Harvest Meatballs

Since spring is in the air - at least in my part of the country - I'm beginning to drag out the recipes I cook when the weather warms and I don't want to turn on my oven.

Here's one of my favorite stove-top options. For whatever reason, probably because I'm too busy getting food on the table, I've never taken a photo of this recipe - so imagine this photo with a lot more fruit.

1 beaten egg

¼ cup milk

¾ bread crumbs

¼ chopped onion

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash pepper

½ pound ground beef

½ pound pork sausage

¾ cup long-grain rice

1 ½ cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons snipped parsley

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ cup butter

¼ cup packed brown sugar

1 ½ to 2 cups cubed fresh fruit (mix of apple, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, grapes, papaya, peaches, nectarines, or pineapple. I’ve also used dried apricots.)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

¼ cup cold water

¼ cup lemon juice

In a bowl combine beaten egg and milk. Put ground beef and sausage in a mixing bowl. Stir in bread crumbs, milk/egg mixture, onion, salt, pepper and first ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Shape into 20-25 meatballs. Brown and cook thoroughly in large skillet. Drain and set aside. In medium saucepan, combine rice, chicken broth, parsley, and remaining cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or till rice is tender. While rice cooks, melt butter in a large skillet. Stir in brown sugar and blend. Add the fresh fruit mixture and cook 2 minutes or until warm. Blend together cornstarch and water and pour into fruit mixture. Cook on medium-low heat until thickened and bubbly. Stir in lemon juice and add meatballs. Cover and heat through on low about 15 minutes. Serve over rice mixture. Makes 4 servings.