I so enjoy talking with friend and colleague (and creative cook) Matt Swaim each week on the Sonrise Morning Show/Sacred Heart Radio. Today we chatted about Halloween and its “ties” to All Saints and All Souls Days.
Lots of legends abound about the beginning of All Saints Day. From what I can gather, though, way back in the 800’s the Pope chose November 1 for All Saints Day in an attempt to override the pagan Festival of the Dead held on the same day
All Saints Day is also known as All Hallows Mas. Hallows means saints and Mas means Mass.
We celebrate the souls who have gone to heaven on this day.
Halloween/Hallows Eve happens on the day before All Saints Day
So All Saints’ Day is not to be confused with All Souls Day.
All Souls’ Day is a day of prayers for the dead. The intent is for the living to assist those in purgatory.
TRY EITHER OF THESE YUMMY PARTY MEATBALLS – BOTH MADE IN THE SLOW COOKER!
CLASSIC PARTY MEATBALLS
A classic! Poke an apple or orange with fancy large toothpicks so guests can spear the meatballs easily.
Ingredients
1 bag, 2 pounds, frozen meatballs or homemade
2 cups concord grape jelly
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cups chili sauce – I use Heinz
Hot red chili flakes to taste – start with 1 teaspoon and go from there
Instructions
Spray slow cooker.
Add meatballs.
Whisk together jelly, soy sauce, chili sauce and chili flakes. Pour over meatballs and stir gently to coat.
Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or so, stirring halfway through. Or cook on low about 6 hours or so.
Keep warm until ready to serve.
Garnish with a bit of parsley if you like.
NEW FANGLED PARTY MEATBALLS
Ingredients
Meatballs
1 lb each: ground pork and ground beef
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 small onion, minced really fine
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Sauce
1 bottle chili sauce, 1`2 oz.
1/2 cup apricot preserves
Soy sauce and sriracha to taste – start with a tablespoon of e4ach
Instructions
For the meatballs: Combine the beef, pork, breadcrumbs, onion, parsley, eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix until combined. Using a tablespoon measure, scoop and roll the meat into about 45 small meatballs.
For the sauce: Whisk the chili sauce, apricot preserves, soy sauce and sriracha in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Remove ½ cup of the sauce and set aside. Nestle the meatballs in the remaining sauce in the slow cooker in 2 layers.
Pour the reserved sauce over the top layer of meatballs. Cover and cook on high until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is thick, 4 hours, gently stirring the meatballs halfway through to coat with the sauce. Serve from the slow cooker or spoon into a shallow bowl.
Adapted slightly from Ree Drummond
About Eating 