Hawaiian Meatballs & Rice

This was a great, semi easy dinner. It made a ton of meatballs, so maybe next time I'll half the recipe, or freeze the remainder. The kids balked at the thought of pineapple (something they are convinced they are allergic to) and did not eat a bite. I ate ALL THE BITES.



1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice
l lb. ground beef
1 c. bbq sauce
2 1/4 c. instant brown rice (I'm going to experiment with half cooked whole rice)
1/4 tea. salt
1/4 tea. pepper
3/4 c. chopped bell pepper (frozen if you can find it- I had to use fresh)

Stir together half the pineapple and 3/4 c. bbq sauce and set aside. Mix remaining pineapple,1/4 c. bbq sauce, and 1/4 c. rice with the beef and season with the salt & pepper. Mash it together until well mixed and shape into meatballs. Place in a large skillet and spoon sauce over meatballs cover and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Don't roll the balls too much, maybe just once or twice, being careful so they don't crumble apart. It only happened to a couple of them.

Meanwhile prepare remaining 2 c. rice according to package directions, omitting the butter and seasonings, adding the bell peppers.

Pepper Feta Salad

I am not a fan of feta. But let me tell you, if I could ask this salad to be my valentine, I totally would. I got the recipe from my Mom who found it somewhere. (I'll try and find the credits) I could eat it for breakfast, it's a serious temptation as the salad is really the best after marinating overnight. So I make it before bed and have dreams of the crunchy zesty deliciousness all night. It's also easily adaptable.

A major revelation has been finding the Olive Garden salad dressing at our Sam's Club. I love the OG dressing, no matter what you foodies may say, it's the best. I'm sure any dressing would do.

2-3 bell peppers of various colors (red, orange, yellow, etc)

1 cucumber

1 bunch of green onions

3 Roma tomatoes, seeded

6 oz (or less- heh) crumbled feta

Italian dressing

Chop the veggies, tomatoes, and slice the green onions. Drop them into a sealable bowl with the feta and refrigerate overnight. Serve with drizzles of italian dressing.