Meatballs with Cream Sauce

I have decided to record my cooking journey this summer. No, I am not Julie Powell from "Julie and Julia" and I will not set a goal of going through Julia Child's cookbook, 524 recipes over 365 days. I would however like to try some new recipes this summer (see following post: Top 10 Reasons I LOVE SUMMER!!!!) as to broaden our list of dependable, yet tasty dinners! And like Julie," I could write a blog-I have thoughts!" :)

New Dinner #1: Meatballs with Cream Sauce (from: The Taste of Home COOKBOOK)

Ingredients:

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Cream Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

1 can (14 ounces) chicken broth

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1) In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-1/2 inch balls. Roll in flour, shaking off excess. Place 1 inch apart on greased 15 inch x 10 inch x 1 inch baking pans.

2) Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. turn meatballs; bake 12-15 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink.

3) Meanwhile, for sauce, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour, thyme, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add broth and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

4) Drain meatballs on paper towels; transfer to a serving dish. Top with sauce; sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: 6 servings

Results:

My Thoughts: James has been asking for meatballs for a while now. I do not have a set recipe that I use, so I thought why not try something new. To be honest, I am not a good person to be critiquing this as I am not a big fan of meatballs. However, I put mine over rice and with the combination of the sauce, ended up liking it well enough. James put his over pasta and claims to have really enjoyed it. About half way through dinner he looks at me and says, "I like these meatballs!" He says he is going to let them soak up the sauce overnight and take them to work tomorrow. I'm really glad he liked it-I know I don't cook the things he likes enough because I'm so picky. What can I say? :) I will offer this tip: don't cook this if you need a "quick" meal. None of it was difficult to do but it was somewhat time consuming. If you are in the mood and have the time, I would recommend this recipe for all you meatball lovers out there. Enjoy! :)