Party Meatballs and Bacon, Swiss & Jalapeno Dip

Meatballs Ingredients:
1½ lbs. ground beef
1 slice sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
¼ cup milk
2 tbsp. chopped onion
1 egg
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Sauce Ingredients:
10 oz. apricot preserves
12 oz. chili sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
juice of 1 orange
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 tbsp. cold water

Steps:
In a large bowl combine bread and milk. Let sit for 5-10 minutes so the bread softens.
Add onion, egg, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and ground beef.
Mix lightly until combined, do not over mix.
Form meat into even balls, a little smaller than a golf ball. You should get about 20-24 meatballs out of 1½ lbs. ground beef.
Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
Place baking or cooling racks on the sheet pan so that meatballs are elevated while baking.
Place meatballs on the racks and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. The fat will collect on the aluminum foil and not on your meatballs.
If you do not have racks available, just bake directly on the foiled sheet pan.
While the meatballs are cooking, prepare sauce.
In a saucepan large enough the hold the meatballs, heat over medium high heat.
Add the apricot preserves, chili sauce, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, orange juice, and salt. Melt together and bring to a bubble.
In a small bowl dissolve cornstarch in the water. Slowly whisk this into the simmering sauce. This will thicken the sauce slightly.
Let sauce simmer over low heat.
When the meatballs are finished baking, remove from oven and add to simmering sauce.
Toss meatballs in the sauce and simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes.
Serve hot or warm.

Bacon, Swiss & Jalapeno Dip Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
1-1½ cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 fresh jalapenos, diced fine (Remove seeds for less heat!)
1 cup cooked bacon, crumbled
1 small jar pimentos, drained
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Steps:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray an 8x8 baking dish with non stick cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Pour into prepared baking dish.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
Serve warm or room temperature with crackers, wheat thins, or tortilla chips.

Autry Greer & Sons
2850 West Main Street
Prichard , AL 36612
www.greers.com for locations and hours

About the Business:
Greer's has been in business for 95 years and currently has 29 locations across Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.  We are your local grocery store.  We offer top quality Black Angus beef, all natural pork and chicken.  We have a butcher in every store where meat is cut and ground fresh 7 days a week.  We offer a pick 5 program that is a great value to our customers, as well as an extensive dollar aisle, and two great private label brands- Best Choice and Always Save.  We offer competitive pricing and outstanding customer service.  At Greer's you are treated like family, we guarantee it!

About the Guest:
Lucy Greer is part of the 5th generation at Greer's.  She supervises all 13 delis as well as heads our catering branch, Greer's Catering as our corporate chef.  She attended Auburn University where she received her business degree.  She then attended culinary school at Culinard in Birmingham, AL.

Other information:
Customers can go to www.greers.com and enter their email address at the bottom of the page to receive our weekly ad electronically every Wednesday.

Also, go to the Catering tab to see all of Lucy's recipes plus videos of her cooking.  Greer's Catering is a branch of our business that we are very excited about!  We customize events for clients ranging from delivered boxed lunches, company picnics, seated dinner parties, cocktail parties, birthdays, large outdoor events, and weddings of all sizes.  Allow me to help make your event the best it can be!

Please call Lucy at 251-380-7781 or email her at catering@greers.com .