A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

All-American Sloppy Joe Pockets

All-American Sloppy Joes, what a lot of us here in the states grew up on as a regular meal, basically also called a "loose meat sandwich" which sounds terrifying. It's not, really,To the uninitiated it's a dryer version of beef spaghetti sauce made to fit on a bun:  ground beef, Italian seasonings, and tomato paste. Taking it one step further, it feels like a treat to kids and Hubbies (who are really just big kids) as a fancified hand-held pocket sandiwch.

Great for a normal weekend dinner, a children's sleepover, children's parties or anytime you just want to do something a little extra special without making yourself crazy!

From scratch is always best but I will tell you that the Sandra Lee version is even easier if you're short on time and patience:  thawed bread dough from the supermarket, ground beef, cheese, and jarred Sloppy Joe or Manwich sauce.  Nobody will know the difference and you look like a hero!  But. Sometime do do the from scratch verion, you'll be glad you did and surprised at how easy it is. I promise.

This is my entry for World Bread Baking Day #57. Check the roundup to see all the great loaves of bread being baking in ovens both near and far from you.

 

New Product Spotlight: Chicken of the Sea No Drain Tuna

Chicken of the Sea tuna, the standard my whole life for tuna sandwiches and tuna casseroles, has a new product: no drain.  I grew up on the oil-packed tuna, switched to the water-packed version as an adult to save calories, but am now an ardent fan of the no drain version.

I'll let you in on a little pet peeve of mine. You know how after chicken or tuna salad sits for a little while there's that sort of watery stuff in the bottom of the container that you have to mix back in.  As much as my intellectual mind knows it's just the extra liquid from the tuna and what-not forming that, nothing bad at all, but my emotional brain always thinks "Ewwww."  I know. It's a teeny tiny thing but it bugs me. 

The No Drain tuna takes care of that problem. Even after sitting in the fridge for two days, the tuna salad I made with it was still nicely homogenous in texture, hearty to the bite, and with no weeping. I also liked that the flavors (mayo, mustard, pickle relish)  I mixed in with it stayed very crisp and true, without getting watered down or needing extra spices to correct for the added mositure I don't always get completely drained out of the water or oil-packed tunas.

Chicken of the Sea No Drain Tuna--Definitely a thumbs up at our house!  Can't wait to use it in the tuna casserole and other recipes.

Recipe after the click.

Home-Made Mayonnaise in the Blender in 5 Minutes; Garlic & Parsley Aioli 1 More Minute

I've often talked about what rotten brats my brothers and sister and I were as kids, not because we were inherently mean, but because we were so spoiled by our Mom's creativity and know-how in the kitchen.  As an adult, I appreciate the summers we spent gardening and all the home-made great food we ate but as kids we were the frowny faces who whined to our cake-decorator Mom "Please, anything for my birthday but cake with decorator frosting!" See? Brats!

We also had home-made pancakes (not from Bisquick or a mix), home-made caramel sauce for our ice cream, and home-made mayonnaise on our sandwiches. Did we appreciate it?  No! We whined for Bisquick pancakes, white store bread, caramel sauce that comes in a Smuckers jar, and Miracle Whip!

I laugh now, and hope she's laughing in Heaven with the unappreciated Moms!

I've been making a lot of buttermilk herb (ranch) dressing lately and since that's all from scratch, it seemed a shame to keep using commercially made mayo (I'm a Hellman's girl) when I know how to and how easy it easy to make home-made mayo before proceeding to the buttermilk dressing stage.  Mayo, like all dressings, is a relatively simple concept with a variety of ingredients that can be used for slightly different tastes. I'll give the basic recipe and add some of the ingredients that can be exchanged for the basics to 'fancy up" the basic eggy, creamy, rich concoction that is mayonnaise. I may not have appreciated it as a kid but I do now, Mom!

Book & Cook: Murder in the Rue Dumas & French Bistro Croque Monsieur

 

Gene's Croque Monsieur and Arugula Salald from The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.

Murder in the Rue Dumas by M. L. (Mary Lou) Longworth

There are some books that start off with a character so over the top that you immediately either love or hate him or her.  Refreshingly, this is not one of those books.  Second in the series, I enjoyed this softer, quieter, more gentle book and its hero, Judge (Detective) Antoine Verlaque.  Please don't read that as insult to the author.  I'm being honest here in that even though I am a fan of fast-pased high profile thrillers and mysteries, I'm also a fan of quieter books as well.  Let me explain.

At first, Detective Verlaque reads a bit cool and removed, definitely not a hot-headed maverick of a detective but throughout the book bits and pieces of his background come out, his love of food and cigars, his loyalty to his opera-loving partner Bruno Paulik, and well as, his depth of emotion for his girlfriend, Marine Bonnet.  And that's not even mentioning his dogged persistence, intuitiveness, and compassion in solving the mystery of who murdered Dr. Moutte, director of the theology department at the University d'Aix. (Aix-en-Provencer in southern France) where Marine's mother is also a professor.

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For foodies and "mental travelers who have no need for luggage" (Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen) the book inspires smile after smile with descriptions of food and towns so unlike my small midwestern American city that I feel that I'm vicariously traveling.  Even the sound of the beef and chicken roasts with potatoes and carrots that Antoine and Marine make, that we eat often for Sunday dinners here at home, seem exotic in the setting of southern France.  One of my favorite of the book's meals was the Croque Monsieur Antoine treats his friend and crime-solving partner, Bruno, to in a small family-owned restaurant while they're out tracking down leads in the case.

I first wrote about Croque Monsieur after seeing the movie "it's Complicated".  The "Crispy Mister", fried ham and cheese sandwiches or what we would call grilled ham and cheese,  first appeared on Paris menus around 1910 and has variations as plentiful as there are chefs:  plain, with mornay sauce, with a fried egg or fresh tomato slices on top, etc.  My favorite version is with thick cut ham slices and mornay sauce, which I've included a recipe for here..

To cut to the chase, did I like the book and its characters?  So  much I've already ordered its predecessor, Death at the Chateau Bremont, and am eager for the summer 2013 release of the next in the series, Death in the Vines.

             

1...2...3...Beer Bread!

 

I've made some beer bread in my life.  Not because I'm a huge beer drinker, mostly just to use up beers leftover from entertaining.  This bread was made with a bottle of Guiness leftover from Gene's birthday party...three weeks shy of two years ago (and there are still three bottles left!)   With it's dense, chewy texture and quick and easy prep, it's a great bread to eat with soups and casseroles, especially now that the days are turning darker and cooler.  It's also easily customizable by adding 1/4 cup of pureed pumpkin, applesauce, or apple or pumpkin butter. The beer blends well with the fruit/squash that makes such nice dinner company for stews, chowders, and creamier, chunkier fall soups.

The recipe was given to me by our friend, Jeff, whose question was "Can you remember 1-2-3?"  Well sure!  Maybe not what came after that but I can remember the first part.  Okay, kidding aside, it's easy to figure out if you think about it. One beer, got that one covered....two cups of flour wouldn't quite fill a loaf pan so it must be the Tbsp of  honey (or sugar) and three cups of self-rising flour. Play with more ingredients if you feel like it. Stir.  Bake.  Feast.

Thanks, Jeff!

American Classics: Julia Child's Deluxe Chicken or Turkey Salad

 

Nobody's perfect. We all have the opportunity to learn and grow our skills in everything in life.  Gene has admitted a couple of times over the years that my chicken salad is, well, a little boring.  He likes the way I make potato salad, devilled eggs, and tuna salad, but says my chicken salad is "just okay".  Not that he's a jerk. He's my most enthusiastic supporter and eater, and over 25 years my cooking has put 20 lbs on his once too-skinny frame, so I take no offense.  He loves my cooking but I took this as an opportunity to improve my skills.

I added a rotisserie chicken to his grocery list this weekend while I was working, just for this purpose, and decided to go back to the basics and re-learn how to make a good, basic, no frills, chicken salad.  Who better than Julia Child to teach me? 

After reading over a dozen recipes that were either similar to my way or added more frills (pineapple, grapes, nuts, pasta, etc) than I wanted for a classic dish, I hit upon Julia Child's "Deluxe Chicken or Turkey Salad from her book The Way to Cook.  The ingredients are basic but the preparation is not.  Julia uses a two-step method with a ten minute recess that does, indeed, produce a classic, no frills, but delicious and flavorful chicken salad perfect for the classic all-American "Iron Kids" sandwich.  With Julia's method, she tosses the chopped meat with olive oil, herbs, and seasonings, and lets those ingredients get comfy with each other before coming back and binding it together with the mayo.  The two step method makes a world of difference in how the final dish's flavor resonates. The chicken and herb flavors take the lead and happen to be bound together with mayo rather than mayo flavor dominating.  Adding the fruit, nuts, etc, would also work well with this recipe but for those like my hubs who like it on the "classic" side, this is the recipe and method we'll be using, and he agrees. (Personally, I love the walnuts in it--I love the crunch!)

In four days, August 15th will be the 100th anniversary of Julia Child's birth. We are all better cooks for her enthusiasm and her career. Thank You, Julia!

Pepperoni & Provolone Crescent Rolls

Another kid-friendly recipe that my sister, Suzanne, served for lunch to the kids (toddler through seven) she babysits this summer.  They were easy to make, the kids helped, and they loved them.  I think one of the great things about simple recipes like this is that it gets kids in the kitchen, on their level, doing something they can gain confidence with and then when they love the taste, it gets them even more excited about cooking and trying more complicated things.  It's about building a foundation of skill and confidence.

For parents, it's quick, easy, and tasty, so that's ALWAYS a winning combination!

It's Not That Complicated: Julia Child's Croques Monsieur/Croques Madame

 

While watching the movie "It's Complicated" on cable recently I found myself salivating at Meryl Streep's character's chocolate croissants, roasted chicken dinner, and something I'd never heard of before: Croques Monsieur.  In the movie she serves it to Steve Martin's character on a business-ish date while "hilarity ensues" from Alec Baldwin's character as he window peeps on them.  The dish, that they ate with knife and fork, appeared to have been baked and looked creamy and cheesy melty.  She makes reference to having learned to make this dish while in France studying pastry and the reference is repeated by Alec's character talking about how much he misses this dish and how special it was to him.

I thought to myself "Self, you need to investigate, create, and blog this wonderful cheesy thing they're spreading Dijon mustard on and eating with a knife and fork."  As myself often listens to me, I did, and I found that, like my polenta adventure, I was pretty familiar with the dish and remembered how much I liked it:  Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwich.  That's the basic form and I've included that stripped down bare bones version as Julia Child made it.  There are gussied up versions that include baking in the oven rather than grilling in a pan, and added vegetables, eggs, and sauces, but the basic idea of the Croque Monsieur, or "Crispy Mister" is a Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich that was originally served in France in casual bistros around 1910 and has survived ever since. Why? Because it's yummy!  The key difference between a Croque and it's American cousin would be quality of ingredients.  It eschews Wonder Bread for a nice homemade loaf, Kraft American Slices for gruyere or Havarti or Swiss, and a nice ham slice. 

Crispy, hot, and cheesy, it's yummy comfort food with an exotic name.

BLTO's (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, and Vidalia Onion) for Long Hot Summer Days

 

Mmmm....BLT's or BLTO's, my favorite summer sandwich, the ONE sandwich where I actually crave good old Sara Lee Iron Kids soft white bread. For me, not even toasted. I love the crisp bacon paired with the soft squishy white bread, the fresh lettuce and juice tomatoes with the bite of onion and the tang of real mayo.  That's an all-American sandwich that defines summer!

I have a trick to cooking the bacon, one I learned in the hotel business in professional kitchens. It won't save you time overall but it will save having to stand over a pan for a half hour dodging oil splatters that seem to know how to target hands and forearms. The trick is baking sheets, parchment paper, and the oven to get perfectly straight pieces (no curly cue bacon for good BLT sammiches) of crisp bacon.

Night Shift Birthday Party: Jessica's Cucumber Sandwiches

 

One of the great side effects of work birthday parties is getting to taste new recipes like these pretty open-faced cucumber sandwiches our friend Jessica brought in.  Easy to make, they were delicious, so good Carrianne and I ate almost a container of them by ourselves (luckily, there were three containers so others could indulge too).

By the way, I'm going to start adding Cook's notes to recipes with "use this...or that..." and I've set up a new category to reflect recipes that take substitutions well.   So many times recipes can be equally good using several different ingredients and it can all depend on what you have in the pantry or what you need to use up from the garden.  Not all cooks are adept at making those substitutions the way I was taught growing up in my mother's kitchen.  Quite frankly, we were very poor and running to the grocery store for a $5.00 ingredient was rarely an option so my mother became extremely proficient at still trying new recipes while also still using her pantry items on hand.  For example, most recipes that call for asparagus taste just as great substituting broccoli when asparagus is out of season, zucchini for eggplant, or in this recipe Cavender's Greek Seasoning is a great substitute for fresh dill when you don't happen to have fresh from the garden on hand.