The Saturday Sip: December 10th, 2022
Your inspirational etiquette tip, Emily Post quote and an Emily Post Cookbook recipe to start your weekend off right!
The Tip
It is so wonderful to think of spreading joy and participating in the holiday season with a spirit of generosity. However, it should not lead you to feel guilty (or maybe even lie) when someone gives you a gift and you don’t have one in return. A great gift exchange is a gift given followed by a genuine thank you, not a gift given followed immediately by “And here’s a gift for you!” Don’t skip the gratitude! It can be easy when someone has a gift for us during the holidays to jump right into saying, “Oh I left yours at home.” or, “Yours hasn’t arrived yet!” when we don’t have a gift to give in return. But rather than focus on your lack of a gift, keep your focus on the gift that was given to you. “Thank you so much, this is so thoughtful, I really appreciate it!” Remember, you can always use this moment of generosity as inspiration to get or make something for this person either this year or next.
The Recipe
We’re big fans of classic party food, and Swedish meatballs (or meat balls as Emily writes) are one of our favorites! This creamy sauce is perfect for chilly December nights, no matter the occasion.
Swedish Meat Balls with Mushrooms
This dish is really enough to be served at a lunch party and is in fact a favorite party dish in the house of a famous New York hostess.
pg 68 of The Emily Post Cookbook, 1951
Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
1 lb lean top-round beef
1/4 lb veal [can sub with pork if you’d like to avoid veal]
1/4 lb fresh pork
1 slice bacon
1 cup light cream [plus 3/4 cup for the final step]
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 medium onion
salt and pepper
1 tbsp butter or bacon fat
1/4 lb mushrooms
2 tsp flour
3/4 cup cream
Directions:
(Please note, we have made as few adjustments as possible from Emily’s original text, however some clarification was needed for the instructions based on how the recipe is visually structured in the image above.)
Have butcher grind beef, veal [if using,] pork, and bacon all together.
Beat eggs and cream, add bread crumbs, and let stand 1/2 hour.
Chop very fine and add to mixture [one medium onion.]
Add meat, salt, and pepper to mixture and mix well several times. Roll into small balls (1 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter). Brown them lightly on all sides in a large iron skillet with a close-fitting cover. The balls will make their own fat for browning unless the meat was unusually lean, in which case brown in the butter or bacon fat. Remove balls from pan, leave fat.
Blend flour into fat in the pan, add mushrooms, then cream, and stir. Add meat balls and simmer covered 1/2 hour.
NOTE: This will make 24 or 25 meat balls, but 16 are about all that can be cooked in even a fairly large skillet at one time. A good idea is to cook 16 (enough for 4 people) and wrap the remaining in waxed paper or aluminum foil and keep them in the refrigerator to be cooked a day or two later.
The Quote
That’s it for today, we hope you’re feeling inspired! Thank you for spending some of your weekend with us, and let us know if you try Emily’s recipe, how it turned out for you! Next up: Monday’s podcast episode, bonus question and etiquette extra! Have a fabulous rest of your weekend!
Best,
Lizzie and Dan
wonderful advice