sheet for at least twenty minutes. (If you are making the meatballs ahead, you can remove the meatballs from the cookie sheet and place in a resealable freezer bag and store in the freezer until you are ready to use.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush meatballs with vegetable oil and bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes until fully cooked. In a large saucepan, or slow cooker, combine chili sauce, orange juice, lime juice, jelly and zest. Add meatballs. Stir well. Simmer 10-12 minutes on stove top or cook on low in the slow cooker. The sauce will thicken. Baste occasionally.

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Something to Nibble On...

Happy Thanksgiving Canada.

Sorry for not posting last week.... I had intended to post, but the recipe I had in mind didn't fare well under my camera. The photos weren't appetizing enough so the recipe sits on my computer until a drool-worthy photo can be captured.

For this week, I was trying to come up with a quick snack for NFL football this afternoon. I thought I might make something with pumpkin since it is Thanksgiving but, then I saw an unopened container of walnuts and thought, "Who doesn't like candied nuts?"

If you aren't familar with making your own candied nuts, you are in for a treat. They take no more than 15 minutes of active time and can easily be made ahead so they are the perfect make-ahead dish to buy you a little time when your guests arrive and you are still prepping dinner.

Personally, I like a mixture of toasty almonds and buttery walnuts but you probably have your favourites, too. This recipe creates a sweet and warm flavour that's perfect for the fall. The secret ingredient here is the inclusion of smoked paprika. While I have seen other candied nuts recipes that include cayenne (which is great but lends some heat), I prefer smoked paprika because of its mysterious dark but subtle flavour without the added heat.

While these nuts are highly suitable for football snacking, I like also like them topped over a spinach salad with dried cranberries, crushed and sprinkled on top of steamed broccoli or as a part of a cheese board with gorgonzola and dried apricots.


Candied Nuts

4 c walntus, almonds, hazelnuts, etc
2 c granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp dried ginger powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp allspice

1. Toast nuts for approximately ten minutes in a 350 degree oven until golden & fragrant.
2. Melt sugar, spices & salt in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat.
3. Working quickly, carefully add toasted nuts to sugar mixture and stir to coat.
4. On parchment paper or a Silpat, pour mixture onto a large cookie sheet.
5. Spread nuts out quickly to break up any large lumps and allow to cool completely.
6. Once cool, break apart nuts and store in a dry container.

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