Vic's Croque Madame

We've discussed it many times over the years and we all agree that breakfast for dinner is so cozy and comfortable.  How about a quasi-French breakfast sammich?  By itself or with a steamy bowl of soup?

Read along and let's see what my friend Vic came up with...

4 tablespoons butter
1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup half-n-half
Salt and pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 slices whole grain bread (or bread of your choice)
2 large eggs
4 slices Genoa salami
2 slices Swiss cheese
Chopped green onions for garnish

In a small pot over medium-low heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.  Whisk in the flour and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes.  Whisk in the milk and the half-n-half and bring to a bubble.  Drop the heat to low and season with salt and pepper, the Dijon and the nutmeg.  Once the sauce coats the back of a spoon, turn off the heat and cover the pot.

In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.  Once the butter begins to foam, add the bread and lightly toast.  Turn the bread and generously ladle the sauce on each slice of bread, then add two slices of salami to each and one slice of Swiss cheese each.  Transfer the toast to a plate

Return the skillet to the stove and add the remaining tablespoon butter.  Add the eggs keeping the whites separate.  Once the eggs are cooked, top each piece of toast with an egg.

 

 

Larry, You have to know this makes me think of you, King of the Egg Sammich!

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Kickin' Meatball Sliders

It's football time again and between cheering for our local high school football team on Friday nights, getting caught up in Vol fever while the University of Tennessee was featured on ESPN's Game Day last Saturday or cheering for my hometown team, the New Orleans Saints, a girl can not have too much delicious, hearty food on hand.

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. mild Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 cloves of garlic, rough chopped (divided 4 and 2)
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 large eggs, whisked
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 - 28 ounce can tomato puree
1 cup red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon basil
Kosher salt and black pepper
Asiago cheese, shaved (figure 3 shaved strips per slider)
Slider buns or soft, small dinner rolls, sliced in half
Fresh basil leaves

in a large bowl, combine the ground beef, Italian sausage, red pepper flakes, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, Panko crumbs, grated Parmesan, eggs, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Form  into meatballs about the size of golf balls.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and brown the meatballs on all sides.  

You will probably have to brown the meatballs in batches.  Once browned, move the meatballs to a paper towel lined platter.

To make the sauce, heat the remaining olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and saute for about 3 to 4 minutes.  Then add the remaining chopped garlic and saute for another minute.  Add in the tomato puree  and once it begins to bubble, add in the wine, stir to thoroughly combine.  Allow the sauce to gently simmer for 5 minutes then add the oregano, sugar, bay leaf, basil and salt and pepper to taste. 

Carefully add in the browned meatballs, cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Adjust seasonings if needed.  I wound up adding in a little more garlic powder and some grated Parmesan cheese. 

To assemble your slider, place two meatballs in a bowl and very slightly flatten then just a bit with the back of a large spoon.  Place the meatballs on the bun bottom and ladle on some sauce.  Top with a couple of slices of the shaved Asiago cheese and a basil leaf.

Let me tell you, the basil leaf really added a certain "sumthin'-sumthin'" to this slider.

Score!  these sliders are definitely a touchdown!!!


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Philly Cheese Steak Sammich

It's amazing that little mundane things that a lot of us don't think about twice, will amaze and make the person you think you know the best so very happy.

Shortly before Christmas a new convenience store opened a couple of blocks from our house.  If you're in this area, it's a Weigels.  A.J. is thrilled and looks forward to stopping  there everyday and twice on Sundays.  Hey, I was happy because he was happy.  He called me one morning as I was leaving the house for work to tell me  I HAD to stop at Weigels and get one of their stuffed biscuits.  So I did, it was pretty good, a lot lighter and less breadier than biscuits from the fast food joints. 

Several days later he said, "You have to try their stuffed Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, talk about on time."  I told him I've never eaten a Philly Cheese Steak before and he thought I was joking but seriously, it never appealed to as a "must try".  I tried and I REALLY liked!

Since I haven't had a Philly Cheese Steak before, especially from Philly, please don't hop on me because it's not authentic, but do try it because baby, it totally rocks!

2 lbs. lean sirloin sliced very thin

Olive oil
McCormick's Montreal Grill Seasoning
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 to 2 cups beef broth
6 Hoagie rolls
Creamy Cheesy Sauce, recipe follows
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 medium sweet yellow onion, sliced into thin strips
2 Poblano peppers, de-seeded and sliced into thin strips.  Cut about the same length as the onion
Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to skillet.

Place all of the steak slices in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with grill seasoning and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss the meat with your hands to evenly coast with olive oil and seasoning.  Once the skillet is heated cook steak slices about 45 seconds to 1 minute per side.  You will have to do this in batches, don't over crowd the skillet.  You just want to brown the meat.  Place the meat in another bowl and reserve.

Put the skillet back on the stove and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.  Once the butter begins to foam, add the flour and stir constantly to cook off the flour for about five minutes.  Slowly add in the beef broth 1/2 cup at a time.  You want it a little bit thicker consistency than the broth, but not a real thick gravy.  Once you get the consistency you want, season with salt and pepper.  Add the reserved steak slices, along with all the juice that settle in the bottom of the bowl.  Move the steak slices around to get them covered with the gravy.  Cover, lower heat to simmer and toss them around about every 15 to 20 minutes until you're ready to assemble the sammiches.

In another skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat.  Once the butter has melted add in the mushrooms.  Cook the mushrooms for about 4 or 5 minutes and try not to move them around too much.  Add another tablespoon of butter and add the onions and toss them around a bit with the mushrooms and cook another 4 or 5 minutes just until the onions begin to caramelize on the edges.  At this point add 1 tablespoon of olive oil (if needed) and the Poblano peppers.  Continue cooking until the mushrooms are golden brown and the onions are caramelized.  Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

While you're working the veggies you can get the creamy cheesy sauce going.  I saw Rachel Ray make a similar sauce for mac-n-cheese and thought it would work for this too.
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup milk and 1 cup half-n-half, heated
1 cup grated or sliced provolone cheese
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper or freshly ground black pepper

Pour the mil and half-n-half in a heat safe cup and warm in the microwave.  Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Vigorously stir or whisk in the flour and cook for 3 minutes. Slowly stir or whisk in the warm milk.  Cook, stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the cheeses until combined.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To assemble, place several slices of the meat on the bottom half of the roll, spoon some of the cheese sauce over the meat, and top with the mushrooms, onions, and peppers.


So now I have one more thing to scratch off the bucket list.

Smoky Mountain Muffaletta

We've tried various olive salads sold around town; some are freshly prepared and some are shipped from New Orleans.  The one thing they all have in common is way too much olive oil.  Why fight it; why not be creative?  So this is what happened...

A couple of days ago on my lunch hour, I went to one of my favorite grocery stores in Knoxville to get some sliced pancetta.  While at the deli counter, I noticed they carried mortadella!  One-half pound please and a half pound of hard salami; oh, I also need a half pound of provolone cheese too, please!

Okay now what kind of bread can I get?  I found a round loaf of an Italian type bread labeled "Parmesan Garlic" with sesame seeds on top;  very much like the muffaletta bun found in New Orleans.

That evening, after draining a can of quartered artichoke hearts, I placed them in a bowl with a generous handful of sliced baby bella mushrooms, about one dozen Kalamata olives (cut in half) and one tablespoon of minced garlic.   I drizzled some extra virgin olive oil over the vegetable mixture and seasoned it with salt and pepper.

The vegetable mixture was placed on a grill pan over direct heat on a preheated gas grill.  I stood over the grill, and tossed and turned the veggies as necessary to get a nice sear but careful not to burn them.

I placed the bread on the grill after it had been sliced in half and each inner half drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil that had been infused with garlic.

To Assemble:

Cover the bottom half of the bread with a layer of hard salami, then with a layer of mortadella, then a layer of cheese.  Now add the crowning touch, the grilled veggies.  Slice the big ol' sammich in quarters and share with your family or if you're really brave and sufficiently armed, don't share!  Do enjoy though!

Hot Diggity Dog! A Cure for the Summertime Blues!

I'm not going to lie, sometimes I really like a gooooooood hotdog!  Grilled of course!  Buuuuuutttt....I wanted to experiment; that's just a part of the magic of me.

The homegirlz were game once I threw in words they knew, like taco and pizza.

So this is what we did:

The Taco Dog:

We grilled some dogs and flour tortillas.  (Just place the tortillas on the grill for 2 to 3 minutes and turn when you're satisfied with the grill marks and/or doneness.)  We also put an assortment of fixin's; a blend of grated cheddar and Monterrey jack cheeses, diced onions, black olives, jalapenos, sliced green onions, and taco sauce.  Put out whatever you like on a taco.

I slathered on some taco sauce, topped the dog with onions, cheese, black olives, and green onions.

We actually rolled the dogs burrito style.  The flavor was amazing, they were light.  I liked them much better than using a hot dog bun with all the bread. 

About two weeks later, we tried these:

Pizza Dogs:

I infused some butter with garlic and drizzled it on the bun.  We then  placed grilled dogs on the buns and ladled pizza sauce over the dogs and sprinkled a combination of grated Parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top.  The dogs were placed under the broiler until the cheese was sufficiently melted.

The pizza dogs were good, but my favorite no question -  the taco dogs.  The homegirlz concurred.

So when you have the summertime blues or you just want to change things up....go for it, who knows, you may may see Hot Dog Cordon Bleu or Hot Dog Carbonara on here sometime!



So tell me, really, who let the dogs out?

Grilled Kickin' Turkey Sliders

Who doesn't like a big, thick, juicy burger covered in melted cheese dripping with your favorite sauce and/or condiments?  We toil away to fashion our burger into our ultimate burger fantasy.  The thing is, when I'm almost halfway through that big, thick, juicy burger, covered in cheese and sauce is dripping down to my elbows, a dark cloud moves in over me and sheer bliss turns into sheer misery.

Sliders have turned my sheer bliss into, well, actually kept sheer bliss alive and well.  I can eat one and no cloud, no misery, no guilt.  Sometimes if I dare, I can start on a second slider and still no cloud.  It's amazing.

I've also learned another trick.  I sometimes use half lean ground beef and half ground turkey.  Sometimes it's all ground turkey.  As long as no one sees the package, my family doesn't know the difference.

I didn't know the first time I made sliders that there was no such thing as "slider buns".  Check out the bakery department  in your grocery and pick out a dinner roll that you like or if you're really ambitious, make your own.

Kickin' Slider Sauce

1/3 cup low-fat sour cream (don't use fat-free)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon horseradish
1/2 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce of choice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Burgers:

2-1/2 pounds ground turkey or lean ground beef

2 small shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons goat cheese
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 teaspoons grill seasoning (McCormick's Montreal Steak)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Low fat margarine spread or butter
Garlic powder
8 slider sized dinner rolls or buns
4 slices pepper jack cheese, cut in half
4 slices hickory smoked bacon, cut in half and fried crisp
Kickin' Slider Sauce

In a large mixing bowl, break up the meat with your hands. Add the chopped shallot, garlic, goat cheese (this give the burger a little sumpin', sumpin'), grill seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste. Thoroughly combine with your hands.

Divide the meat into 8 equal portions and form them into small patties.  Press an indent in the center of each patty with your thumb.  I've heard this indent will prevent the burgers from puffing up while cooking.   It works.

Heat your grill to medium-high heat and spray grated with non-stick cooking spray. If using ground turkey, you shouldn't have "flame-ups" since the meat won't be expelling any fat.  Grill the burgers uncovered, for 5 minutes on the first side. Flip and continue cooking for another 5 until cooked thoroughly. Top the patties with a one-half slice of pepper jack cheese.  Once the cheese has melted, remove from grill, tent with foil to keep warm.  Spread the margarine or butter the buns, sprinkle with a little garlic powder and place on the grill butter side down. Toast for about 1 minute and remove from grill.

Assemble your burger by placing a cheesy patty on the toasted bun, ladling a generous helping of Kickin' Sauce over the patty and topping it with a half slice of bacon.

Look!  No clouds!

Death by Sloppy Joe!!!!

First,  thank all of you for your warm "Welcome Backs!" and emails.  I am trying to get back to routinely blogging.  All of your words mean so much; saying thank you lacks so much as far as how much your words and thoughts mean.

I can offer back by sharing this Sloppy Joe recipe.  It's dangerously good, wickedly addictive and will seduce you before you have a chance to reach for a napkin.  If you're laughing and thinking,"Yeah right, whatever.", I dare you! This is so worth it.

Start off with the sauce:

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped - if Vidalias are in season, use a Vidalia
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons McCormick's Mexican Chili Powder or ancho chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon Chipotle Powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons molasses
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a high-sided skillet or large saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the ketchup and the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.   Move to a cool burner and get busy with browning the meat.

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 pounds lean meat
Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1Poblano Chile, diced
1/2 Jalapeno Pepper, minced
ALL of the Awesome BBQ Sauce Cooling on the Stove
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Brown ground meat, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Once ground meat is evenly browned, drain all excess fat and stir in remaining ingredients except for the parsley until thoroughly combined.  Lower heat to simmer and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
Ok, this is what puts these Sloppy Joe's over the top!!

Toasted Garlic Buns:

1/2 stick butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed

Once BBQ sauce is removed from burner to cool, place butter in a small skillet over low heat along with smashed garlic.  The garlic will infuse the butter.  Keep the burner on the lowest heat possible.  Brush garlic flavored butter on buns and place the buns while the meat and sauce are simmering.  Place the buttered buns on a baking sheet.  Put the baking sheet with the buns under the oven broiler until the buns are slightly browned around the edges.

Now, let's put these babies together and munch.

Top toasted buns slices with some of the Sloppy Joe mixture, sprinkle with or parsley and top with cheddar, provolone or pepper jack cheese.

Remember, lots of napkins and lots of burping is totally acceptable!

I dare you!!

Coney Islands

TGIF and I've missed all of you so much, sorry about my unavoidable absence.

This is A.J.'s favorite "snack" food during football season. I kind of think he looks forward to football season more because he seriously chows down on these Coney Islands. I started making these for A.J. during our first football season after we were married and he hasn't gotten tired of them or me yet.

They are so simple and satisfying.

Here's all you have to do:

Makes 8 Coney Islands -

1 package of hot dog wieners

1 package of hot dog buns

1/2 medium red onion diced

16 oz. your favorite chili (no beans)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven broiler. Line baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup.

Heat chili of over heat. Place buns on baking sheet, place heated wieners inside of each bun. Sprinkle diced onion over each hot dog. Ladle a generous helping of chili over each hot dog and then sprinkle with cheese.

Heat under broiler until cheese has melted.

It's just as man pleasing and so not healthy as it looks.