Sweet and Sour Meatballs for a Crowd

When we meet with our care/community group we often begin with an organized pot luck dinner. Recently, as I pulled out the roaster full of meatballs, I thought I'd share this as an example of a recipe that is easy to multiply to serve a large group. One person brought a slow cooker full of rice, others brought salad, buns and dessert.

Meatball Ingredients for about 120 - 130 meatballs

• 3 pounds fresh lean ground beef
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/2 cup milk or water
• 2 teaspoons fine dried onion flakes
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons oregano

1. In a large bowl mix all ingredients well by hand. If you find it dry, you can add some more milk or water. 
2. Shape into 1 inch meatballs. You can use a mini scoop. 
3. Bake on foil or parchment paper lined cookie sheets for 15 minutes at 400° F. If you've made them a bit larger, bake 20 minutes. 
4. If making ahead, cool and freeze according to the meals you have planned.

Sauce:

• 4 small cans (14 oz / 398 ml) pineapple tidbits
• 3 cups pineapple juice
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup vinegar
•  2/3 cups soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2/3 cups flour
• 2 cups water

1. Drain pineapple tidbits, reserving the juice. Add enough water to juice to make 3 cups. Set aside.
2. Place meatballs and drained pineapples into large roaster.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard and juice. In a container with a lid, shake to blend flour and 2 cups water before adding to the sauce.
4. Pour sauce over top of meatballs and bake, covered, for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours at 325° F. until it has cooked and sauce is thickened. If you need more liquid, add another cup of water. You can transfer the cooked meatballs and sauce to a large slow cooker to keep warm. You can also put it all in all slow cooker on high for several hours, until it bubbles and then turn to low setting. Serves 16 -18

For a small family size recipe check here  (you'll have to scroll down a bit) 

Snickerdoodles

These cookies take me back to my growing up years. My sister Rhoda came home from school one day with a new recipe from her Home Economics cooking class. Snickerdoodles soon became a house hold favourite.

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Sugar coating:

• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. Cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until creamy.
2. Add all dry ingredients and beat until incorporated.
3. Stir together sugar coating in a small bowl.
4. Roll cookies into 1 1/2" balls and then roll in the sugar coating covering all sides.
5. Bake at 375º for 8 minutes. Do not over bake.
6. Allow to cool on pan for 1-2 minutes before removing to cooling rake. 

These cookies freeze well. 

Yields approximately 2 1/2 dozen.

Apple Crisp Muffin Cups

These apple crisp muffins are a nice treat when you need a 'picker upper', they go great with a cup of coffee. They freeze well and are quick to thaw for that work or after school snack, dessert, or even breakfast. Enjoy them plain or top with caramel sauce and a dollop of whipped cream if you want to serve them for dessert. In any case they are a neat little hand held mouthful or two of goodness.
This is a large recipe. Handy for extra in the freezer.

Apple filling:

• 6 medium/large McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and cut in small chunks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. In a medium sized saucepan mix ingredients together and cook just until apples turn tender,  3-5 minutes. Set aside.

Muffin cups:

• 2 cups oats, I used old fashioned oats
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups cold butter, cut in cubes

1. Whisk together oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
2. Add butter cubes and using pastry blender cut butter into dry ingredients until it looks like coarse crumbs.
3. Place heaping tablespoons of crumbs in each mini muffin cup, press into bottom and up the sizes to the top. I used mini muffin pans.
4. Spoon 2 teaspoons apple filling into each muffin cup
5. Bake in a 350º oven for 25 minutes, allow to cool in pan then remove carefully and serve. Place remaining muffin cups in a tightly covered container and freeze.
6. Yield: 48 mini muffin cups

Baked Rhubarb (Bread) Pudding

This recipe began with one in the Mennonite Treasury of Recipes (p 117), evolving into a delicious dessert once I cut the liquids in half. If you have bread (a few days old), eggs, milk and sugar in the house you have all you need to make bread pudding. If you don't have rhubarb, try chopped apples, pears or raisins. This recipe serves 5 - 6

Ingredients:

• 3 cups bread cubes (2-3 days old) I use Texas style thick sliced 60% WW bread
• 2 cups rhubarb, chopped 
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cups milk (whole milk or part cream is good)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar for topping (optional)

Method:

1. Prepare a medium pie dish size pan by greasing with butter.
2. Wash, trim and chop rhubarb. Place in a bowl.
3. Trim a thin crust off white or part whole wheat bread, cube and add to rhubarb.
4. In a separate small bowl, beat eggs, add in the sugar, cinnamon, milk, vanilla and salt.
5. Pour over bread and fruit. Toss lightly to cover.
6. Allow to sit for about 1/2 hour for bread to absorb the liquids, tossing in-between. Preheat oven to 350 F.
7. Pour into prepared dish. Dot with butter. Cover lightly with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake another 40 - 50 minutes. Sprinkle with brown sugar for final 5 - 10 minutes of baking.  Done when you can pull it apart with a fork and there is no liquid.
8. Allow to cool for about 30 - 60 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or room temperature with warm vanilla custard.

Simple Vanilla Custard: 

• 1 cup milk, divided
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract OR 1/4 tsp vanilla powder

In a small saucepan, bring 3/4 cup milk to boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk sugar, flour, 1/4 cup milk, egg yolk and vanilla until blended. Whisk into milk in saucepan just as it comes to boil and continue stirring until it bubbles. Serve warm. Can be re-heated.

Six Week Bran Muffins

You might be thinking this is the old original recipe that we've all had for years...and you are right! Sometimes it's good to pull out an old favourite and jazz it up a bit, or bake it in different shapes and sizes. This is a large recipe, but disappears faster than the 6 weeks it can last. Adding dates to this old standby makes them even more moist and tasty.
I use Anneliese's Sticky Sauce when I want to make some of them a little sweeter and stickier.

Once you've made the muffin mix, you can bake up just several or a whole pan at a time. Try poking a few frozen blueberries into the batter just before baking or grating some orange rind into the batter.
All variations freeze well.

• 3 cups bran buds (I use All Bran Cereal, Kellogg's brand)
• 3 cups bran flakes
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups buttermilk
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 5 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups dates, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons water

1. Stir bran buds and flakes together in a large glass bowl. Pour bowling water over them and allow to sit.
2. In another large bowl cream butter and sugars together. Add eggs, buttermilk and molasses and beat well.
3. Add bran mixture and mix well.
4. Measure all dry ingredients into another bowl and stir to combine.
5. Add dry mixture to to bran and buttermilk mixture and stir or mix to combine.
6. Put chopped dates and last amount of water into a microwavable bowl. Cook in microwave for 1 minute. Take out and stir well. Mixture will get pasty. You may need to put it back in for 30 seconds. Don't over cook as they will burn. 
7. Add cooked date mash to batter and stir well to combine.
8. Store whole mixture in a well sealed container and place in refrigerator. Give the mix a little stir when you are ready to bake some muffins. If adding in some extra fruit or zest, put some of the mix into a small bowl and stir in the extras. The mix will be good for up to 6 weeks if kept well sealed and in refrigerator. 
9. Choose the size of tins. Spray lightly if not using a liner. For regular size muffins, fill cups to 2/3 full and bake at 400ºF for 15-18 minutes. Ovens vary so check with a toothpick. If using mini muffin tins, bake at same temperature but check at 10 minutes. 

Sticky Sauce method: (for 12 regular size muffins)

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Put all ingredients except for vanilla in a small sauce pan. 
2. Stirring constantly bring to a light bowl until sugar has melted. 
3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
4. Grease muffin tins and then divide mixture between 12 muffin cups. (these don't work with paper liners)
5. Put muffin batter right on top of the sticky sauce. Filling to 3/4 full. 
6. Bake as directed above. Remove sticky muffins upside down to a cooling rack immediately after baking. 

This is where I bake and family and friends young and older gather. As you can see it's small and cozy, but spills over into a casual living space with a cozy fire place...and yes, you can take your 'cup of stuff and a thing' into there and put your feet up, or sit at the island. I may put you to work with a cutting board and sharp knife if you sit there. 

Bread for the Journey

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.

Isaiah 55:6 ESV

Sunflowers are those golden beauties of summer whose name originally meant 'sun responder'.

There are many flowers that turn their faces towards the sun,
but the sunflower turns to face the sun completely...
leaves and all.

Is there anything quite as striking as that?

There is a lesson here for us.
Are we seeking after God...completely?

 Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His Glory and Grace.

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

This coffee cake is light and fluffy. I decreased the sugar from the original recipe by half a cup and still think it is sweet enough. You can use cubed fresh pears in this recipe instead of blueberries. You can also use pecans instead of walnuts in the topping. This would be nice for brunch along side a savory dish.

Ingredients:

Topping:

• 1-1/2 cups walnuts or pecans
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut in smaller pieces

Cake:

• 2-3/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk, whole or 2%
• 1-1/2 cups blueberries 

For Topping:

1. Blend first four ingredients in food processor until nuts are coarsely chopped.
2. Add butter; using pulse to blend until coarse crumbs form.

For Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare 13x9x2 baking pan by greasing and dusting with flour, shaking off excess.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and soda in medium bowl.
4. Using electric mixer beat butter in large bowl till fluffy.
5. Gradually add both sugars and beat until blended.
6. Beat in eggs, one at a time incorporating after each egg.
7. Add lemon zest and vanilla.
8. Blend sour cream and milk in small bowl.
9. Beat in this mixture alternating with dry ingredients in 3 additions each.
10. Spread half of the cake batter into prepared pan.
11. Sprinkle half the topping over the batter.
12. Cover this mixture with the blueberries evenly.
13. Spread remaining batter over this layer.
14. Sprinkle with the other half of the topping.
15. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
16. Cool and serve.
17. Yield: 12 servings

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

On a recent road trip, we stopped off at an ABC restaurant where I had my first pulled pork sandwich. I loved it! On the same weekend, I found a recipe in the July issue of Woman’s World, called Carolina Pulled Pork sandwiches. I’ve changed it up a bit, but however you make it, you won’t be disappointed. It is a perfect no ‘fuss meal’ to serve for a larger group.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 - 3 pounds pork shoulder blade roast
• 2 tablespoons dry fajita seasoning
• ½ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Method:

1. Place onion and garlic in bottom of 3-qt slow cooker. Top with pork. Sprinkle with seasoning.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together ketchup, sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and salt, until smooth.
3. Pour over pork. Cover and cook on low about 8-10 hours. (to have it done in 8 hours, I cooked it on high for the first couple of hours.)
4. Transfer pork to a plate, reserving sauce in slow cooker. Skim off oil/fat coming to the top.
5. Cool pork slightly. Using two forks, shred pork into bite sized pieces. Return to slow cooker, mixing with sauce. Stir in 1/4 - 1/2 cup BBQ sauce, according to taste, if desired. Keep warm to serve.
6. If serving the next day, refrigerate and reheat in roaster or other ovenproof dish.

Serving suggestion: Serve on large buns with coleslaw and baked beans.

Cottage Cheese Rolls with Variations - Gluten Free

top left --   cheddar cheese rolls

top right -- sausage rolls

middle left -- schnetki

middle right -- platz

bottom left -- cottage cheese dough

bottom middle --  making the cheese rolls

bottom right --  making the sausage rolls

This recipe was inspired by Charlotte's Cottage Cheese Rolls 

This is my new favourite go-to recipe when I want a light flaky pastry, since this dough is wonderful to work with.

 I've shown some of the ways I use this dough, maybe you have some more.  One I didn't show is the icing glazed ones Charlotte made.

The Schnetki   'fooled' both my husband and my granddaughter that they were not the 'real' thing!

I use this dough for a Platz base -- rolling it out about 1/4"   thick to fit the pan or cookie sheet.

The cheese rolls and the sausage rolls are melt in your mouth delicious.

Not pictured is the option of using this dough for pie crusts.

The dough recipe (I usually double the recipe)

• 1 cup julie's flour mix - or your favorite gluten free flour mix
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum 
• 1/2 tsp salt (or less) 
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1 egg 
• creamed cottage cheese (to make 3/4 cup) 
• extra sweet rice flour for handling dough

1. Mix dry ingredients together in bowl. 
2. Using pastry blender, cut in butter 
3. Put egg in measuring cup and fill with cottage cheese to make 3/4 cup -- whisk together. 
4. Add egg/cheese mix to flour and stir until a ball forms - knead until smooth using a little more sweet rice flour if needed.   Dough should still be a little sticky. I don't usually need any extra sweet rice flour.  
5. Cover dough and chill for several hours  - at least two , its better over night.  
6. Divide dough into parts as per desired use.   
7.  For the cheese rolls -  one fist sized dough will roll into a 9-10" circle (dough is not more than 1/4 " thick)   Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese before cutting with pizza cutter into 12 slices. Roll up each slice starting with wide end rolling to the tip. 
8. For the sausage rolls , roll dough (1/4" thick)  into a rectangle and wrap sausage pieces in a 'blanket'. placing seam side down.   I used Winkler Farmer Sausage that was wonderful.   
9. For the schnetki  click on the link (above)  to the original wheat schnetki recipe and follow the same instructions to make them.  
10. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown.

Note:   I know some of you cannot have dairy -  I think the cottage cheese is the 'secret' success ingredient in this recipe but you could try it with a dairy substitute.    Also instead of the white bean flour you could substitute chickpea flour.    

Platz

20 years ago our youngest daughter sang in the

Pacific Mennonite Children's Choir.

She brought this recipe home after having it at one of the other choir members homes.

Her note on the hand written recipe said,

VERY GOOD LIGHT CAKE.

She was right.

Here I have used blackberries, but you could also use,

blueberries, plums, apricots or peaches.

Ingredients - for cake

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Crisco shortening
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• fruit to cover cake, fresh or frozen

Ingredients - for topping

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla

Method:

1. Beat together eggs and sugar until creamy. Add Crisco and beat well.
2. Add remaining ingredients and beat just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
3. Dump batter into a small greased cookie sheet. Top generously with fresh or frozen fruit.
4. To make crumble topping, stir together flour and sugar. Cut in butter until it becomes small crumbly pieces. Sprinkle with vanilla and toss with hands, then immediately sprinkle over fruit.
5. Bake in 350º oven for 25-30 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.