Keeping Up With the Pregnant Lady

I'm having trouble keeping up with the pregnant lady. Jill is in full nesting mode. She has cleaned her house from top to bottom - more than once. She's putting meals in the freezer while working full time, caring for a 2 1/2 year old and working on a master's degree in public heath. She puts this old Grandma to shame. (I told her that I had plenty she could come and clean here, but it's a little far to travel when she is counting down to Baby. And I might feel a little guilty watching the pregnant lady clean for me. Maybe.)

But, last week, I also started stashing meals in the freezer to take to Jill and Eric when the new baby is born. Baby No. 2 and I are in a race. We'll see who wins. (Actually, I win either way. I can always make more meals later.)

I like making meatballs when I'm going to share meals with others. My go-to meatball recipe is on a dog-earred page in the first Stafford Oktoberfest book. Since I wanted to make enough for Jill's family and for a friend recovering from surgery, a recipe using 3 pounds of hamburger goes a long way.

This week, I noticed the Waikiki Meatball recipe right there on the adjacent page. And while it didn't convince me to ditch my regular meatball recipe, I did want to try the sauce.

The homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce was a hit with Randy & Jake. We'll see if Kinley and the parents like it, too. I know I'll be making it again here on The County Line.

Waikiki Meatballs

From the Stafford Oktoberfest Cookbook

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
1 recipe of meatballs (click on the link)
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup brown sugar
15-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained, RESERVE JUICE
1/3 cup vinegar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 coarsely-chopped bell pepper (I used red, but green is fine, too. Or use a combo for more color)

Combine cornstarch and brown sugar well. Stir in reserved pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce, stirring until well combined. Pour into skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Add pineapple chunks and pepper.

Pour sauce over prepared meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve over rice, if desired.

My meatball recipe makes a lot of meatballs. In the original Wakiki Meatball recipe in the Oktoberfest cookbook, it only used 1.5 pounds of hamburger. So, depending on how "saucy" you want your Wakiki Meatballs, you may want to use the Sweet and Sour Sauce on part of the meatballs. For another pan, you could use your favorite prepared barbecue sauce. (Our is Curly's.)

This freezes well.

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I'll have more from Topeka later in the week. While there is still no new baby, there is a 2 1/2 year old I needed to see. Oh yeah ... and her parents and her Uncle Brent.

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