Happy Valentine's Day!

To start our Valentine's Weekend, Friday night, AA went to the OPUMC Parent's Night Out (PNO) while we had a cocktail hour with friends Kenny and Pam. We made a new recipe of Asian meatballs (recipe below) which were delicious along with chicken salad sliders (purchased the chicken salad with cranberry, celery and pecans and added diced fresh oranges), gourmet olives, hummus and fresh veggies plus skewers of fresh fruit - pineapple and strawberries. We enjoy our time with friends and hope to do small "cocktail" socials in the future at our new little home.

AA received her share of Valentine's Day candy from school mates, especially a large one from friend Samuel J. - lots of candy, a candy heart and other treats!

My gift to Ford was purchased hand made red rope coasters; AA and Daddy crafted two travel coffee mugs for me by dipping in finger nail polish and water - very nice! (you may notice that AA has a bruise over her top lip, a result of a trip and fall accident at PNO - she got road-rash on her face, hand and knees; but not a major injury).

We are slowly emptying our storage units, here is my Nana Davis Redmond's lady's desk. We have it in our sun-room and will be convenient for AA to do homework on and for my correspondence center.

Now off to St. Augustine to pick up a Craig's list bargain and deliver some Valentine candy for the Grands! And then cooking Chinese Stir-Fry for dinner. Getting close to Chinese New Year, so in that "Chinese" mood!

Hoisin Asian Meatballs

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/2 cup Panko

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 large egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

Sesame seeds, for garnish

For the Hoisin Sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

(fresh grated ginger if you wish to add to both)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, sesame oil, Panko, ginger, egg, garlic and green onion. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 18-20 meatballs. (we made about 6 hours ahead, covered tightly with saran wrap on cookie sheet in refrig - worked fine, popping in oven once guests arrived).

Place meatballs onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until all sides are browned and meatballs are cooked through.

To make the hoisin sauce, whisk together hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger in a small bowl. (I added a 1/2 teas. of freshly grated ginger for additional flavor)

Serve meatballs immediately with hoisin sauce, garnished with green onion and sesame seeds.