Mom's Basic Meatballs

Superbowl weekend is fast approaching.  This year we are entertaining Saturday evening for about twenty.  A couple of those guests will be staying over night to partake of our annual Superbowl party of about twenty.  As you know I have been busy painting the kitchen and now with three days until the festivities, am in high gear doing menu planning and preparing a few dishes ahead of time.  Meatballs are a hit at Superbowl parties.  One of the grocery stores has a 907 g (2 lb) box of meatballs on sale for $4.97, regular price $7.97.  This works out to $2.49 per pound at the sale price.  Homemade meat balls made by grinding your own meat using a shank roast or other cut of beef on sale can be considerably lower than that price per pound.  Unlike store bought meatballs, my homemade version contain no fillers.

I have ground beef from our last beef on the hoof purchase to use up so did not grind from a fresh cut of beef.  The price works out to $2.35 per pound across all cuts of for organic, hormone-free beef.  Hopefully this year's price will be the same!

When I make meatballs, I don't use any fillers.  Any seasonings I do use, I keep to a minimum so the meatballs can be used in a variety of dishes.  I used 4.5 lb of lean ground beef for this batch.  The binder I prefer is cold milk.  The milk tenderizes the meatballs without adding much in the way of flavour.  I used a little garlic pepper as a seasoning.  The screen on top of the mixing bowl is a splatter guard available at kitchen outlets and many department stores.  Meatballs can be fried, baked or boiled but my opinion is frying gives the best results.  I used the larger of my new Paderno EcoPan ceramic coated frypans.  My gosh, as a non-stick surface these fry pans are a dream to work with without the worry of PFOA and PTFF off-gassing of other non-stick cookware.

Cold works as a great binder for ground meats because it congeals the fat in the meat.  I put the metal mixing bowl in the refrigerator to chill.  Once chilled I add the meat and any seasonings, mixing well.  Then I pour in the cold milk a little at a time until the meat sticks together.  At this point it is time to heat the fry pan and start forming the meatballs.

I use a meatball former for consistent sized meatballs.  Larger meatballs can be made by hand but you have to work quickly to prevent warming the meatballs before putting them into the fry pan. 

I add just a little extra virgin olive oil to get the frying process started.  I also work in small batches in a rotation style.  Each meatball is formed then placed in the pan one at a time rather than making all the meatballs at once allowing them to warm.  Once the meatballs are browned on one side, I use a slotted wide spoon to carefully turn then then push that batch to the side of the fry pan furthest from me.  While they finish cooking, another batch is added to begin cooking.  I remove the cooked meatballs, turn the others then add a new batch.  I continue in this fashion until all the meatball mixture is used.  This may sound like a lot of work but it really is not.

Once all of the meatballs are cooked, I allow them to cool.  I do not drain them because I am using lean ground beef and a slotted spoon so then is little to drain.  If using regular ground beef, I would recommend draining the meatballs.  At this point the meatballs are ready to be added to the desired dish, home canned or frozen for later use. 

Without a lot of added seasoning the meatballs can be used in any dish ranging from soups and pastas to a wide variety of meatball appetizers.  Just pour the frozen meatballs into your slow cooker then add desired sauce and heat.  Serve right from the slow cooker for a Superbowl party.  Just add a slotted spoon and toothpicks so guests can help themselves.  I have a football theme slow cooker just perfect for this type of presentation.  I'm planning on using a honey-garlic sauce on the meatballs for the Superbowl party.

Bon Appétit!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Mom's Basic Meatloaf

My apologies for not posting as much. It has been a week now working on painting the kitchen.  Let me tell you it has been a bit more complicated than I originally thought it would be but just wait until you see it!  We absolutely love the colour...so rich and bold making the floor and appliances pop.  Today we (one of our kid's partener) worked on the final touches.  I will be doing the finer detail edging using an artist's brush then will be putting the kitchen back together so my normal cooking will resume tomorrow.  Oh, and if you are wondering what colour I painted the kitchen, look at my plates :)

Meatloaf was one of the last meals made in our kitchen before prepping it for painting.  I think basic meatloaf was one of the very first dishes I learned to make as a newlywed.  Many complain that their meatloaf is too dry but I have never had that problem.  I use 1 egg per pound of lean ground beef.  That's my secret.  When combined with the other liquid ingredients and dry bread crumbs the results are consistently moist and tasty meatloaf.  I modify my basic meatloaf recipe to create unique meatloaves by adding shredded vegetables, turning into a roll with filling or even making mini meatloaves but the basic meatloaf base remains the same.

Mom's Basic Meatloaf
recipe by: Garden Gnome

3 lb lean ground beef
3 eggs
1 c dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
¼ c ketchup or Heinz 57 Sauce
½ tbsp garlic pepper

Beat eggs.  Combine all of the ingredients mixing well.  Fold into a loaf pan, patting down slightly and smoothing the top.  Bake at 175ºC (350ºF) to an internal temperature of 71ºC (160ºF), about 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Cover with tinfoil and let rest 10 minutes.  Remove from the loaf pan.  Slice for serving. 


Bon Appétit!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Kitchen Textiles

There is a rather large number of various textiles (eg. t-towels, serviettes, table cloths) required in any kitchen.  Each serves a specific purpose although some can serve multiple purposes.  As with all kitchen associated items, textiles range in price from free to very expensive, natural to synthetic fiber, plain utilitarian to decorative only, and low to high maintenance.  The number of textiles required is dependent on your cooking style, family size and whether or not you do a lot of entertaining.  Here's a listing of the textiles in our kitchen and how I've dealt with acquiring them frugally.  I should note that all of my textiles are washable, most are natural fiber.  I don't use fabric softener on them as that reduces the absorption nor do I use chlorine bleach as that is a lung irritant that weakens fabric.

• dishcloths - I use two types of dishcloths in the kitchen.  The first are utilitarian, plain white, 100% cotton wash cloths bought in a package of 24 on sale at K-mart for $3.99 (regularly $4.99).  I use these in place of paper towels whenever possible.  The second type of dishcloth is handmade (either crochet or knit eyelet edge or knit plain edge) using Bernat Handicraft cotton.  One 340 g ball costs $8.99 and makes 4 dishcloths.  I use these cloths for hand-washing dishes, pots and pan.  The heavier texture and durability make the handmade dishcloths are my frugal.  Making them keeps my hands busy while watch television as well.
• t-towels - I do a lot of cooking and canning which translates into needed a large number to t-towels.  During a canning session I can easily use six or more t-towels.  My t-towels are actually cotton bar mop towels (white ridged with blue stripe) bought at Sam's Club in a 24 pk for $12.88.  These ultra absorbent towels are used for drying hand-washed dishes but see the largest portion of their use during bulk cooking and canning sessions.  I don't worry about staining.  If the staining is quite bad the towel is put into the garage where it is used for washing vehicles and other household cleaning.  I have about a dozen waffle weave cotton t-towels as well.  They are beyond ancient but still in good condition.  
• oven mitts -  I have a pair of waffle weave cotton oven mitts, a pair of silicone oven mitt and a silicone pot grabber.  I prefer using the cotton mitts while my husband prefers the silicone.  The silicone will outlast the cotton and there is no staining concerns.  The silicone set cost about $20 on sale but should not need replacing.
• hot pad/trivets - I use padded cotton hot pads at our vacation home but for regular use at home I use cork trivets bought at IKEA about 9 years ago, a package of 3 for $3.99.  Cork is very durable.  I had a large rectangular cork hot pad bought from IKEA back in the 1980's that finally had to be thrown out just last year.  Cork is my preferred surface for placing filled jars just out of the canner.  Both cotton and cork hot pads are subject to staining.
• serviettes - I use re-usable linen and cotton serviettes but I still use paper serviettes for larger scale entertaining.  Some of the linen serviettes were a wedding gift years ago, others have been acquired at yard sales, and others I have made.  I prefer vintage and handmade.  Fabric ends can be found at ridiculously low prices and it only takes a few minutes to sew up a few serviettes.  The downside to linen is it does need to be ironed.
• tablecloths - When our kids were young, I used fleece backed vinyl tablecloths that I made.  Most tablecloths hang down around the table edge but I saw this as a safety hazard so put an elastic edge on the tablecloths (sort of like a giant shower cap) so they would fit snuggly on the table with no danger of being pulled by curious little hands.  Most of my tablecloths now are homemade and I seldom use them as I like the beauty of my wood tables to show.  At one time I had a custom cut piece of glass made for the dinning table but gave up using that as well.  While glass is not a textile, it is an option if you want to enjoy the look of your wood table without damaging it through daily use.
• curtains - I have not had actual curtains in any of my kitchens (19 in total including RV and vacation home) in over 30 years of marriage because I simply do not like curtains.  I have used homemade fabric valances to soften the look of mini blinds and roll down shades but not curtains.  Curtains are easy to make taking only basic sewing skills.  Making them yourself is a way to get a custom look while saving money.
• rugs/mats - I use a rubber backed, non-slip, low pile mat in front of the patio door but only seasonal.  Our last house opened to the back yard via patio doors making the shiny ceramic floor a slipping hazard during wet weather so I used a runner style mat that spanned the patio doors.  The kitchen in this house opens to the deck via patio doors and the marble tile creates a slipping hazard especially if someone comes in with wet feet from the pool.  I will put a mat down once the deck and pool is being used.  I have found that Walmart and K-mart tend to have less expensive mats for this purpose, usually in the $7 to $10 price range.  I don't use any mats near the counters or other entrances to the kitchen as they present a tripping hazard during canning and bulk cooking sessions.

Bon Appétit!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Kitchen Quick Tips - End Water Spots on Chrome Surfaces

End water spots on chrome surfaces by rubbing with a piece of wax paper, coated side down.  This will remove white spots while leaving a thin coating that acts as a varnish to repel water spots from occurring.  Repeat as needed.

Bon Appétit!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012