Sloppy Joes

I grew up eating Sloppy Joes that my mom made using a dry packet. I remember those sandwiches tasting so good. She would prepare them and then wrap them in wax paper before serving so that the buns would steam. A recipe in a little magazine called American Profile caught my eye and I decided to work off of it and try my own. Let's just say that mom's were still better. This was okay, but just not quite right.

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 (15 oz. ) cans tomato sauce

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste

1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. liquid smoke

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. jarred barbecue sauce

1 tsp. sugar (optional)

Coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 cup water

combine meats, onion and garlic in large skillet. Cook over medium heat, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink. Drain excess fat.

Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally; until thick.

Serve on hamburger buns.

erves 8.

Slow Cooker Beef Barbecue

This recipe was in American Profile, a magazine that comes in a free weekly paper thrown in my neighborhood. I thought it sounded easy and am always looking for recipes that cook themselves! It's not bad for a crock pot meal and a cheap cut of meat. i would prepare this again and actually want to try it with a pork roast. I served it on toasted whole wheat buns.


Slow Cooker Beef Barbecue

1 (2 - to 2 1/2 lb) boneless chuck roast
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium celery stalk, chopped
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. liquid smoke
1/4 cup all-purpose flour



Sprinkle roast with garlic salt. Place in bottom of greased 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker. Top with onion and celery.
Combine brown sugar, ketchup, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and liquid smoke in a small bowl. Pour over meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove meat and place on cutting board.
Ladle 1/4 cup of liquid into a small bowl. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Stir into sauce in slow cooker. Shred beef with a fork and return to slow cooker. Cook on high for 30 minutes. Serve on buns.

Sloppy Joe

The other day, I saw a commercial for Manwich that gave me a craving for Sloppy Joes. My mom made the best ones while I was growing up and I was longing for the comfort of those wax paper wrapped sandwiches. I turned to my copy of Joy of Cooking and used the recipe there. I will start off by saying that there was way too much bell pepper and way too much Worcestershire in the recipe for me. Against my better judgement ,I followed the recipe (so unlike me) and was disappointed. I will have to get mom's recipe and have another go at it.

Sloppy Joe

Heat in a large skillet over medium heat:

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Add:

1 small onion , finely diced

1 small red or yellow bell pepper, finely diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 large celery ribs, finely diced

Sat and black pepper to taste

Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is softened but not browned, transfer to a plate. Add to the skillet and slightly increase heat:

1 1/4 lb. ground chuck

Cook, breaking up lumps with a wooden spoon, just until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. (I removed some of the fat here). Add onion mixture, along with:

1/2 cup chili sauce

1/2 cup beer

3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Hot pepper sauce

Partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Serve on toasted French rolls.

Sloppy Giuseppes

I used to have this great recipe for an Italian version of Sloppy Joes and lost it. I decided to recreate it and this recipe turned out just as good, if not better. The beef and Italian sausage mixture tastes so good on a toasted Hague. The recipe is simple, so it's perfect for a weeknight dinner and will make six nice sized sandwiches.

Sloppy Giuseppes

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small shallot, minced

1 lb. lean ground beef

1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage, crumbled

2 (8 oz) cans of tomato sauce

1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

6 slices Provolone cheese

6 Italian hoagie buns, sliced and toasted

In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallot and saute for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add beef and sausage, cook until cooked through and browned. Drain fat from pan and return to heat. Add tomato sauce and Italian seasonings, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Add some crushed red pepper for some added heat if desired.

Serve on toasted hoagies with Provolone cheese.

Leftover Sandwich

Monday night I took the leftover beef, topped it with shredded Colby/Jack cheese and placed under the broiler until the cheese was melted and light golden in color. The broiler and I don't always get along so well, I have burned many a meal this way, but I got it right this night. I then topped the sandwich with some of the leftover salsa and enjoyed a very good sandwich.

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

Okay, so the recipe calls this a Texas-Sized BBQ Sandwich, but I fail to see a connection so I will call it as I see it. This recipe comes from the Feb/March '07 issue of Cook's Country. Very simple and not too bad for top of the stove BBQ, maybe that's the way they do it in Texas?? I lived there for a short time and thought their BBQ paled in comparison to Kansas City's, so there you have it. You can omit the chipotle if you can't handle the heat or add just half for a little fire. I used Colby/Jack cheese instead of cheddar and KC Masterpiece Hickory BBQ sauce.

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

4 slices thick cut bacon, halved crosswise

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs)

salt and pepper

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced

1/4 cup water

4 large onion rolls, split in half

1 1/2 cups shredded Colby/jack cheese

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat to 400. Fry bacon in large non-stick skillet over med-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to large plate lined with paper towels and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken in bacon fat until browned on one side, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken and add sauce, chipotle and water. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove chicken and slice crosswise in to 1/4" pieces.

Arrange rolls cut side up on baking sheet. Divide chicken among bottoms, top with sauce, cheese and bacon. Bake open faced sandwichs in oven until cheese melts and rolls are golden brown. Top with toasted top and serve.

Pressed Ciabetta Sandwich

What??!!You fixed a sandwich for your own birthday dinner!! I know it seems strange, but I was tired of going out, that is all I have done for the past 4 days and I did not want to cook.

In fact, I have a stack of reviews to post from all the dining experiences over the past few days and then some. I spent the day with my sister and she was talking about Martha Stewart's pressed sandwiches, so I went to the store and put one together for Dan and me. I bought a nice ciabetta (maybe a little too crispy) and cut it in half. I layered it with thinly sliced prosciutto, thinly sliced tomatoes, sliced fresh mozzarella, drizzled it with Italian salad dressing, layered it with Bibb lettuce and slathered the top piece of bread with light Miracle Whip. I wrapped it with plastic wrap, placed it in the fridge and placed something heavy over it. After a couple of hours we had a very tasty sandwich. It reminded us of eating the sandwiches in Rome and Florence that you buy from street vendors. A very nice birthday dinner!!

Prosciutto Panini

The other day I stayed home from work, we had a snow storm and I decided not to travel the 40 miles to my job. I decided to make a sandwich with the Rosemary Focaccia that I had baked the night before. I just sliced the bread and added prosciutto, sliced chicken, cheese and some Dijon mustard. I put it into my panini grill and loved it so much I made another for work the next day. The next evening we did the same thing, but used leftover meatloaf.