Spicy Sausage and Balsamic Peppers & Onions Sandwich

This is a sandwich of my own creation.  Sweet, savory, spicy, and cheesy.  It's almost the perfect sandwich.  

It's pretty messy, so I like to make mine open face. But if you don't mind all kinds of awesome juices running down your arms while you're eating then, by all mean, plop a bun on top of that bad boy and have at it!

Spicy Sausage and Balsamic Peppers & Onions Sandwich


¼ Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Cut Lengthwise Into 1/2 –Inch Slices
2 Or 3 Jalepeno Peppers, Cut Lengthwise Into 1/2 –Inch Slices
1 Large Onion, Cut Lengthwise Into 1/2 –Inch Slices
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
¼ Teaspoon Salt
1 Pound Hot Italian Sausage
4 To 6 Fresh Kaiser Rolls
1 Pound Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced











In a large skillet, stir together the olive oil, peppers and onions over medium heat. Season with pepper and salt (I used Tony Chachere, instead).  

Saute the pepper for 5-7 minutes, until they are tender but still firm. Stir in the balsamic vinegar; cook for an additional 1 minute. Set aside.


Form the sausage into thin patties.  Cook sausage patties in a heavy large skillet over medium heat, about 7 to 10 minutes. Top with mozzarella and allow cheese to melt slightly.

Split the rolls in half lengthwise. Top with a sausage patty and a spoonful of peppers & onions.

Serve open face or top with another bun.  Serve sandwiches immediately.

Roasted Red Peppers with Garlic

These roasted peppers are better than any I've had.  They're super flavorful and mouthwatering good!

Roasted Red Peppers with Garlic

6 Large Red Bell Peppers

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

6 Large Garlic Cloves, Thinly Sliced Crosswise

1/4 Cup Sherry Wine Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss peppers with 1/4 cup olive oil in bowl. Transfer peppers to large rimmed baking sheet. Roast peppers until partially charred, rotating every 10 minutes, about 30 minutes.

Transfer peppers to reserved bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Cool 15 minutes. 




Peel and seed peppers over bowl. Cut each pepper lengthwise into 6 strips. 

Transfer pepper strips to heavy large skillet. Strain liquid from bowl into skillet. 

Add garlic, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to skillet. 

Simmer over medium heat until liquid becomes syrupy, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes.

Keep at room temperature if serving within a few hours.  Otherwise transfer to a container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Use in a salad, on a sandwich or alone as a side dish.

Mixed Pepper Hot Sauce

We like spicy food.  In fact, we put hot sauce or hot peppers in almost everything.  I grew and harvested a lot of hot peppers this year . . . jalapenos, habaneros and Hungarian wax peppers.  Plus a friend was generous to give us cherry peppers from their garden.  

This season I've pickled peppers, stuffed peppers, water canned peppers . . . so much good hot stuff!

This year I decided to make and can my own hot sauce.  And, because I had such a mixture of peppers ripen all at the same time I wanted to utilize all of them in making the sauce.  The result was a spicy, flavorful sauce that wasn't over-the-top but indeed very spicy!

Mixed Pepper Hot Sauce (15 Pints)

8 Whole Habanero Peppers
8 Whole Jalapeño Peppers
8 Whole Cherry Peppers
10 Whole Hungarian Wax Peppers
3 Tablespoon Salt
4 Medium Onion, Halved
8 Cloves Garlic, Smashed
8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
6 Medium Tomatoes, Quartered
4 Cups Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar


Wash peppers in cold water.  Remove the stems but leave whole.

Preheat your oven to 450°F. Grease or line a couple of cookie sheets.  

Distribute the onion, garlic and tomatoes in a single layer on the cookie sheets. 

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cookie sheet in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, or until the onion pieces are well roasted.

Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and place the roasted vegetables in a blender along with the rest of the ingredients on the list.   You’ll need to do this in 2 or 3 batches.

Blend until the mixture is pureed.  Pour into a sauce pan and heat to a high simmer.

While the sauce is heating up get the canning jars, lids and rings ready.  I used pint sized jars for the hot sauce.   The jars should be either sterilized in a high temperature wash dishwasher cycle or in boiling water for at least 5 minutes.  In a separate pot, the lids should be boiled for at least five minutes, as well.  


For processing the filled jars, bring a large pot of water to a boil.  

Fill the sanitized jars within a 1/4 inch of the top with the hot sauce. Wipe the lips of the jar with a clean dry cloth or paper towel. Then put the lids and rings on.  Screw on the rings finger tight only.

Put the jars in the canner then put the lid on.  When the pot has reached a full boil set the time to process the sauce for 15 minutes (sea level).

 

When the processing time is up lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight).  I normally let them sit for at least 12 hours.   You can then remove the rings if you like to reuse.

Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. 

Finally, store them in a cool, dark place.  Enjoy all year!

How my garden grows . . . lotsa beans, lotsa 'maters and lotsa hot peppers

My morning visit to the garden was fruitful . . . literally!  I filled up a five gallon bucket with beans, tomatoes, peppers . . . plus one zucchini and three cucumbers.

I know what I'll be doing tonight!  That would be standing in a hot, steamy kitchen stuffing jars full of fresh, healthy goodness!

It's all good . . . the pantry is filling up.  This winter . . . and next . . . we'll have tomato sauce, chili and pickles.  Lots and LOTS of pickles.

WOOT!



Oh . . . speaking of peppers.  I'm gonna have a bucket full of habaneros soon . . . yay!

Hungarian Stuffed Peppers - Toltott Paprika

My girlfriend gave me six big bell peppers from her garden the other day.  My husband loves stuffed bell peppers and that's exactly what I knew I wanted to do with them.  

He's Hungarian and nobody can make them like his mom or grandmother.  Lord knows I've tried to come close.  My background is Czechoslovakian and Danish . . . my mom and grandmother made their stuff peppers much differently than what Hubby describes.  

So, I keep looking for a recipe that he likes . . . and guess what?  I found one.  These were the best stuffed peppers I've ever made and the sauce was lick-my-plate good!

In fact, the only suggestion that Hubby offered was that he would like more sauce in with the meat mixture . . . no problem, I'll do that next time.

But from now on, this is my go-to recipe for stuffed peppers!


Hungarian Stuffed Peppers - Toltott Paprika

6 Bell Peppers

1 Small Onion, Finely Chopped

1 1/2 Pound Meatloaf Mix Ground Meat (Veal, Pork, Beef)

1/2 Cup Uncooked Rice, Rinsed

1 Large Egg, Beaten

1 Teaspoon Sweet Or Hot Hungarian Paprika (I Used Hot)

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Clove Garlic, Finely Chopped

1 Tomato Chopped

1 Family Sized Can Of Cream Of Tomato Soup

8 Oz Sour Cream

Wash peppers. Cut off tops; discard the seeds and stem. Set tops aside. Season cavities lightly with salt and pepper.  I used Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning for this, but I use it as a substitute for salt and pepper for almost  everything.

Add onion, tomato, meat, rice, egg, paprika, salt, pepper and garlic to bowl with pepper tops. Mix well. 

Stuff peppers lightly with meat mixture because rice will expand.  Put pepper tops on top of meat mixture.  If you have any leftover meat filling, form it into meatballs. 

Place peppers and any meatballs in a small slow cooker. Pour undiluted soup over peppers. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (mine took 10). (This also can be cooked in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour or on the stovetop for 1 hour.)

When the peppers are done remove them from the crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm.

Take a about a cup of the sauce from the crockpot and allow to cool a little.  When it's cool enough to dip your finger in without burning stir in the sour cream little by little.  This is so that the sour cream doesn't curdle.    When the sour cream is fully incorporated stir in the rest of the source a little a time.

Serve peppers with a ladleful of sour cream sauce.  We like our stuffed peppers with mashed potatoes!  Yum!

...and the entire rigmarole disgusted me.

Today is tax day in the good ol’ U.S.-of-A.  The long and short of it?  It’s a day when we . . . the hardworking citizens of this great land . . .  get to figure out what we’ve earned vs. what we owe our bloated government.  It’s a lot of rigmarole to go through . . . but we all have to do it . . . well, the 52% of those of us who actually pay taxes, that is.

Rigmarole . . . a word that seems to be nonsensical but it is, in fact, a sensical word.  It is variation of a medieval term . . . Ragman’s Roll.

For those of you who have some knowledge of Scottish history . . . or have at the very least watched the movie Braveheart . . . you may have some familiarity with the term.

In 1291, before John Balliol took the Scots throne, each of the Scottish nobility and gentry had to recognize Edward I as their sovereign.  They signed a series of scrolls that included the English statutes to which that agreed to abide by.  The document was known as the Rageman.

Rageman was further used during Edward’s reign on a document that appointed official justices.  Rageman Roll eventually became the common term for the court documents . . . or scrolls . . . on which accusations were officially recorded.

In a mockery of the Ragman's Rolls . . . a game with the same name was played.  It involved a pile of rolled-up pieces of paper tied with string.  Each scroll, purportedly written by King Ragman, was inscribed with the description of a character written in verse. Each person would choose a roll and read what was written inside.  The contents were supposed to reveal the reader's "true nature," aloud to the great merriment of the group.  Ah . . . simpler times. 

Philly Cheese Steak Casserole

1lb Wide Egg Noodles

1-1/2 Lb. Beef, Boneless Sirloin Steak, About 3/4 Inch Thick

1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

2 Medium Onions, Chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced or Finely Chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, Chopped

1 (14 Oz.) Can Reduced Beef Broth

1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Half-And-Half

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

2 Cups Cheddar Cheese, Reduced-Fat Or Regular, Shredded

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. 

Cook and drain noodles as directed on package.

Meanwhile, remove any fat from beef.  Cut beef into 3/4 inch pieces.

Cook beef and pepper in skillet 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is lightly brown.  Stir in onions and bell pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Spoon into baking dish.

In medium bowl, beat broth and flour with wire whisk until smooth.  Add to skillet and heat to boiling.  Cook, stirring constantly, 

until mixture thickens.  Remove from heat.

Stir in half-and-half and mustard. Spoon over beef mixture.  Stir in cooked noodles.  Cover and bake for 40 minutes.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake uncovered about 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.

Balls to the wall

Balls to the Wall is an expression that refers to an all-out effort . . . giving it all you’ve got.

The origin of this idiom . . . like many . . . is debatable.  However, the most widely accepted explanation is based in aviation.  On airplanes, the throttle control handles  . . . or joystick . . . and the fuel mixture are often topped with grips that are ball shaped.  When a pilot pushes the ball into the full thrust position . . . towards the firewall . . .  it pushes the aircraft to go as fast as possible.

On a side-note, if you've ever wondered why a joy stick is called thusly . . . well, chances are that is indeedy a vulgar term . . . the obvious implication that a (male) pilot was gripping the stick between his legs; his joystick.

Another explanation involves steam engines.  These engines have a mechanical regulator that utilize of a pair of hinged lever arms with a ball on the end of each arm.  As the engine speeds up, centrifugal force causes the arms to rise up closing a valve.  The regulator can be adjusted so that the arms go to horizontal (with the balls pointing to the wall) without closing the valve.  This adjustment does not limit the speed of the engine so that it can go full force.

A similar explanation refers the automatic speed control for a diesel-generator . . . like those used on submarines.  Inside the hydraulic governor round counterweights are attached to a vertical drive shaft. The weights (balls) are on hinged arms. As the engine spins, the drive shaft spins and slings the balls outward toward the walls of the governor housing. The faster the engine turns, the closer the balls get to the wall, i.e., engine at high speed, balls to the wall.