I have tried exactly three different recipes for Sloppy Joe's. The first is from my friend Miss B. She informed me that it was her mom's recipe. It is called Old Fashioned Sloppy Joe's. I have to say that it is completely yummy. This recipe tastes exactly how I would want a Sloppy Joe to taste. The only negative about this recipe is that it isn't exactly healthy. That is why I tried Martha Stewart's Turkey Sloppy Joe's. They didn't quite live up to my expectations nor did they live up to D's expectations. He was highly disappointed and asked if he could put BBQ sauce on them. Sheesh! I am going to combine the two recipes next time to get a healthier version of a completely yummy Sloppy Joe. That is my best solution to the problem. What I'm thinking is to go with the ground turkey from Martha's recipe and also keep the carrot and minced garlic but I'll use the condiment measurement's from Miss B's recipe. That will hopefully make a less unhealthy yet delicious dinner!
The third sloppy joe recipe I tried was from Rachel Ray's Cooking Rocks! Kids cookbook. I blogged about it several weeks ago. That recipe was quite good.
Just as an "aside" my husband never likes any of the Martha Stewart recipes I make. Once when we first got married, I tried her key lime pie recipe. How can you go wrong with key lime pie, I ask?? Well, my darling hubby absolutely hated it. I'm not sure if it was just because he knew it was a "Martha" recipe or if he really didn't like it. I actually wound up giving away that Martha Stewart Cook Book a few years ago.
Old Fashioned Sloppy Joes
by Miss B
Serves 4-6
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped finely
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs vinegar
2 tbs brown sugar (packed)
3 tbs Worcestershire Sauce (I use organic)
1 cup ketchup
1/2 tbs prepared mustard
Dash red pepper sauce (optional)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Brown ground beef with onions. Drain.
Add all other ingredients and simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Serve on hamburger bun.
TURKEY SLOPPY JOES
by Martha Stewart
Prep: 15 Mins
Total: 30 Mins
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 carrots, coarsely grated (2 cups)
1 medium onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 pound ground turkey (93% lean, dark meat)
1 can (28 ozs) crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
4 whole-wheat hamburger rolls, split
1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; add carrots, onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add turkey; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 12 to 14 minutes. Serve on whole-wheat rolls.
I also made fresh white corn on the cob with this. The corn was really good :)
Enjoy!
The Creative Cook
Friday, August 14, 2009
Blueberry Week
Do you know what scones are supposed to taste like? If I remember correctly from way back when I was in England, they are dense and a bit dry. I remember needing to put butter on them. I made these scones yesterday but they came out soft and doughy. Not what I had anticipated. It is very hard for me to tell you what they should have been like since the only scones I have eaten recently are from our local grocery store. I thought these scones tasted good but not like what I thought scones are supposed to taste like. They also did not come out very "pretty". I'm quite sure this is all my fault. I did take the butter out of the fridge a bit early so I'm thinking they got doughy because the butter wasn't cold enough. If you know something about how scones should taste/mouth feel, please let me know. I need someone from England to comment on this post! If not, I'm going to have to try making these again or maybe try another scone recipe. D likes the idea of chocolate chip scones so maybe you'll see a recipe for those on here soon. I found a website that gives some tips and suggestions about how to bake and eat scones. Check it out here. I really wish I had read this before I baked these scones!
I also need to tell you that when I went shopping for cardamom, I was very surprised. I found it in only two stores. That in itself wasn't surprising. The really surprising part was the price! I could NOT justify buying a bottle of cardamom for $12.00!! Especially since I am pretty sure I'll never use it again. The cheapest I could find it around here was $11.00 at the local Shoppers Food Warehouse. I did some research (afterwards) and found out that it is one of the most expensive spices. I always thought that honor belonged to saffron. I found out that the TWO most expensive spices are saffron and pure vanilla. Cardamom comes in third. I did further research and found out that you can substitute nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, or mace for cardamom. Apparently, though it has its own unusual taste it is fairly similar to those spices. The website that I read about it on suggests starting with half of the recommended amount. I simply used nutmeg. Since I know that I like nutmeg, I went ahead and used the full 1/4 tsp.
Here is what I found out about cardamom: "Cardamom -The third most expensive spice used frequently in East Indian, Scandinavian, Arabic and Central African cuisines. It is an essential ingredient in Arabic coffee and the scent is most enticing."
BLUEBERRY DESSERT SCONES
Makes 16
Active: 15 Mins.
Total: 1 hr. (includes chilling)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
¼ tsp each ground cardamom and salt
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1-1/2 cups blueberries
¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp heavy cream
2 large eggs
¼ tsp almond or vanilla extract
1. Line two small baking sheets with parchment paper. In large bowl, whisk flour, 1/3 cup sugar, the baking powder, zest, cardamom and salt until combined. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently fold in blueberries.
2. In 2-cup glass measure, whisk ¾ cup cream, eggs and extract until blended; slowly stir in dry ingredients just until a wet dough comes together. Divide in half.
3. With floured hands, transfer dough to each prepared baking sheet. Pat each into a 6-1/4 inch round, a scant 1 in. thick. With floured knife, cut each round into 8 wedges. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
4. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush dough with remaining 1 Tbsp cream and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp sugar. Bake 24 minutes, or until scones are golden and a pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm.
I also need to tell you that when I went shopping for cardamom, I was very surprised. I found it in only two stores. That in itself wasn't surprising. The really surprising part was the price! I could NOT justify buying a bottle of cardamom for $12.00!! Especially since I am pretty sure I'll never use it again. The cheapest I could find it around here was $11.00 at the local Shoppers Food Warehouse. I did some research (afterwards) and found out that it is one of the most expensive spices. I always thought that honor belonged to saffron. I found out that the TWO most expensive spices are saffron and pure vanilla. Cardamom comes in third. I did further research and found out that you can substitute nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, or mace for cardamom. Apparently, though it has its own unusual taste it is fairly similar to those spices. The website that I read about it on suggests starting with half of the recommended amount. I simply used nutmeg. Since I know that I like nutmeg, I went ahead and used the full 1/4 tsp.
Here is what I found out about cardamom: "Cardamom -The third most expensive spice used frequently in East Indian, Scandinavian, Arabic and Central African cuisines. It is an essential ingredient in Arabic coffee and the scent is most enticing."
BLUEBERRY DESSERT SCONES
Makes 16
Active: 15 Mins.
Total: 1 hr. (includes chilling)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1-1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
¼ tsp each ground cardamom and salt
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1-1/2 cups blueberries
¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp heavy cream
2 large eggs
¼ tsp almond or vanilla extract
1. Line two small baking sheets with parchment paper. In large bowl, whisk flour, 1/3 cup sugar, the baking powder, zest, cardamom and salt until combined. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently fold in blueberries.
2. In 2-cup glass measure, whisk ¾ cup cream, eggs and extract until blended; slowly stir in dry ingredients just until a wet dough comes together. Divide in half.
3. With floured hands, transfer dough to each prepared baking sheet. Pat each into a 6-1/4 inch round, a scant 1 in. thick. With floured knife, cut each round into 8 wedges. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
4. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush dough with remaining 1 Tbsp cream and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp sugar. Bake 24 minutes, or until scones are golden and a pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm.
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