What makes those meatballs, Hawaiian??

Hawaiian Meatballs with Rice

Recipe:
1-20oz can pineapple chunks in juice
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2tblsp cornstarch

1cup of pineapple chunks
1 green pepper cut into chunks
20 cooked meatballs
5 oz sliced water chestnuts
2 cups cooked white rice

Drain 3/4 cup of pineapple juice out of your canned pineapples (it works out just right, if not add water to make it 3/4 cup.
In large saucepan add first 6 ingredients stirring constantly while bringing to a boil.  You will notice the sauce thickening and bubbling.  Once it is thick like a gravy you add the last 4 ingredients (not the rice) and mix altogether until it is hot.  Serve on the white rice.

RECIPE REVIEW:

Ok folks here we go.  The recipe came from a book at the library that I found while trying to add some new family faves to our menu.  The kids have been getting quite picky so I am trying to find a few new recipes we can start using.  The book is called, "The Everything One-Pot Cookbook", and boasts over 300 complete meals you can prepare in one dish.  I was definitely intrigued!
However, if you read this recipe you may see my conundrum... If I were to do this all in a saucepan, I would have to use one that would accommodate 20 meatballs and all the rest of the chunky fruits and veggies.  I do not have a sauce pan that large, if you do then kudos but I had to use 3 pots to make this meal.  I am ok with that, but thought I would start with the obvious.
I needed 1 pot to make the white rice, 1 saucepan to make the sauce and a large skillet to blend it all together.  Just sayin

The recipe is definitely easy enough to make and the "Hawaiian-ness" is obviously due to the pineapple that is used, but truly the sauce had a very sweet and sour flavor.  I immediately thought that this sauce would be great for a stir fry with chicken and veggies as well, and will try that next time.

I make my own meatballs. However, if you check the freezer section you can buy bags of meatballs...for about $8.50!  Whoa!  I had 2.5lbs of ground beef, I used half of it and ended up with over 30 meatballs hence...I make my own meatballs.

I separated the meat from the fruits/veg from the rice for the kids-they hate it all being mixed of course, and served it over rice for us.  Henry loved the meatballs and devoured them, never been much of a rice kid and thought that the sauce on the veggies was revolting cause it had microscopic meat chunks on it!!  Callie loved the pineapple and the water chestnuts and peppers, wouldn't touch the rice and had 1 bite of meat and told me it was yucky.  FAIL as far as the kids go.  Jon and I liked it and as always when I try a new recipe I ask, "is this a keeper or no?"  and he couldn't say one way or another...hmmm  I suggested using the sauce in another recipe and he was down for it of course so we'll try again.

"My taste buds were confused by the sweet pineapple taste, I don't really like pineapple pizza for that reason, but I like this."-Jon
As any good husband should do, he will NOT complain about my cooking because he is afraid I will never cook for him again!