Crockpot Sloppy Joes

Starting with the photo today because I swear just seeing Sloppy Joes in the title will turn some people off.  And seriously, look at that photo.  Taken with an iPhone.  Deeeeeeeee-lish!

This recipe is what happens when you ask the hubby "what would you like to eat tonight?"  "Sloppy Joes please."  Ugh.  I wondered how I was going to make Sloppy Joes look appetizing on my blog?  And then I made them.  And then I TASTED THEM.  Oh good god, I will be making these again.

The recipe came from the Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications: SlowCooker.  Sorry I couldn't find the link, but the recipe is below:

All-American Sloppy Joes
Prep: 40 Minutes
Cook: 6 to 8 hours (low) or 3 to 4 hours (high)

3 pounds lean ground beef or ground pork
2 cups chopped onions (2 large)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups chopped red sweet peppers
2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
1 12-ounce can beer
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Hot pepper sauce
16 whole grain buns, kaiser rolls or hamburger buns, split and toasted with assorted toppers such as dill pickle slices and/or pickled peppers (optional)

1. In a large skilled cook ground beef, onions, and garlic over medium heat until meat is brown and onions are tender, using a wooden spoon to break up meat as it cooks.  Drain off fat.

2. In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker combine meat mixture, sweet peppers, celery, beer, ketchup, molasses, yellow mustard, chill powder, vinegar, and a dash of hot pepper sauce.

3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours.

4. To serve, use a slotted spoon to spoon meat mixture onto roll bottoms.  If desired, add assorted toppers.  Cover with roll tops. 

Makes 16 sandwiches.

Modifications:
I toasted the buns with butter and garlic.  I also served them open-faced with shredded buffalo mozzarella cheese on top.  I had planned to also serve them with pickled peppers, but they were too hot. Next time I'll try to find some mild ones.

Jamie Oliver 15 Brownies

I missed last Sunday.  I was invited to a traditional British Sunday roast, served mid-day.  A Brit I met with a babe the same age as mine invited the hubby and me.  And as a British-Sunday-roast-virgin, I quite enjoyed it!  First, it's perfect for moms who need to get babies to bed for 7.  Second, the spread was unbelievable.  Roast beef, potatoes, beans, parsnips, cheesy cauliflower, broccoli and Yorkshire pudding.  Oh my!  And the parsnips changed my life, well in a parsnip-lover sort of way.  I thought they were French fries - swear to god!  Just brilliant.  I'll be getting that recipe.  She said the main tip was to remove the center core because it's bitter.  Anyhoo...

And now on to brownies.  Oh yummy, yummy brownies.  

I decided to do dessert this week because the hubs made Schezuan beef for dinner and who in their right mind turns down an opportunity to put their feet up with a glass of vino?  Not this gal.  Also I wanted to stock my freezer with brownies.  This is a trick I accidentally learned a few winters ago.  I was considering consuming an entire tray of brownies when I came up with the brilliant idea of freezing them.  I froze two brownies per Ziploc bag, which was the perfect amount as I could always unfreeze two bags for company.  And they're actually delish when eaten frozen.  Especially these ones as the recipe calls for gooey centers. 

Enough babble.  Time for the recipe.

The recipe is from Jamie Oliver's Cook with Jamie.  It's from his restaurant Fifteen in London, so I suppose its a British theme this Sunday!

250 g/9 oz. unsalted butter
200 g/7 oz. best-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa),
broken up
150 g/ 5.5 oz. chopped nuts
80 g/2 3/4 oz. cocoa powder, sifted
65 g/2 1/4 oz. plain flour, sifted
1 t. baking powder
350 g/12.5 oz. superfine sugar
4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a 12" rectangular baking tin with greaseproof paper. In a large bowl over some simmering water, melt the butter and the chocolate and mix until smooth. Add nuts, if you're using them, and stir together. In a separate bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and sugar, then add this to the chocolate mixture.  Stir together well. Beat the eggs and mix in until you have a silky consistency.

Pour your brownie mix into the baking tray, and place in the oven for around 25 minutes. you don't want to overcook them so, unlike cakes, you don't want a skewer to come out all clean. The brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle. Allow to cool in the tray, then carefully transfer to a large chopping board and cut into chunky squares.

Jamie's tip to use wax paper is brilliant.  I've never had my brownies come out of the pan so well.  See below.

Enjoy and thanks for eating with me!

Gnocchi Mac n Cheese

Well, here we go. My first post. I always seem to be cooking on Sundays (along with the rest of the world) and I've always wanted to pen a blog. And today it hit me. WHAM. I should write a food blog! Ok, maybe this was not a shocking thought. I've always wanted a food blog, BUT I finally came up with a fun name. 

Enough with the rambling. 

I came across this recipe on Pinterest and decided it was a must try. I'm a cheese fanatic, the more cheese the better. It is the one thing I could never give up. Ev-ah! And mac n' cheese is one of my fave comfort dishes. So this one was a no-brainer and a great place to start.

The recipe came from a pin that led to The Cutting Edge of Ordinary with her blog linking to The Noble Pig for the original recipe.

The basic recipe is copied below for your convenience:

Gnocchi Mac n' Cheese

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 pound purchased or homemade Gnocchi

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon All-purpose flour

3/4 cup Milk

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

1/4 cup shredded Fontina cheese

Salt & white pepper to taste

1/3 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Basil leaves for garnish, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and place gnocchi in a single-layer in a 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and Dijon. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Combine Gruyere and fontina, then add by the handful to milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful. Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with salt and pepper.

Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano over top. Bake gnocchi until they puff and cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let gnocchi rest for 5 minutes before serving.

And finally, my food taken with Instagram (hmmm...I might also be a social media junkie).

Thanks for reading!