I first heard of Mashed Potato Salad when we lived in Lancaster, PA,  the heart of Amish Country.  I never had occasion to try it.  However, a week or so ago I had a bunch of leftover mashed potatoes and I remembered this odd dish and did a Google search for a recipe.   They all seemed to treat the mashed potato salad like 'regular' potato salad--adding hard boiled eggs and pickles--and I wanted something different, so I decided to see what I could come up with.

Confetti Bacon Ranch Mashed Potato Salad

Start with cold leftover mashed potatoes

Add:

Finely diced red and green peppers, celery, red onion, carrot, and bacon bits (or crumbled bacon)

Stir together and dress:

Dressing will be 1 part mayo or sour cream to 2 parts ranch dressing

Amounts of add-in ingredients will vary depending on how many mashed potatoes you start with.  If you try this, let me know how you like it.  

Here's a nice summery side dish, especially if you've got fresh herbs growing in your garden:

Herbed Lemon Orzo

Prepare one cup of orzo according to the package instructions, substituting chicken broth for the water.

While that's cooking, zest and juice one lemon.  Collect an assortment of fresh herbs from the garden, enough for about 2 big tablespoons. (I used curly parsley, chives, thyme, rosemary, and basil.)  Wash, pat dry, and rough chop.

Drain the orzo, sprinkle with zest and herbs and give it a good squirt of extra virgin olive oil.  Add lemon juice and toss.  (I also added a sprinkle of crushed red peppers because we like things hot, but you could leave that out).

It's pretty, it's simple; the flavor reminds me of unadulterated summer.   I served it along side a pork loin roast last night with a garden salad and steamed zucchini and it was just right.

Today I felt creative.  I wanted to make something new for lunch, so I scrounged around in the fridge looking for interesting stuff.

Here's what I pulled out:
leftover diced onion
a jar of diced garlic
butter
about a half cup of broccoli
a container of shredded parmesean
a container of those cute little mozzarella balls in water
some hard salami 

Here's what I pulled out and put back:
capers (I decided I didn't want them since I couldn't find any sun dried tomatoes)
roasted red pepper strips (past their prime--they got tossed)

Then I poked around in the cupboard.

Here's what I pulled out:
pecans
walnuts
basil fettucini 

Here's what I put back:
pecans and walnuts (because what I really wanted was pine nuts) 

Here's what I came up with:

Hard Salami and Fettucini Toss

Put water on to boil. 

Sweat onions and garlic in 1 T. butter and 1 T. olive oil for a few minutes.

In the mean time, cut sliced salami into strips and separate them.  Then brown them in another pan until fat is rendered and they are getting crispy.  Drain on paper towels and set aside. 

Add about a 1/4 c. chicken broth and 1/4 c. dry vermouth to onions and garlic. Turn down very low and let it reduce while the pasta water comes to a boil.  Oh, add broccoli now.  And crushed red pepper to taste.

Cook the pasta according to the package, only drain when it still has about 2 minutes to go. (I had basil fettucini on hand but you could use any noodle-y pasta) Don't rinse.  Add to the vegetable/broth pan and cover. It'll finish cooking in this pan and will thicken the dish at the same time.)

After two minutes, move the pasta mixture to a large bowl,  then toss in about five or six mozzarella balls, (cut into fourths) a large handful of shredded parmesean, and the salami.  Toss together quickly and serve, topped with a mixture of freshly chopped chives and parsley if you have some on hand.

No pictures.  We ate it all.  It was yummy. 

Ann is hosting this month's Recipe Round-up and has chosen International Recipes as her theme:  recipes unique either to the part of the world or country you live or where you’re from originally

I've shared this one before, but what could be more Mid-Western American than Hot dogs with Coney Sauce? 

A & W Coney Sauce

2 small onions, finely chopped
5 lbs. hamburger
64 ounces Hunt's tomato Paste
64 ounces Hunt's Tomato Puree
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. cider vinegar
2 T. chili powder
1 T. pepper 1
T. celery seed 3 T. plus 1 t. salt

Brown hamburger and onions in a very large skillet, drain. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 3 1/2 hours. Stir frequently as it will tend to stick. (I put it all in my roaster so I don't have to stir it) This freezes very well.  Serve over hot dogs in steamed buns and top with diced onion.

If you want to make this an authentic meal, serve with a bag of popcorn and icy cold A&W Root Beer.   A root beer float would be even better!

I think we all know by now that not all fats are created equal.  There are fats and then there are, well, fats. The good fats are monounsaturated fats (or MUFAs).  MUFAs are found in plant foods such as olives, avocados, nuts, oils such as olive oil and safflower oil, and chocolate.*

One serving of a MUFA rich food with each meal can actually help you lose weight and get healthier!  Really!  In order for MUFAs to work their magic, though, you must pay attention to serving size:

One serving equals:

oil:  1 T

avocado: 1/4 c.

olives:  10 large

nuts: 2 tablespoons

chocolate: 1/4 cup (must be dark or semi-sweet--no cheating!*) 

Here's a recipe I've come up with that is tasty and will help you get your MUFAs.  Serving size: 1/3 cup.

Creamy Avocado Salad

1/2 ripe avocado, diced

1/2 small tomato, diced

10 black olives, sliced

lots of chopped chives

1 tablespoon bleu cheese crumbles

1 tablespoon ranch dressing.

Toss together and serve as a MUFA-rich side dish. 

Makes about three servings 

A week from today, Ann will be hosting our next Recipe Round-up.  She's chosen an international theme:  Recipes Around The World.

To be included in the Recipe Round Up just send her your contribution in the comments at the link above or email it to her by 8am BST Thursday May 15th.

I'm going to play it safe and post mine on the 14th because I don't want to take the time to figure out how 8 am BST compares to CST.  (Oh, and there's a giveaway, too!)

: D 

Today's the day for this month's Recipe Round-up:  Sandwiches!

Our hostess is Dorothy, at Field Stone Cottage. Be sure to leave a link to your recipe over there!

I couldn't make up my mind about which sandwich recipe to share, so I went back and sorted through all of the recipes I've shared here and thought I'd share the links in this post and then add one new recipe.

First; the links:

Sloppy Giuseppes
a sloppy joe made with homemade sausage

Grilled Chicken Sandwich
a grilled chicken sandwich with pesto and bruschetta topping

Tea Party Sandwiches
Deviled Chicken with Pecans on Brown Bread
Salmon with Cucumbers on White Bread
Queen Adelaide Sandwich on Rye Bread

Hot Dogs with A&W coney sauce
if you like coney sauce--really like it--this is a great recipe.  It makes a boatload, but it's nice to have some in the freezer.

The new recipe I'll be sharing is delicious and probably a bit unexpected.  Well, maybe not.  If you've read Hiraeth for very long, you'll know I like to make leftovers into something entirely new and different.  This is one of those leftover creations that has become a favorite in its own right.

Chicken Spinach Pecan Wrap 

It starts with leftover chicken and leftover salad:

Spinach Salad with roasted red peppers, sweet onion, bacon and pecans dressed with homemadesweet and sour celery seed dressing. 

Dressing:

1/2 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
1 cup oil    
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon celery seed (or poppy seed)

Wisk together and chill.

When you are making the wrap, you could put it together with fresh salad, but for some reason, if you refrigerate the salad with the dressing on it, it just tastes better.  Add chicken to the salad--leftover from last night's meal, grilled and cubed, whatever you've got--and roll it all together in a whole wheat wrap.

Yum! 

”America is a confirmed sandwich nation. Everywhere you go you find sandwich stands, sandwich shops, and nine out of ten people seem to stick to the sandwich-and-glass-of-milk or cup-of-coffee luncheon.”
James Beard (1903-1985)

Good thing Dorothy chose sandwiches for this month's Recipe Round-up then,  eh?

Yes, it's sandwiches this month!  Dorothy, at Field Stone Cottage, will be hosting our Round-up next Thursday.  You can find all the details by clicking on the link.

Yes, Americans eat a lot of sandwiches.  To many Americans, lunch IS a sandwich--from the humble PB and J to the most exotic wraps, sandwiches are a staple here. 

Having said that, though, I had to go hunting for a good sandwich quote for this post since I only had one sandwich quote in my collection:

“Sonny, true love is the greatest thing, in the world -- except for a nice MLT -- mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is lean and the tomato is ripe.”
Miracle Max

Here are a few more:

"Too few people understand a really good sandwich."
James Beard

“Hors D'oeuvre: A ham sandwich cut into forty pieces”
Jack Benny

“In Spain, attempting to obtain a chicken salad sandwich, you wind up with a dish whose name, when you look it up in your Spanish-English dictionary, turns out to mean: Eel with big abscess.”
Dave Barry

“Life is like a sandwich - the more you add to it, the better it becomes.”

 How about our international friends?  Do you like sandwiches?  I'm looking forward to adding some international fare to my own sandwich repetoire. (Well, maybe, except if you're from Spain)

This is our 1 year anniversary for the Round-up, so Rebecca, the "founder of the feast" is giving away a cookbook to some lucky participant.  You'll have to go visit Dorothy to find out the details.

Related Tags:  Recipe Round-up recipes sandwiches quotes 

Look what I found at Rosemary's this morning:  a new toy!

This chart was generated at the website, Calorie-Count.com.

To give it a try, I chose a very simple recipe--basic crepes.  Partly because it is a simple and straightforward recipe and partly because I've been making crepes a lot lately (one fits very nicely on my little brown plate).   

106 calories isn't much, is it?  Now, let's compare that to one FILLED Creamy Spicy Sausage Crepe:

Add them both together and one filled crepe--well, you do the math. (Recipe gets an A+, but the filling gets a Nutrition Grade of D+.  Must've been the veggies that saved it from total failure!)

Thanks, Rosemary! 

The connection between Corned Beef Hash and Hiraeth--the saga continues.

Search engine queries for corned beef hash are legendary here at Hiraeth.  I don't think a day goes by that I don't have several hits due to corned beef hash.  All year long and from all corners of the globe.  It's apparently very popular in the Middle East; Iraq, Iran, Turkey--places I wouldn't expect it to be known, let alone (apparently) craved. 

 During the run up to Saint Patrick's Day it was nuts.  A few days before St. Patrick's day a full 58 percent of all hits on my blog came from searches for corned beef hash recipes.

I expected it to drop way back once St. Patrick's Day was over but the volume of corned beef hash hits has not abated--until today.

I am happy to report that, apparently, the whole world realizes that if one is going to use one's leftover corned beef to make hash,  one needs to do it within a week of preparing the corned beef in the first place.

I guess more people listen to their moms' "one week" rule than I thought! 

Basic Crepe Recipe (or make your own favorite basic crepes)

1 c. all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. water
1/4 salt
2 tablespoons melted butter 

(makes about 8 crepes; Nutrition Facts are for crepes only)

 

The filling is my own concoction:

Prepare crepes ahead of time.  Keep warm. 

Saute' 1/4 c. (each) finely diced sweet onion and red pepper in 1 t. butter and 1 t. olive oil. until tender.  Cook 4 spicy sausage patties in microwave and dice.  Add to onions and peppers.  Add about 2 oz. cream cheese, cubed, and a handful of shredded mild cheddar to the pan and then add enough half and half to make a cheese sauce.  (Let the cheese melt and only add enough of the half and half to bring it all together--you know what it should look like)

Fill crepes and serve immediately topped with room temperature sour creme, thinned with a little milk.

(As always, all measurements are approximate--I don't measure when I cook)

This month's Recipe Round up is taking place at The Accidental Pastor's Wife; theme:  Side dishes.

I don't think one can ever have too many side dish recipes, so I'm really looking forward to collecting some new recipes in this category.

A while back I posted the recipe for one of my favorite holiday side dishes, my mother's famous Scalloped Cabbage. Most people love it even if they think they don't like cabbage.

Continuing with the family recipes, here's another one. this time from my sister-in-law, Susan.

Mock Pierogies:

1 box of jumbo shells, cooked and cooled 8-10 med.-lg. potaoes, peeled, cubed, and cooked as you would for mashed

1 jar Cheese Whiz

Mash potatoes with Cheese Whiz; chill mixture in frig.

Fill shells with cheese/potato mixture

Put filled shells in buttered 13x9 pan.   Top with lg. onion, sliced and sauteed in butter.   Sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs.   Bake at 350 for 20-30 min., or till heated through (I usually bake mine covered until the last few minutes) .

Here's own of my own: 

Sweet Potato Rounds: 

Scrub one large sweet potato and remove spots and eyes but leave skin.

Slice thinly and place in mixing bowl.

Heat about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and add 4 or 5 whole, peeled cloves of garlic. "Fry" the garlic in the hot oil until browned on all sides. Fish out the browned garlic and discard (or spread on a cracker for a snack while you're waiting for supper to cook!)

Toss the sweet potato rounds in the hot oil, then place on a foil covered sheet pan (single layer) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes @ 350 degrees. Remove foil and return to oven for another 15-20 minutes or until browned.

The sweet potato meat is creamy and melts in your mouth. Really good with pork tenderloin.

You could also slice up a couple of red potatoes and roast together with the sweet potatoes. 

This recipe has been part of our family since the boys were very, very young.  It comes from their very own cookbook, "My First Cookbook" by Rena Coyle.  The original recipe  includes all the special instructions a child requires (have Mom put the oven at 350 degrees. . .put the oven mitts on. . .)

I'm assuming that everyone already knows all the safety rules about baking, so I'm going to cut it down to the basics:

Cinnamon Honey Scones

1 3/4 c. flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

6 T. butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

Mix all dry ingredients together.  Add butter and mix together with fingers.  Add honey, egg, and milk.

Drop by large soupspoons-ful.  Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serve warm with butter and honey. 

Makes about 8 scones. 

At last year's St. Patrick's Day Dinner I served Spinach Soup with Green Onions. This year we're having Asparagus Soup. This is a new recipe for me. My friend, Carol, brought it to our last fellowship dinner and it was SPECTACULAR!

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Cook in covered saucepan:

1 lb. fresh asparagus, chopped

1/4 c. chopped onion

1 c. chicken broth

When asparagus is just tender, if desired, press through food mill or blend until smooth.

Heat in saucepan

2 T. butter

2 T. flour

1/2 t. salt

pepper to taste

Stir in:

1 additional cup chicken broth

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches boing point.

Stir in:

asparagus puree

1 c. milk

Stir a little hot mixture into 1/2 c. sour cream or plain yogurt

Stir into hot mixture. Add:

1 t. fresh lemon juice

Heat just to serving temperature, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with fresh chives.

Option: Tough ends of asparagus may be included if blender or food mill is used.

Here's another fabulous recipe from Carol:

Lemon Bon-Bon Cookies

1 c. butter

1/3 c. powdered sugar

3/4 c. cornstarch

1 c. sifted flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Oven: 325

-- Cream 1 c. butter and 1/3 c. powdered sugar till light and fluffy. Sift together cornstarch, flour and salt; add to butter/sugar mixture. Mix well.

-- Form into marble sized balls. Press down with floured fork. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet till set, not brown, approximately 20 minutes.

Icing/Glaze

1 Tbsp. butter, melted, but not hot

1 c. powdered sugar, sifted

juice and rind of one lemon

Mix above ingredients well and gently brush onto cookies.

I suspect that this Saturday morning, many families of bloggers will be sitting down to breakfast spreads fit for a King!

Today is the day for the Big Bloggy Breakfast Recipe Round-up, hosted at Home But Not Alone.

 Here are some of my favorite scone recipes :

Elmwood Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 Tablespoons unsalted cold butter
1/2 cups currants
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 Tablespoon cream
1 Tablespoon sugar
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt and soda.  With a pastry blender, cut in butter, mixing it until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Mix in currants.
 
Whisk buttermilk and egg together, then add to flour mixture.  Stir together until a soft ball of dough forms.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently, turning five or six times.
 
Roll out dough with a floured rolling pin to about 1/2 inch thickness, Using a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut scones out and place on baking sheet.  Brush the tops lightly with cream and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 10 -12 minutes or until light brown.  Serve warm with lemon curd, Devonshire cream, (recipes below) .

Makes about one dozen depending on size of cutter.

Devonshire Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons  vanilla extract
1       8 -ounce carton sour cream
 
Beat whipping cream sugar, and vanilla until stiff.  Fold sour cream into this mixture and refrigerate.  Serve with warm scones.

Lemon Curd

3 eggs                                               
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
 
In top part of a double boiler, beat eggs until frothy.  Stir in lemon juice, sugar and melted butter.  Place over simmering water.  Stir constantly for 20 minutes.

The mixture should become slightly thickened.  Remove from heat and spoon into a pint-sized container.  Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.  Keeps well for two weeks.

Cheese scones

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 12 scones

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. each: cream of tartar, baking soda
1/4 tsp. each: ground red pepper, ground mustard, salt
3 Tbsps. unsalted butter, chilled
1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsps. milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, red pepper, mustard and salt into the bowl of a food processor with metal blade inserted; add 2 tablespoons of the butter. Pulse about five times until lumps resemble tiny peas. Add 1/2 cup milk; pulse. Add up to 3 tablespoons of additional milk until dough is soft but not sticky; add cheese. Pulse four times.

2. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place dough on floured surface; knead lightly two or three times. Roll dough to 3/4-inch thickness. Cut out scones with a 2-inch cutter. Leftover dough scraps can be rerolled for cutting.

3. Melt remaining tablespoon butter; brush over scone tops. Place scones on a greased baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes.  Serve warm with butter.

Sweet Potato Scones

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup cold butter
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
• 1/3 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, sweet potatoes and buttermilk; add to dry ingredients just until moistened. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; with lightly floured hands, knead dough 10-12 times. Pat into an 8-in. circle.

 

Cut into eight wedges.

Cut with floured knife.

Separate wedges and place 1 in. apart on a baking sheet lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 16-21 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

 

Serve warm with butter and honey or maple syrup.

 

Yield: 8 scones.

Cooks Notes:  You can substitute canned pumpkin for the sweet potatoes, but only use 3/4 c.  since pumpkin is moister than mashed sweet potatoes.  I add more spices because we just like more spice!  I add a whole tsp of cinnamon, 1/2 t. of ginger, and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg and cloves. 

These are not sweet scones--only 1/4 c. brown sugar.  Without the syrup, I would consider these a savory scone. 

 I'll be making some scones this morning, but it won't be 'til later.  I'll post a picture when I do.

Done! 

I never used to eat breakfast.  Two cups of strong, black coffee--down the hatch--was my morning routine for many years.

Even now, I'm not ready for breakfast when I get up.  I have my single cup of strong, black coffee as soon as I get up and have breakfast about three hours after I get up, around 9.  I don't like the typical American breakfast of cereal, juice and coffee.  I like a slice of toasted pumpernickel bread with cream cheese or a bran muffin.

I do love preparing brunches, though!  The egg dish, the fruit, the homemade baked goods.  Setting the table.  Drinking coffee in the kitchen while I'm cooking.  Conversation around the dining room table.  Newspapers scattered around, a second cup of coffee.  It's fun and cozy and there are many wonderful recipes for brunch, don't you think?

Mummymac is hosting the BBB Recipe Round up (Big Bloggy Breakfast ) tomorrow at Home But Not Alone.  I haven't decided which recipe(s) I'll be sharing, have you? 

See you there tomorrow! 

Here are a couple of my own soup creations.  I've been making this vegetarian vegetable soup for several years.  It's easy and delicious; low in calories and high in fiber.

Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

1 yellow squash, cubed
1 zucchini, cubed
1 large onion, diced
1 or 2 peppers, any color, diced
1 large can V-8 juice
1 can diced tomatoes 

Chop up the vegetables, open up the cans and dump them all in a pot and cook together until vegetables are soft.  Serve with crusty bread.  No sauteeing, no oil; just vegetables cooked in juice.  Yum.

Have that for lunch on Monday and then, with the leftovers, make Spicy Seafood Gumbo.

Spicy Seafood Gumbo 

Take the leftover soup out of the 'fridge, dump it in the food processor and puree until smooth.  While the soup is heating up, make two servings of rice in a separate pan according to package directions.

When the pureed soup is good and hot, add:

1 package of thawed, raw, diced fish filets (I use  orange roughy or red snapper because they are hearty and can stand up to stirring better than a delicate fish.) 

1 8 oz bag of frozen shrimp (since they are already cooked, you can add them frozen; they'll quickly thaw and heat through)

1 bag of frozen mussels with garlic and wine sauce (microwave while rice is cooking and soup is heating.  Remove mussels from shells and toss into the soup along with the sauce)

Sometimes I add scallops if I have them. 

Don't stir for at least five minutes to give the fish a chance to cook.  It doesn't take long!

Add cayenne pepper to taste (We like it HOT!)

Add the rice to the soup (don't rinse), stir the soup together and serve.

I've decided to share two recipes for this month's Recipe Round-up/Snackalicious Super Meals.  Be sure to check it out tomorrow!  Mr. Linky goes up at midnight tonight, so mosey on over there for some great recipes tomorrow!

The first one I'm sharing comes from NapaStyle and chef Michael Chiarello. We actually watched the Superbowl food episode last year and Tom thought these sandwiches looked good.  When they brought the episode back in re-runs, they looked even better, so this year I'm making these sandwiches for Superbowl Sunday Dinner.  If you want to see the chef prepare it, you've still got two chances to see this episode, so check out the schedule by following the link.

Sloppy Giuseppes

Ingredients:
Serves 6

1-1/2 lbs. ground beef sausage meat
1-1/2 tsp. fennel seed
2 Tbs. garlic, chopped
California chili powder
New Mexico chili powder
Grey salt
freshly-ground black pepper
1 medium onion, finely-chopped
1 Tbs. dried oregano
1/2-cup red wine
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes, pureed
chicken or beef broth, for thinning sauce
6 large soft buns

Directions:

   1. In a large bowl mix together the sausage meat, fennel seed, garlic, chili powders, salt and pepper.
   2. Cook sausage meat in a large sauté pan over medium heat until browned.
   3. Remove from pan and set aside. Drain off all but a tablespoon of the fat.
   4. Return pan to heat and add onions and dried oregano.
   5. Cook, stirring often, until onions are soft (about 5 minutes).
   6. Add the red wine.
   7. Stir in tomato paste and pureed tomatoes.
   8. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
   9. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes. If, mixture is too thick, thin with a little broth.
  10. Spoon over soft buns.

Chef's note: Substitute chicken or turkey meat ground fine for this sandwich.

*Viewer's note:  If I remember correctly, on the show the sloppy guiseppis were served open-faced over grilled crostini.  Regardless, that's how I'm going to serve them!

Here's a concotion of my own:

Crusty flat bread with Pizza Sauce

Prepare your favorite pizza dough and spread thinly on an oiled pizza pan.  Drizzle with good olive oil and a teaspoon of prepared, minced garlic.  Get your fingers in there and spread it evenly on the dough.  Sprinkle generously with crushed red pepper (if you like it hot!) or to taste if not.  Sprinkle with italian seasonings and bake at 425 degrees until crust is cooked through and crispy.  You'll want to start seeing a little browning going on.

Set aside to cool and then cut or break apart into randomly shaped, bite-sized pieces.  Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping.  Make two, or three.  These go very fast! 

"Just in time for this year's Super Bowl on February 3rd, Pensieve is hosting Snackalicious Super Dishes and Rebecca Writes' January's Recipe Round Up in one lip-smacking, crowd-pleasing carnival and YOU'RE invited!"

That's right; Robin is planning a one-two punch that involves !!PRIZES!! so be sure to click over and get all the details!  My own recipe(s) will be posted sometime later today.

Irish Indian food.  Have you ever had it?  No?  Neither had I.

In fact, I've never really eaten much Indian food (Irish or otherwise) but when I made my customary morning visit with mummymac at Home but Not Alone, I discovered an intriguing recipe for Beef Curry.

Beef, apples, onions, sultanas, mango chutney and, of course, copious amounts of curry.  To say I was intrigued is an understatement.  Whenever anyone tells me, "Everyone wants the recipe," well, that's my signal to spring into action.

So, after I met my friend Carol for a cup of coffee at Caribou, (have you tried their Obsidian?--it's fantastic!) it was off to Joseph's to look for mango chutney.

Oh!  I had such fun yesterday. Elaine and I chatted back and forth via email all afternoon as the aroma wafted through the house and our American stomachs growled.  And I learned a few things:

• Sultanas are raisins made from the sultana grape.

• Mango chutney is HOT!!

• Beef Curry is served over rice. 

• One should serve Naan bread with Beef Curry (next time)

• Americans think they need a salad with every meal.  (so true) 

• Sam, the pickiest eater in the family (and maybe on the face of the earth!) is growing up.  It's taken 17 years, but he's beginning to exhibit a willingness to try new foods (or maybe it was just the delicious aroma that wore down his resistance)

• We get up around their lunchtime, have lunch when it's their tea-time and have tea when they are going to bed. 

The recipe was pronounced an absolute success!  Other than a small pile of raisins on a couple of plates (the culprits shall remain nameless) we gobbled it up!  I meant to take pictures of the finished product, but we were in such a hurry to eat that I forgot to snap a picture.  However, I did take some pictures while I was making it:

Mmmm.  Sweet Mango Chutney.  This isn't the brand mummymac uses, but you can find it over here.  Try the international section of your grocery store.

Here we have the browned beef in the oh so well-loved Pampered Chef baking bowl awaiting the simmering sauce before popping it into the oven.

I was having so much fun making this and the sauce looked so cheerful bubbling away that I took a short video of the sauce, right after I added the broth to the apples and onions.   Daddymac was pretty sure the sauce was too thin and nearly panicked, but mummymac recognized the stage and calmed his fears.

The finished curry.

Spinach Salad with roasted red peppers, sweet onion, bacon and pecans
dressed with homemadesweet and sour celery seed dressing. 

Dressing:

1/2 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
1 cup oil    
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon celery seed   

Wisk together and chill.

A fabulous recipe made even more memorable by the lovely international conversation.

 Here's to you, Elaine, and Irish Indian cooking!