Happy August! The year is going by way too fast but for lovers of fall (like myself) August cannot go by fast enough. Anywho, this is not a blog about weather so let's get to this week's recipe. It's Ma's pick and it comes from this sadly worn cookbook that she's had since well...probably before yours truly was born.
Look at it, what happened to it? Did it get into a food fight? <---haha food fight. Get it? Food...cooking? Okie yeah, not my best but you get the jist.
So with some PI work I tracked down this book and this is what the original cover looked like you know before the food fight. Alright, I know a bad joke when I tell one and I'm letting go. Sheesh!
So you're probably wondering why we have a diabetic cookbook. Well once apon a time I had a wonderful uncle. He was diagnosed with diabetes (among other medical problems) and we needed to whip up things to make him feel included in on the yummy food we normally cook. So tonight's recipe is an oldie but goodie for the Bellas clan. It's actually one of Aunt Jane's favorites. She even told me if I didn't end up liking it she was going to I dunno...something about murder or ring my neck? I couldn't quite make out her threat, ha. So for your viewing and recipe box pleasure I bring you porcupines!
WAIT! Oh geez, I should've confronted this head on in the beginning of this entry. Okie, come back I know the name is gonna throw you off but here at Tuesday's with Dinah and Ma we don't eat porcupines. Come on! no way. We love the pokey little fellas. It's just this recipe has taken on the name for whatever reason and by the end of it we may just decide to change it for fear of pissing off the porcupine community. Trust when I say, no porcupine was hurt in the making of this recipe.
Beef Porcupines in Tomato Gravy
4 servings (yield: 20 meatballs plus 1 1/3 cups gravy)
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup long grain rice
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can (10 1/2 ounces) tomato soup
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups water
Combine ground beef, rice, bread crumbs, salt, parsley, and 2 tablespoons water. Shape into an 8-inch square or pack evenly in an 8-inch square pan. Cut 3 lines on one side and 4 lines on the other side to make 20 equal sections; shape each section into a meatball. Heat oil in a large skillet, brown meatballs in hot oil over medium heat, turn frequently. Combine tomato soup, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, and 2 cups of water. Add to meatballs, cover and simmer gently for one hour or until rice is tender. Serve meatballs with tomato gravy from pan.
So this one was good, I really enjoyed the meatballs but the tomato gravy just wasn't my thing.
Tid Bits:
*You can also use a half pound of ground round and a half pound of turkey or just all turkey if you prefer.
*To make your tomato gravy a little thicker make a rue. For a rue just follow these steps: Use flour (make sure it's always all purpose) and place it in a bowl then slowly add some water to it to make it smooth (constantly stirring with a fork while pouring in the water). Once smooth pour rue into tomato gravy all the while stirring with the fork.
*If you are watching your salt in take we suggest using tomato soup from Campbells. lower sodium which is nice.
*You can pair this dinner with mashed potato's or noodles.
Ma's Spot: I have been making this dish for over 20 years. It is a family favorite (except Dinah lol). I love it, I love the gravy over the mashed potatoes (which is what we paired it with tonight). In making this out of the diabetic book, I hope to encourage you to try different recipes even if you do not have diabetes. You can find the tastiest recipes in the least likely books.
*SNACK CORNER:*
It's time for snack corner! Where we take new snacks in the grocery store and break it down for you. We tell you which are hot and which are not. Let's get to this week's picks:
Dinah: This week's snack is Golden Grahams Treats. I've never been a huge fan of the cereal bar trend. They usually give me heartburn (since they came out) and leave a bad taste in my mouth but this one seemed different and I was right. Pretty delish, and not too heavy. So I'd say give it a shot! Oh, and the best reason of all no heartburn nor bad after taste. I'd say that's a winner in my book. :D.
Ma: If you add marshmallow to any breakfast cereal I am happy. I love this, and it actually tasted like a s'more. I think it had the perfect ratio of marshmallow and chocolate. I encourage you to buy them and enjoy!
That's it guys, see you back here in a week for more yumminess. Have a great week!
Spoons & Spatula's
~Dinah & Ma
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