I’ll be the first to admit I over think things.  Totally.  And having a child certainly takes it’s toll on someone who over analyzes like me.  I’m always trying to look at things in terms of how they will affect him in the long run.  I’m afraid making him clean his plate will make him fat, I’m afraid not making him eat his vegetables will give him a life-long hatred of vegetables, I’m afraid that giving him juice at night might rot his teeth, I’m afraid if he plays outside without his shoes he’ll hurt his feet.  And it’s odd for me, because I never really felt like this before he was born.  I guess you can say I’m a little over protective.  The great thing is my wife is totally the opposite.  She throws caution to the wind and basically runs at things without a plan.  I wish I could be more like that, especially with Jack.

Last night I had a little reminder from God, that I need to lighten up.  And it has been one of the most profound things to happen to me recently.  Each night a bedtime, I read a story with Jack (sometimes two, sometimes three) and last night as we were picking books to read, he pulled out a book that my mother had given him not long after he was born.  The book is titled “On the Night You Were Born.”  It’s a beautiful story that tells about how the animals celebrated the night you were born.  But in the back of the book, my Mom had written nearly two pages to my little boy – two pages of her handwriting that I’m sure were meant to inspire him and teach him about life.  But reading her words last night struck a chord with me.  I realized that he has to get a splinter to know that he needs to wear his shoes outside.  He has to be cheated to learn about the value of truth.  And he has to have his heart broken to learn the power of love.  I realized that I do take things too seriously and I do try to protect him to the extent that he’s going to miss out on something magical, something wonderful.  I get too caught up in daily life to to realize how special every moment is with this little guy.

So this morning, at 5:30 when he woke up crying for the 4th time, rather than being angry with him as I had the 3 times before, I remembered Mom’s words.  I didn’t yell at him or tell him to go back to sleep.  I just climbed into my little boy’s twin bed with him and we laid there talking and laughing for nearly an hour.  He was late for daycare and I was late for work.  But today that didn’t matter, because this morning I just got to be a daddy – and nothing else.  And that’s just what my little boy needed… and I did too.

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When I was a kid, this was one of my most favorite things my Mom would make.  The recipe was great, now don’t get me wrong, but there was something about eating something called porcupine balls that was so neat.   Hopefully you and your family will love this simple and easy recipe just the same!

Ingredients

  • 1.25 to 1.5 lbs ground beef
  • ¾ cup instant rice
  • ½  small onion, finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 3 cups V8 juice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper

 

 

Directions

  1. Combine ground beef, rice, onion,and garlic in a large bowl.  Mix to combine, but do not over work the mixture.
  2. Roll into 1 1/2 to 2 inch sized balls.  (I got about 15 good sized balls.)
  3. In a hot pan, brown meatballs on several sides and remove from pan.  Drain grease and return pan to heat.
  4. In the pan add V8 juice, tomato paste, salt and pepper.  Mix well.  Bring to a simmer and add meatballs back into the pan.
  5. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked throughout. 

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Porcupine Balls

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Porcupine Balls

Ingredients

  • 1.25 to 1.5 lbs ground beef
  • ¾ cup instant rice
  • ½ small onion, finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1- 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 3 cups V8 juice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine ground beef, rice, onion,and garlic in a large bowl. Mix to combine, but do not over work the mixture.
  2. Roll into 1 1/2 to 2 inch sized balls. (I got about 15 good sized balls.)
  3. In a hot pan, brown meatballs on several sides and remove from pan. Drain grease and return pan to heat.
  4. In the pan add V8 juice, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Mix well. Bring to a simmer and add meatballs back into the pan.
  5. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked throughout.

http://southernbite.com/2011/04/13/porcupine-balls/