Cookin' With Leo

By Leocthasme

Fourth Of July Stuff

Ok, so my Dear Sweet Italian Fairy Godmother ain’t been around since she told me it would rain in Texas, well no rain, no Fairy Godmother, nuttin’ but HOT, HOT, HOT, but my other pal Aztec Annie showed up one day while I was relaxing in the hot, dry shade of West Texas with a wet drink. In wet clothes, of course, not water wet, sweat wet, Well anyway Annie says
“Hey, watcha doin out here in all this heat?”
“Well, hi Annie, I’m just tryin’ to find a place just a bit cooler than Hell. And here in Texas there ain’t no such place. My Dear Sweet Italian Godmother told me it would rain and it never did happen. I am beginning to doubt her wisdom.”
“Oh she didn’t make any mistake, it did rain around here someplace.”
“Yep that’s for sure, rained about 3 or 4 drops over in Odessa, maybe a few more down in the mountains and just a few more over east. Not enough rain to cool the cattle or grow some grass. Well didn’t have to cut it at all this year, that saved a few bucks. But then probably next year we’ll have to plant a new lawn, or live on a sand dune.”
“Don’t be so down, not like you, you always up when I come to see you.”
“Yea I know, Annie, but you don’t live where it never rains.”
“Oh yea, I do , There a place near Chile where it never rain for a million years.”
“Well maybe you got one on Texas there, but it seems like that’s what’s happening here too.”
“Hey, how about I cheer you up with a new recipe for 4th of July?”
“That might help, Annie, need something to cheer the folks up around here and me too, I guess.”
“Tattatatatatatatatatatatatatatatattattat” she whispered in my ear and she was gone. But now I have a new recipe for the 4th of July celebrators and it is called

Annie’s Easy Cocktail Meatballs.

Here is what you need for about 10 or 12 folks:

• 1lb lean ground beef
• ½ lb ground pork
• ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• 2 tblspns soy sauce, divided
• ½ tsp dry mustard
• 12 oz grape jelly
• 12 ox tomato based chili sauce

And here is how to do what you gotta do to do it:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a large baking shet with nonstick cooking spray. Now combine the beef, pork, bread crumbs, egg, mustard and 1 tblspoon soy sauce in a large bowl, mix well. Use a small ice cream scoop to shape the mix into about 1” meatballs. Place the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet and bake until browned, and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Combine the remaining soy sauce, jelly and chili sauce, toss in the meatballs and make sure they are all coated with sauce. Cover and bake till heated through, about 10 minutes.
Serve hot with Mich or Bud.

Take Care Now, Ya’heah!
An’ Enjoy The Fireworks!

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Click on Leocthasme for bio and list of other works published by Pencil Stubs Online.