Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

But first up, a few notes!

• I received the Liebster Blog award from The Daily Smash, and am very touched and honored. Check out her blog for some incredibly yummy-looking recipes, which have that "I'd actually make that!" appeal. Thanks again! (And I'll have to pass this on, yet, too.)
  


• My peanut butter cup shortbread was recently featured on the Bizzy Bakes blog. (Say THAT five times fast.) This, too, is quite the honor -- thank you! Although I keep skipping past my recipe to stare at the cheesecake recipe beneath it. Damn you, New Year's diet!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I was looking to make some appetizer meatballs recently, and I decided to try this recipe, which was from Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine.

Now, I liked the glaze. A lot. It definitely has some kick, even when using the lower amount of Tabasco, but it does mellow after it's on the meatballs.

However, the accompanying recipe for meatballs was the weirdest meat mixture I've ever had the displeasure of working with. In addition to three eggs, it also called for 3/4 a cup of broth, which I thought was strange. But hey, we'd try it. The meatballs were so moist that they were nearly impossible to shape or cook. As my friend Sally would say, those meatballs were a pile.

Moral of the story? Use your own favorite meatball recipe, and toss them with the glaze. From now on, I'll use the meatball recipe from my Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.

Sweet and Spicy Meatballs
Makes about 4 dozen

2 pounds ground beef, preferably 85% lean
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt
3 tablespoons olive oil (or more, as needed)
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup peach preserves
1/2-1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

1. Add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, cheese, and eggs to a bowl. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt. Combine mixture thoroughly and form into uniformly sized meatballs.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pan over medium to medium-high heat. Cook one-third of the meatballs until browned and cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining oil and meatballs.

3. In a blender, combine chili sauce, peach preserves, and Tabasco. Blend until smooth.

4. Heat sauce mixture in microwave or on the stovetop until hot. Toss with cooked meatballs, and serve immediately.

P.S. These looked saucier in person. Promise.