Dec. 11, 2012: German Meatballs on Egg Noodles, Steamed Baby Carrots, Peanut Butter Cookies

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German Meatballs on Egg Noodles, Steamed Baby Carrots, Peanut Butter Cookies



 

I try to vary the kinds of food we eat enough to not feel like we are always eating Mexican or Italian food or something like that. So I decided to go German tonight with a sauerbraten style meatball that is one of my family's favorites. I like to serve them over lightly buttered egg noodles. And we needed a bright orange or yellow vegetable tonight- so I decided steamed baby carrots would do. And Tuesday is typically cookie night at our house. And I was craving classic tender peanut butter cookies for dessert. They tend to be eaten very quickly at our house whenever I make them.

 

Main Entrée

GERMAN MEATBALLS OVER BUTTERED EGG NOODLES

I came across this recipe when my oldest was a preschooler. I loved to teach him about the world - and so I would pick a country to teach him about. And we would go to the library and check out picture books/fairy tales from that country and eat foods from the country. So when we were learning about Germany (where so many well-known fairy tales originated from!) I came across this recipe. My husband absolutely loved it - so I've been making it ever since. It's sweet and a little sour- but not in the way Chinese food is. It's kind of unique.

 

First take 2 lbs. of ground beef and add 1/2 cup crumbled bread crumbs ( I use the heels of bread loves because no one eats those at our house). Then pour in 1/2 c. milk, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. ground cloves and 1/2 tsp. allspice. Mix well and form into meatballs.

 

Then I heat a couple of Tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer once the oil is hot. 

Meatballs in a single layer in the hot oil

Cook the meatballs for a few minutes on one side and then gently turn them all over and cook on the other side. Cook for a few minutes on each side until browned (but not cooked through).

After they are browned. Pour 2 cups of water, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 Tsp. ground ginger, and 2 bay leaves.

Bring the sauce to a boil and then turn down to medium-low and cover the pan. Let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for 20-30 minutes. 

Cooked meatballs

 Then thicken the sauce by adding 1/4 c. cornstarch to 1/2 c. cold water and mix it well until it is dissolved, then add 1/2 cup of the sauce into the water and mix well. Then quickly pour this into the sauce in the pan and mix well. Turn the heat back up to high and boil for 30 seconds to a minute or until the sauce is thickened.

*(You can remove the meatballs before thickening the sauce and keep them warm until it is thick and then add them back in - if it's easier for you). 

   While the meatballs are simmering, I put a big pot of water on to boil and then cook the egg noodles according to package directions. Then, after straining, add a little butter and gently stir to let it melt over all the noodles. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the noodles.
 

GERMAN MEATBALLS (I doubled this above for our family)
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Side Dish

STEAMED BABY CARROTS

I steam baby carrots in the microwave in a glass bowl, covered in plastic wrap with a little water in the bottom of the bowl. I just start out at 5 minutes and check them with a fork - and keep cooking them for a minute or two longer until the fork goes in easily. My family is really picky about their carrots being either completely raw or perfectly tender but not mushy.

 

Dessert

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

There is nothing quite like classic peanut butter cookies and this recipe is my absolute favorite! It makes cookies where the peanut butter flavor stands out above everything, with a hint of brown sugar and is so tender it almost falls apart in your hand.

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Then put 1 cup of margarine (2 cubes) and 1 cup of peanut butter (either creamy or chunky works - my kids prefer creamy) in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix it up really well until it is a creamy whipped totally uniform mixture. Then add 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar and mix it up really well. Then add 2 eggs, one at a time and mix well. Add 1 tsp. vanilla and mix well.

Then add 1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. baking powder and mix for one minute. Then add 1 1/2 cups more flour. Mix well.

 

Then grease cookie sheets and drop by 1 to 1 1/2 inch rounded cookies about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Take a fork and press the tines flat into the cookie one directions - flattening it a bit but only about halfway into the cookie. Then turn the fork so its tines are perpendicular to the previous marks and press again - making a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle the cookies with white sugar. 

Cookie dough, one of the left is sugared and criss-crossed, the middle
one is criss-crossed, the rest are rounded ones waiting to be done.

 

Bake for about 7-9 minutes. They should be slightly puffy and look like they are about to be golden if you like them very soft. If you like them crunchy let them bake until lightly golden-brown.

 

 

We like ours very soft and tender so I cook only 7 minutes

 

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
1 c margarine
1 c. peanut butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour