Meatball Trio for the Big Game!

Servings: Each recipe makes 25 small meatballs

"THE BIG GAME" BBQ MEATBALLS
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb. ground pork
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 to 1/2 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Black pepper
• 1 jalapeño pepper, finely diced and cooked (remove seeds for less spice)
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce + more for basting

DIRTY BIRD BUFFALOED MEATBALLS
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb. ground chicken or turkey
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 to 1/2 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Black pepper
• 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1/4 cup Buffalo sauce + more for basting

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BBQ AND BUFFALOED MEATBALLS:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Line large baking sheet(s) with foil and coat with non-stick spray.
3. In two separate mixing bowls, combine all ingredients for each meatball and mix with your hands. (Don't forget to wash your hands after handling raw meat!)
4. Using a tablespoon-sized scooper, scoop and drop meatballs onto cookie sheet.
5. Drizzle or brush additional sauce on top of meatballs (using BBQ sauce for the pork meatballs, and Buffalo sauce for the chicken meatballs.)
6. Bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes.

SO-LOADED-THEY-CAN'T-BE-UNDERINFLATED CHEESEBURGER MEATBALLS
INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 lb. ground chuck
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/3 to 1/2 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/4 tsp. Black pepper 
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 tsp. dill, finely chopped
• About 1/4-lb. Colby-Jack cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Ketchup, enough to baste 25 small meatballs

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHEESEBURGER MEATBALLS: 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Line large baking sheet(s) with foil and coat with non-stick spray.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients EXCEPT the Colby-Jack cheese chunks, and mix with your hands. (Don't forget to wash your hands after handling raw meat!)
4. Using a tablespoon-sized scooper, scoop meatballs. Before dropping them onto the cookie sheet, push one cheese cube into the ball and form the meat around the cheese. Then drop them onto the sheet pan.
5. Drizzle or brush ketchup onto each meatball.
6. Bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes.

 **You can serve up your meatballs in a slow cooker to keep them warm throughout the game. I serve each meatball with a dipping sauce. For the Buffalo meatballs, a creamy Buffalo sauce -- combining Buffalo sauce, mayonnaise, and any leftover blue cheese crumbles. For the BBQ meatballs, I serve with more of my favorite BBQ sauce for dipping. For cheeseburger meatballs, I serve with a ketchup-Worcestershire sauce mixture.

**As-seen-on-TV serving method: I serve 1 meatball with an extra goodie on an extra-long toothpick with the dipping sauces mentioned above. The pairings I showed on TV were: Buffaloed with a small chunk of fresh celery, BBQ with a chunk of pineapple, and Cheeseburger with a fresh cherry or grape tomato.