Venison Meatballs

My husband got a 4 point deer the other day so now my freezer is stocked with venison!  Yeah!  Now to figure out what to cook with it!  I made these delicious meatballs for a potluck tonight.  made about 50 and came home with 5, the only reason they weren't gone was the last person to take some couldn't fit the rest into his container!  So needless to say, they were good.  I was a little concerned when I was cooking them because they didn't smell too wonderful, but after they had been cooking in the slow cooker for a couple hours the aroma was very tantalizing!   So if your caveman has come home with some wild game, don't hesitate to try these.

Meatballs:

1 1/2 lbs ground venison

1/2 c cheese

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon basil

1 1/2 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

Sauce:

1 (18 oz) jar grape jelly

1 (12 oz) jar chili sauce

1 (12 oz) jar cranberry sauce

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.

2. Combine the meat, cheese, egg, basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, red pepper flakes and bread crumbs till thoroughly mixed and shape into balls.

3. Bake meatballs for 20-25 minutes.  While baking combine jelly, chili sauce, and cranberry sauce with a whisk.  Pour sauce into a slow cooker and turn heat to low.  When meatballs are done cooking in the oven transfer them to the slow cooker and let cook for 4-5 hours on low heat.  Serve warm and enjoy!