PW's Sloppy Joes

My husband loved these! ..and I did too.

Click here for the Recipe.

Chili A La Hard Times

Hard Times Restaurant is a popular chili restaurant in the DC area. My husband loves chili and used to drag me there all the time when we first started going out. We don't eat out any more, so therefore I have to cook a lot of "junk" food at home. Hard Times traditionally serves their chili over spaghetti. Here's where I got the recipe from. PS: I also added corn and garlic to the pot.

3 onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 pounds ground beef chuck
1/3 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (i wish i used less of this)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground mace (none used)
1 bay leaf 3 cups water 1 (16-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses (not used)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Spaghetti, kidney beans (used white beans), chopped onion, grated Cheddar, and oyster crackers as traditional accompaniments, if desired

1. In a large heavy kettle cook the onions and the garlic in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until the onions are softened, add the beef, and cook the mixture, stirring and breaking up the lumps, until the beef is no longer pink.

2. Add the chili powder, the paprika, the cumin, the coriander, the allspice, the oregano, the cayenne, the cinnamon, the cloves, and the mace and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute.

3. Add the bay leaf, the water, the tomato sauce, the vinegar, and the molasses and simmer the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally and adding more water, if necessary, to keep the beef barely covered, for 2 hours, or until it is thickened but soupy enough to be ladled. Discard the bay leaf and season the chili with salt and pepper.

4. The chili may be frozen or made 4 days in advance, cooled, uncovered, and kept covered and chilled. Serve the chili as is or in the traditional Cincinnati "five-way" style: Ladle the chili over the spaghetti and top it with the beans, the onion, the Cheddar, and the oyster crackers.

Swedish Meatballs

It got this recipe from " the taste of home cooking" blog. Love her site. It's full of new ideas. I really enjoyed this recipe, which is sort of surprising, since it's a Rachel Ray. I find that most of her recipes are half-a$$ed. Sorry, but they are just thrown together, no thought or good taste behind it. BUT, it seems that maybe her cookbook is a different story. This recipe is from her "Comfort Foods: Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals". Maybe she actually sat down and developed some eatable recipes for once. This one's a keeper!
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Meatballs

1 pound ground chuck, or ground beef, pork and veal mix

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1 small onion, finely chopped (or grated on a box grater)

A few drops Worcestershire

Salt and pepper

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Sauce

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour (increased by 1/2 tablespoon)

1/2 cup dry sherry (is used white wine)

1 cup beef broth

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup sour cream (had to use whole milk instead)

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1 bag wide egg noodles (used thin spaghetti) .... gosh I need to go grocery shopping!

1 tablespoon butter

A handful of chopped parsley

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Cook egg noodles according to package directions. While waiting for the water to boil, make the meatballs and sauce.

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To bake meatballs: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix ingredients for meatballs in a medium-size bowl. Form bite-size balls and place on nonstick baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.

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To cook meatballs on the stovetop: preheat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Mix ingredients for meatballs in a medium-size bowl. Form bite-size balls and add directly to the pan as you roll them. Once the last ball has been rolled, give the pan a good shake and place a lid or aluminum foil over the top. Cook meatballs 10 to 12 minutes, turning them occasionally. Remove meatballs to a paper towel-lined plate, wipe out pan, and return to heat to make the sauce.

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To make the sauce: melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and continuously whisk until a smooth paste is formed. Slowly add sherry while continuing to whisk sauce; cook until sherry reduces by half. Add broth in a slow stream and continue to whisk until sauce thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Turn off heat and whisk in salt, pepper, Dijon mustard and sour cream.

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Once the noodles are cooked, drain them and toss with butter and parsley. Add meatballs to the sauce, stir to coat, and serve over the noodles.

What Goes Into Your Meatballs?

People seem to add the most 'random' things to the their meat mixture when making meatballs from scratch. I was wondering what tips or tricks other people had for making great meatballs.

I add fresh bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, egg, cooked onion and garlic and parsley.

I baked them in the oven for 15-20 min at 400 degrees.

I can't stand the store bought sauces. Making a sauce at home is so much healthier and tastier. I kept mine simple, onions and garlic, topped with basil at the end. I frankly can't think of anything else that you could put in there, besides a little bit of sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.....

Turkish Pizza

Dough:

just under 1 tsp yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp oil

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Topping:

2 small onions, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 pound ground beef

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 bunch parsley, finely chopped

2 tsp tomato paste

2 tsp sweet paprika

1 tbsp sumac (i used a dash of vinegar (apple cider) and the juice of 1/2 a lemon instead)

1/2 tsp cuminsalt and pepper

4-5 oz crumbled feta

Prepare dough:

1. Mix the yeast, sugar and 1 cup warm water in a mixing bowl. Add flour, salt and oil, mix slightly, then knead the dough on a floured board until smooth (2-3 minutes).

2. Shape into a ball, cover and let dough rise for about an hour.

For the Filling:

1. Heat oven to 450°.

2. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add the oil and saute the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.

3. Add a bit of oil to the skillet if needed, then cook the meat until no longer pink. Add to the bowl with the onions and garlic.

4. To the bowl, add the tomatoes, parsley, tomato paste, spices and feta, and mix it all up. Taste and adjust seasonings.

5. Divide dough into 8 portions and roll out to thin circles. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment, and place 4 dough circles on each one.

6. Spread some of the topping on the first 4, then put the baking sheet in the oven. Have 1/2 cup of cold water ready, and toss it in the bottom of the oven quickly, then shut the door.

7. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Repeat with last 4 pieces of dough.Remove from pan to a cooling rack. Roll pizzas up to eat.

I found this recipe on this web site. These were really good, especially the dough. I will defiantly reused the dough recipe for other things. I wouldn't say that these are authentic. I lived in Germany, where on every corner there is a Turkish 'fast food' restaurant (Anadolu) and I can't say that these tasted like their Turkish pizza. Their pizza's are topped with a meat paste like mixture and they're sooo spicy. Again, these were very good though!

Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices white bread, torn into pieces
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into eighths
2 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
5 button mushrooms
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 large egg
1 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons dry mustard
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place bread in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade; pulse until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add ground beef.

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2. Place onion, garlic, celery, mushrooms, and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade; pulse until fine. Add to meat mixture, using hands to mix well. Add egg, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 teaspoons yellow mustard, salt, and pepper; use hands to combine thoroughly. Place in an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pan.
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3. Combine remaining 1/2 cup ketchup, remaining teaspoon yellow mustard, and brown sugar in a bowl; stir until smooth.
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4. Brush mixture over meatloaf; place in the oven with a baking pan set on the rack below to catch drippings. Cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 160 degrees, about 80 minutes. If top gets too dark, cover with foil, and continue baking.

Germany, Düsseldorf and Bratwurst

The Fernsehturm - "Television Tower"

The Altstadt at night - Old Town

The Königsallee - "King's Avenue"

My dinner - Mein Hauptmahl

Facts:

• Bratwurst is a compound German word - brat means fry, wurst means sausage.
  


• In Germany bratwurst are usually eaten outdoors, since its a 'street food'.
  


• No knife and fork are needed - in fact such finery would be considered rather weird in Germany.
  


• Brats are nearly always washed down with beer.



• Do not put yellow mustard on a brat! It is an abomination. The classic mustard for brats is Loewensenf-Düsseldorf (my hometown)- medium in color.
  


• Düsseldorf is the capital city of Nord Rhein-Westfallen. It is famous as Germany's capital of fashion and offers a wide scale of fascinating new architecture. The Altstadt ("old town") is one of the 49 boroughs of the German city of Düsseldorf, and belongs to City District. The Düsseldorfer Altstadt is known as the longest bar in the world (»längste Theke der Welt«), because the small Old Town has more than 300 bars and discotheques (know them all too well!). Famous is the special beer from Düsseldorf, the Altbier (Old beer), brewed from an old traditional recipe, which is only brewed in a few places in the world since the end of the 19th century. It is one of the country's wealthiest cities. Germans call it "the only metropolis ending with -dorf (German for village)". The Königsallee (nicknamed "Kö") is a boulevard in Düsseldorf noted for both the canal that runs along the boulevard's center, as well as for the luxury retail shopping venues located along its length.

I used to walk across this bridge every morning on my way to school



• Do not serve bratwurst on a hot dog bun! Brats are eaten on a 'brotchen'. Kathi makes a great brotchen mix that can be purchased at most German stores around the US.



• Along with good friends, brats are usually accompanied by good music, such as Heino. (just kidding about that one)

Baked Mini Cheeseburgers with White Bean Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground beef
4 English muffins
4 slices of your favorite cheese

For the Salad:
1 can white beans
1 small onion, sliced
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp of canola oil
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 orange pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Salt and pepper ground beef. Form the meat into 4 small patties. Bake for 20-25 min. Pull patties out 5 min before being done and top with cheese. Return to oven for the remaining 5 min.

2. Drain and rinse the beans and combine with the remaining ingredients.

Meat Cigars with Garlic and Herb Coucous

INGREDIENTS:
Makes about 20 cigars
1lb ground beef
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp all-spice
Pinch cayenne pepper
3 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
Ground black pepper
2 tsp Kosher salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 package of spring rolls
Canola oil for frying

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DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in the pan on medium heat, and add the onions. Cook until soft and transparent, but not browned. Add meat, salt, black pepper, spices and herbs and mix everything using a fork to keep the ground meat separate, stir until the meat is not pink anymore, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and slowly add the beaten eggs. Stir constantly until the mixture becomes creamy but do not allow the eggs to scramble. Remove the meat mixture from the pan into a plate, and set aside to cool.

2. Fill each spring roll with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the meat mixture and roll into cigars as shown in the photo.Fry the cigars, turning once, until golden brown on each side. Drain on a plate lined with paper towel. Serve hot.

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3. For the couscous, I used organic store bought, ready to use "Herb and Garlic" flavored couscous and added in chopped cilantro (about 1 1/2 tbsp) and parsley (1 tbsp) to give it a 'fresh' taste.

Light and Easy Meatball Soup

INGREDIENTS

For the meatballs:
3/4 lb lean ground beef

2 tbsp rice

1 egg

3 tbsp curly parsley

For the soup:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

7 cups of water

1/2 can chopped tomatoes

4 small chicken stock cubes

4 tbsp rice

Juice of 2 lemons

1. Place meat, rice, egg and parsley it in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together, kneading the mixture against the side of the bowl until you can feel the consistency become smooth and almost dough-like.

2. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Take a small amount of the meat mixture, about the size of a hazelnut, and roll it into a ball between your hands. Put it on the baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the mixture, then set aside. It is handy to have a bowl of warm water beside you; dip your hands in every few minutes to stop the meatballs sticking to your palms.

3. For the soup: in a tall pan, heat the olive oil over a low heat. Add the onion and carrot and fry gently, stirring frequently, for 8 minutes. Pour in the water, increase the heat to medium, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, stock cubes, and rice and simmer for another 15 minutes.

4. Gently add the meatballs to the soup, reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pan and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.