Sweet and Sour Meatballs - Slow Cooker - Potluck

I first had these years ago when my parents belonged to a  Street Rod Car Club.  They used to have potluck dinners and one of the members brought this dish.  It is the best sauce I have come across....  Unfortunately I cannot give credit to the wonderful cook as my Mom's memory just can't come up with a name.  But we can all enjoy it.  Get your prep work completed before starting the meatballs.  While the meatballs are cooking you have time to make the sauce if you have all the ingredients ready for the saucepan.
Once the meatballs are baked and the sauce is ready just add the 2 together into the crockpot.  Perfect to make ahead and wait to cook in the crockpot till the next day when you have to take it somewhere.

Prep work
Layout 2 cookie sheets that have rims (jelly roll pans)- brush lightly with olive oil.  Not necessary if you use lean ground but necessary if you use extra lean meat.
1 medium size bowl of all purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
paper towels or a sink of warm soapy dishwater for rinsing your hands after
preheat oven to 350F
put oven trays at least a few inches apart so you can put the sheets in to bake the meatballs
have a flipper handy
Meatballs - Homemade are by far the best and you will get the raves from others by making them. 
2 lbs extra lean ground beef
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp ground onion flakes
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Mix together with your hands in a large bowl.  
Start shaping small meatballs about 1 1/2 inch.  Not too big and not too small.  Think of the perfect bite size to eat.
Make about a dozen and put them into the flour one at a time as you finish rolling each.
Once you have about a dozen then fluff them into the flour without crumbling the balls.
Place each ball 1 at a time on the about a finger apart from each other. 
Wash hands, dry hands with papertowels.  Then go back and make another dozen balls. 
Continue this till both pans are full.  If you still have meat mixture left you will have to do another batch later.
Pop the pans into the hot oven and bake for about 1/2 hour.  Every 10 minutes roll the meatballs in the pan and use a flipper for the stubborn ones. 
Try one meatball after the half hour.  If baked enough take them out of the oven.  I do this done-ness test since not everyone makes the same size meatballs.  If they are not baked through put in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Sit them on top of the stove to cool.
Sauce
6 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce - low sodium
liquid from can of crushed pineapple
6 tbsp ketchup
1 10oz can of crushed pineapple
Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Put all wet ingredients but not the crushed pineapple int a large saucepan.  Slowly add the dry to the wet in the pan and whisk to avoid lumps.  Then heat on medium till sauce comes to a low boil and thickens.  Stir often.  When complete add crushed pineapple to the sauce.  Ready to go on the meatballs when you are.

Meatball Veggie Soup

What's in your veggie keeper today?  Pretty much anything can be cut up and go in the soup.  If you have just a bit of lean ground beef or veal you can make this soup.  The key to the broth base flavour is adding 2 cubes of Knorr Beef Bouillon.

Use either a Slow Cooker or make in a Soup Pot on the stove.  If you pick Slow Cooker then I would do step 1 in a pot on the stove and transfer to the slow cooker for the rest of the day.

Step 1 - Broth & Meatball Base
8 to 10 cups of water
2 cubes of Beef flavour Knorr Bouillon
using 1/2 lb of lean ground beef roll meat into small 1 inch size meatballs and drop in water
Over medium heat bring to boil, about 15 minutes.
At this point you can transfer to a Slow Cooker if you prefer.

Step 2 - What's in the veggie keeper?
best flavour comes from the Trinity - green pepper, onion, celery
chop up the 3 veggies (make sure you use the green leaves on the celery)
also peel and chop 1 large potato and 2 medium size carrots
If you have about 4 cups in total of chopped veggies then add to the soup pot.  You can mix any veggie for another, sometimes instead of potato I use corn either frozen or fresh, and also if I have a tomato sitting around i peel and chop and throw it in as well.  Depending on what you add and how much the soup always comes out a little different.
Add 1 can of condensed tomato soup.
Herbs to add, 1/2 tsp pepper, parsley and kosher salt.
On stove simmer for at least 1 hour or in slow cooker all day.

Step 3: 
Before serving from stove top - 1/2 hour needed to add 1 1/2 to 2  cups of small noodles, or broken up pasta to make spoon size.
Simmer till noodles are cooked but not mushy. 
Slow Cooker - 1/2 hour may be enough time if slow cooker has been on all day.  First time you make it allow another 15 minutes to make sure noodles are cooked before serving.

Step 4:
Serve with saltine crackers.  My husband loves to break his crackers into the soup, I like my crackers on the side with lots of butter!  This makes a hearty meal and warms you up in the winter.

Step 5:
Keep leftovers for reheating. I put into small bowls in fridge - either tupperware to take to work or for home.