Sloppy Joes

Sunday night I felt restless. We had just returned from an open house at our wedding reception space, said goodbye to my mother, bickered a bit. I decided I would take the Barkers for a long W-A-L-K in the woods to tire us all out. I took my normal path down to the river. I love the sound of rushing water, the feeling of moisture in the air, the placidity of the river. As I walked down the stair-like steps of rocks near the river bed, enjoying David Gray n my ipod I slipped. I felt my ankle twist and pop. I landed on my back and gasped for breath. I watched Lorenzo wander off, and called him back. I realized if we didn't walk back as a pack, I'd be laying there for a while. I stood up, brushed the dirt off, put in my ear buds, and got back on the path. Jem's music played, the lyrics saying "God give me strength to keep on walking." I laughed. How tv sitcom dramatic.

When I got home, Nick had me do "ice bucket therapy." He fixed a bucket of ice full of cold water with ice in it to stick my foot in. Have you ever done that? Ice baths are intensely uncomfortable. As I squirmed around on the couch, I decided I should distract myself. Nick had been craving Sloppy Joe's. Meals in boxes did not exist in my house, so I had never seen a Sloppy Joe prepared in my life. I Googled a recipe for Sloppy Joes from scratch. I was quite impressed with them. I served mine on a Kinicknick's hamburger bun.

Nick only left one serving of Sloppy Joe in the fridge, so I know he loved them. I ate the leftovers today over GF shell shaped pasta. I think they were even better this way. And my ankle? I have a hairline fracture and a really fashionable boot to wear for the next 2-6 weeks.

Enjoy some sloppy good food!

Sloppy Joes Front Scratch

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced carrots (can sub chopped bell pepper)
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt
• 1 1/4 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 cups tomato sauce (or 1 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, puréed)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 turns of freshly ground black pepper
• 4 hamburger buns

Cook it up

1 Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium high heat. Cook the carrots for about 5 minutes, making sure to keep them moving so they don't burn. Put in the onion and celery with the carrots. Move the food around in the pan with your spatula occasionally until onions are translucent, about 5 more minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Remove from heat. Transfer the veggies from the pan to a bowl and set aside.

2 Salt the bottom of the same pan. Turn the heat up to high to brown the beef. You may consider cooking the beef in 2 batches. Use a slotted spoon to help the beef brown on all sides. When the beef has browned, remove the extra fat juices.

3 Put the beef and veggies together in the pan over medium low heat. Add the ketchup, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and brown sugar to the pan. Stir to mix well. Add ground cloves, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes, then serve on GF buns.

Feast of 1,000 Beasts

I have the best friends in the world. I might have mentioned this a few times in the history of this blog, but it bears repeating. My friend Alan hosted a part over Labor Day weekend, featuring meat dishes. He prepared a few snacks- hummus, guac, cheese dip- and meat- burgers, hot dogs, wings, and chili. The guac was an easy gluten-free. Alan used Bush's beans for his hummus and (maybe I'm giving away a trade secret) peanut butter instead of tahini. I could have just eaten the whole bowl of hummus and been happy with my life. Although I don't have Alan's recipe for his wings, I did look up a recipe that looks pretty good for some grilled wings.

In between meat courses, I made flaming Sambuca shots. My cousin in the DR is a big fan of them- taking a shot (or coordial glass) or Sambuca, adding 3 coffee beans, and lighting it on fire for 5-10 minutes, until the sugars in the alcohol have started to crystalize and brown. Remember to blow out the flame and let it cool off a bit before enjoying!

Oh my goodness! It was good. Here are some ideas for your own meat-tastic grill out. After all, there are a few more weeks until it's too crispy to be outside. I ate until my stomach literally hurt. You should, too.

Burgers: ground beef, salt, pepper
Hot Dogs: Go all-beef- Boar's Head and Hebrew National are my favs; At this link (http://surefoodsliving.com/2009/05/14/hot-dogs-and-sausages-gluten-free-and-dairy-free-list/) they posted a list f GF dogs/sausages. Don't believe everything you read- always double check!
Wings: see below; recipe taken from http://www.examiner.com/x-17285-Milwaukee-Cooking-Examiner~y2009m8d16-Grilled-tequila-wings

Grilled tequila Wings

• 16 wings (and/or drumsticks)
• 1/3-cup butter or margarine
• 1/2-cup Frank's® Red Hot® Sauce - sub with Saracca (red pepper cock sauce)
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 oz. of the tequila of your choice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2-tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt

Prepare and heat grill. Melt butter in a medium bowl. Add all ingredients to bowl except chicken wings/drumsticks. Mix well. Marinate wings in sauce for approximately one hour. Oil grill grate. Grill chicken for 20 minutes, until brown, turning often to avoid sticking. Brush marinade over chicken wings frequently while grilling to increase flavor. And there you have them, grilled tequila wings for tequila month!

Nacho Nacho Nacho!

Some days indicate fast- but delicious- meals. Right now, I am in a place in my life where I need lots of those. Hopefully, by the end of the summer things will simmer down. Until then, here is a last-minute creation I made. It's customizable to everyone at the tables' tastes, and lots of fun.

Yumolicious Nachos 1 lb (+ or -) low-fat ground beef
1 teaspoon corriander
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
1 jalepeno pepper, deseeded and minced
1 clove or garlic
1 teaspoon EVOO
salsa
shredded lettuce
diced onion
black olives, cut into fourths
package of Mexican 4 cheeses, finely shredded (it melts faster)
tortilla chips

1. Warm the EVOO in a large skillet. Add the jalepeno and garlic, cooking for about 3 minutes. Place the meat, cumin, corriander, salt, and pepper, in a large skillet and begin to brown the meat.

2. While the meat is cooking, spread the tortilla chips over a plate, and put together an assembly line for your nachos.

3. When the meat is done, pout some of it over your nachos. Add the cheese to taste. If it doesn't melt to your desired specifications, cook for about 30 seconds in the microwave. Garnish your nachos with the above "fixins" for an amaing creation.

What's Cooking, Post Vacation

I was just in Connecticut for a wedding, where I had the best time with my boyfriend. There are a few things that must be eaten while in New England:
1. Mussels
2. Lobster (pronounced in Boston, but not in CT, as "lobstuh")
3. Clams
4. Any other fresh seafood possible.

I conquered 1 and 2 on the list.

I thankfully had the sense to ask for the day off today to catch up on life and avoid going back to my stressful job. That involved buying a grill and grill accessories, getting new baskets to organize my kitchen, and a trip to my favorite farmer's market for food.

With the advent of football season, and my hopes that the 95 degree weather in Atlanta will cool off, I decided on chili. Only, I was too lazy to go to Whole Foods for beans, so I settled on Rachael Ray's turkey and corn chili. Then, I decided while I was at it, I should make some meatballs using a new recipe, so I could freeze them.

One of my friends dropped by with her pooch for a sampling of the yummies. Check out the recipes and pics below.


Turkey Corn Chili
Rachael Ray 10/15/07
http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=862&r=862,477,1087,45,595,716
Serves 4

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, red or green, chopped (you can use up leftover pepper strips from crudite tray if you have them)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
1.5 pounds cooked turkey meat, light and dark meat, diced (I used ground turkey for mine)
1.5 tablespoons chili powder (a palmful)
1.5 tablespoons ground cumin (a palmful)
coarse salt
2 cups frozen corn kernals or leftover prepared corn
2 cups prepared chicken stock or broth
2 scallions, white and green, chopped

Heat a deep pot over medium-high heat. Work close to the stove for your chopping. Add EVOO to your pot, about one turn of the pan in a steady stream, then add vegetables as you chop them. Add bay leaf and cook vegetables for five minutes, stirring frequently; reduce the heat if veggies start to stick.

Stir in diced turkey meat and season with chili powder, cumin and cayenne sauce. Season with a little salt, to taste. Add corn, tomatoes and broth. Combine well and adjust seasonings. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 7-10 minutes. Garnish chili with chopped scallions.

Mini Meatballs (Albondigas)
a revised recipe by Jonny Valiant, In Style Magazine, Feb 2008
(serves 12)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup minced red pepper
2 jabanero peppers
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon corriander
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 pound each ground pork and ground beef sirloin
2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs (I used Whole Foods sandwich bread- it falls apart easily)
1 egg, lightly beaten (in truth, I forgot to add this)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In food processor, chop onions. Set aside. Next chop jabaneros (I use gloves so I don't kill my eyes later in the day), 1/4 cup cilantro, garlic, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Set sauce aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat remaining oil, onion, and red pepper; cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in salt to taste, corriander, and nutmeg. Remove from heat; cool.

3. Combine ground pork and beef with bread crumbs (about 1 piece of bread), egg, and onion-red-pepper mixture. Form meat mixture into 1" balls. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with with G-F pasta or rice. Garnish with extra cilantro from the bunch.

You'll beg for more!

Picadillo de Livsita

Let me just say, Picadillo is one of the most useful dishes I have ever cooked. Picadillo is a spicy Spanish/Latin American dish with ground meat and veggies (onions, peppers, tomatoes). Serve this dish over rice, in lettuce as a wrap, as a stuffed pepper, in a tortilla... or whatever else you can think of.



To top it all off, my sister keeps telling me this is her favorite.







Picadillo de Livsita



Ingreditants

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 cup green and red pepper mix

1 jalepeno pepper, seeded (to taste) and minced

4 garlic cloves

1 pound beef sirloin

1/2 pound ground pork

1 teaspoon (rounded) cumin

2 small tomatoes, chopped into small pieces, or run through the food processor chop cycle

1/2 cup raisins

red wine (optional)

Hot white rice




1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, green peppers, garlic and jalepeno until soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the meat, turning the heat up to medium-high. Brown the meat, breaking up any lumps. Cook the meat thoroughly, about 10 minutes.

3. Drain off the fat.

4. Add the cumin and tomatoes. Stir in well. Bring the mixture to a boil, turn the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Stir in the raisins, cover, and let simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the raisins have plumped.





Today, I forgot to get a jalepeno, so I used dried red pepper flakes, and it still turned out well. Sometimes I splash in a little red wine (and then have a glass over dinner) for a different flavor. Adding green olives at the end- when the raisins go in- also adds another dimension.

Rainy Day Comfort Food

March comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb. In Georgia, March comes in like a lover's cold shoulder and goes out after good make up sex, repeatedly. Two days ago I was enjoying my day off in the 75 degree sunshine, and today I pulled on the "sheep fleece" to keep warm on the way to a Fernbank IMAX film.

On the way home from Fernbank, Nick and I decided we were hungry. A light bulb appeared above my head: burgers and fresh cut french fries warm up any cold day.



FRESH CUT FRENCH FRIES
* 1 medium-sized white potato per person (1 1/2 potatoes if starvation has been reached)
* Canola or peanut oil (filling a medium saucepan 1/2 way, enough to cover potato strips)
* Sea salt

1. Wash your hands.
2. Before you start anything, warm the oil over medium-high heat.
3. Cut the fries into desired strips (about 3" in length)
4. Test the oil in the pan by dunking (or dropping) a small piece of potato in the oil. If the oil bubbles and hisses around the potato, you are ready for frying. Carefully slide the potatoes in the pan- dropping them may send hot oil flying. You will most likely be doing these in a few loads.
5. The fries are done when they have reached a lovely golden brown. Remove to a plate, and season with sea salt to taste. Snack on the first load while you cook the rest of the meal.



GREAT INDOORS HAMBURGERS
(feeds 3 hungry people)
* 1 lbs ground sirloin
* 2 cloves garlic
* salt and pepper to taste
* lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado for toppings
* desired condiments- ketchup, canola oil mayo, etc.

1. Wash your hands.
2. Warm skillet or flat pan to medium heat.
3. Combine sirloin, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
4. Form hamburger meat into first-sized balls. Flatten the meat into thin patties (*think* Steak n' Shake thin) and grill to taste.
5. Top with desired garnish and condiments, and enjoy!



*NOTE: I didn't get the chance to take a nice-looking picture of the plated food before it was eaten!