And again - Swedish Meatballs

Friday - Let's try this again. Life, I mean. The last 5 days have been less than optimal.  Started off bad, got worse, with yesterday having the major crash and burn moment. Today, I filled out a little paperwork for disability, sprayed a few pepper plants, and crashed again.

Saturday - Seriously, this is getting old.  Days and days of pain, feeling useless, depressed, and unfocussed. I shouldn't even be blogging when I feel like this; people don't read blogs to feel bad all the time, and lately that's all I've had to offer.

On a happier note, the Magic won last night against the Toronto Raptors. And while we were watching the preshow, we caught Rob's godson Ben and his dad Jay on screen, while they were in a group of fans meeting with center Nikola Vucevic. That was all great fun.  I have such high hopes for my team this year, especially as it seems they finally have the right coach.

This morning I was awoken by a parade next to my house. Osceola County Veteran's Day parade, and that's what happens when you live downtown like we do. Sometimes living here reminds me of when we lived on Kings Highway in Brooklyn when I was a kid. My bedroom fronted the main road, and the sounds of traffic were always there.

Let me give you the recipe for the Swedish meatballs I prepared the other day.  They came out quite good, which I was able to confirm once my tastebuds were working normally. My refrigerator is so full of cooked food I had to label the pans to make any sense of it, but there is still one more dish I'd like to prepare before my body totally quits on me. (I am beginning to understand why some folks take strong pain-killers, despite the risk of addiction.  This is becoming unbearable.)

Swedish Meatballs

4 eggs, beaten lightly with a whisk 

1 1/2 cups of whole milk

1 cup dry breadcrumbs

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, divided 

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 pounds ground beef (I use market beef)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed (or 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh, chopped)

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour

3 - 10 1/2 oz. cans beef broth

1 1/2 cups cream or half and half

white pepper

black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped, for the sauce

additional nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom, to taste, for the sauce

In a large bowl whisk the eggs and milk together, then stir in the breadcrumbs.

In a large deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and add the onion. Saute until soft and lightly golden brown.  Let it cool.

To the breadcrumb mixture, add the ground beef, the onions, salt, dill, allspice, nutmeg and cardamom. Stir to combine well, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to overnight. Shape into meatballs, about 1 3/4 inches in diameter.

In the remaining butter, brown the meatballs in batches of 12. As they are done, move them to an aluminum baking pan, using a slotted spoon. Add the flour to the pan and stir to make a roux.  Season with white and black pepper, dill, numeg, allspice and cardamom.  Gradually stir in the beef broth; bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Add the cream.

Taste carefully and adjust the seasonings.  The beef broth is salty so you likely will not need to add any salt.  Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until the meatballs are heated all the way through. Serve with buttered noodles (I mix these with some poppy seeds and green peas) and lingonberry preserves.