by Jade Buchanan I love December food, there are just so many great things that I end up going nuts over. My mom is famous for her Cranberry Coffee Cake that we have on Christmas morning, we make a ton of different Christmas cookies, and Christmas dinner is always a great time. In fact, this year they even let me in the kitchen!! It seems my attempts over these past few months to improve my skills have paid off!

But, after December is over, I just want to go back to light and easy eating. Something non-sweet, after so many Christmas candies, cookies and tasty bits of fudge from my Grandma (yes, I am the only person in my family who can't cook). Thinking about what I wanted to try out for this month's cooking column, I decided to go back to my roots, and make something we used to eat growing up all the time. My mom used to make this for my family all the time and we all devoured it! It cab be a great appetizer, or a fantastic main dish if you want something quick, easy and tasty!

So, get ready to make meatballs! Mmmm… balls made of meat...

Sweet-and-Sour Meatballs

Meatballs

1 pound hamburger
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg

Sauce

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 can (13 1/4 ounces) pineapple chunks
1/3 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 small green pepper, coarsely chopped

Steps

1. Mix ingredients for meatballs, shape into roughly 1 ½ inch balls (have I mentioned how much I hate the feel of raw meat?? Even if I'm making balls out of 'em, raw meat just feels weird.)
2. Cook in a skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until brown (takes about 20 minutes).
3. Remove meatballs from skillet and place aside. Drain fat from skillet.
4. Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in the skillet.
5. Stir in pineapple (with juice), vinegar and soy sauce.
6. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. (I was an idiot about this step. The sauce needs to thicken up, but I still haven't quite gotten the hang out of figuring out when it's thick enough. It was a good thing I was making this for my parents, because my mom had to help me a little bit here and there.)
7. Reduce heat.
8. Add the meatballs back into the skillet. Cover and simmer, stirring constantly (about ten minutes).
9. Add the green peppers. Cover, simmering until green pepper is crisp-tender (about five minutes).

I made this for my parents, my sister and my cousin one night and we all absolutely loved it. Since my cousin is a big guy with a very big appetite, I ended up tripling the meatballs and doubling the sauce (yeah, try and reason that one out, LOL!)

I served it over a bed of minute rice (gotta love minute rice! Even I can't screw this stuff up) and we barely had any leftovers. In fact, I think the only thing left over was a few pieces of pineapple no one wanted.

And, I'll be honest with you… it was my ability to make this recipe that finally convinced my mom to let me into the kitchen for Christmas dinner!!

So, there you have it. A nice and simple recipe that even I can make. And if a not-so-great chef can perfect a dish like this, you'll have no problems =)

Happy reading, and safe cooking!

Jade

P.S. Do you want to get in on the action and test Jade's cooking skills personally? Send her a recipe at jade.buchanan@yahoo.com before January 15th and the winning recipe will be cooked up and featured in the February issue of A Cheeky Changeling. The winner will receive a Changeling ebook of their choice!! Get out your Valentine's specials, everyone!!