WC #3 Update - Teriyaki Meatball Pita Sem-Review

I attempted to make the Teriyaki Meatball Pita recipe and homemade pita recipe on Friday night. It didn't go so well. First off, here's the recipe:

Teriyaki Meatball Pita

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup honey-teriyaki flavored barbecue sauce, divided
1 egg
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 large pita breads

Preheat oven to 400. Combine beef, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup barbecue sauce, egg and pepper in a mixing bowl. Using about 2 tablespoons of beef at a time, roll meat into balls. Place balls in a 9- by 11-inch baking dish. Pour remaining barbecue sauce over top. Bake 20 minutes or until cooked through. Cut each pita in half. Spoon meatballs into pocket just before serving.

Serves 8. Serve with a tossed salad, low fat dressing and fresh fruit kabobs (layer strawberries, blueberries, grapes, orange slices, etc. on toothpicks)

253 calories
17 g. protein
23 g. carbs
9 g. fat
69 mg cholesterol
1 g. fiber
380 mg. sodium

My pitas didn't go so well. I have a lot of trouble using yeast. I usually get my water too hot and it kills the yeast. That must have been what happened this time. They were rising OK, but then when I baked them, they were flat and dense. Also, if you look closely at the recipe for the pitas, it calls for 1 TABLESPOON of salt! That's a lot of salt!!!! I only used about 1/2 Tbsp. and they were too salty! I'm sure it is an error in the recipe.

After the disaster with the pitas, I thought I could still make the meatballs. But, my meat didn't get thawed out all the way. By that time, it was hot in the kitchen and I was frustrated. So, we had sandwiches instead.

I did make the meatballs for church on Sunday. I didn't have the honey-teriyaki bbq sauce, but I made my own. I just combined regular barbecue sauce, honey, and teriyaki. The meatballs were really good. I also added some onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper as I was mixing them up. Tasty!

Perhaps I will attempt this recipe again sometime.