Worthwhile Challenge 2011- #1

I put "#1" in the title because if all things go as planned, we should end up with "#52" by the end of December.

We'll see how it goes.

Tonight I tried the first new recipe of the year.

It is from this book:

If you are not familiar with Gooseberry Patch cookbooks, you should head over to their website. I have not looked through all of their product line, but I have several of their cookbooks and I just love them. They're fun and homey, with little tidbits to read along with fabulous recipes.

So tonight I made "Waikiki Meatballs." It was supposed to be an appetizer, but I paired them with some homemade fried rice and some pineapple and made it a meal.

The recipe itself was simple and I had everything on hand except the pineapple tidbits, which I picked up at the store today. I'll share with you the variation that I went with. That is what I'll be doing on this whole journey, because I usually tailor recipes to fit our specific tastes. For example, this recipe calls for chopped green peppers in the sauce. None of us like peppers, so there were none in my batch!

Since I changed the recipe does that make them Maui Meatballs instead of Waikiki? Or how about Oahu Balls? You decide.

Mix together 1.5 lbs lean ground beef, 2/3 c. cracker crumbs, 1/3 c minced onion (I didn't feel like mincing an onion so I just used the dry flake stuff and not that much), 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ginger and 1/4 c milk. Mix together and form into one to two-inch balls and brown in skillet. Set aside. In a saucepan (that will hold all your balls too), combine 1/2 c brown sugar with 2 Tbs of cornstarch. Whisk in the juice from a 20 oz can of pineapple chunks, 1/3 c vinegar, and 1 T soy sauce. Bring to a simmer. Mixture will thicken as it simmers. Toss in the meatballs and the pineapple (and the 1/4c chopped green peppers if you like) and simmer until all is heated through and the meatballs are happily coated.

Here is my plate:

Brooke gave this two thumbs up. (The picture is a little wonky because I discovered later my camera was on the night setting. weird). She had her meatballs gone before I even sat down with my plate. Such a good eater.

Hannah had spaghetti-os. She's a horrible eater right now. She eats waffles with chocolate chips for breakfast. Spaghettio's with meatballs and nuggets for lunch and dinner. That's about the extent of her repetoire..though on a good day I can get her to eat some apples with peanut butter or even more rarely brocolli with ranch. I'll keep trying though!

Matt says it's a keeper. I liked them too.

I think the sauce would actually be fairly versatile... you could put in browned chunks of steak for a sweet-sour-beef type dish... I even think some grilled chicken might be good.

What new recipe are you going to concoct this week? If it's yummy, do share it with me!