NYE Appetizer: Meatballs in a Red Wine Sauce

Maybe you're deciding to have a New Year's Eve bash at home this year rather than going out with the crowds.  Sounds fun to me.  If so, consider making these meatballs for an appetizer.  

Meatballs in a Red Wine Sauce

Makes about 50 Meatballs

1-pound extra-lean ground beef

1 pound of Italian Turkey sausage

2 T Happy Hal’s Jalapeño Relish

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

2 eggs

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Red Wine Sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease your baking pans.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, celery, onion, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, jalapeño relish, and pepper: mix well with your hands. Shape into 1-inch balls. (This is fun to do with friends! Thanks Pete and Regina!!) Put balls on the baking pan and into the oven for 20 minutes.

While the meat balls are baking, prepare the red wine sauce in your crock pot. Remove from oven transfer cooked meatballs to your crock pot. Keep on low or warm heat and stir occasionally. Serve with toothpicks.

Red Wine Sauce:

2 cups Texas Sassy ketchup

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

¾ Cup of red wine

2 teaspoons Texas Sassy Mustard

1 tablespoon of Happy Hal’s Jalapeno Relish

Stir all ingredients into the crock-pot. Add corn starch if you like a thicker sauce. Let the sauce simmer with the meatballs for about an hour before serving.