Balls

When planning appetizers, you want to consider your audience. You definitely want a few items that have substance and are meat based, but, you also want to pull in cheeses, dips and plant based varieties. This particular dish comes from one of my favorite coworkers, Sandy, who lives in Santa Barbara. Sandy got the recipe from her college roommate, who got it from a guy she works with. He calls it simply "Balls." These are meatballs, but not the kind that call for red sauce and sit atop a pile of pasta. They are delectable just on their own. Recipe makes about 6 billiard-sized balls.

1 1/2 lbs ground chicken (ground turkey is OK, but chicken is even better)

Diced red pepper

Chopped pitted kalamata olives

Chopped fresh parsley

Chopped garlic

Chopped onion

Crumbled feta

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 egg, beaten

Italian-style bread crumbs

Lemon

Mix first 7 ingredients together and form into billiard-sized balls. Note that there are no specific amounts (other than the chicken)-- the other ingredients can be adjusted to your taste, but know that the olives and the feta are KEY! Dip balls into beaten egg and roll in bread crumbs. Heat 1/4" olive oil in a large skillet and brown, no more than 20 minutes. Drain balls on paper towel, then transfer to a plate and and squeeze lemon juice over them. No sauce needed. Just serve with sides like veggies, potato, salad.

The balls are terrific so I recommend you try them too!