Sweet and Sour Meatballs

I love old family photos. The black and white kind. My parents and grandparents as they used to be.  Young children, chubby cheeked and precocious, with large silk bows perched atop their curls or looking uncomfortable in knickers and buttoned-up shirt. Or maybe as young adults, flashing beautiful, carefree smiles, dressed in the classiest of dresses or looking handsome in uniform. Little moments, captured at a time when all of life was before them. 

We spent Memorial Day weekend with my family. It was a great trip filled with good food, laughter and unexpected surprises (like my sister walking in the door!). But one of my favorite parts was sitting around the table after the big dinner, eating bowls of still-soft homemade ice cream, and looking over photos with my grandparents of their life. Hearing stories, "Oh, that's the Christmas we all got pajamas, put them on and had a dance party", commentary on style "those shoes and socks are a riot" or talking about the many years of faithful ministry as they cared for the Body in the churches my Grandpa pastored, seven in all. I'm so thankful to know them and have stories of my own of precious times spent with them. 

This recipe is my Grandma's (my mom's mom, my dad's mom I call Grammy). It's one of those Americanized Chinese dishes and the sweet and sour sauce goes perfectly over a bed of rice and paired with broccoli or salad. It was a favorite of mine growing up and now my son loves it too! 

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Makes 25-30 meatballs

This recipe has already been doubled, so feel free to halve it if you want less!

2 lbs ground beef

4 slices of sandwich bread, cubed small

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp salt

2 tsp garlic salt

1 1/2 tsp pepper

2 T butter

2 stalks celery, chopped small

1 large onion, cut in rings

1 large red pepper, cut into rings

3 cups tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 heaped cups brown sugar

2 T flour

Start by cubing your bread. 

Cut each slice into strips, and then cut each strip into small cubes.

In a large bowl, mix (by hand is easiest) hamburger, bread cubes, milk, salt, garlic salt and pepper.

Don't overmix or your meatballs will be tough.

Form the mixture into balls about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick.

Once the meatballs are formed, you need to brown them.

You can either do this in the microwave or in a skillet. 

Microwave: Place meatballs on a large plate. 

You may have to do more than one layer. 

Cover plate with a piece of paper towel and microwave for 6 minutes on high. 

Meatballs should be mostly browned, but not necessarily cooked through. 

Be careful removing plate from microwave as there will be a lot of grease on the plate.

Remove meatballs from greasy plate and set aside.

In the pan: Sauté meatballs, one layer at a time, in a large skillet, on medium high. 

Make sure to stir meatballs so that all sides get browned. 

Only sauté as long as you need to brown the meatballs, they don't need to be cooked through.

Remove meatballs from the pan and set aside. Repeat until all the meatballs are browned.

Then, cut up your celery and red pepper.

And slice your onion into rings.

Saute veggies in 2 T. butter until softened. 

While veggies are sautéing, make the sauce.

Mix together the flour and brown sugar.

(Incorporating the flour into the brown sugar keeps clumps of flour from being in your sauce)

In a large Dutch Oven or casserole dish, 

whisk together the tomato sauce, vinegar and brown sugar mixture.

Add the meatballs to the sauce.

And then the sautéed veggies.

Bake, uncovered for 45 - 60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve over white rice.

Recipe from my Grandma Beverly.