Not your average Joe.

An all American twist:
Sloppy Joe's with Sweet Potato Fries. A word of warning: I don't put up with any of this "Sweet Potato" nonsense that has swept across the country. If it's Orange inside, it's a YAM. Very Delicious, not a Sweet Potato.

Ok, here is the 1 pan recipe:

Sloppy Joes: (Serves 4)
1/4 Lb Bacon (usually 1 piece per serving)
1/2 Onion (red or white)
1 LB Ground Beef
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Ketchup
1/2 Cup Favorite BBQ Sauce
1/2 Cup Port (or a Dry Red Wine)
1/2 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs




None of these really need to be perfect measurements. This dish is nearly impossible to mess up, so have fun and explore new ways to make it! 


Chop bacon into small pieces and put in a pan over medium high heat. When it is at a full sizzle add finely chopped onion and saute. for 2-3 minutes. Add ground beef and brown. Add brown sugar, ketchup, BBQ sauce and port. Cover, lower heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Growing up, we always used hamburger buns for this, which makes sense and is good; but, I like to do it a bit more 'Homestyle.' So I butter one side of a slice of bread and throw it onto a hot griddle (the broil setting on your oven works too). Just remember to only brown one side of your bread, otherwise you'll have a messy cracker and not a sloppy joe. Add the bread crumbs about 2 minutes before you are ready to serve (they thicken the whole thing up and give Joe a bit more substance.)




Sweet Potato Fries:
4-5 Large Sweet Potatoes
2-3 Tbs. melted Butter
Cinnamon
Sugar
Salt
Cayenne

Preheat Oven to 350. Cut Sweet potatoes in half. Lay each half, cut side down, then slice into long fries. lay each fry down on its side and cut in half again. Line baking sheet with wire racks. Put fries on racks and bake for 1 hour. ( you can use the broil function and reduce time to 15 min, but watch them carefully). Remove from oven, let cool on racks for 5 min. Put in bowl, coat with butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Add a tiny dash of cayenne for a full bodied flavor. Enjoy!


And a bit from my wife's favorite Yo-Gabba-Gabba song: A bite, bite, bite? No, no, no! A chomp, chomp, chomp? Yes, Yes, Yes!

A Simple Request

This morning, my wife asked me to make french toast. This being one of my favorite meals to make; I got right to it. Last night, my son and I shared a peach that we got in a 'Bountiful Basket'. It was amazingly flavorful. We had two peaches left, so I decided to put them to good use with my french toast.

Recipe: (serves 4)
8 Eggs
5 Tbs. Sour Cream
8 slices of bread 
(I usually leave the bread out in the open for about 20 min before using in french toast. It lets the bread soak up more batter)


Topping:
2 Peaches
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbs. Lemon Juice
1 Tbs. Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts
3/4 Cup Water


Lets Start with the topping:
Slice peaches (should get about 16 slices from each peach). Put in Saucepan along with brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, walnuts and water. Bring to a boil on high heat for 1 minute, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer until thickened (about 10 min). (Note: Will thicken even more as it cools.)


Heat skillet on medium to medium/low heat. Add a pat of butter to pan. Crack eggs into dish big enough to lay 1 slice of bread in. Add Sour Cream. Whisk until completely mixed. Dip 1 slice of bread at a time, allowing bread to soak for 30 to 40 seconds. Drop in skillet and cook 3-5 minutes for the first side and 2-3 minutes for the second side. 


Add topping and a dollop of whipped cream - enjoy!

Going Down South of the Border:

Last night we wanted a quick healthy meal, so I decided to make grilled fish soft tacos. I have made this numerous times before, but this time I got a little fancier with my ingredients.

Ingredients
4 Tilapia Fillets
8 (small) Corn Tortillas
Chile Powder
Garlic Powder
Cayenne Powder (If you like it spicy)
4 Tbs. olive oil

Toppings
1 Medium Heirloom Tomato
1 - 12 oz. package Arugula (green or red cabbage is traditional)
4 Limes
1 Medium Red Onion
1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Honey
Sour Cream

Onion Preparation:
I'm not a fan of uncooked onions, except in this case. It's not that I dislike the taste of onions, its that I don't like the fact that they overpower all of my hard work making a delicious meal. But here is my trick. Dice the red onion into small cubes. Place in strainer and rinse under cold water for 2 minutes. Put apple cider vinegar and honey into small bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds. Dry off onion and add to honey/vinegar mixture. Stir and place in fridge. (This can be done up to 2-3 days ahead of time for more flavorful onions. Remember to cover with aluminum foil to keep the fridge from stinking!)

Place skillet or griddle over medium-high heat and add olive oil (I use a griddle on my grill). While oil is heating, rinse fish under cool clear water and pat dry with paper towel. Generously sprinkle both sides with Garlic and Chile powder (Here is where you would add the Cayenne if you want it spicy). Check to see that pan is heated (oil should be "shimmering"). Add fillets to pan and cover. The pan should be sizzling at you, but not violently popping. If you are getting popping, turn the heat down slightly. While fish is cooking, prepare plates. Put corn tortillas on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 30 to 40 seconds to warm. Separate tortillas, 2 per plate. Add arugula and diced tomato to each. The fish should be flipped after 8-10 minutes of cooking. Allow to cook for another 8-10 minutes. Remove from head and slice each fillet down the middle lengthwise and then again width wise. place 2 pieces of fish in each taco (1 whole fillet per 2 tacos). Squirt lime juice on fish. Drain the vinegar mixture from the onions. Put sour cream on top of fish; drained onions on top of that. Yummy Yummy!