Fire Station Fare, version 1.0

Back in the days when Alan worked at an over-staffed fire station (read: not as health-conscious as where is his now so they also ate bigger portions), he brought home some truly awesome recipes. They were unabashedly huge, unapologetically unhealthy, and a little expensive (because you can spend a little more when it's divided among six guys rather than three). I threw back to these days as I searched my recipe book today and here's the recipe we used for dinner. I can't give credit where credit is due, because my first source of this recipe was male (read: "What do you mean who gave me the recipe? Someone at the fire station, I don't remember who!"). Oops, was that too sarcastic?

Swedish Meatballs

1/4 C. ketchup
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 C. bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. parsley
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 lbs. ground beef
2 lbs. ground pork sausage

Sauce:
1/2 C. sour cream
2 pkgs. brown gravy
dash paprika
dash nutmeg

Combine all ingredients except meat in a large bowl and stir. Add meat and mix thoroughly. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Shape meat into 1-inch meatballs and place on an ungreased cookie sheet, just far enough apart they aren't touching. Bake for 20 mins, turning frequently. Just before removing, combine sauce ingredients in crock pot. Add cooked meatballs and stir to coat evenly. Cover and turn on desired heat, leaving until heated through.

We like this best served over cooked egg noodles. I confess, I used reduced fat sour cream (don't tell), and I needed to use a little more for whatever reason, about 3/4 C. I also used reduced sodium brown gravy mix (don't tell again), extra lean ground beef, and turkey sausage instead of pork. And, why not? Just tell. I also used whole-grain pretend they're egg noodles. I said the recipe was unhealthy, I didn't say I wasn't trying to alter it and make it a little better. If I was really going for the healthy gold, I would have used Egg Beaters instead of real eggs, too. Oh well. I also lined my cookie sheet (I had to use two, it yielded about 45-50 meatballs) with aluminum foil for not-so-earth-friendly clean up. At any rate, it was a great once-in-a-while meal that we have that I thought I would pass on. Those firefighters really do know how to cook!