♫ Sloppy Joe...♫ Slop-Sloppy Joe... ♫

From the Vault...

Sloppy Joe!
What a simple thing to do with hamburger to give it incredible flavor!

We' re definitely going to share with you a quick and flavorful recipe for Sloppy Joe , but in all honesty, we're sorta using the poor Joe to showcase our most fabulous and exciting new find - skinny buns!

We both HATE the fat buns of the world and have regretfully given up on eating sandwiches almost entirely. It's as if they were no longer a category of food for us to explore, which is sad because there are so many possibilities in the sandwich world. We have been denying ourselves the joy of eating sandwiches because of the big, fat, doughy buns, but not anymore!

These super thin buns are the greatest thing to be discovered in our "food world" since Jeni's Ice Cream! Now, whatever is being sandwiched between the bun can have center stage again, because Mr. Fat Bun is no longer the star of the show. The spotlight is back on the main event - in this case, the Sloppy Joe.

Speaking of Joe, why don't we make some Sloppy-style?

Just throw a pound and a half of ground chuck into a skillet and brown with one cup of onion. When thoroughly cooked, drain completely. Add one cup of ketchup, two teaspoons of chili powder, two tablespoons of sugar, and a swig of worcestershire sauce. Cook this all together slowly until the flavors completely infiltrate the hamburger. Add up to 1/4 cup of water if necessary to get the right consistency and moisture. (I add chopped zucchini sometimes just because I can.)

When Joe is good and sloppy, sandwich him between the ultra-skinny bun, add your condiments, and take a big bite of the new and improved way of eating sandwiches. Fabulous, isn't it?

Also, we would like to take a moment to first of all, thank Arnold who came up with the brilliant idea to re-invent and revive the sandwich for us - we are forever indebted to him. Next, I would like to thank my sister-in-law, Leanne for introducing us to this new and wonderful world of sandwich eating - We love you and your Sloppy Joe!

We were fortunate enough to get these Arnold Buns at our local grocery store and we can only hope and pray that wherever you are in this crazy world, that you can too!

♫ ♫ Sloppy Joe..... Slop-Sloppy Joe.. ♫


What's coming next?!?!?

Breakfast Hashbrown Casserole.... ☺

Stroganoff Meatballs

Comfort food, comfort food, comfort food.

That's the name of the game around this time of year....at least, as far as we're concerned!! Nothing warms up your belly quite like a dish such as this! We found this recipe in one of our favorite cookbooks..."The Best of Bridge", and once again, we were not disappointed. Not in the least. We've seen the kids try to lick their plates when we serve this! Of course, anything with the word stroganoff in it is alllllll goooood according to us!

The recipe goes together quickly, and the sauce is AMAZINGLY yummy! Your kids will like it, and it makes enough for leftovers. What's not to like? Serve it with a big leafy salad or some lightly steamed broccoli and you've got yourself a nice, solid meal!

Stroganoff Meatballs

Meatballs:
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. finely chopped onion
2 eggs, beaten
salt & pepper to taste

Sour Cream Sauce
1 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. ketchup
(2) 10 oz. cans consomme, undiluted
2 c. sour cream

To make the meatballs, combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and roll into balls of desired size. Place on edged cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven, drain, and set aside.

To make the sauce, brown onion in butter. Add the flour and mix well. Add ketchup and comsomme, cooking slowly until thickened. Add sour cream, then meatballs. Place in a casserole dish and keep warm in a 250 degree oven until serving time. Serve over broad egg noodles.
So, so, soooooo gooooooood!!!!

Green Bean Spaghetti

Okay people, Fall is upon us and we love Fall! We just have a teeny tiny issue with the season that follows it, but the important thing is to live in the moment we are in and THAT moment is Fall.

This Spaghetti dish can be made at any time throughout the year, but we usually dream of fresh garden salads when it's hot and summery, and a little more comforting foods as the temperature drops a few degrees. So for us, this simple spaghetti wonder springs to mind as soon as the leaves start-a-changing.

This is a favorite standby recipe and if you have any sort of pantry, you usually have the ingredients on hand if you're in a pinch. It also makes for fantastic leftovers.


Green Bean Spaghetti

One Pound Hamburger cooked with One Small Onion
1/2 Pound Spaghetti al dente'
Two 14-Ounce Cans of French Style Green Beans, drained
One Cup Cheddar Cheese
28-Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes with juice
One 14-Ounce Can Cream of Mushroom Soup*
7-Ounce Can Mushrooms
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pinches of Basil, Thyme, and/or Oregano for flair

Mix all the ingredients together and pour in a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 until heated all the way through.


That's it!

Simple and Stellar!

~~~~~~~~

*Special Note: If you do not wish to use Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup due to the MSG content, we have an easy substitute.

One Tablespoon Salted Butter
One Tablespoon Flour
One Cup Milk
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste
Can of Mushrooms

In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add flour and dried mustard and stir. Add milk and whisk until all three ingredients become one. Add mushrooms. Stir constantly until sauce thickens. Salt and pepper to taste.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

Do you loooove surprises?

You know, like sweet creamy filling spilling out of a chocolate truffle, a tootsie roll unveiled after a thousand licks of a cherry tootsie pop, chocolate pudding cascading out of a luscious lava cake, or maybe a long awaited 3 carat-diamond hid inside a fortune cookie?

WE DO!

We both LOVE surprises of any kind, so these meatballs with a cheesy surprise hidden inside is a surefire winner in our book. Even though we're the ones hiding the cheese inside for the kids or guests to happily discover, we still get to enjoy the magic of the cheese oozing out when our fork cuts the first bite.

We love using the traditional Mozzarella, but that's never stopped us from using other varieties of cheeses, especially after our first Cheese Tasting Party. ( We say First cheese tasting party because somewhere around cheese number four, it was unanimously decided that tasting a mere six cheeses was not nearly enough, so there will be more parties to come honoring the almighty cheese!) So, as always, step outside your comfort zone and go crazy with your cheese choice, because it's hard to go wrong with cheese!

IF you are not into surprises or cheese (which, by the way, is totally crazy) this little meatball recipe all by itself is a winner - cheese or no cheese!


Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

One Pound Lean Ground Beef
1/2 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1/3 Cup Milk or Water (more or less)
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
One Medium Onion, finely chopped
One Large Garlic, pressed
One Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Dash of Thyme and Basil
One Egg

4 Ounces Mozzarella Cheese

Mix all ingredients together, but don't add all of the milk/water at one time. It should be moist, but not so much that the meatballs fall apart.

Roll each meatball around a one-inch piece of cheese of your choice to a desired size and place in an 8x8 inch pan. Place in 375 degree oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. Serve as is, with warm spaghetti sauce, or with sauce and noodles.

OR, broil meatballs until outside is slightly browned on one side, then turn and broil the other. When finished, add to spaghetti sauce and simmer at least 20 minutes.

Serve and Surprise!

Bacon-Wrapped Filets

With the wonderful spring warm-up we've been having around here lately, it's impossible to not want to fire up the grill! Oh, but what to make? As Sheri has already talked about, Barry and I are lucky enough to have a couple of different options as to where we get our beef. And since we usually buy half a cow at a time, we almost always have a freezer full of it. So when we started feeling the pull of the grill, I began looking through my freezer to see what we still needed to use up from last year's beef. Lo and behold, there were 2 packages of filet mignon! How on earth those got missed, I'll never know!! I pulled them out and decided there was no time like the present to get those babies eaten.

Now I'd never grilled filets before, so I did a little internet research before beginning. It seemed that there was one ingredient that you can't do without...BUTTER. No problem there! We love the stuff! So I started there and added some things I think always enhance the flavor of beef...mainly garlic, onion, and bacon.

Sheri and I strapped on those aprons of ours and got to work, preparing side dishes and dessert, while Barry went out to start the grill. Before long, he was back...we were out of gas! Rather than wait for him to run into town to get more, we decided to use the broiler instead...well, because we were hungry - and impatient! But let me tell you, grilled or broiled, these filets were T.A.S.T.Y!!! Try them out - they were super easy!

Bacon-Wrapped Filets

4 filets mignon or beef tenderloin
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. dried onion flakes
2 cloves garlic, pressed
4 strips bacon

First, wrap a piece of bacon around the outer edge of each filet. Secure with cooking twine or a toothpick. Now, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add in the parsley, onion flakes, and garlic. Brush the tops of the filets with the butter mixture, and be generous! This is the flavor, baby! Place the bacon-wrapped filets on your broiler pan about 4 " under the broiler and broil for about 9-10 minutes on each side for medium. Obviously, broil them less time for those of you who like your meat rare! And don't even think about making them well-done. That completely ruins filets, in our opinion!

Important!! Don't forget to brush the tops periodically with your butter mixture! Keep the flavor going!

Your kitchen will smell soooo good by the time these are finished. Take a big whiff and prepare yourself for the flavor explosion of your first taste!


Coming Soon.... Gourmet Minty Mushroom Ice Cream!!!
But First - Loving Leftovers!