Meatballin'

Well, first, that title makes laugh.

Secondly, I've been on a major meatball kick lately. As in... I crave meatballs.

Yeah... I know it's weird. 

So, here are two of the dishes I came up with to satisfy my addiction to balls of meat.

Remember the P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps?? I ate these up so quickly that I forgot to use the "Special Sauce" that went along with it, leaving the sauce feeling as though it was not special at all*.  Not being one that is prone to waste, the sauce was going to be used. And so, the "Special Sauce" that was once only looked upon as an enhancement to a meal of chicken and lettuce, actually became the savory juiciness overwhelming the mouths of Meatballers everywhere. And they became known as Sweet Asian Meatballs.

*I also didn't use all the ingredients in the original "Special Sauce" recipe and I added my own ingredients; leaving the Sauce struggling to find its own identity.

Sweet Asian Meatballs

1 1/2 to 2 Pounds of Ground Beef

1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup of Water

2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons of Rice Wine Vinegar

2 Tablespoons of Ketchup

1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon of Mustard

1 Large Clove of Garlic, Minced

1/4 Cup of Mushrooms, Minced

1/4 Cup of Onions, Minced

1 Large Egg

2 Cups of Bread Crumbs

Set oven at 400 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl; shape into meatballs, however big or small you like your meat balled up; place meatballs in nice and neat rows on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. 

Serve these up hot and steamy with some Garlic Fried Rice while watching your favorite Jackie Chan movie and laugh the night away.

My second recipe was created out of a sheer need to just create something one afternoon and they actually ended up being really good. They are now known as Parmesan Basil Meatballs.

Parmesan Basil Meatballs

1 Pound of Ground Beef

1 Tablespoon of Dried Basil (when using fresh herbs, use three times the amount of dried herbs)

1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder

1 Large Clove of Garlic, Minced

1/2 Cup of Shaved Parmesan 

1 Large Egg

1/2 Cup of Breadcrumbs

Set oven at 400 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl; shape into meatballs (I prefer smaller ones in this recipe, so that I can have as many as possible in each bite of Angel Hair); place meatballs in nice and neat rows on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

As I whispered up there in the recipe, I prefer to eat these with Angel Hair and my Homemade Marinara and like to enjoy one meatball per bite. And I like to have lots of bites to enjoy.

These meatballs freeze nicely, too, so make a bunch and enjoy!