Did you know sloppy joes were first created in a bar in Key West of the same name? Neither did I but I’ve always enjoyed eating them. Once upon a time I made them with Manwich straight out of a can but now I do my own from scratch. To be “authentic” buy hamburger buns but I served these over slices of multi-grain bread since I am trying to eat more whole grains.
Sloppy Joe
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Soften the onions in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, chopping with a spatula, until meat is nearly cooked. Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently about ten minutes.
Stuffed tomatoes
As much as I enjoy making the “Trip Around the World” quilt, I’d really like to broaden my horizons. I’ll be taking a quilt class on Thursday nights starting in a few weeks to learn the basics of piecing, machine quilting and quilt binding. I picked up my book a few weeks ago along with the supply list and this week I went shopping for my supplies. The photo with all the batik fabrics shows what I’ll be using for my class project and the photo with the random fat quarters is just stash enhancement. I’ve hit the fabric stash pretty hard the past few years and it’s shrinking alarmingly.
It’s been several years now since I learned I have high cholesterol and we are always looking for ways to improve our diet. Back in October I decided it was time to work in more veggies so I’ve been trying to cut up a containerful at the beginning of every week for snacks and lunches. Jason had been buying hummus to go with his but I haven’t found a store-bought hummus that I like so this week I started a quest to find a recipe I can make at home to fill the gap. This one turned out very mild and fairly tasty. Jason thinks it needs something more, perhaps more lemon or salt, but I like it exactly as is.
This month we had a package of chicken leg quarters from the CSA which I cooked up with some lovely mushrooms, a bit of port and some chicken broth. It was similar to a chicken Madiera but I left out the cream. I browned the mushrooms first, set them aside then browned the chicken pieces dredged in seasoned flour. I deglazed with port, added chicken broth and the mushrooms, topped with the chicken and then simmered, covered for about 30 minutes. On the side we had cauliflower roasted with olive oil and garlic- 400 degrees for 30 minutes.
Fish day has changed to Wednesdays for us and this week the fish lady brought me a gorgeous piece of snapper. I made a Provencal sauce a la Julia Child’s “Way to Cook” with cilantro, chives and parlsey and a fair bit of lemon and chicken broth as well as the juice from the tomatoes. It was absolutely delicious. I’m also preparing to paint Daniel’s room and these are the new colors he chose. I’ll be sad to paint over my fun ice cream stripes but these colors are very nice as well.
We had a really lovely Valentine’s Day dinner with ribeyes with a red wine pan sauce, roasted fingerling potatoes and baby artichokes, watercress and a lovely dessert of lightly sweet chocolate cookies with cayenne and cinnamon accompanied by fresh strawberries. The pan sauce is the best one I’ve ever made and it seems that the European butter (which contains less water) is the secret to a butter thickened sauce.
Folks seem to be dropping like flies with the colds around here so last night I thought a little chicken soup was in order. Put the chicken in a pot that’s not much larger than the chicken, fill with cold water to cover. Add salt and pepper, carrots, onions, celery, parsley, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a light simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand 60 minutes. Remove the chicken to a cutting board letting the broth drain back into the pot. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken, shredding the meat back into the pot as you do so. Return to a light simmer, remove from heat and serve with hot crusty French bread.
I’m not much of a sports fan but having spent all my formative years (and more) in Louisiana I was certainly rooting for the Saints yesterday. Of course I had to fix Tobasco pecans with garlic, ribs with red gravy and bread pudding in their honor. I’m quite sure I heard my brother’s voice all the way from Texas to Massachusetts the way he was hollerin’. The ribs were nice and tender but next time I’ll have to remember to fix some rice for all that gravy and a little French bread never goes wrong. I’m cursed with bread pudding and once again it didn’t set properly. I think I need to try it again with a higher temperature and a longer cook time.
I also made my tried and true mac & cheese. I’ve made this so often that I don’t even use a recipe anymore. Heat 1/4 cup butter with 1/3 cup flour in the bottom of a saucepan and cook 60 seconds. Add 4 cups hot milk and whisk like crazy to prevent lumps. Season with salt and pepper (I like cayenne), 1 tablespoon dry mustard and a pinch of nutmeg. Bring just to a simmer and stir constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and fold in 3 cups grated cheeses. This time I used cheddar, fontina, and Emmenthaler. Meanwhile, partially cook a tubey pasta of your choice- I used the ridgey corkscrews and cooked them ten minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to a baking dish. Fold in the cheese sauce and top with 1 cup fresh bread crumbs mixed with salt and 1 T olive oil. Bake at 350 30-40 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand ten minutes before serving.
I also had the opportunity to hang out in the kitchen while I was visiting. We made this fabulous multi-grain bread and I made a batch of baked potato soup to go along with it.
You didn’t think I left Fancy Tiger with out making a purchase did you? I bought this cute pincushion pattern (it makes a pear, an apple, a tomato and/or a strawberry) and some fat quarters to go with it. I think the fairies will get made into yet another tea cozy. I need one for each season, surely. We also made a stop at Penzey’s where I filled my shopping list and picked up some recommended beef roast seasoning. At the end of the day I killed two birds with one stone and got a picture of us all which could also work as my 365 self-portrait since I used the timer function on the camera.
