Every time I think of meatballs, I am reminded of the scene in Lady and the Tramp where they are sharing a meatball and spaghetti dinner. It makes the meal so romantic and the meatball wasn’t just meatball, it became a sign of affection. Anyway, I didn’t grow up eating meatballs. My mom didn’t have time for that, she had an army of 6 kids to feed! It was ground beef in red sauce. I grew up thinking meatballs were hard to make. I know now that they are easy, makes a ton and are great for freezing.
And so, without further ado, I give the easiest meatball recipe from our awesome in-house food man, Matt H:
Meatballs are a great thing to keep in the fridge. Super versatile, fast, easy and well, dern it, people like them.
What I don’t like is the list of ingredients on store bought meatballs. When I was at the market, the package listed no fewer than 21 ingredients. 21!
These have 8 including Salt & Pepper AND they are 93/7 Zaycon Ground Beef, but the best part is that YOU decide what goes into them for your family.
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs of 93/7 Zaycon Ground Beef
- 2 Eggs
- 3/4 cup Breadcrumbs
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
-1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
Your hands are your best tool, so scrub them up and get all up in it. Mix all the ingredients until smooth consistency.
I used a medium sized portion scoop then smoothed them into balls, then onto a baking sheet lined with parchment for easy cleanup with a cooling rack on top. 
Bake in a 375 oven until done about 20 minutes. If you’re going to make a large quantity, allow them to cool, then freeze in a single layer on a sheet, then after they are frozen, put into large freezer bags.
TIP! If you’re wanting to stretch your ground beef and nobody in the family is sensitive to soy products, you can extend the beef by adding textured soy product, available in either the bulk section or health food section of your market.
I think next time I get a case, I’ll turn one full 10 pound chub into meatballs. They freeze great and are ready in seconds.
Matt H.
You can head over to the Zaycon Foods website for information on our ground beef and many of our other beef products!
I asked Matt to be sure to get me the recipe for the pan sauce he poured over the steaks. It is a pretty simple recipe with a lot of flavor. So here it is. Take it away, Matt!
Keep the shallots moving, cooking them for a minute or so. Add ¼ to 1/3 c of water to deglaze and add 2-3 tsp (a tablespoon is 3 tsp, so in that area) of soy sauce. Continue cooking until the shallots look done to your liking. Reduce heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter and slowly stir in but not over a high heat, this will thicken, add more butter if you feel it is necessary. Adjust seasoning. Voila!
The youngest kids went around my parents yard collecting wildflowers for decorating the table. My parents yard is magical, Its like you’re in a fairy land. 
boil diced potatoes, cut up boiled eggs, finely chop onion, mix in miracle whip and salt to taste. Not much to it, but miracle whip is the key! 
Wrapped a few Zaycon hot dogs in Zaycon bacon. Best. Hotdog. Ever. Because, who doesn’t like bacon?!? The kids inhaled the hotdogs while the adults enjoyed the ribs, steaks and sausages. 
Watermelon is a staple in our home in the summer. We have it at just about every picnic. 
Grilling corn takes a bit of prep. You don’t want to take off all of the husk, but you don’t want to leave too much on either. Strip your corn of all its silk and leave 1 layer of husk to wrap it back up in.
I rotate the corn just a few times. The husk will kept the corn from burning, but you will notice some blackening in some parts, my favorite! Once the corn looks done enough to you, pull it off. The cob will be hot and can burn you, I don’t know from experience or anything…, but use tongs to pull off the grill. 
