Easy Cooking: Buttermilk Meatballs

Let me tell you this right off the bat. I do NOT love to cook.

I don't mind it...sometimes I even look forward to it...like to experiment with it a bit...but I definitely don't love it.

What I do love is providing my family a nutritious meal that they enjoy (or somewhat so) that doesn't cost me an arm and a leg, or in more modern terms, an early withdrawal from my retirement account. That's what gives me joy. You might call me cheap; I prefer frugal.

Which brings me to my favorite cookbook, Simple Fare: Rediscovering the Pleasures of Real Food, by Ronald Johnson. This was my very first cookbook. I believe I bought it on clearance not long after moving from Michigan to Chicago. I still use it nearly 20 years later.

Were I to copy the Julie & Julia cooking blog, I would use this book. Hmmm...Jackie & Ronald. I love this book because the recipes are simple (as the name implies) and, best of all, they usually require cheap ingredients. I can expose my kids to flavorful, worldly dishes without a costly passport.

So not an expert at traveling or cooking, I enjoy Johnson's interesting personal notes for every recipe, along with his side dish suggestions. I especially appreciate that his recipes don't call for any fancy or hard-to-find ingredients, but if one is mentioned, he provides an easy alternative.

Tonight, I'm making for the first time Mildred Knopf's Buttermilk Meatballs. Johnson adapts this old-world recipe from the 1960's self-taught cook's Perfect Hostess Cook Book.

Mildred Knopf's Buttermilk Meatballs


- 1 lb. lean ground beef (I'm using ground sirloin since that was on sale for $1.69/lb.)
- 1 c. buttermilk (you can actually make your own with vinegar and milk...see this link http://frugalliving.about.com/od/condimentsandspices/r/Buttermilk_Sub.htm
- 1/2 c. fresh rye bread crumbs
- salt and freshly ground pepper (my pepper won't be freshly ground)
- flour
- 3 T vegetable oil
- 3 T butter
- 1 c. sour cream
- 4 T dry sherry (I'm using red wine from an already opened bottle)
- cooked noodles or rice (I'm using whole wheat pasta)
- paprika


Place meat in a bowl with buttermilk and bread crumbs, and blend mixture thoroughly with your hands. Add salt and pepper to taste--not too much salt because the buttermilk tends to give the meat a lively enough flavor. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.


Roll into 1" balls and roll lightly in flour. Put vegetable oil in a frying pan large enough to hold all the balls in a single layer. Cook over high heat until golden on all sides--about 5 minutes is enough, for they should not overcook. Scoop balls out into a bowl and discard the oil.


Put butter in the pan and heat over medium heat. Stir sour cream with sherry and then stir into the sizzling butter. Lower heat and stir the sauce smooth, adding a little salt as you wish. Do not let the sauce boil or it will curdle. When it is hot, stir in meatballs until they are coated. Serve over noodles or rice sprinkled with a blush of paprika.

I'll let you know how this turns out. Meanwhile, do you have an easy meatball recipe or a cookbook you'd like to tell us about?

Only the Best Sugar Cookies for My Valentines

In case you're wondering what I'm doing today (the day before Valentine's Day), besides watching my daughter's indoor soccer game, I'm baking cookies. Not just any cookies.  Classic Sugar Cookies from the Southern Living Incredible Cookies cookbook with a simple glaze, in heart shapes, of course.

Although I'm so-not-an-expert baker, believe me when I say that I've tried a lot of sugar cookie recipes in my day and this one is the best. It's a true favorite around our house--even my 13-year-old son likes the recipe and he claims he doesn't even like sugar cookies. Over and over again we turn to this--birthdays, Valentine's Day, Halloween, various parties, etc....

There's a reason these cookies are called classic. They're perfect as they are. They're easy. They withstand the test of time. There isn't a need in the world to mess with them.

Enough said. Here's the recipe....

CLASSIC SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup butter or margarine, softened (I've never used margarine, only butter)
1 cup sugar
1 lg. egg
1 t. vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 t. salt

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add egg and vanilla, beating well. Gradually add flour and salt, beating until blended. Divide dough in half; cover and chill 1 hour.

Roll each portion of dough to 1/4" thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut with desired cookie cutters. Place on lightly greased baking sheets. (Oh, oops. That's why my cookies are a little tough to get off the sheets. I do not know if I've ever greased the sheets. I'll try that today.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are lightly browned. Cool cookies 1 minute on baking sheets; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

GLAZE

1 (16-oz.)  pkg. powdered sugar
6 T warm water
Liquid food coloring, optional

Stir together powdered sugar and warm water using a wire whisk. Divide and tint with food coloring, if desired; place in shallow bowls for ease in dipping cookies. Yield: 1-1/3 cups. (I rest the dipped cookies on a wire rack and wait for them to dry there. They make a drippy mess, but are so worth it.)

If you prefer an prettier online version of the recipe, try one of these links:

myrecipes.com      (and search for the recipe by name)
or
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1933327

Do you have a favorite treat you like to make for Valentine's Day? Do you have a fun tradition you'd like to share? I'd love to hear how you liked this recipe.

Happy baking and Happy Valentine's Day!