I think this is one of the most versatile of the meatball recipes that Mum collected. You can make them as a savory to have with drinks or serve them as a main dish with either rice or pasta. The recipe even has instructions for freezing and reheating – what more you possibly want.
This recipe comes from a recipe sheet put out by Continental Kitchen the makers of packet soup mixes. The sheet also has lots of dip recipes using French Onion Soup, Cream of Mushroom soup and Cream of Chicken Soup – all very 1980s. This recipe with camembert cheese spread onto a bread stick and then baked was quite popular as a pre-dinner or party nibble.
This recipe comes from the Herald Sun cooking page from around August 1994. Can’t remember Mum ever making them, but now I’ve found it I’m going to give them a go. They look like they could be good to have with a drink.
Today these filled bread cases would be great to serve up as finger food with drinks, but Mum would have made them as a supper snack. They demonstrate the way entertaining changed over the years. Mum and Dad would rarely have people over for a sit down dinner. Most people ate quite early, so friends were invited after dinner for drinks or maybe cards and Mum would serve up a hearty supper. By the 1990s things were changing for my generation, but it was still popular for Mum and Dad to entertain that way.
By the look of this cutting Mum cut it out of a magazine quite a while ago. I don’t remember her making them, but they look great and are something a little bit different to serve with drinks. I usually make little cheese biscuits or pita bread crisps, but I think these look good and I’m going to try them next time.
Back in the 1990s these would often be handed around at a party or before dinner. I haven’t made them for a long time, but I think they’d still work well today. I like the tip of converting the recipe into sausage rolls if you don’t want to use them as savouries.
Buying chips and dips and other types of savouries to have before a dinner or at a party just wasn’t an option in the early days of Mum’s entertaining. There just wasn’t that much available to buy, so you had to make them yourself. This is just one of the things she made.
Long before we found out that almonds were so good for us Mum was making these for nibbling on.
HOT & SPICY ALMONDS
Peel & crush garlic, put in heavy frying pan with all the other ingredients. Place over medium heat and toss mixture with spatula or wooden spoon until nuts turn light brown and look nicely crisp. Allow to cool and store in a clean jar.
This is an absolute Smith family favourite. Stored in large glass bottles and taken to many family events. There was never any leftovers
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NUTS & BOLTS
Mix all ingredients. Add ½ cup warm oil. Shake like hell. Seal in an airtight container. (Doesn’t Last)
Beb's Recipe Drawer 