Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Traveling by car for 4 hours, then golfing for 4 days with the "guys" meant I had to send something easy for my husband to take to the college reunion golf tournament. This recipe from page 165 of Tastes & Treasures cookbook was perfect with a Crockpot to the rescue.

Note: the photo of the empty crockpot was taken after all the meatballs were consumed. Apparently they were a big hit.

SWEET & SOUR MEATBALLS

Ingredients:
2 cups undrained sauerkraut
1 16oz can whole cranberry sauce
1¼ cups chili sauce
1¼ cups water
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 pounds frozen cooked meatballs

Directions:
Allow meatballs to defrost in refrigerator overnight.
Combine sauerkraut, cranberry sauce, chili sauce, water and brown sugar in a slow cooker and mix well.
Add the meatballs and cook on low for 2-3 hours or longer.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

Here we are bringing snacks to our Master Gardener class. The class enjoys it when our turn comes up because they know the recipes are good from Tastes & Treasures cookbook. That's Carol Vie (the blonde) in the green shirt with the oval pan of yummy coffee cake. It was gobbled up very quickly. I'm in the middle with Carrot Bread pg. 197 and Serge Vie (Carol's son) with Salmon Pate pg. 166.

Cranberry Coffee Cake pg. 199
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can whole cranberry sauce

Confectioners' Sugar Glaze
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons (about) warm water
2 teaspoons lemon juice

For the Coffee Cake: preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Beat the butter in a bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add the sugar gradually, beating constantly until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the lemon juice and 1/4 cup of the walnuts.
Spoon half the batter into a greased and floured tube pan, 9 X 13 inch baking pan or bundt pan. Spread with 1/2 of the cranberry sauce. Top with the remaining batter and remaining cranberry sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup walnuts. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes for the tube pan or bundt pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes for the 9 X 13 pan or until the coffee cake tests done. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes and invert onto a serving platter.

For the Glaze: mix the confectioners' sugar, warm water and lemon juice in a bowl until of a glaze consistency. Drizzle over the warm coffee cake. Let stand until set.

Serves 16