A Great Fallback Meal

We tried a new crock-pot dinner last weekend, which turned out pretty good. It is simple to make, and the ingredients are ones that can be easily stored and kept on hand, making this a perfect fallback meal when your other dinner plans fall through. For your consideration:

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
1 can pineapple pieces
1/2 c white vinegar
3 T soy sauce
1/2 c brown sugar
1.25 lb precooked meatballs

Place meatballs into crock pot. Mix other ingredients together and pour over meatballs. Cover and cook for 5-6 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Serve with rice or noodles, and vegetables.

Prep Notes: I doubled the recipe, which I won't need to do next time, as it makes quite a lot. I thought it had a little too much of a vinegar-y taste, so I will cut the vinegar down to maybe 1/3 cup next time. The original recipe link did not say what size can of pineapple to use. I used a 20-oz can of pineapple chunks (with some of the juice) for my double recipe. We all agreed that was the best type of pineapple to use, as those of us (my teenage sons) who weren't wild about the pineapple could easily pick around it. We all agreed that the sauce needed to be thick, not runny, so next time I will try adding some cornstarch and water about 20 minutes before serving.

Verdict: Definitely tasty, with room for improvement. I give it extra points for being so simple to make.

Summer Heat-busting Recipes

One thing I am really consistent about is planning weekly menus and shopping lists. But, I'm not as adept at anticipating what the weather will be during the week. This past week, the Pacific Northwest had its version of a heat wave (temperatures pushing 90 for several days in a row). For those of us without air conditioning and used to much cooler temperatures (the average high for this time of year is 68 degrees), it can get pretty miserable. Our house tends to get especially warm in the afternoons thanks to our western exposure.

Anyway, last week during the heat wave, we ended up opting to grab fast food at a nice, air-conditioned fast food establishment rather than cook and add heat to the already sweltering house. Prior to this summer, we didn't think twice about doing this. Now, that's a different story. We can easily spend upwards of $30 at Wendy's or McDonald's, and that is just not going to fly in our single-income household.

So, this morning I spent some time going through my recipe books looking for some good summer recipes for salads (both main dish and side) and grilling recipes that I can add to my menus for these summer months. If I find any that pass the test of my uber-picky family, I'll post them here. I figure even if I use some convenience foods (pre-cooked chicken strips, etc.) in these meals it will be cheaper than eating out.

If anyone would like to share a good summer salad (pasta or otherwise) recipe, or suggest other things that we can either eat cold, grill outdoors, etc., let me know! I'll try to make this a recurring theme for posts throughout the summer.