Filed under: Food I Make, Food Made by Other Food Folks, Random Foodie Thoughts | Tags: food, recipes, sandwiches, short ribs, the bld, the sandwich king
It took me months to make this one. The short ribs in this BLD are not an every day thing around here, and they may not be an every day thing anywhere for all I know.
All I know is that I saw the episode where Jeff Mauro makes this sandwich, and I had to try it, but the short ribs were dang hard to find.
I tried this recipe once with pork ribs. It was good, but by the reviews I read about this sandwich, I knew it could be better.
One day at Sam’s while I was perusing the meat, I found them-beef short ribs. I wanted to shout, “Look! I found them! Beef short ribs!” I restrained myself, believe it or not.
It was exciting, though.
So I bought them up and brought them home. I followed Mauro’s recipe almost exactly, but I still had to add some beef broth during the cooking since I thought they looked a little dry. I never did get my gravy thick like his, I didn’t have any horseradish mayo, and I thought that the meat tasted a little too bayleafy.
Still, with an egg on top on a toasted bun, it was the best sandwich ever.
Ever.
I can only hope that it doesn’t take me another series of months to taste this sandwich again. It was too, too good.
Thanks, Sandwich King.
Filed under: Food I Make, Random Foodie Thoughts | Tags: bookclub, food, jeannette walls, recipes, sandwiches, the glass castle
Summer book clubs are the best. The majority of us are teachers, and so the time we have to read and spend on food is increased and so is the fun.
Last night, we met to discuss The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. We loved it. We talked about how the children survived and thrived and how the parents should have been killed in their sleep. It was a great book that stuck with us. I know I thought about the book often when I wasn’t reading it. That to me is the sign of a good book.
We also ate well, of course. Several of our husbands have recently accused us of using book club as a front for food and gossip.
Surely they jest.
We ate very well. We had a beautiful tomato tart that Amy made fresh out of Southern Living. We had rotel which hit the spot as well as Lisa’s famous Vidalia onion dip. My mom made Trisha Yearwood’s asparagus bundles that we an A+ hit. Delish.
I like for the food I make to reflect the book, but the food in the book was quite gross. I also couldn’t think of anything to reflect the glass theme except for Linzor cookies. Instead, I made a dish and brought a bought dish.
My bought dish was a blueberry and vanilla goat cheese log from Sam’s. Good grief, I tell ya, I could sent my family into the poor house at the cheese counter at Sam’s. This cheese was very yummy, but not for those who don’t like goat cheese. It was a little tart with a little sweet to boot.
My made dish was grilled cheese sandwiches with grilled onions. I made the onions early in the day by slicing three Vidalia onion and sauteing them in butter, salt, and pepper for about a half hour. They smelled so, so good.
If Yankee candle would only make a carmelized onion candle, wouldn’t life be so much better?
Later when it was time to assemble the sandwiches, which was like thirty minutes before I needed to leave because we decided to go fishing, I sliced a loaf of hoagie bread into rounds and toasted the slices in butter and olive oil on my griddle. I topped the bread slices with mozzarella, harvarti, and provolone cheese and then added the grilled onions.
They were simple and not too bad in the taste department either.
Summer is the best time for bookclub. The friends, the food, the gossip. Now, I can’t wait for the next meeting-for the book, of course.
Filed under: Food I Make, Random Foodie Thoughts | Tags: dinner, food, hoagies, meatballs, recipes, sandwiches, school night food
School has started back. Yeah! Sorta.
That means I don’t have all day to plan and prepare a hot, healthy, home cooked meal for my sweet family like I did all summer.
Wait? I forgot. I never did that anyway.
So, now I have to make dinner after working all day at school.
Yikes.
So, for all you working teacher-moms and all other moms or dads out there, I present to you…supper via math.
PLUS
IN A POT FOR TWENTY MINUTES ON MEDIUM HEAT, THEN SCOOPED ON GOOD HOAGIES, COVERED WITH MOZZERELLA, TOASTED, AND TOPPED WITH SALT, PEPPER, AND OLIVE OIL=
DINNER ON A SCHOOL NIGHT.
Filed under: Food I Make | Tags: book club food, Fifty shades of grey, food, recipes, sandwiches
Book club this month was about That Book that everyone is talking about, Fifty Shades of Gray. The book and the food were very interesting, to say the least.
When I was trying to decide what to make for book club, it was a tough choice. I always try to match the theme of the book with my food. I had never in my life read a book quite like this one. It was very different.Since this book was mostly about only one thing, there weren’t very many culinary choices.
Something with cherries? Finger sandwiches? Or Paula Deen’s Better Than Sex Cake? Or a quiche, which we mispronounce as a quickie? Something spicy? My food linked to fornication experiences were limited.
Our discussion and the food, though, were good. We had the best chicken stir fry imaginable made from a friend’s mom’s recipe from her time living overseas in Japan. We also had Trisha Yearwood’s cheese straws and several great dips not related to “It.”
My sister made a quiche. She didn’t see the connection since she didn’t read the book. I thought that was hilarious.
We laughed our heads off talking about the book. Well, at least most of the book. We really couldn’t discuss the whole thing with turning fifty shades of red.
I finally figured to play it safe with a sandwich. A boring, vanilla sandwich made with turkey, ham, tomatoes, bacon, and avocado. It was delicious and as exciting as I wanted to get.
Filed under: Food I Make, Food Made by Other Food Folks | Tags: food, recipes, sandwiches, shrimp, The Pioneer Woman
Sunday lunch was actually a good one yesterday, but it was even better today. I made The Pioneer Woman’s spicy shrimp from her new cookbook.
My mom made it before I did, and she mentioned the best part was the dipping bread. I agree. We had some crusty rolls from the deli that I warmed in the oven, and they were delicious with the butter from the pan. Too bad the shrimp wasn’t that great.
I followed the Pioneer Woman’s recipe, right down to the two sticks of butter. It was a lot of butter. Too much, to be exact. Next time I would cut it down to one if not even less. The shrimp just swam in the butter, and it lacked a lot of flavor.
We ate all the bread, but we had leftover shrimp. No prob.
Tonight, I shelled all the shrimp. I tossed them very lightly in flour seasoned with Old Bay and let them rest. Then, I fried them lightly for a few minutes just to brown the flour. I split the rolls and buttered them with the original pan butter. I toasted the rolls for just a few minutes, and then I loaded the shrimp on top with a little salt to boot.
Now, that was much better. The toast was crunchy, buttery, and garlicky and so was the shrimp. Much, much better.
Filed under: Food I Make, Random Foodie Thoughts | Tags: cheap food, college food, dorito recipes, Dortioes, food, life, random food thoughts, recipes, sandwiches
A turkey, Doritos, and Miracle Whip sandwich-the Sunday supper of champions.
And twelve-year-olds.
And opinionated food bloggers.
For some reason I just can’t understand, I am the only one in the house eating this delicious delight.
It’s an acquired taste, I guess.
Filed under: Food I Make, Random Foodie Thoughts | Tags: food, homemade meatballs, life, sandwiches, southern cooking, Sunday lunch
I don’t do fancy, elaborate Sunday lunches. I wish I could.
I wish I had the ability to be organized enough to get together a traditional Southern after-church lunch of a meat and three veggies. Like a roast or fried chicken with a side casserole of some sort. A dish of corn or green beans swimming in butter or bacon grease. All served shortly after noon with homemade rolls or biscuits and sweet tea. That would be divine.
But, I just can’t get it together.
For example, lunch today was frozen fries and a sandwich of leftover homemade meatballs. The sandwich rolls, sauce, and cheese were all bought after church today.
Growing up, somehow my mom could make a Sunday lunch to remember happen. I can not recall having leftovers or sandwiches for Sunday lunch when she was cooking.
I am a Southern Sunday lunch failure.
Yet, I guess it really doesn’t matter as long as we are all at the table and warm and fed.
I would like the butter or bacon grease part, though.
Filed under: Food I Make | Tags: dinner, food, recipes, sandwiches, sloppy joes
Several years ago, a friend was telling me about her family’s favorite meal that she makes for them. She makes it birthdays and other special occasions. On the occasion we were together, she had made it to serve to a large group of hungry teenagers at church. The kids left happy and full.
Surprisingly, her dish is the underappreciated Sloppy Joe. Go figure.
Her recipe is made up of four things: ground beef, Hunt’s ketchup, Hunt’s barbeque sauce, and garlic powder. The ketchup and sauce have to be plain Hunt’s and nothing else.
First, brown the ground beef and drain off a little of the fat. To that, add a cup of the ketchup and a cup of the barbeque sauce. On top of that, add two tablespoons or to taste of the garlic powder.
Allow to warm through. Serve all over a bun.
Simple and delish.
Lunch today was just for me since no one else was hungry.
I concocted a ham sandwich on a buttered, toasted roll with a tomato from a friend’s garden and sauerkraut to boot.
I ate my weird yet yummy sandwich while watching Bobby Flay make a fancy-schmanzy brunch of TV.
I think my sandwich looks better.
The tomatoes are gone. What to do?
I made do with a bacon, apple, and cheese sandwich. The bacon was crispy. The apples were thin and sweet. The cheese was gooey.
It hit the spot that this summer’s tomatoes used to fill.
Delish.
Of course, I could wrap my shoe in bacon, and I would think it would be yummy.
The Opinionated Foodie: The Love (or Not) of Food and Everything That Goes with It 