Good Friends (WIDTS 19)

One of my favorite things I did this summer was an evening gathering with some good friends, and I don't have any pictures for it. So I drew one:Jess and Trevor were up visiting, and Yuya was back in Everett for a few weeks, and Kyle was in town for the summer, and Katie hadn't yet left for Japan, and I called up Allison and Kristine... and we all had a lovely evening dinner-and-kubb-playing together at my house.

These are some of my best friends from highschool, and it was really great to be able to get together with all of them again. They are all super people that are fun to talk with and do things with and generally just enjoy time with, and it's been a very long time since we've all been in a group somewhere. We met over at my house and sat out on the front lawn enjoying a picnic of swedish meatballs with gravy (and a salad), and finished it up with slices of a fresh raspberry/strawberry/blueberry tart. After that, we played kubb, which (for those of you who have yet to play it) is a Swedish lawn game that involves throwing sticks at other sticks, and is probably the one game I actually enjoy playing.

When dinner was over, we split up a bit, and a group of us headed out to dance at Sonny's. As some of you will remember, this is my favorite place to go dancing (sweet floor, chill atmosphere, good lindy hoppers).

AND... I didn't have to drive to the dance. ;o)

Seriously, I couldn't have asked for a better day.

------------

Since I don't have media to post here, and I've already posted the Fresh Fruit Tart recipe, here is my family recipe for delicious Swedish meatballs. Typically, this is how we have them for Christmas.

Swedish Meatballs (adapted by Stephanie's mom)

Need:
1 normal-sized pack 7% fat lean ground beef (15% is OK if that's all you can find)
.5-1 cup milk
.5-.75 (or so) cup Progresso plain bread crumbs
20 (ish) green peppercorns
Dash of salt
Dash olive oil
Mixing bowl
Spoon
Frying pan
Spatula
Plates
Dish for cooked meatballs
Gravy (recipe below)
Lingonberry jam (optional)

Do:
Put the meat in a bowl, and crush the freeze dried peppercorns over it (using fingers). Add dash of salt. Mix/chop with spoon, and then mix in milk. You should add enough milk so it gets a bit soft (the meat will absorb the milk), but not runny or anything. When the mixture is soft, begin adding in bread crumbs. Keep mixing/chopping with the spoon. When the mixture seems like it could be shaped into meatballs and has a pretty good bread-crumb content, put the spoon aside and get out the plates.

Put the plates on the counter so you can easily deposit rolled meatballs on them. Then use your hands to roll meatballs that are approx .75-1in in diameter, and place them on the plates. When you are done, you can put away the meatball bowl and wash up your hands. :)

Put the frying pan on the stove on medium-high heat, and warm just a dash of olive oil in it. (If you use 15% fat meat, you don't need to add olive oil) Put enough meatballs in to cover most of the bottom (I usually do one plate), and cover for a minute or so. Then uncover and cook until cooked through and browned, stirring/turning occasionally with a spatula. Place in dish when finished, and start over with next batch.

Note: If you feel like multitasking and are fast rolling meatballs and washing your hands, you can somewhat combine the rolling and cooking stages.

When you are finished, DO NOT RINSE OUT THE FRYING PAN. At least, not if you want to make gravy. If you don't want gravy, wash away. :)

Serve with gravy and lingonberry jam. (And if you want to be particularly Swedish, potatoes, and probably a green salad.)

---

Gravy for Swedish meatballs (highly modified)

Need:
Cream (such as whipping cream, heavy or not)
Lemon juice (in a plastic lemon, or one real lemon)
Soy sauce
Green peppercorns

Do:
In the frying pan in which you made the meatballs, pour in about 1/2c cream, or however much gravy you want in the end. It will bubble; this is good. Add soy sauce (a couple tablespoons, or until it's a light brown/to taste), lemon (to taste), and green peppercorns (I usually do 15-20). Simmer and stir, adding seasonings to taste. Remember that it will go over meatballs, so you can go a little bit more "seasony". When it reaches a good gravy consistency and tastes delicious, you are done.

Pour into a dish and serve with meatballs. :)