Asian Meatballs

So, here we are in England and for whatever reason, I'm really craving Asian food.  No clue why.  Doesn't make sense, I know, but that's all I want.  I thought I'd get creative and make some of my own.  With having limited groceries and not wanting to head to the store, I made with what I had on hand.  I searched Pinterest and found I was missing a few things that most recipes called for, so this is what I came up with.  You know what?  They were delicious!  

Asian Meatballs

Makes approx. 18-20 meatballs

Mix thoroughly together:

1 lb lean ground beef

1 small onion, grated

1 clove garlic, grated or minced

1 T soy sauce

1 egg

1/4 cup breadcrumbs or almond flour

1/4 tsp black pepper

Spoon into balls and place on cookie sheet, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.  Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes.

Sweet Soy Sauce

While meatballs are cooking, stir together in a small pot on medium heat:

2 T oil

1/3 cup vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1-2 garlic cloves, grated

a few shakes of red pepper flake

Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes and taste to see if you need to more salty soy or more sweet sugar to your liking and add accordingly.

Once meatballs are done baking add to sauce and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Drizzle with a little bit of honey for some added flavor and sweetness, if desired.  

Serve over rice.  Enjoy!

*Meatballs can easily be doubled with the same amount of sauce.  

Yummy balls of deliciousness! 

Gluten Free Lemon Squares

I'm not usually the biggest fan of lemony stuff, especially desserts.  My husband loves lemony foods but hates sour stuff.  My kids are all somewhere in between, one like her dad, my son can straight up eat lemons without flinching and the little we are still figuring out.  Basically what I'm saying is that we don't know if we are friends with lemons or not, but we all do love lemonade!
This summer while I was home in Ohio visiting we had a couple friends over.  We all made and brought a few things to share.  One of them has Celiac's, so she is my buddy and one of my go to peeps for gluten free questions.  Well, she brought into my life Lemon Squares that changed my life.  Not even exaggerating!  I became a lemon dessert believer!  That night I think I ate 3 of them after I had professed to "not being a big lemon person" and became the hypocrite of the night.  I have since made these babies more times than I can count, for potlucks, parties, Bible study and just because.  Every time I eat a lot of them and never do I grow tired of them.  Mind blown goodness.  Make them.  I promise you will not be disappointed!

Gluten Free Lemon Squares
From Betty Crocker

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2

cups Betty Crocker™ All-Purpose Gluten Free Rice Flour Blend (I used my favorite GF flour mixture and omitted the xanthan gum.)

1/2

cup granulated sugar

3/4

teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2

cup cold butter, cut into pieces

1

to 2 tablespoons water

Filling

1 1/2

cups granulated sugar

2

tablespoons grated lemon peel

1/2

cup fresh lemon juice

4

eggs, lightly beaten

1/4

cup Betty Crocker™ All-Purpose Gluten Free Rice Flour Blend

Powdered sugar

Directions

• 1Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 9-inch square pan.
• 2For Crust, in medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups flour blend, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the xanthan gum. Cut in butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through mixture in opposite directions), until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, tossing with fork, until crumbly. Press dough in bottom of pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or just until set.
• 3For Filling, in medium bowl, stir together all ingredients except powdered sugar with whisk until blended. Pour over hot crust.
• 4Bake 23 to 28 minutes longer or until filling no longer jiggles when pan is moved. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 2 hours. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Cover and refrigerate any remaining lemon squares.
• **This is very easily doubled in a 9x13
• **For easy clean up and serving line pan with foil.