Boston Meatball Takedown - Swedish Meatballs

Two weeks ago, I got an email from a guy named Tim about this thing called a "Takedown".  He'd found my blog somewhere, and invited me to participate in a Meatball Takedown that would be doing on June 30th at the Armory in Somerville.  I though it sounded fabulous, and knew my friend Ann would be into it since she's Swedish (so she obviously loves meatballs), and thus team "Thor" was born.  Ann was SO excited about putting together something similar to her grandma's meatball recipe - we were going to do Sweden proud!  These meatballs are juicy, authentic (with a few twists), full of flavor...and worth the work!

There were really no rules...just make 225-250 meatballs and have them at the Armory 30 minutes before the 2pm start.  We decided baking everything Sunday morning would be too rushed, so Ann and I got together Saturday evening to put everything together.  Without giving away Ann's family recipe, I will tell you this...they included ground beef and pork, bacon, spiced pecans, and a ton of spices.  :)  Pretty cool, hunh?

Swedish meatballs are served with brown gravy and a dollop of lingonberry sauce (you can buy it here).  It really is a must and will make the meal!  YUM.

We got to the Armory, plugged in our electric skillet to reheat the meatballs we'd made the day before, and got our table set up.  We decided to "Swede-out" and had SO much fun making our table decorations.  There was a poster full of things Swedes love and jokes on IKEA, a tablecloth that looked like Sweden's flag, Swedish Fish garland, and blue and yellow sparkles!

In addition to being fantastic cooks, everyone participating was SO nice.  We lucked and ended up with some fantastic 'neighbors' that made the afternoon even more fun.  In addition to the Swedish meatballs we brought, there were several classic Italian meatballs, meatballs with mint, short-rib meatballs, Mexican meatballs that were served with a squirt of tequila, Bulgogi meatballs, chicken meatballs that were deep fried in waffle batter, Aibondigos meatballs, and a Thanksgiving-style meatball (turkey and stuffing ball in a cranberry sauce).  That's just a few...it was seriously crazy!  Everything was SO different, which made the event a ton of fun.  We served meatballs for 1 hour and 30 minutes straight, with the crowds slowing down around 3:30.

Here are some shots of other participants and their yummy food!

Matt Timms - the mastermind behind "The Takedowns"

Since Paula Deen has been fired from so many of her gigs, she had to resort to showing up at our meatball challenge.    These meatballs were "guaranteed to give you type 2 diabetes".  Ouch!

And of course, some of our sweet friends who came to taste our goods!

Unfortunately, we didn't win the takedown, but we still had a "Swede-tastic" time.  I hear there will be an Ice Cream Takedown in August, so if you're in the Boston area, you should definitely do it!  We'll be there with bells on!

Even if you don't live in Boston, you should still check out TheTakedowns.com - he does competitions in other cities too!

Favorites this week - January 26

It has been so cold here in Boston this week!  With lows in the single digits and highs in the low 20's, I've been scrambling from my car, to the office, to the car, and back home as quickly as I can.  No time for dilly dallying outside!

To make matters worse, our heat stopped working in our apartment for most of the week.  The makeshift solution husband figured out a few months ago gave out, so after short-lived stints of heat for the better part of the week and the thermostat not going above 50 degrees, we called the landlord.  I know...I know...just call the landlord the first time.  It's why you rent!  (Well...that and homes around Boston are crazy expensive.)  Oops.  :)

The plus to all of this is that Toby, our mini dachshund, came to work with me yesterday, since the plummer was going to be in and out of the apartment fixing things.  THAT makes for a fun day at work!

Toby's set-up for the day - toys, bones, blanket, cat bed, and tennis ball.  Now if he can just get that sweater off...

Now, on to some of my favorite blogs this week.  Several of the recipes would be perfect for the Super Bowl, so check'em out if you're hosting a party!


The Feta Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Meatballs from Iowa Girl Eats look a-mazing!  You could swap out the Feta for Bleu Cheese if you wanted to be a purist.

Get the recipe and make these meatballs!

I recently found A Beautiful Mess, and I had a hard time picking which of her blogs was my favorite this week.  Finally the Grapefruit Donuts won out...but her painted kitchen cabinets were a close second!

*source*

Every Super Bowl party needs a yummy Onion Dip...and A Spicy Perspective's recipe is as far as you need to search, as it calls for bacon and caramelized onions.  Mmmm...

Dip those chips!

I was really excited to come across a recipe for Chili Lime Cauliflower this week.  I've been trying to get husband to eat cauliflower with me for years...this may be the recipe to win him over!  It would also make a great side (that's not the predictable chips, beans, or salad) for fajitas or tacos!

What a way to enjoy cauliflower!

I've been wanting to hang more pictures of US in our apartment, and this week Young House Love shared how they are doing just that with their Instagram Photo Project.  I don't use Instagram (i know...only person out there not using it...), but you can totally do this with regular pictures too!

Such a fun way to display your family pictures!

And finally...the solution to the cold.  My cousins-in-law have the coolest life...ever.  They moved to St Croix (Virgin Islands) a few years ago and have been keeping a blog of their experiences.  Jeff is a Scuba/Dive guide (coolest job ever) and posted this blog from a recent dive when they came across a group of dolphins.  Watch the videos...and then check out the rest of their adventures!  They also have the best blog name ever - Life is short so are my pants.

Oh to be swimming with dolphins right now...

What were some of your favorite blogs this week?

*Here's to warmer weather next week*