Sweet and Sour Meatballs

My family has loved this recipe since the first time I made it.  I've been making them for almost thirty years. The meatballs are nice and moist and the sauce is just perfect.  I have added chopped green peppers to the sauce just for something different.  We like to serve them over steamed rice and broccoli.  

Ingredients

Meatballs-

2 eggs

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 lbs. lean ground beef

Sweet and Sour Sauce-

2 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

14 oz (398 ml) can pineapple chunks, reserving the liquid

1 1/4 cups reserved pineapple juice adding water to get the full amount

2/3 cup vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 tablespoons water

Method

Meatballs-

Beat eggs with a fork in bowl. Add the next 5 ingredients.  Mix.  Shape into 40 small balls.  Make sure not to handle the meatballs too much and don't pat them tight or they will be tough.  Bake in a preheated 375 degree F. oven for 15 to 25 minutes.  

Sweet and Sour Sauce-

Mix sugar, first amount of water, vinegar and soy sauce together in a medium saucepan.  Heat over medium heat stirring occasionally until it boils.  

Mix cornstarch with remaining water.  Stir into sauce until it boils and thickens.  Add meatballs and pineapple. If you want to add some diced green peppers, put them in at this point also.  Simmer to heat through.  

Serves 6 to 8. 

Herbed Dinner Rolls

I love to start bread and rolls out in the bread maker.  You put everything in and let it do the work.  You just have to shape them and let them rise.  It really doesn't get much simpler for homemade bread.  I found this recipe many years ago and I make it often.  I love the combination of the herbs in them.  We enjoy them with dinner, but they are also nice with a steaming bowl of hot soup on a cold winter's day.  

Ingredients

1 cup water

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon each dried basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary, crushed

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Additional butter, melted

Coarse salt, optional

Method

In a bread machine pan, place the water, butter, egg, sugar, salt, seasonings, flour and yeast.  Select dough setting. Check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed.

When cycle is complete, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide dough into 16 portions; shape each into a ball.  Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.  Cover and let rise a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.  

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Brush with butter and sprinkle with coarse salt if desired.  Remove from pans to wire rack.  

Makes 16 rolls.

Sausage, Peppers and Pasta Bake

This is one of my favorite casseroles.  It takes a bit of prep work to chop all the vegetables and grate the cheese, but it is well worth it.  I get my husband to stir-fry the sausage while I'm chopping and then he cooks the veggies while I'm grating the cheese.  It takes team work if you want this on the table on a weeknight.  It makes a lot, so you will have leftovers for the next night or you could even bake half and put the other half in the freezer to bake another time. Just thaw over night in the refrigerator and take it out an hour before you want to bake it.  The bake as instructed.  

Ingredients

4 cups uncooked rotini, penne or fusili pasta

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 sweet or hot Italian sausage, removed from casings

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup thinly sliced unpeeled zucchini

1 each red and green peppers (or whatever colour you may have) cut into bite-sized pieces

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

28-oz can drained, diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups each grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese

Method

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Add sausages and cook 7 to 10 minutes or until cooked through; remove from pan and set aside.  Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Reduce heat to medium and add onion and garlic.  Cook stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until onion is just tender.  Add zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste.  Cook, stirring occasionally, just until peppers are barely tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir cheese together.

Drain pasta when cooked and turn into a 9" x 13"casserole dish along with sausages, tomatoes and half of the cheese mixture; toss together.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake covered, in a heated oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 10 to 15 minutes until casserole is hot.  

Serves 6 to 8.  

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

This is a really easy pizza dough, it's made in the bread maker.  You just throw everything in and let the machine do the work.  I like that it's half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose.  I've been making it for more than ten years.  The toppings are your own personal choice.  

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups water

2 tablespoons skim milk powder

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

pizza toppings

Method

Put all ingredients into bread maker.  Set on DOUGH cycle.  When done, onto a floured surface divide dough in 1/2, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.  On parchment paper, roll into 2 - 14" circles, top as desired, bake at 450 degrees F. for 15 to 20 minutes.  I use a baking stone on the bottom rack and make sure that I preheat the oven for at least 15 minutes before using the stone.  It gives it a nice crispy crust.