Party Beef Balls

I always enjoy meatballs. They are great as an appetizer or as a meal unto themselves. Meatballs all follow a basic recipe but can be modified with seasonings and sauce to have many unique flavors. I found this recipe in Mom's recipe box and thought it would be a great treat. And because the meatballs are made on the stovetop instead of the oven, this recipe is terrific for summertime.

The recipe makes a lot of meatballs and would be great for a party or just a big meal. When I made these meatballs, I had to cook them in the skillet in batches because there were so many. The meatballs could be oven baked in order to cook them all at once. The sauce, made up of a number of ingredients, is especially delicious. The recipe calls for the meatballs to simmer in the sauce for ten minutes, but you could easily let them simmer for longer to absorb the flavor more.

Party Beef Balls 

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• butter or oil for skillet
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. catsup
• 1 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire 

Mix ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, evaporated milk, eggs, salt, and pepper. Form into balls using 1 teaspoon per ball. Brown on all sides in skillet with butter or oil. For the sauce, combine 1 1/2 cup water, brown sugar, chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, catsup, ginger, and Worcestershire sauce in a large pan. Cook to boiling. Add meatballs; simmer for ten minutes. Enjoy!

Cardamom Pizzelles

Pizzelles are a summertime favorite because they are delicious cookies that do not require using the oven. Instead, they are made using a pizzelle baker, which looks a lot like a waffle iron. This recipe will make a lot of pizzelles without heating up the kitchen. And because they bake so quickly, it is easy to have pizzelles to feed a bunch even on short notice.

The classic vanilla is always delicious. But I enjoy experimenting with pizzelle flavors. In the past, I have made chocolate, vanilla orange, orange rum, coffee, anise, and chocolate mint. I really like this cardamom pizzelle. Cardamom is not a very commonly used spice, although I frequently use it to flavor my coffee or oatmeal. Cardamom has a distinct taste that can be used in either sweet or savory dishes. 

Cardamom Pizzelles 

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• powdered sugar for sprinkling

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar. Add the cooled butter, vanilla, and cardamom. Sift flour and baking powder together; add to the egg mixture. Drop by spoonful onto the heated pizzelle baker. Close to allow the pizzelle to bake, about 1-2 minutes. Remove pizzelles with tongs to a flat surface. Allow to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Coconut Eclipes

As much as I like to eat candy, I do not often make candy. This recipe resulted in delicious candy that looked halfway decent. I made this recipe for a get-together for Father's Day at Mom's house. The candies were a hit, with everyone enjoying them.

Making delicious candy is relatively easy, but making good-looking candy can be tricky. The process of candy coating can be difficult. The chocolate coating needs to be warm, but not too warm, so that it is workable but not flowing. The coating itself needs to give good coverage, but not too much that it all runs off the candy. Learning the techniques can be challenging. But the results are these delicious candies that are similar to Mounds bars, so it is worth the effort.

Coconut Eclipses 

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
• 2 2/3 cup flaked coconut
• 3 squares semi-sweet chocolate

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add water and vanilla. Combine sugar and nonfat milk. Gradually add to butter mixture about one-half cup at a time; mixing well after each addition. Add coconut; mix well. Drop by teaspoon onto wax paper. Let stand until firm, about fifteen minutes. Melt chocolate. Cool chocolate until chocolate feels cool to the touch. Dip bottom of candy in chocolate; place upside down on waxed paper to dry. Enjoy!

Sugared Chocolate Wafers

These cookies are so delicious that I might have eaten them all in one sitting if I had not given some to neighbors. The cookies have a rich chocolate flavor that complements the crisp texture. The recipe calls for placing a walnut in the center of each cookie, but I left that step out. I am sure that the walnuts would have been nice, I just did not have any whole walnuts on hand.

Following the directions, I chilled the dough, but I think they would have come out fine even if the dough was not chilled. I tried using a cookie scooper, but I found that the cookies were not quite round enough, so I shaped the dough by hand into round balls. I did not flatten the cookies as much as the directions stated because I like the thicker cookie. 

Sugared Chocolate Wafers 

• 4 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup firm brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• granulated sugar
• walnuts (optional)

Melt chocolate over hot, not boiling water, cool. Sift floor, powder, soda, and salt onto wax paper. Beat butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and cooked chocolate in a large bowl with electric mix until thoroughly blended. Stir in flour mix. Chill for two hours. Form dough into walnut-size balls. Arrange on ungreased sheets about one-inch apart. Dip glass tumbler in glass and flatten each cookie into a two-inch round. Press walnut into each cookie. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool. Enjoy!

Swedish Meatballs

These meatballs make a terrific meal. In the summertime, I like to look for recipes that do not use the oven. This recipe fits the bill and results in a delicious meal made on the stovetop. The ingredients are easy enough to find. The flavor is terrific, and the meatballs could be eaten on their own or with noodles, rice, or bread.

When I made this recipe, I substituted three-quarter cup of breadcrumbs for the slices of bread, and then increased the milk by another splash. I also added more than a dash of nutmeg because I especially like the flavor. I served these meatballs with noodles.

Swedish Meatballs 

• 3 slices bread, crumbled
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• dash ground nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 (7/8 oz.) packet brown gravy mix
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

Add bread to milk. Mix in next five ingredients. Shape into one-inch balls. Chill. Brown meatballs in oil in a large skillet. Prepare gravy according to directions, using 1 1/4 cup water. Blend in mayonnaise. Add to meatballs and heat. Enjoy!

Fudge-Filled Peanut Butter Bars

These bars are amazingly delicious. This recipe came to me from my sister-in-law, Jen, because they are one of her mother's favorites. When Sharon (pictured here with Richard, Delilah, and Lorelei) recently passed away, I offered to make some of Sharon's favorite cookie recipes for the celebration of her life gathering. My nieces, Lorelei and Delilah, called Sharon "Cookie Grammy" because Sharon was known for making cookies. Now, whenever I enjoy these bars, I will think of Sharon what a wonderful life she lived.

When making this recipe, it is best to make it a day ahead. After the bars come out of the oven, let them cool and then slice the bars but leave the bars in the pan. To get the fudge layer to truly set, put the pan in the refrigerator overnight. The fudge will set, and the pre-cut bars should come out nicely. Jen also recommended using Duncan Hines coconut pecan frosting as a shortcut for making the fudge layer. I could not find it, so I just followed the recipe as is. And you could easily leave out the pecans and coconut because they disappear in the strong flavors of peanut butter and fudge.

Fudge-Filled Peanut Butter Bars 

Crust and topping

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs

Fudge layer

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mx together the crust ingredients. Press about two-thirds of the crust into a greased 9x13 inch pan. set aside the remainder of the crust for the topping. Prepare the filling in a medium saucepan, melting the chocolate, milk, and butter over low heat until smooth. Stir in the coconut, brown sugar, flour, and pecans until well-mixed. Spread the fudge filling over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the filling. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool. Slice into bars. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Enjoy!

Chocolate Mint Sticks

I recently made this recipe for Mothers' Day, and it was a hit. This recipe is a brownie with a layer of mint frosting and a layer of chocolate fudge frosting. I am not sure why this recipe uses sticks instead of bars; I suppose they could be cut into rectangular sticks. Whatever you call them, they are delicious.

This recipe is easy to make, but does require a little more time because the brownies need to cool before frosting, and the mint frosting needs to set before the chocolate frosting is added. The recipe calls for using unsweetened baking chocolate squares, which are easy enough to find, but I usually just substitute one tablespoon of butter and three tablespoons of cocoa powder for each square. Also, when I made this recipe, I increased the chocolate frosting amounts and added some powdered sugar to have a thicker chocolate frosting layer. The increased amounts are listed below. I also left out the nuts, but I am sure the recipe could be just as good with the nuts. 

Chocolate Mint Sticks 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 - 1 ounce square unsweetened chocolate, melted
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Peppermint Frosting

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract

Chocolate Frosting

• 3 - 1 ounce square unsweetened chocolate
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Blend in eggs. Stir in chocolate. Add flour and nuts. Mix well. Pour into a greased 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool completely. Blend together ingredients for peppermint frosting and spread on top. Allow to stand until firm. Prepare chocolate frosting by melting the chocolate and butter, then blend in the powdered sugar. Spread evenly over the peppermint frosting layer. Chill for 30 minutes until chocolate is set. Cut into bars. Enjoy!