sweet and sour meatballs with sticky rice

This recipe actually belongs to my friend, Brittney. She made it for us all the time, and we devoured it without fail. It's really easy and really good! I altered it a little bit {ie. bought pre-made meatballs {sue me} and upped the amounts of onion and garlic}, but pretty much it's the same. Don't worry if you think the sauce will in no way coat the meatballs. It will; I promise. It goes a ton further than you'd think. This meal is really yum. Try it out, and let me know what you think.

RECIPE: Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Rice

Ingredients:

white rice

40ish frozen meatballs

2/3 c. ketchup

1/2 c. brown sugar

2/3 c. chopped onion

3/4 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions or your preferred method {we use our rice cooker, throw in some rice, cover it with water, drain, cover it with water, drain, then cover it with water as deep as your first finger joint-- i.e. 1cm-1/2in... it makes it sticky and wonderful}. Also cook meatballs according to package directions.

While the rice and meatballs are cooking, combine all other ingredients in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and keep it comin' for about a minute. You want the sugar to dissolve and the onions to soften- seeping out their yummo flavor. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes.

Once the meatballs are done, toss them with the sauce in a medium-sized bowl. The sauce should coat the meatballs. Serve this combination over rice. Enjoy!

banana nut muffins

Having just moved into a new house, I really needed to bake something {make a floury mess, fill the house with a sweet smell, eat something wonderful} to mark my territory a bit. These muffins were just the thing I needed. Somehow family and food combine to make a house feel like a home like none other.

Tip: I always thought you could only make muffins with old, brown bananas. Turns out fresh ones work just as well; they're just harder to mash {though honestly how "hard" can mashing bananas be?}. Who knew??

Anyway, I got this recipe from my Pretty Pink Bible {okay, so it's really called the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book... but it's the pink, breast cancer version of the classic red plaid... and it's fabulous}. It's on page 126, if any of you have the same, and it's actually the Muffins recipe with the Banana Muffins variation. I altered it a little {ie. dumped all ingredients together instead of separating dry and wet}, but it's pretty much theirs.
The muffins are yummy. Enjoy!



RECIPE: Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients:
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. cooking oil {vegetable}
3/4 c. mashed banana {2 bananas, I think}
1/2 c. chopped nuts {did 1/4 c. pecans}

Directions:Preheat oven to 400F. Grease {spray, whatever} a regular-sized muffin tin... all 12 cups. Combine all ingredients in a medium-large bowl. Stir until just moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each cup evenly. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. A wooden toothpick inserted in centers should come out clean at this point. Let cool a bit, then remove from muffin cups and serve warm.