1 pound ground beef

1 egg -- slightly beaten

4 tablespoons cornstarch -- divided

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon dried chopped onion

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 tablespoons vinegar

1 15 oz can pineapple chunks in juice

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 large green bell pepper -- cut into pieces

hot cooked rice

serves 4 to 5

In a bowl, combine ground beef, egg, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, salt, pepper, and onion. Shape into 1 1/2-inch balls. In a large skillet, lightly brown meatba lls in oil. Drain fat from skillet. Transfer meatballs to any size Crock-Pot.

Stir together in a small bowl: vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, remaining cornstarch, and green pepper. Pour over meatballs. cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH 2 to 4 hours. In the last 30 minutes of cooking stir in the can of pi neapple. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Variation: substitute ground turkey for ground beef.