Heat soup and water in saucepan. In a bowl, beat egg slightly, and add the ground beef, rice, onion, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly, form into small balls, drop into the boiling soup, and let simmer, covered, for two hours. Add more hot water as it boils away.

Not the most appetizing of recipes, but I've included it for historical interest.

Also ... for laffs! Cooking meatballs for two hours in canned soup! Ha ha!

In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, garlic and ginger, and mix until blended. Add the ground beef and blend lightly but thoroughly. Shape into balls the size of large marbles. Arrange on shallow baking pans and put into a 500° oven for 4-5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Lift meatballs out of pan and put in chafing dish to keep hot for serving. Pour pan juices over meatballs. Garnish with parsley and serve with toothpicks. Makes about 175 meatballs.

Whew, that's a whole lot of meatballs. And I'm not sure I've ever come across a recipe that called for such a hot oven. The cookbook also asserts that the meatballs taste like teriyaki steak.

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, tomato sauce, lemon juice, garlic salt and wine. Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce heat and allow to simmer gently until thickened, about 20 minutes. Shred enough potato make 1/3 cup. Combine potato with meat, onion, egg and salt until blended, then shape into balls the size of large marbles. Arrange on shallow baking pans. Put into a 500° oven for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove and add to the prepared sauce, including any pan juices. Cool, then cover and refrigerate, if made ahead. To serve, heat meat and sauce together slowly. Makes about 60 meatballs.

Again with the 500° oven and large marble size ...

In a bowl combine all ingredients. Shape the balls using about 2 TB. of the mixture for each. Place on a greased rimmed baking sheet, cover and chill well. When ready to bake , place cold meatballs in a 500° oven for 12 minutes or until just slightly pink inside. Serve in one of the following three ways ...

A recipe that's "to be continued!" Exciting!

The cookbook notes: "For an easy dinner that can be prepared ahead of time, consider on these fancy meatball dishes inspired by international classics. You mix and shape the basic meatballs and ready the selected sauce in advance. Both are then chilled. Shortly before announcing dinner, you quickly bake the meatballs, heat the sauce, and serve intriguingly -- and effortlessly -- from the chafing dish with rice or noodles."

In a chafing dish, melt butter, then add mushrooms and stir until mushrooms are golden. Pour in 3/4 cup water, beef stock or bouillion cube, then add wine, catsup, bay leaf, onions and garlic. Slowly blend 1/4 cup water into cornstarch and gradually stir into pan. Cover and chill if made ahead. To serve, prepare rice, and bake meatballs as directed. Reheat sauce in chafing dish, add meatballs, and heat thoroughly, stirring often. Serve over rice.

I don't know why anyone would use water and a bouillion cube rather than a can of beef stock. That's just crazy.

Also crazy: a can of tiny onions. Maybe you can still get these in the supermarket, but I'd just use chopped onion.

In a chafing dish, heat oil, then add onion, curry, coriander, garlic, cinnamon, cloves and cumin. Stir until onions are limp and translucent. Slowly blend milk into cornstarch until smooth, then stir into onion mixture with the yogurt. Heat, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Discard the cloves, add meatballs, heat through, and serve on rice.

How many people cook in chafing dishes nowadays?

In a chafing dish, melt butter, then add onion, carrots and bay leaf. Stir until onions are limp and translucent. Stir in brown sugar, beef broth, lemon juice, raisins and ground ginger. Slowly blend cold water into cornstarch until smooth, then stir into pan. Heat, stirring, until mixture boils and thickens. Cover and chill if made ahead. To serve, re-heat meatballs in the sauce, and serve on cooked egg noodles.

You can tell these recipes are from an earlier era, since cornstarch isn't used to much anymore. Also, why is beef broth allowed here and not in the wine sauce recipe?

Mix all of the ingredients together and form into meatballs. Brown meatballs on all sides in hot fat, while pouring off fat as it collects. Add to tomato sauce 20 minutes before sauce is done, then serve with spaghetti.

No doubt this is the recipe from which most all other meatball recipes spring. And very simple, too.

Mix all of the ingredients together from the ground beef to the milk, and shape into balls the size of a walnut. Brown meatballs in the vegetable oil. Remove the meatballs and add the flour, paprika, and additional salt and pepper. Stir in the boiling water and the sour cream. Return meat to the gravy and cook 15 to 20 minutes.

Pretty much your basic Swedish meatball recipe, traditionally served over egg noodles.

Wikipedia has this to say: "In Sweden kottbullar (meatballs) are made with ground beef or a mix of ground beef and pork, mixed with bread crumbs soaked in milk and finely chopped onions. They are seasoned with white pepper or allspice and salt. Swedish meatballs are traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes, lingonberry jam, and sometimes fresh pickled cucumber. Swedish meatballs are served at the cafeteria at most IKEA locations around the world, produced by Swedens largest, and arguably the worlds largest, producer of meatballs: Gunnar Dafgard AB."

Combine all ingredients, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Shape into four dozen small meatballs, about 1" in diameter. Place in baking pan and brown in 375° oven for 30 minutes.

That's a lot of meatballs for two peop -- oh, who am I kidding. I could eat all of those at one sitting.

Combine all ingredients, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Shape into four dozen small meatballs, about 1" in diameter. Place in baking pan and brown in 375° oven for 30 minutes.

The cookbook recommends serving the meatballs on noodles, accompanied by deviled green beans and lettuce wedges with French dressing, and followed up with lemon sherbet and coffee.

On top of spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
I lost my poor meatball,
When somebody sneezed.

It rolled off the table,
And on to the floor,
And then my poor meatball,
Rolled out of the door.

It rolled in the garden,
And under a bush,
And then my poor meatball,
Was nothing but mush.

The mush was as tasty
As tasty could be,
And then the next summer,
It grew into a tree.

The tree was all covered,
All covered with moss,
And on it grew meatballs,
And tomato sauce.

So if you eat spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
Hold on to your meatball,
Whenever you sneeze.

Beat meats, 1/4 cup flour, milk, eggs, salt, allspice and nutmeg until smooth. Drop meat mixture by tablespoons into lightly oiled skillet, and flatten with spoon. Cook until lightly browned, 3 minutes per side. Repeat until all meat is cooked, then remove from skillet and keep warm. Pour off excess fat. Stir water into pan drippings and bring to a boil. Stir 2 TB. flour into sour cream. Stir small amount of the pan juices into the sour cream, then return to skillet. Cook and stir until thickened, but do not boil. Add meatballs and heat through.

"Beat until smooth" worries me, implying meatballs with no texture.

Combine egg, 1/4 cup of celery soup, bread crumbs and onion soup mix. Add beef and mix well. Shape into 16 meatballs, and brown in hot oil in a skillet. Blend remaining soup, flour and paprika, and gradually add water. Pour mixture over meatballs. Rinse mixed vegetables with hot water to separate pieces, then drain. Add vegetables and bay leaf, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, then remove the bay leaf. Add potatoes. Cover and simmer until potatoes are heated through, about 10 minutes.

Frozen vegetables and French fries, dry soup mix, a can of creamy condensed soup ... at one point in our nation's history, this was considered fancy dining.

Combine first six ingredients, then add the meat and mix well. Shape into 18 meatballs. In a large skillet, brown the meatballs on all sides in hot oil. Remove the meatballs and pour off excess fat. Combine the remaining ingredients in the skillet. Arrange meatballs on top of rice mixture. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer until rice is done and meatballs are done, about 15 minutes.

Here's what Wikipedia had to say about uncooked, precooked rice (like Minute Rice): "Parboiled rice is rice that has been boiled in the husk. Parboiling makes rice easier to process by hand, improves its nutritional profile, and changes its texture. Today, it is the preferred rice of many in the southern parts of the Indian Subcontinent ... Parboiling rice drives nutrients, especially thiamine, from the bran into the grain, so that parboiled white rice is 80% nutritionally similar to brown rice. ... The starches in parboiled rice become gelatinized, making it harder and glassier than other rice. Parboiled rice takes less time to cook, and the cooked rice is firmer and less sticky. In North America, parboiled rice is generally partially or fully precooked by the processor."

In a heavy skillet, melt the butter, then add the onion and cook until golden but not brown. Combine the meats, 1/2 cup cream, crumbs, salt, nutmeg, pepper and onion, mixing until smooth. Wet hands and shape the meat mixture into 1" meatballs. In the same skillet, brown the meatballs, shaking the pan continuously to keep the balls round. Remove meatballs. Stir in flour to drippings, and then blend in remaining 3/4 cup cream. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add meatballs. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.

Jack's family loved Swedish meatballs, but the gravy his family preferred was on the thin side for my taste.

Cut off the crusts from the bread, cover with milk, and let stand 15 minutes. Squeeze out excess milk from the bread, then mix the bread with the meat, salt and pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Form into meatballs and fry in the butter with the onions. When the meatballs and the onions are well-browned, add the sour cream.

The ratio of bread to meat in this one worries me. I'd serve it on wide egg noodles, like a Stroganoff.

Cook onion in butter until tender but not brown. Add meatballs and gravy, beans, milk and Worcestershire. Heat until bubbling. Pour into baking dish. Mix cereal, seed and salt. Brush tops of 6 biscuits with milk, then dip in cereal mixture. Arrange biscuits atop hot meatballs. Bake at 425° 10 to 12 minutes or until biscuits are done.

For historical purposes, I left this recipe the way it was originally written ... but I'm sure you can substitute for the canned meatballs and gravy.

Combine rice, broken-up tomatoes, shortening, salt, rosemary and sage in top of double boiler. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally, then cover and cook over boiling water until rice is done, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together ground beef, salt, pepper, savory, egg, bread crumbs and milk. Form into golfball-sized balls. Fry in melted shortening until brown on all sides. Turn rice into greased casserole dish, place meat balls on top, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350° for 20 minutes.

This cookbook calls them "meat balls," where normally you see "meatballs," and, rarely, "meat-balls." I've been changing most of them to "meatballs" on this page.

Cut off duck meat, discarding most of the fat. Mince fine, or grind in a food processor. Mix the ground duck with the soy sauce and wine until thoroughly blended. Chill one hour, then form into balls about 1" in diameter. Thread on skewers. Flatten balls slightly, then broil until brown on both sides.

The American Heritage Book of English Usage notes that "Oriental is an ethnic slur to be avoided in all situations."

To make the meatballs, combine the ground beef, salt, pepper, poultry sesoning, bread crumbs, milk, parsley and egg. Mix lightly, shape into balls, and brown in hot fat, turning frequently to keep the meatballs round. Add the beef broth, mushrooms and onion. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Blend in the rest of the ingredients and cook five more minutes.

Sour cream is one of our favorite ingredients, but lately we've been trying to substitute plain Greek yogurt.

Have the meats ground together twice. Soak bread in milk for five minutes. Cook onion in 2 TB. butter until tender but nor brown. Combine ground meats, crumbs and onion, 1 cup of the half-and-half, parsley and seasonings. Beat until fluffy, about five minutes. Mixture will be soft. Form into 1" balls. Brown lightly in 2 TB. butter, shaking the skillet to keep the balls round. Remove the meatballs, then stir in flour, remaining half-and-half, coffee and meat extract. Heat and stir until gravy thickens. Return meatballs to gravy and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add more half-and-half if needed.

This recipe presupposes that you have a butcher or meat counter that will grind together meats of various kinds. The level of service we consumers get sure has deteriorated in this country, hasn't it.

Form meat in eight balls, shaping each around an olive. Roll meatballs in seasoned flour. Brown in butter, then reduce heat and cook 12 minutes, turning frequently. When meatballs are done, lift from skillet and place on pilaf or rice. Pour off fat, then add Worcestershire, onion juice and thyme. Cook one minute. Add cream, then cook and stir over low heat until hot. Remove from heat and add lemon juice, then pour over meatballs.

Okay ... onion juice. Your guess is as good as mine.

Mix meat, eggs, bread crumbs, milk, salt and herbs. Divide into 12 portions, and wrap one portion of meat around each cheese cube, making a ball. Place one meatball in each of 12 muffin cups. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Spoon off excess fat, spoon taco sauce over each meatball, and bake for five more minutes.

Okay ... onion salt. Not something you see every day. I'd substitute garlic salt, and maybe add a little minced onion.

Combine the meat, bread crumbs, cheese, soup mix, salt, nutmeg and 1/2 cup of the milk. Shape into 40 small balls and brown lightly in large skillet, shaking skillet to keep the balls round. Cover and cook 25 minutes. Remove meat and drain off excess fat, leaving 1/4 cup of fat in the skillet. Blend flour into fat, then stir in remaining milk all at once. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Return meatballs to skillet, cover and cook until heated through.

You'll need a fairly big skillet to brown 40 meatballs all at once.

Soak bread in 1/2 cup water for two minutes. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine the ground beef, Parmesan, parsley, salt, oregano and a dash of pepper. Form into 24 small balls. Brown slowly in hot vegetable oil. Add meatballs to spaghetti sauce and simmer, loosely covered, for 30 minutes. Serve over hot spaghetti or other pasta.

My family went more for "meat sauce" over spaghetti, while Jack's was more of a meatball family.

Drain and chop the water chestnuts, then chop the green onions, tops and all, then mix both with the meat. Add soy sauce, eggs, salt and bread crumbs, and mix thoroughly. Chill. Form into meatballs, using a rounded teaspoon for each, then roll the meatballs lightly in cornstarch. Fry in deep fat at 370° until well browned. To make the sauce, heat together the vinegar, pineapple juice, sugar, consomme, soy and ginger. Gradually stir in cornstarch mixed with cold water. Cook, stirring, until clear and thickened. Keep meat balls hot in chafing dish with just enough sauce to form a glaze.

This should make enough appetizer meatballs to feed a small army.

Soak bread crumbs in milk, then beat until mushy. Cook onions, covered, in the water until the water boils away. Mix together the meat, the soaked bread crumbs, the cooked onions, the parsley, mint, egg yolks, garlic, salt and pepper. With wet hands, form into golfball-sized balls. Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan, and brown meat on all sides. Transder meat balls to a serving dish. Pour wine vinegar into the pan, heat, and scrape up the drippings. Pour over the meatballs. Sprinkle with oregano.

So many of these recipes seem like they could be made more to my taste. This recipe sounds good -- and I especially like the idea of including a little mint with the parsley -- but I'd increase the amount of garlic and just brown the onions, rather than boiling them.

Lightly blend the beef, onion, salt, pepper, garlic salt, cracker crumbs, egg and milk. Shape into meatballs the size of walnuts. Brown on all sides in hot vegetable oil. In a large pan, blend the barbecue sauce with the water. Place the browned meatballs in this sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.

An example of how the sauce alone determines the overall flavor. You could use a peanut sauce and this would be totally different.

Drain pineapple and reserve syrup. In a saucepan, mix brown sugar and cornstarch. Blend in the reserved syrup, water, vinegar, bouillon and soy sauce. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Stir in frozen meatballs, pineapple, green pepper and water chestnuts. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice.

This is the kind of dish my mom would try to pass off as elegant Chinese food.

Combine soup and milk, add cheese, catsup, garlic powder and thyme. Cook and stir over low heat until blended. Stir in frozen meatballs, then simmer, covered, until thawed, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream and heat, but do not boil. Serve over cooked noodles, then sprinkle with paprika.

This is the kind of dish my mom would try to pass off as elegant European food.

In a skillet, cook the green pepper in butter until tender. Add tomatoes, undrained mushrooms, chil sauce, sugar, horseradish, salt and noodles. Mix well. Bring to boiling, then stir in frozen meatballs. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

This is the kind of dish my mom would try to pass off as Mexican food.

Combine egg, milk, cornmeal, green pepper, onion, mustard, salt, chili powder and beef. Form 12 meatballs. Lightly coat meatballs in 2 TB. flour, and brown in the shortening. Place meatballs in casserole, reserving pan juices. To casserole, add potatoes, onions and carrots, and salt and pepper. Blend remaining flour into reserved pan juices in skillet, and stir in tomato juice and bay leaf. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Pour atop casserole, cover, and bake at 350° for 1 1/4 hours.

This appeals to me as a good cold-weather dish.

Combine egg, 1/4 cup of the soup, and next five ingredients. Add beef and mix well. Shape into 20 meatballs and place in skillet. Mix remaining soup, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over meatballs, bring to boiling, then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 40 minutes, stirring often.

Canned tomato soup wouldn't be my first choice, but vintage recipes are vintage recipes ... they have their own integrity.

Combine ingredients from egg to ground beef and form into 20 meatballs. Brown in hot shortening. Dissolve bouillon cube in 3/4 cup boiling water. Blend flour with 1/4 cup cold water. In skillet, stir flour mixture into bouillon. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Return balls to skillet, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

The zwieback crumbs would probably make for a nicely crunchy meatball. I'd substitute beef broth for the bouillon cube.

Combine ingredients from egg to braunschweiger and shape into 18 balls. Brown in hot fat, shaking to keep balls round. Drain off fat. Blend soup with milk and pour over meatballs. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over noodles.

I forget what braunschweiger is ...

Combine ingredients from egg to beef and form into 12 meatballs. Cook bacon until crisp, reserving drippings. Crumble bacon, set aside. In 2 TB. reserved drippings, cook celery, green pepper and onion until tender, then set aside. Brown meatballs in remaining drippings. Drain off fat. Add bacon, vegetables, tomatoes and bay leaf to meatballs. Cover and cook 25 minutes. Discard bay leaf and remove meatballs. Blend cornstarch with 2 TB. cold water and stir into tomato mixture. Cook and stir until bubbly. Serve over meatballs.

I'd serve this over rice or noodles ... but then, most meatball dishes can be served over rice or noodles, which is one of the things that makes them so appealing.

Combine first eight ingredients. Add pork and mix well, then shape into 24 meatballs. Brown meatballs in hot shortening, then drain off fat. Dissolve bouillon in 1 cup boiling water and add to meatballs in skillet. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove meatballs to serving bowl, reserving pan drippings. Blend flour with 1/3 cup water, then stir into reserved drippings. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Serve over meatballs.

One-eighth teaspoon of pepper ... whew, that's scorching hot. What is that, two twists of the pepper mill?

Combine egg, milk, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Add beef and mix well. Shape into 12 meatballs. Brown in hot shortening in a large skillet. Remove the meatballs and pour off the far. In the same skillet combine sauerkraut, onion and 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir in rice and 1 3/4 cups water. Add meatballs and tomatoes. Bring to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes.

This looks especially easy if you use pre-made meatballs. (Heck, most of these recipes look very easy using pre-made meatballs.)

Combine egg, milk, oats and onion with salt. Add beef and mix well. Shape into 24 balls, then brown in hot shortening in a skillet. Stir flour into reserved drippings. Add 2 cups water, wine and bouillon cubes, then cook and stir unil bubbly. Stir in remaining ingredients, then add the meatballs. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

"Kitchen bouquet," a browning and seasoning sauce, is not an ingredient you see often in modern cookbooks.

Combine eggs, milk, bread crumbs, onion, parsley, garlic, salt, mint, pepper and meat. Form into 40 meatballs. In a large skillet, brown the meatballs in hot shortening, about 10 minutes, then cook over low heat until done, about 12 minutes. Remove meatballs to serving dish, reserving dripping. Pour lemon juice in skillet and heat, scraping up the drippings. Pour over meatballs.

Ground lamb is probably more authentic, but ground beef is certainly easier to find in the supermarket.

Combine egg, bread crumbs, onion and Worcestershire sauce, and mix well with the beef. Drain the olives, onions, pineapple and mushrooms. Halve the pineapple tidbits and larger mushrooms. Shape meat around each olive, onion, pineapple or mushroom. Place on shallow baking pan and bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Serve hot on toothpicks with cocktail sauce.

The cookbook's photo caption notes, "Liven appetites and conversation at the next party with Surprise Meatballs. An assortment of sweet and tangy centers makes each meatball a tasty morsel."

The tangy cocktail dip is made from catsup, brown sugar, mustard and hot pepper sauce.

Mix together the pork, onion, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, paprika, nutmeg, cayenne, 1 egg and salt and pepper. Break into walnut-sized pieces and shape into balls. Heat oil (at a depth of 1/2") in a skillet over medium heat. Roll meatballs in seasoned flour. Beat the remaining egg. When oil is hot, dip meatballs into beaten egg and then lower into the hot oil. Reduce heat and let cook for 10 minutes. Turn meatballs over and let cook for another 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Turn up the heat at the end of cooking to crisp them. Drain meatballs on paper towels.

These pork and parsley meatballs, a popular plate in tapas bars, are usually seen in the U.S. in soup.