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.

Homemade Sloppy Joes

These were the tastiest sloppy joes ever.  Admittedly, making sloppy joes from scratch is a little more time consuming to make than to dump a can of Manwich into a pan, but it is oh so much better and really not all that difficult to make.  

I think it's the combination of sweet and sour that makes this recipe so good.  But it's the spiciness of the cayenne pepper that really sends it over the top!

Homemade Sloppy Joes



1 1/2 Pounds Extra Lean Ground Beef
1/2 Onion, Diced
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Green Pepper, Diced
1 Cup Water
1 Cup Ketchup
1 Dash Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt, Or To Taste
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 Cup Water
Cayenne Pepper To Taste 

Over medium heat, brown the green pepper in a large skillet until it starts to soften and brown a little.  

Add the garlic, onion and ground beef.  Cook and stir the mixture often until the beef is browned and forms small crumbles, about 10 minutes.

Add 1 cup water and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.











Stir in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper. 

Add an additional 1/2 cup water and return mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick, about 40 minutes.

Season with salt , black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.

Serve on a bun or open face on white bread.  

Perfect with potato chips.

Chicken Sandwich with Mozzarella and Roasted Red Pepper

This is one of my favorite sandwiches at the pub that hubby and I go to for date night each week.  Mine is like theirs, except on steroids!  

You can use jarred commercial red peppers but I recommend taking the time to make these roasted red peppers with garlic that I made!  They make quite a difference! 

Chicken Sandwich with Mozzarella and Roasted Red Pepper 


1/4 Cup Olive Oil
4 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breast Halves
1 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1 Egg, Beaten
4 Kaiser Rolls
4 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
4 1/2" Thick Slices Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
1 Cup Roasted Red Sweet Peppers 


Thinly slice the chicken breasts into cutlets, you should get about 3 to a breast.  Dip each cutlet in egg and then dredge in breadcrumbs to coat. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Slice the rolls in half.  Dip the bottom half of the roll into a plate with balsamic vinegar poured into it.

Place two of the cutlets on the bottom half of roll.  



Top that with a slice of mozzarella and 1/4 cup of roasted peppers. 

Cover with top of roll and serve.

Makes four sandwiches.

Tuna Egg Green Olive Sandwich

This takes regular ol' tuna sandwiches to a whole new level of yumminess.  Tuna, egg and green olives make for a filling, hearty sandwich worthy of any lunch!

Tuna Egg Green Olive Sandwich

1 (6 ounce) can tuna, drained
3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 Cup Chopped Green Olives
4 slices whole wheat bread or two pitas

In a medium bowl, shred the tuna with a fork.   Stir in eggs, celery, olives and mayonnaise. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Place half of the mixture onto 1 slice of bread and the other half on another slice of bread (or fill two pita pockets). Top with remaining slices of bread.  

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"White Castle" Breakfast Sliders

"White Castle" Breakfast Sliders

I made these awesome "White Castle" sliders for dinner but hubby and I couldn't finish them all.  So, I figured, "I bet they'll be good with an egg".  I wasn't wrong!

2 Leftover "White Castle" Sliders 
2 Sliced American Cheese
2 Eggs
Butter

This was simple as simple gets.  I heated up the leftover burgers in a skillet.  While they were warming up, I melted a bit of butter in the pan and cracked open a couple of eggs.  The burgers were warmed through by the time the eggs were cooked.  

Simply slide the burger onto the slider bun, top with a fried egg and a slice of cheese.

Breakfast slider nirvana right there on your plate!  

Enjoy!

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Homemade "White Castle" Sliders

Homemade "White Castle" Sliders

1 Packet Onion Soup Mix
2 Pounds Ground Chuck 
6 Slices American Cheese 
12 Slider Rolls
Dill Pickle Slices

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Mix the ground beef with the soup mix.  

Gently press the ground beef mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish.   Press it out evenly into a big patty. 

Stab all over with a fork. (or a drinking straw which is what they do with the original white castle sliders.) 

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Using a paper towel, pat the excess grease from the top of the patty, let set for 5 minutes then cut into patties. 

Using a spatula lift a patty onto each bun bottom. Top each slider with cheese and a pickle slice.  Top with ketchup and mustard, if desired. Then put on the bun lid. Serve immediately. 

Makes 12- 15 sliders depending on how big you cut them.

I served mine with salt and vinegar potatoes.  So good!

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Next to Myself I Like BVD Best

As far as underpants go . . . men's underpants . . . I personally prefer briefs or boxer briefs.  Boxers simply don't show enough . . . uhm . . . stuff.  Commando works too . . . I mean, that really and truly shows of the maximum amount of stuff.  


So as I contemplate my preference in under garments I am hearkened back to the television advertisements of my youth . . . 

The one I remember the most were the BVD commecials.  I began to wonder what BVD stands for?  Is it some random arrangement of letters?  Doubtful.  Does it stand for "back ventilated drawers"?  Plausible yes.


I know that theory sounds like something I randomly pulled out of my butt, but it's not really.  When you consider how long BVD's have been around.  The company was founded in 1876 in a time when under clothes known as long johns with drop seat in the backside were common.  


Another questionable hypotheses is that BVD stands for "body vest doodads" . . . well, you know what?  I'm not going there.


Actually, the acronym is simple enough.  It was named for the three gentlemen who owned the company that manufactured these garments.  They're names? Bradley, Vorhees & Day.  Mystery solved.


By the way . . . Fruit of the Loom purchased the BVD brand in 1976.

However, as an aside, it's interesting to note that long johns were also known as union suits.  Again, people not unlike myself have nothing better to do than ponder the origin of underwear, have theorized that union suits were so called  because supposedly General Grant accepted Robert E. Lee's surrender wearing nothing but his long underwear.  An amusing anecdote, but untrue.  The "union" in "union suit" most likely a natural association to the "unified" one-piece design of the garment.







Avocado and Feta Cheese on Toast

1 Small Baguette

1 Avocado

Juice of 1/2 a Lime

2 Teaspoons Chopped Mint

1/2 Cup Feta Cheese

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Coarse Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Slice baguette in half lengthwise, drizzle with olive oil and place in a 400 degree oven until lightly brown (5 to 10 minutes).


While the bread is in the oven, peel the avocado and scoop out the flesh with a spoon and put in a small bowl.


Mash the avocado with a fork and mix in the lime juice and mint. Crumble your cheese and fold it into the avocado mixture, leaving some bits chunky.


Spread the avocado mixture onto your toast and top with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.


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I wasn't cut out for it

Way back when I was young and greener than a granny smith apple,  I embarked on a career that I thought I would not only enjoy but excel at . . . I wanted to be a cosmetologist.  For those of you who think that has something to do with interstellar space travel or some such thing my career choice was nothing so lofty . . . I wanted to be a hairdresser.

I was good at my chosen profession; it gave me an outlet for my creativity.  The only problem I had at the onset was making conversation.  I actually had to talk to people.  Yeah . . . that was a hard one for me.  I was never one for making small take or initiating a conversation.  I forced myself and eventually was able to hold a decent conversation with complete strangers.

Not that I cared one whit about anything they had to say.  It was all me, me, me . . . blah blah blah . . . and more me, me, me.  So many people are completely narcissistic and I very quickly got tired of hearing people pissing and moaning about their petty problems . . . over and over and over again.

So, even though I was a very good hair stylist in the practical sense, I learned very early on was that I don’t overly like people.  Come to think of it, I don’t overly like touching them either.

Don’t think I’m a sociopath or anything.  I like my friends and I don’t mind touching people . . . just not strangers.   

A career change was inevitable . . . I needed to find a job where I didn’t have to deal with people on a close, interpersonal level.  I eventually got involved with computers . . . they do what you tell them to do and they don’t require incessant conversation. 

Ahhhh . . . sweet relief.

 

Yes, I have to deal with people on occasion and sometimes it gets to be trying . . . sometimes more than others.

But at least it’s usually not up close and personal and I don’t have to be touching them at the same time.

J  

Toasted Balsamic Chicken Bruschetta Sandwich

4 Chicken Breasts Cutlets

Pinch of Salt

¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar

¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Roma Tomatoes, Seeded and Diced

8 Fresh Basil Leaves, Thinly Sliced Into Chiffonade

3 Cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced

Pinch Of Salt

1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

8 Thin Slices Fresh Mozzarella

4 Slices Italian Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine balsamic and olive oil in a bowl. Place chicken in a baking dish and toss with balsamic/olive oil mixture.  Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, basil garlic, salt and balsamic. Toss gently to combine. Set aside.

Butter both sides of bread and bake in oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Place 2 slices of cheese on top of bread and place in oven for a couple minutes to melt.  Then layer with chicken breasts, spoonfuls of tomato mixture and 2 more slices of cheese.

Place back in oven to melt top slice of cheese.  Serve immediately open faced.

A little slice of heaven

When I was kid my family didn't have a lot of money.  A single mom with two little kids . . . it was rough but we didn't suffer.  Mom made do with what she had . . . she was economical; she gardened and canned the produce, she bought milk and meat from local farmers, she shopped with coupons and looked for bargains.


There was always food in the house but you didn't eat anything without prior approval; groceries were purchased for intended meals.  And, because we lived about 30 miles from the nearest grocery store you couldn't just go pick something up at the corner store if you ran out.  


And, because we lived so far from the store mom did one major shopping trip a month . . . that's right . . . grocery shopping once a month.  Everything that was freezable was frozen and everything else was either refrigerated or non-perishable. Towards the end of the month pickins were getting slim.


I was what would be classified today as a latchkey-kid. So, when I got home from school and wanted a snack sometimes I had to get creative. Chips, pretzels, corn chips?  I don't think so . . . mom didn't have junk food in the house.   Getting close to shopping time there wasn't always stuff to make a full-blown sandwich.    But there was always bread.  


Options were often minimal . . . sometimes I'd make a cheese and mustard sandwich.  


Peanut butter and jelly was another choice.  Sometimes I might make a peanut butter and dill pickle sandwich . . . don't knock 'til you try it; sweet and sour and crunchy.  And if there were Bacos . . . peanut butter and Bacos; sweet and salty and crunchy.


Now if the cupboards were really running low there was always mayonnaise or ketchup.  So, I'd hook myself up with a plain ol' mayonaise sandwich (or Miracle Whip, even better) or a plain ol' ketchup sandwich . . . take a piece of bread slather some mayo or ketchup on it and eat.  Don't laugh . . . sometimes you gotta do what ya gotta do.


My favorite, however, was cinnamon/sugar bread . . . smear some margarine on a piece of bread and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Like a little slice of heaven.  

Cinnamon Toast Rolls

12 Slices of Very Soft, Fresh White Bread

1/4 Cup Melted Butter

Cinnamon Sugar (1 Tbsp Cinnamon to ½ Cup Sugar)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

If desired, cut the crusts from a slice of bread.  Roll until very thin. Spread both sides of the bread with melted butter and then sprinkle one side with the cinnamon sugar, making sure to cover very well.  

Fold each side into the middle and then gently roll up and place in a buttered mini muffin tin.  Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon sugar.  

Alternately, you can fold the bread into a triangle, and then fold into another smaller triangle and place on a parchment-covered baking sheet.

When all of the rolls are made, bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are just starting to turn golden brown and get a little crisp.  Remove from the muffin tin to cool.

If desired, drizzle with some icing made with powdered sugar that's been moistened with a little milk.

I like breaking the rules

A cardinal rule . . . what kind of rule?  An angry bird rule?  God forbid you disobey an angry bird!!

Seriously, though, I always thought the term ‘cardinal rule’ referred to some sort of religious tenet that morphed into an everyday saying about an all important directive that must be obeyed.

Well . . . suffice to say, I was wrong.  Shocking, I know.  But, it happens now and again.

The word ‘cardinal’ comes from the root word 
‘cardo’, which in Latin translates to ‘hinge’ or ‘that on which something turns or depends’.  Therefore, something cardinal is important because all else hinges upon it.  It is a fundamental rule . . . something that is essential that cannot be deterred from.

A cardinal rule could be: Isn't it the first cardinal rule of perm maintenance that you are forbidden to wet your hair for at least 24 hours after getting a perm at the risk of deactivating the ammonium thioglycolate? 

Back to the church . . . before it was all powerful and had such a grand hierarchy and far reaching authority on everything and everyone . . . a cardinal was simply a clergyman being that he was attached to the church . . . much like a door is attached by a hinge to  a building.  

And back to that angry bird . . . why is it red?  Well, because somehow the name cardinal went from being a simple man to a prince (of the church) and was clad all in red . . . the bird was thusly name because it was all red much likes the robes of churchly princes.

No, he was not red because he was angry; you people and your imaginations.  Sheesh!

Grilled Cheese Cheese Stuffed Cheeseburger

Two Slices of Bread

Two Slices American Cheese

One Slice Swiss Cheese

One Half Pound of Lean Hamburger

Butter

Sliced Tomatoes

3 Slices Crisp Bacon

Divide the hamburger into two patties.  Fold the Swiss cheese into a square and press into the center of one of the patties.  Top with the second patty and press to seal edges. 

Grill or fry hamburger, until done.

In the meantime butter two slices of bread, and lay on frying pan, add cheese to the slices of bread and grill till cheese melts and crispy brown on the other side.

Lay cooked hamburger on one of the bread and cheese slices.  

Top with tomato slices and bacon. 

Serve your amazing creation.

Think Pink - A woman should be pink and cuddly for a man.

I was driving to work and, out of the blue, I thought to myself . . . "why is pink considered a girl color?" So, now endeavor to uncover the mystery.


Pink is soft and sublime, so pink is for girls, right?   So what does that make me.  I'm pretty sure I'm a girl but I am neither soft nor sublime . . . I'm more crusty and obnoxious.  But that's neither here nor there.  


Anyhoo . . . as it turns out, pink and blue have only recently been assigned to girl and boy; recent being a relative term.

Thomas Gainsborough, English portrait and landscape painter in the late 18^th century painted men, women, boys and girls is what would be considered clashing gender colors . . . at this point in history the color stereotypes had yet to be established.  You’re probably familiar with Blue Boy . . . but did you know that he also did a painting titled Pink Boy?

It seems that assigning the colors to gender is a later 20^th century happenstance . . . as late as the 1950’s.  In fact, there was a time not too long ago that the opposite was true . . . as recently as the early 1900’s 

Red was considered a fierce color . . . the color of warriors.  So, it would make sense that since pink is a watered down version of red that it would be associated with boys . . . the warriors to come.     

At the same time, blue was considered delicate and dainty . . . also, considered the color associated with the Virgin Mary  . . . thus, more appropriate for girls. 

If you take a look back  . . . American didn’t have this color association for boys and girls.  In fact, in the early 1800’s, boys and girls were dressed alike from birth into early childhood.  They were typically dressed in long white cotton “gowns” and as they grew older more appropriate clothing was available to allow for more mobility in toddlers.  But, the same outfits were still considered appropriate for either sex.

This change seems to have come about after World War II when blue was used extensively for men's uniforms; therefore, blue became associated masculinity. 

A campaign launched in the 1940's encouraged women to “Think Pink”. In what I think was a misguided attempt to make women conform to what society expected of the perfect specimen of femininity and womanhood. 

And here we are today . . . girls pink / boys blue.  Some people actually believe that if you dress a boy in pink or purple that it will somehow influence their child’s sexuality.  

Well, I may not be into pink . . . I'm not sure I even own any pink clothes . . . but I do have a pink gun.  :P

____________________________

Cher's Beefy Bruschetta

• 6 Roma Tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 Vidalia Onion, chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
• 6 Tablespoons Olive Oil, separated
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil
• 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Fresh Cracked Pepper
• 4 Slices Leftover Roast Beef, sliced thin
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

Whisk together chopped garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, and basil.  When combined slowly drizzle in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil.


Add tomatoes and onion.  Let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.


Mix in sliced roast beef and cheese.  


Top with tomato mixture and sprinkle on a little cheese.  Turn off the heat and cover to allow the cheese to melt a little.  


Serve immediately or keep chilled until ready to use.

By the way . . . the Pink Panther is a boy . . . just sayin'