What's cooking Wednesday - Ultimate Party Meatballs

I pause in this moment of baking to re-join, at least for this week, Shan's wonderful What's Cooking Wednesday club. I haven't been a stellar member lately, but I'll be back once the baking slows down.

But this week, I'm posting on behalf of Mom Central. I've been asked to review the Ultimate Party Meatballs (disclosure: I am receiving a $20 Amazon gift certificate for this and also the free ingredients to make the meatballs - minus the frozen meatballs. That would have been a pretty nasty treat in the mailbox.)

This recipe is definitely intended for cooks short on time but high on guests or needing a quick (really quick) but yummy meal or hors d'oeuvre. I'll give you the recipe first and then let you know my thoughts below.

Ultimate Party Meatballs

1 16-oz can Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce
1 12-ounce bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
1 2-pound bag frozen, pre-cooked, cocktail-sized meatballs (I used PC Angus Beef meatballs)

Combine sauces in large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth.
Add meatballs (frozen). Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally.

There is also a slow-cooker method: place meatballs in slow cooker. Combine sauces and pour over meatballs. Cover and cook 4 hours on high.

Makes 30 appetizer servings.

That's it!

I'm not normally a fan of frozen pre-cooked meatballs but the PC ones I chose were actually pretty good and the sauce really made this dish delicious. The sauce is sweet but a bit tangy. Heinz Chili Sauce is one of my favourite condiments so I knew I would be a fan. The thing about this dish is how fast it is and how great it would be as an appetizer for a crowd. Throw in some toothpicks and you're done. I expect that you'll get rave reviews and won't stress about getting something hot out to your guests before the main event is served.

As for the kids? Hope is all about the ground meat. She devoured these.

John and I also commented on how easy it would be to tinker with the recipe for different tastes: add a bit of vinegar for a sweet and sour meatball dish, add a bit of dried chilies for something zingier.

You can find more recipe ideas from their website: http://www.ultimatepartymeatballs.com/