Plan B: To the Freezer

When my mom and dad come to visit I put them to work. Dad knows to bring his tools and Mom gets busy in the kitchen. She fills my freezer with favorites like Chicken Enchiladas, Vegetable Soup, Italian Beef and today's feature, BBQ Meatballs. This recipe was originally given to me by my friend, Tricia, the mom of SEVEN, who gets more done before 10:00 am than I do in a week.

One of my favorite things to do is hitch a ride to Costco and stock up on ground beef and chicken. When I am really on top of things I make these meatballs from some of the ground beef, then brown the rest and divide it into portions for the freezer. I cook the chicken and shred or chop it and put it in the freezer as well. When I need dinner in a hurry, having the meat already browned/cooked is a huge time-saver and keeps us from eating cereal.

BBQ Meatballs

Meatballs:

3 pounds hamburger
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups oatmeal
3 eggs
1 teaspoon chili powder

Mix and shape into balls. Place in 9x13 pan(s).

Sauce:

2 cups ketchup
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 cup brown sugar

Combine all ingredients and boil together. Pour over meatballs.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

This makes enough to eat a batch and freeze a batch.