This is a favorite from my childhood days. Growing up, our family tradition was that on your birthday you got to pick the meal you wanted for dinner. This was always my pick. I don’t eat it as much these days because Hubby isn’t as big of a fan, but every now and then I pull this recipe out for a little home nostalgia.

{And sorry for the lack of pictures recently. I just got a new camera for Christmas (our old one was having issues) but I haven’t gotten back into the habit of taking pictures again yet. So pictures to come! }

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

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Ingredients for the Meatballs:

• 1 lb ground beef
• ¼ cup bread crumbs
• ½ cup milk (reconstituted powdered milk)
• about 1 Tbsp dried minced onion
• about 1 tsp sage
• about 1 tsp oregano
• about ½ tsp garlic powder

Ingredients for the Sauce:

• 4 Tbsp cornstarch
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup vinegar
• 1-2 cups pineapple juice (I just use the juice drained from the chunks- it’s about 1 cup)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks (or tidbits), drained

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs and mix well with your hands (measure the spices according to your own taste and preference, but if you’re guessing impaired, you can use the above measurements for an estimate ).
2. Heat a large frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. Form the meat mixture into approximately 1-inch balls and place them in the frying pan. (Tip: Start putting them in on the outer part of the pan first and work your way towards the center (since the center is usually the hottest) to help prevent burning.)
3. Cover and cook until fully browned all the way through. Drain off any excess fat.
4. While the meat is cooking, prepare the sauce. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce (except for the can of pineapple chunks) and mix well. Add the sauce to the meatballs once they finish cooking and have been drained.
5. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat and allow to simmer (over about med-lo heat) until the sauce thickens.
6. Add the pineapple chunks last, just prior to serving and give it a stir. Serve over rice.
7. Makes about 4-6 servings. Enjoy!

This recipe is for ‘With Electricity’ due to the ground meat needing to be stored in the freezer. You can can meatballs, which would make this meal totally shelf stable, but I haven’t heard rave reviews about them so I haven’t tried that yet.