Oh you bet! But my waistline is complaining! :D

Tranum, that is great planning ahead…I do have to ask what are ham balls?

I have been making warm healthy soups over the past couple of weeks too…one of my favorites has been chicken white bean chili made with fresh poblano peppers, cannellini beans, cumin and other yummy ingredients. I garnish with cilantro and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese or a dollop of sour cream.

Ham balls are made by combining a mixture of ground ham, ground beef, sometimes ground pork, graham cracker crumbs, milk, and eggs. The mixture is formed into balls and they are baked in a tomato sauce usually made of tomato soup, brown sugar, mustard, and usually a small amount of vinegar. If you google ham balls you will come up with many recipes. They are delicious!

HAM BALLS
I put the following in my Kitchen Aid mixer & use the paddle attachment (or mix by hand)
3 lbs ground ham
2 lbs ground pork
2 cups quick oatmeal
2 cups milk
1 egg
Use 1/4 cup to divide out and form balls. Don’t pack too tight. Lay them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
In saucepan combine 1 cup vinegar (apple cider or white) 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup water and 2 Tblsp prepared mustard. Heat to dissolve sugar but don’t boil. Let cool a bit and pour over ham balls. Bake 90 minutes at 350.
NOTE - Original recipe calls for 3 cups brown sugar but I cut way back. I can buy ham ball meat at my meat market so it’s what I use. Finished ham balls freeze great.

It sounds like a week of feasting to me. Enjoy your sewing time!

I love the "big batch" method in theory, but every time I go to the trouble and make a huge casserole, I'll have one serving and in the morning I see that he had the rest of the casserole in one, fell swoop. I likes to sneak food late at night. I don't know where he puts it. He's skinny, I'm fat, go figger.

That sounds good!

When I make stuffed green pepper soup, I cook the rice separately. When the soup is ready, I put a scoop of rice in our bowls and then ladle hot soup over it. If we have leftover soup, I refrigerate soup and rice separately so all the broth doesn't get "sucked up" by the rice.

I like this idea. It would eliminate adding more tomato juice when reheating.

Add me to the "didn't care for" side.