Cami's Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Yummy. I really liked this. I've never used ground chicken before and found it pretty easy to use and rather tasty. I liked how the flavors mixed together. I also liked how many of the ingredients I seemed to have on hand. My sweet and sour seems a little less saucy than others, but it was very good. I would make this again, for sure.

Danielle's Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Sorry, no picture again. I have a feeling I'm not going to be very good at getting pictures of the meal recipes. I like to eat as soon as it's done!

Anyway, so I accidentally skipped the last step in the recipe that says to stir the rice into the sauce. My brother was helping me make it, and he just said, "Oh, there's rice with it." And I said, "Oh yeah! Rice!" and started making some instant rice separately. So my sauce was also too runny. But oh well.

I thought it was tasty, but I don't know that I'll make it again. I'm not a big fan of ground meat of any sort. But I'll keep it in mind for an easy, fairly quick meal that can feed a lot of people.

Melanie W.'s Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Mine actually turned out to be sweet and sour beef meatballs. I couldn't find any ground chicken, or even ground turkey, though I know I had seen it before. Oh well. Other things I had to modify: no tomato sauce here, so I used canned diced tomatoes and blended them up. No crushed pineapple here, so I got sliced pineapple and also blended it up. Worked fine! And I used regular rice instead of instant, because again...don't have it here.

I really liked this recipe! I don't make meatballs very often, even though I like them. I guess becuase they're sort of messy to make. I also don't like all the grease that cooks into many meatball recipes. Here in Ecuador, I was able to buy super super lean ground beef for super cheap, so I didn't feel like I was eating a ton of grease!

I think my food would have turned out a little bit better if I'd been able to use instant rice because it would have helped soak up some of the juices as it cooked. Instead, I just cooked my regular rice separately and poured the meatball sauce on top of the rice. The sauce ended up being a little too runny this way. But it was still delicious, and I think I would definitely make this recipe again! Thanks for the recipe Melanie!

New Recipe! -sorry it's late

Sorry this recipe is a day late. I just got back from spring break and it has been a little hectic. Anyway, I chose to make this recipe because I am a huge fan of Chinese food and I love having a themed dinner. (and I usually have just about everything on hand already. And if I don't it's usually something that I can do without) When I'm done with this recipe, I usually cook rice in the sauce. Then just add a few egg rolls and some chop sticks to your meal and you are set!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 large carrots, chopped 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice 1/4 cup ketchup

1 slice white bread 2 tablespoons milk 3/4 pound ground chicken 1/2 zucchini, shredded 1 egg, beaten 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 2 cups instant rice

Directions:

1.	Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, green pepper, and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes, until onion is softened. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, brown sugar, white vinegar, pineapple with juice, and ketchup. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
2.	Meanwhile, soak bread in milk in a large bowl until milk is absorbed. Mix together with ground chicken, shredded zucchini, egg, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Shape into 12 meatballs, about 2 tablespoons each.
3.	Drop meatballs into simmering sauce. Cook 15 minutes, or until cooked through, turn over once during cooking.
4.	Remove skillet from heat. Stir in rice. Cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff rice with fork before serving.

When did you start baking / cooking?
I don't remember. I have been baking/ cooking for a long time, ever since I was little. My mom made sure her kids were well trained in all the domestic chores.

What is your favorite kitchen tool?
Um, I don't have many to choose from. Sadly my kitchen supplies aren't what I'd like them to be. But I'd have to choose a pastry blender.

Do you have a favorite spice? If so, what is it?
Not really. I like different spices with different things so I can't really say I have a favorite.

What is your favorite book?
Again, there is no way I can pick a favorite. I love reading and I have a lot of favorite books. If I'm totally into the book I'm reading at the moment it is usually my favorite, but the minute I start a new book, my favorite changes. But some favorites that will never change are Harry Potter Series, the Twilight Series, and the Emeralds and Espionage Series.

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
Greece!

If you had to change your first name right now, what would you change it to?
If I HAD to, I guess I'd just shorten it to Mel. But if that's too close and doesn't count, I'd change it to Jade. I have no reasoning why.

Where do you currently live?
In Chicago- the Twin Towers to be exact. But not for long! I'll be moving to Alexandria, VA in about 6-7 weeks.

Where are you from?
I am from Morgan, UT. A beautiful little valley in northern Utah, where I grew up working on the family dairy farm, riding horses, and playing sports. I'm a country girl. It's the good life!

If you could eat one thing for every meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Probably cereal:)

- Melanie Crockett