Honey Garlic Meatballs

Original Recipe HERE

I can't stay away from cocktail meatballs at any party, so I'm always happy to try a new recipe in the comfort of my own home.  Where I can eat as many as I want (in the name of quality control, of course) and no one will judge me.  These are versatile in that they can be made smaller and served in a crock pot as an appetizer, or they can be served as a main dish over rice or pasta.  I also liked that the meat mixture could be made ahead of time and just kept in the fridge - because working with raw meat around curious little ones with grabby hands makes me nervous.

Ingredients for Meatballs

1 ½ pounds lean ground beef [or turkey]

¼ cup shredded parmesan

½ cup dry breadcrumbs

3 Tablespoons dried parsley

¼ cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

¾ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed

thinly sliced green onions [optional]

sesame seeds, toasted [optional]

rice or pasta [optional]

Ingredients for Sauce

2 Tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cup ketchup

½ cup honey

¼ cup soy sauce

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 400°.

2) Combine the meatball ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

3) Prepare a broiler pan by coating with cooking spray [or line a baking sheet with foil and grease it]. Shape mixture into 30 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs.

4) Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until done. Drain the grease and set them aside.

5) While meatballs cook, melt butter in saucepan and saute garlic until it is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

6) Add ketchup, honey and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer five minutes.

7) Add meatballs to the sauce. Return to a boil and simmer uncovered until sauce glazes meatballs.

8) If serving over rice or pasta, garnish with green onion and sesame seeds.

Notes: None!

Kid Participation

* Measure dry ingredients for meatballs

* Practice eating with toothpicks

Stir-Fried Sesame Asparagus

Original Recipe HERE

I really try to like asparagus.  I know it's good for me, and Husband is a big fan.  But no matter how I prepared it (steamed, broiled, grilled, roasted, etc.), I never hit upon a recipe that I enjoyed so much that my 30-year distaste of the vegetable could be reversed.  Until tonight.  This was so good.  *N* even asked for three servings - from a child who takes after her mother in the asparagus department, that's huge.  I was going to take a picture because it looked pretty, all bright green and sprinkled with sesame seeds.  However, Husband devoured the leftovers when he got home.  I guess that means this is a do-again.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2-3 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 pounds asparagus [I used one pre-packaged bunch], ends trimmed, cut on diagonal into 2-inch-long pieces

4 teaspoons sesame seeds

Directions

1) Stir soy sauce and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves.

2) Heat oil in heavy large skillet. Add garlic and stir 15 seconds.

3) Add asparagus and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.

4) Add soy mixture and toss until asparagus is coated, about 1 minute longer. Season with salt and pepper [I didn't use salt; I figured the soy had enough in it].

5) Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Notes: In my haste to make this dish, I accidentally put two TABLEspoons of sugar in - no wonder it didn't all dissolve.  I was going to say to cut the sugar in half next time, but apparently I should just follow the recipe instead.  Oops.  No other changes to be made, other than using more asparagus so we can all have as much as we want.

 

Kid Participation:

* Stir together soy sauce and sugar.

* Sprinkle sesame seeds.