Hawaiian Meatballs

When Scott first saw this recipe, he was very nervous. To him, meatballs and pineapple do not go together. To be honest, this ended up great! We had them for dinner with rice on the side, but they could easily be made for an appetizer for a party. I think next time I might just use a mixed variety of bell peppers as we don't particularly like green pepper. I did, as usual for slow cooker recipes, make this the night before and put it in the fridge before cooking. It still turned out great! Scott shared this with his coworkers the day after and they loved it as well!

Hawaiian Meatballs-adapated from "Slow Cooker Recipe Cards" by Taste of Home

Total Time: 6 hours

Serves 8

• 20 ounce can diced pineapple, undrained
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 28 ounces frozen, fully cooked meatballs
• 2 green peppers, diced
• 10 ounces maraschino cherries, drained
• 2 cups cooked white rice, optional

Drain pineapple, reserving juice in a 2-cup measuring cup. Add enough water to measure 2 cups total.

In a small pan, combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in the pineapple juice mixture until smooth. Stir in vinegar. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

In a 4 quart slow cooker, combine the meatballs, pepper and pineapple chunks. Pour juice mixture on top. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until heated through and peppers are tender. Add the cherries during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Serve with rice if desired.