CHOWING DOWN ON SLOPPY JOE'S

As most of you know, I'm always fiddling with my recipes to make them even better, so today, I set out to enhance my Sloppy Joe recipe that is found in One Menu at a Time. For those of you who don't have a copy of the book, I'll post both recipes.



    OLD RECIPE

2 tbls olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef

1 tbl cider vinegar
1 tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup ketchup

  NEW RECIPE

2 tbls olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef

Sauce:
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tbls brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbl cider vinegar
salt to taste

 Add the oil and the onions to a skillet and sauté until translucent

 Break the ground beef into tiny pieces so it's not clumped together, and add to the onions mixture. Sauté until ground beef is no long pink

 Using a measuring cup, add the sauce ingredients, stir and taste to make sure you're happy with the flavor and it doesn't need you to increase any of the items.

 Pour over top of the ground beef mixture and combine until thoroughly incorporated.

 Aaaaaaaah, we're finished and ready to chow down on this easy meal!

 

Serve these open-faced on a hamburger bun with a side of coleslaw and/or French fries.

 

 

Bon Appetit!



THANKSGIVING IN A BOWL!

I made turkey soup today. There's nothing more down home or delicious to me than homemade soup, and turkey is my favorite. To me, the turkey soup is just as important as having the turkey on Thanksgiving. So, with that thought, I actually store the extra stuffing, the gravy and carcass in the freezer until I'm ready to make this. And folks, that's exactly what I add to the soup. I don't measure anything out--it's whatever I have in the freezer and refrigerator.

In this pot, I have the carcass, carrots, celery, onions, sweet potatoes, chicken stock and chicken stock. You can add water if you like, but I prefer the rich taste of the stock. Once I done that, I let it simmer for an hour or more, then remove the carcass and place on a tray. While this is steaming, I'll add the leftover stuffing, the gravy, and if I have mashed potatoes, I'll add those too. It makes the soup a little thicker and it's a real meal in a bowl.

 

 

Once it's done, I remove the carcass, and as you can see, I got a bit of the vegetables, but don't fret, all that is going back into the pot. Taking two forks, I remove all the meat I can from the carcass and transfer it to another sheet pan, along with my veggies.

 Here's all the meat I got off the carcass. Isn't it amazing? And that's why I love making turkey soup afterward.

 

And Wella! I have the most satisfying BOWLFUL OF THANKSGIVING, served with a salad and garlic bread.

DREAMY, CREAMY SCONES

Gosh, it's been ages since I've posted! There's good reason for that. I was away and sick when I returned, which lasted three weeks. But now that I'm okay, I'm back cooking and baking. I hope you like today's recipe. It's a favorite of mine and called Creamy Scones. Before I give you the recipe though, let me tell you a little story about why they're so special to my husband and me.

Several years ago, we were on a cruise, and at one of the ports of call, we visited a French pastry shop and had the most wonderful scones. For an entire year, I made several batches of scones to no avail. Nevertheless, I didn't give up, and thank God I didn't because these taste just like them. They're rich and delicious!

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PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 degrees

 

1 stick butter

2 cups all purpose flour

3 tbls granulated sugar

2 1/2 tsps. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

 

2 tbls brandy

1 egg, beaten

6 tbls half-half, heavy cream or buttermilk

1/2 cup currants, raisins, chocolate morsels

 

Add the dry ingredients to a mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment, place a towel over top of the head of the mixer to prevent the flour from flying out everywhere, on low until you have fine crumbs.

 

While the mixer is running, add the wet ingredients until the dough sticks to the paddle. Add the fruit or morsels and spin a few more times until incorporated.  Remove the dough onto the counter covered with plastic wrap and roll the dough out to a half-inch thickness.

 

Using a glass or cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles and place on sheet pan. Using an egg white, brush the tops of the scones and sprinkle raw sugar over top of each scone. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

 I use saran wrap on the counter to keep it clean so clean up is nice and easy!

 Here, I've rolled the dough thickness to 1/2 inch and am using the largest cutter because we like big  scones. :-)

 Here, I've used the heavy cream to coat the tops because I had it handy, then sprinkled the sugar over top. You can see the top left scone is coated with the sugar.

 

 

The finished product. Oh yum!

 

 Bon Appetit!



CHICKEN ITALIANO WITH BRANDIED PEACHES

4 chicken breasts, trimmed of all sinew and fat
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter

PREPARE CHICKEN AND MEASURE OUT ALL INGREDIENTS FIRST.

To flatten the chicken breasts to one half-inch thick, I place a kitchen mallet inside a plastic bag and hammer away.

Make sure to remove the sinew and fat from chicken breasts. Mix the granulated garlic, breadcrumbs, and the grated cheese together in a large baggie and after shaking, set aside. Dip the chicken in the egg wash first, then place inside plastic bag and shake making sure to coat all sides of the chicken.

Using a skillet, melt butter and add the olive oil into the pan. Using medium heat, fry each piece of chicken until golden, keeping it warm until serving.

PEACH TOPPING

2 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup brandy
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt to taste

 

 Melt the butter, add the brown sugar and cinnamon and allow it to bubble. Unless you know how to flambé remove the pan from the burner before you add the brandy. Blend with a wire whisk.

Add the 1/2 cup water mixed with the cornstarch and whisk until thickened. Add the lemon juice and whisk again. Once you're satisfied with the taste, add 1 cup sliced peaches!

 

 Plate the chicken onto a plate, spoon peaches down the middle and spoon sauce over top.

 



SLOPPY JOE'S

Easy, easy meal the day after the New Year. Fifteen minutes from start to finish.

1 lb ground beef
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 tbls olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbls Worcestershire sauce
2 tbls cider vinegar
1 tbls Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups ketchup

Add the olive oil, the ground beef and onions in a sauce pan and cook until browned.

Measure out the remaining ingredients into a measuring cup, whisk to combine and pour over top of the beef mixture, stirring until completely incorporated.

Serve open faced with Sloppy Joe mixture over top.

HOMEMADE VEGETABLE SOUP

I love soups in the winter!  That incomparable smell of everything cooking, the aromas in every part of the house, the steam on the windows from the combination of warmth inside hitting the cold glass,  and my stomach growling big time anxious to have a bowl full of vitamins. Shhh, don't tell the kids--they're allergic to vitamins!
 
Soup brings me back to a simpler time when all I had to do was worry about  my schoolwork. It brings me back to my mother's kitchen on Monday's that told me, 'this is home' the minute I came bustling through that door. And now, I give you my mama's recipe for a bowlful of cheer!


3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup green beans, chopped
2 whole zucchini, chopped
1 cup sugar snap peas
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup fresh parsley, rough chop
2 cans tomatoes, chopped with juice
2 white potatoes, cubed
2 teaspoons mustard
1/2 parmesan cheese

64 ounces vegetable stock--not broth--stock.


In a large soup pot, add the oil and the first five vegetables and slightly sauté. Add the tomatoes, the potatoes and the stock. Bring it to a boil, then lower until it's simmering. Just before serving, add the parmesan cheese and mustard stirring to combine. Cook for approximately 1 hour.

Serve with salad and biscuits 10-12 servings.

CHICKEN ITALIANO WITH BRANDIED PEACHES

4 chicken breasts, trimmed of all sinew and fat
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter

PREPARE CHICKEN AND MEASURE OUT ALL INGREDIENTS FIRST.

To flatten the chicken breasts to one half-inch thick, I place a kitchen mallet inside a plastic bag and hammer away.

Make sure to remove the sinew and fat from chicken breasts. Mix the granulated garlic, breadcrumbs, and the grated cheese together in a large baggie and after shaking, set aside. Dip the chicken in the egg wash first, then place inside plastic bag and shake making sure to coat all sides of the chicken.

Using a skillet, melt butter and add the olive oil into the pan. Using medium heat, fry each piece of chicken until golden, keeping it warm until serving.

PEACH TOPPING

2 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup brandy
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt to taste

 

 Melt the butter, add the brown sugar and cinnamon and allow it to bubble. Unless you know how to flambé remove the pan from the burner before you add the brandy. Blend with a wire whisk.

Add the 1/2 cup water mixed with the cornstarch and whisk until thickened. Add the lemon juice and whisk again. Once you're satisfied with the taste, add 1 cup sliced peaches!

 

 Plate the chicken onto a plate, spoon peaches down the middle and spoon sauce over top.