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Kid Pleasin' Meatballs

© Pier Jones

My kids will eat anything if I put meatballs in it......soups, stews.....you name it, if it has a meatball in it, it must be O.K. In addition to tempting their taste-buds, having frozen meatballs on hand are a sure-fire way to get a meal on the table quickly. Here is a basic recipe for the meatballs (this is very basic, so season to your taste), and a few ideas of what to do with them.

Basic Meatball Recipe

2 pounds ground beef

2 eggs

1 ½ C soft bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs, or rolled oats)

1 T dried minced onion

½ t garlic powder

salt and pepper, optional (the meatballs will pick up seasonings from whatever you put them in)

Combine all the ingredients, and shape them into 1 inch balls. Heat 2 T butter in a skillet, and brown the meatballs on all sides. Remove to a dish to drain. Cool, then pack in freezer containers, or in foil, then freezer bags. Label and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

**Note: For a spicier meatball, substitute half the beef with bulk sausage.

How about some kid-friendly sauces to serve with those meatballs? The great part about these sauces, is you can either make them just before serving, or make them and pack the meatballs in the sauce before freezing. Either way, it's an easy way to get supper on the table.

Deluxe Cream Sauce

1 C sour cream

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

2 T parsley

½ t garlic powder

1/8 t black pepper

½ C stock-beef or vegetable

Stir together and pour over meatballs and freeze. Or, pour over plain meatballs and cook over low heat until hot. Serve over wide egg noodles or with spaetzle.

Grape Jelly Sauce

8 ounces grape jelly

8 ounces chili sauce

3 T lemon juice

2 t Worcestershire sauce

Combine, and pour over the meatballs. This freezes very well. Serve over noodles.

**Note: Plum jelly works very well with this recipe also.

Need Chili Sauce recipes? Try these:

http://members.tripod.com/honest_injun/m... A really hot version!

http://www.ajlc.waterloo.on.ca/cgi-bin/R... Cook&title=Chili%20Sauce%20%231 Spicy Chili sauce that can be canned.

http://soar.berkeley.edu/recipes/sauces/... Just your basic Chili Sauce; to be canned.

Other serving ideas

Serve with Spaghetti Sauce (kind of obvious, but worth mentioning!)

For soups and stews, add the frozen meatballs to simmering pot the last hour of cooking.

Make a good, brown gravy and serve the meatballs on rice, covered with gravy.

If you have questions, please post to the discussion area, or join our Preservers egroup at http://members.aol.com/preservers/group.... , where you will meet a lot of very helpful canners.....both experienced and not-so-experienced. And look for tasty recipes in which to use