Welcome to the first Foodie Friday of February. February is considered the month of love due to the observation of St. Valentine’s Day. In my world, food equivocates love. When I am at a loss for how to help someone in a time of need, celebrate an achieved goal, or show someone I care, food is my go-to for a demonstration of affection. If I invite you to my home for dinner, it is because I think highly of you. I don’t cook for just anyone. If you have a birthday, I cook your favorite meal because I care, and you deserve to be celebrated. Be it a healthy perception of food or not, food is how I show I care.
We have a practice here at The Smiling Goat Soap Company. If you are part of our soap family and work to help us, I feed you. Our little company cannot offer a lot of perks at this point, but I will feed you well and give you all the free products you desire. Raylee, Jordan’s best friend who helps us out two days a week during the school year, eats dinner with us twice a week. My friend, Jenna, who helps us out in many ways, eats dinner with us almost every night unless she has “Jenna things” to do. I enjoy cooking for Ray and Jenna. They are family. Cooking dinner is a task that must be done almost every day, so I feed the people I care about and who take care of me.
Jenna and Raylee love ham balls. Last night, they were both here helping us out, so I made ham balls for dinner with scalloped potatoes and green beans. I enjoy making food my “family” enjoys. It’s the least I can do for two people who are always there for us when we need them. Today, I will share my recipe for ham balls. I cook them in the crockpot, so clean up is very easy. Dinner cooks while I go about my day, and I don’t have to worry about setting off the fire alarm by cooking them too long. This recipe was popular with everyone. The Bibbed Wonder declared it to be “share-worthy.”
Ham Balls
Ingredients:
2 lbs. Ground Ham
1 lb. Ground Pork
½ lb. Ground Beef
1 Egg
½ Cup Milk
1 Cup Unseasoned Bread Crumbs
1 Small onion, diced
1 Tbls. Ground Mustard
½ tsp. Ground Pepper
Sauce:
2 Cans Tomato Soup
¼ Cup Water
6 Tbls. Apple Cider Vinegar
¾ Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbls. Dijon Mustard
Directions:
-Mix meats, egg, milk, onion, bread crumbs, and spices in a large bowl. I used my hands to mix thoroughly.
-Form meat mixture into medium-sized meatballs.
-Place the meatballs in a treated slow cooker.
-In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients for the sauce.
-Pour over the meatballs in the crockpot.
-Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.
Serve hot with scalloped or mashed potatoes and a green vegetable to round out the meal. It doesn’t get any easier or more delicious than this recipe.
At the end of a long day, everyone leaves with a full stomach and, hopefully, a feeling of appreciation. It does not escape me that we cannot do what we do without the help of these two hardworking, responsible, kind-hearted girls. If making a meal they love puts a smile on their face, it is the least I can do.
On this lovely winter Friday, stay safe, be smart, enjoy good food, care for those you love, and keep washing your hands.