Every afternoon after their nap time, the kids and I venture outside to look for our yearlings. Our family likes schedule and know what comes next. You would be surprised, but the cows are predictable as well. Every afternoon around 3:00 PM, the yearlings come to water and then head to the north side of the property. Perfect timing to check out the young steers and heifers. I think Junior’s first word was “moo”, not mama or dada. That little guy sure loves his cows.
The afternoon outings keep us busy, the kids get some fresh air and explore the surrounding, including being curious about dry cow pies. Don’t get me even started on that one! By the time we get home, we are ready to start our dinner routine.
A couple of nights ago I made Swedish Meatballs. It was easy and fast, so the little guys didn’t lose their “cool” before dinner was served. The unique spices in the meatballs made it a nice change to the typical marinara meatballs.
Ingredients:
Meatballs
- 1 lb 3T ground beef
- 1/4 breadcrumbs (plain), panko also works great
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (Don’t overdo it with this spice, it is crucial to the recipe, but it can also overpower it. Measure for sure, don’t eyeball it).
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1 tablespoon grain mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- Lingonberry jam (Not a big deal, if you don’t have it. It is a garnish).
Directions:
- Mix your meatball ingredients and heat up a large deep pan.
- Use a heaping tablespoon of the beef mixture to roll your meatballs.
- Put in oil in the pan and fry your meatballs on each side. They don’t have to be cooked all the way through as you will finish the cooking process in the sauce. The meatballs need to have a nice crust on them.
- Take the meatballs out of the pan and start working on the sauce.
- Add a little bit of oil and stir in flour. Stir and let it cook for about 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the beef broth. Continue stirring, so you don’t get lumps in the sauce.
- Add milk, mustard, salt and pepper.
- Let the sauce thicken while stirring for about 5 minutes.
- Put in meatballs and coat them in the sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes on low to medium heat.
- Right before serving stir in chopped up parsley.
- I have served the meatballs with mashed potatoes and green beens.
Tip: You don’t have to use a lot of butter and cream to make tasty mashed potatoes. I have used only one tablespoon of grassfed butter and warm beef stock to make the potatoes creamy. The key point is the warm beef stock, it has to be warm. Salt, pepper and garlic/pepper seasoning is always a staple in the mashies.
Dobrou Chut!