some tips for you

Here's the thing: I still don't really like beef.*

*Imagine the chagrin of my stepdad, who is a beef cattle farmer...

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we have the meats.

As a kid, I didn't much care for pot roast.

As any good mother would do, Mamster always put some on my plate anyway, but it didn't always end up in my stomach.

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too many tomatoes?

I submit that there is no such thing! Guess how many tomato plants we have in our garden...and scattered all around our house wherever we could find a sunny (and in some cases, not so sunny) spot in the ground for them! Guess!

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mound o' meat

If I think about it too much, meatloaf seems kind of disgusting. Before it's magically transformed through the power of heat into a browned, aromatic dinner delight, it is, essentially, a brick of raw cow products (or pig or bird).

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(riga)tony! (riga)toni! (riga)toné!

No matter what form it takes, the combination of rich, meaty tomato sauce, perfectly cooked pasta, and ooey-gooey cheese just delivers comfort.

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flank you very much

Living in an apartment can be frustrating for many reasons, but one sore spot for me is the lack of a grill and a place to use it.

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hoagies and grinders, hoagies and grinders

What do you call a sandwich made on a long roll? Hoagie? Grinder? Sub? Hero? Maybe a combination thereof, like groagie? I grew up saying sub.

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grill power! #whatagrillwants

I'm so glad that times have changed and many ladies find themselves (wo)manning the grill. Why shouldn't we?

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comfort food?

I might be wrong, but I suspect that a lot of Americans (and perhaps Italians) consider spaghetti and meatballs to be one of the ultimate comfort foods. It was never on my list, though, and I can only assume that's because we didn't eat it when I was growing up.

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eaz-y as pie

I definitely support the idea of semi-homemade cooking.

Yes, my boyfriend's dishes are much prettier than mine. 
He has good taste in dinnerware and women.

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urra! (chinet giveaway numero tre)

Nostalgia is a powerful thing, and this dish is delicious proof of that.

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for ladies who lunch in lunchlady land

You may have noticed that I don't post a lot of savory recipes, mostly because I tend to eat the same meals over and over again. Plus, they're boring anyway and usually not post-worthy. Whether sloppy joes are exciting enough to feature or not, I've decided that it's their time!

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chip off the ol' block

Lest you folks mistakenly think I'm on the diet train this new year (sacrificing frosting, and all...), I've prepared evidence proving otherwise.

So what have I prepared? In a word, gravy. In three more descriptive and delicious words, chipped beef gravy.

It's a simple concept--make a roux, add your oh-so-salty beef, spices, and seasonings--but the combination atop a warm and fluffy biscuit is one of my favorite things to eat. I know a lot of people cringe when they think about gravy, but it's not really all that bad. Sure, there's some butter involved, but let's be honest--butter is in everything. Everything worth eating, at least...

Definitely worth eating.

In college, my friends and I became addicted to chipped beef gravy. We ate ridiculous amounts of the stuff and even planned our schedules around the rare days that it was served in the cafeteria. Looking back, it's probably a good thing that chipped-beef-gravy days were so infrequent--I'm not kidding when I say we ate ridiculous amounts. Bowls full. So I guess in that sense, gravy can be a bad thing.

Moderation, my friends. Moderation.

Champion Chipped Beef Gravy
(makes 3 impressively-sized portions)

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
4 ounces dried beef lunch meat, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
the tiniest pinch of nutmeg
dash Worcestershire sauce or, even better, hot sauce (if you're feeling frisky)

Add the butter to a large saucepan set over medium heat. When melted, sprinkle in the flour. Whisk constantly until there are no lumps and the roux has slightly darkened.
Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Keep whisking until there are no lumps. Cook until the sauce thickens, just a couple minutes.
Add the nutmeg, a dash of some sort of flavorful sauce, and a crack of fresh black pepper. Stir well, and then add the dried beef. Cook for a couple minutes to warm the beef. Season the mixture with salt to taste, then dump onto biscuits or toast (or a shingle...) and devour.

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three cheers for leftovers...

...or as my stepdad says, rightovers.

Granted, the picture ain't grand, but it still conveys the awesomeness, right? Right?
And I promise--I didn't intend to flip anyone off with that rogue onion.

It's pretty exciting when you're able to clear the fridge and feast on something more exciting and delicious than each of the individual components ever were by themselves. That was the case here. The fridge was pretty full--ground turkey, mashed potatoes, cooked corn, some lingering chicken broth. What to do, what to do?

The answer was obvious to me--shepherd's pie. Actually, a quick googling taught me that shepherd's pie is made with lamb while cottage pie is made using beef. Conundrum! What if it's made with chicken or turkey? I couldn't find any reasonable answer to that, so I hereby dub the concoction coop pie.

You know how to make it, but here's my version:

Coop Pie
leftover mashed potatoes
ground turkey, browned and drained of fat
assortment of veggies, including peas, corn, and onion
salt, pepper, paprika, Worcestershire sauce
chicken broth
pepper jack cheese

In a medium skillet, cook the onion and other uncooked veggies until they soften. Add the turkey, cooked veggies, and enough to broth to moisten everything and cook until warmed through. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce.
Pour into a casserole dish and cover with leftover mashed potatoes. Sprinkle Shower the top with pepper jack cheese and paprika (for the eyes more than the palate) and bake at 350F for 30 minutes or so, or until the potatoes become brown. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before digging in.

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steak a la switzerland?

That's why it's called swiss steak, right? 'Cause it's from Switzerland?


Wrong. The name doesn't refer to Switzerland, but to the process of swissing. How does one swiss, you ask? Well, what a timely and appropriate question--I, for one, had absolutely no idea. Apparently, swissing simply means pounding the heck out of something in order to make it softer and more tender. So, if you happen to have a hunk of leathery, less-than-appealing meat (like round, for instance), swiss(ed) steak is the dish for you. The meat gets bashed, coated with flour and other seasonings, braised, and served with a thick, tomato-based gravy.


The moral of this story is that you mustn't discriminate against the tough and rough cuts of meat. They can be brought into submission (whilst you can get out a little aggression) and made perfectly edible, nay, delectable.

Steak That's Been Swissed
(from good ol' Paula Deen)

1 round steak (approximately 1 1/2 pounds)
Salt and pepper
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups diced or broken-up whole tomatoes
1 cup water
1 medium onion, cut into strips

Cut the steak into serving-size pieces, whether they be strips or chunks. Dust meat with flour and season with salt and pepper.
In a heavy skillet, brown both sides of the meat in vegetable oil. Transfer it to a Dutch oven or casserole dish. Combine the tomatoes, onion, and water. Pour this over the steak and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. If necessary, add more water to keep the meat partially covered.
Season with additional salt and pepper if needed and serve.

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balls o' meat

If you think about it, the name "meatballs" is a little icky. I guess it's no worse than "meatloaf." My little brother refuses to eat meatloaf, yet he loves meatballs, which is interesting because they're basically the same thing. Perhaps it's all in the name. Or shape.


Or perhaps he's just odd.


This post, a respite from all the Christmas cookies and sweets, features two varieties of those ubiquitous balls o' meat. The first batch is from the ever-popular recipe entitled "Manhattan Meatballs." (Anybody know if they actually originated in Manhattan? Just curious.) I chose to make these for our office's winter holiday party over all others for a very significant reason--I had apricot preserves festering in the fridge.


The sweet, fruity, and slightly spicy sauce was wonderful! I suspect it may have had something everything to do with the barbecue sauce I used--'twas a honey-chipotle blend. My co-workers had some nice comments about the meatballs and actually made the effort to say them to me, and I have to agree--the balls were delicious.

The only other kind of meatball I've ever really tried is made according to a recipe that my grandmother has used for longer than I've been alive. I think it's safe to say that it's a winner. The balls are nowhere near as sweet, but still extremely tasty.

So...which type tickles your fancy?

Sweet & Sour Meatballs
(time-tested by my grandmother)
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup oats
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon onion flakes

Sauce:
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar

Combine the first six ingredients and shape into balls. Place in a large baking dish. Mix up the sauce and pour it over the balls. Cover the dish and bake at 350 degrees for an hour, or until heated through.

Sweet & Sweet Meatballs
(from Kraft, among others)

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons salt
10 oz. apricot preserves
1 cup barbecue sauce of choice

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix the meat, bread crumbs, onion, eggs, parsley, and salt. Go ahead, use your paws. Shape into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter. Place in 2-qt. casserole dish. Mix the preserves and barbecue sauce and evenly pour over the meatballs; mix lightly. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

I think this'll probably be my last post until the Christmas excitement fades away. I hope ya'll have a safe and happy holiday!

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pasketti sauce

Lots of things remind me of my home in Virginia. I had an experience the other day that made me sorely miss the good ol' South. Don't worry, it's nothing tragic. Just a bit of a bummer.


As I was driving through my neighborhood that evening, I was feeling particularly friendly and happy. I met a man walking toward me and gave a smile and a nice wave. In return for my friendliness, I got the ugliest look from this man. Ugly doesn't even cover it. He looked at me like I had kicked a baby or put a cat in the microwave and turned it on. Is it really so strange around here to wave to a person you don't know?

Back home, there are 4 degrees of waving whilst driving. First, we have the head bob. (Can that be classified as a wave? I think so.) The chin goes up, sufficiently acknowledging the other driver or person. This is usually done when there's no time to use the limbs or if you're feeling particularly lazy.

Secondly, we have the finger raise. No, not that finger. This is a step up from the head bob, and involves lifting the pointer finger off of the wheel in greeting.

(Yes, that's a plate masquerading as a steering wheel. You work with what you've got--I really didn't want to go out to my car, sit at the wheel, and snap pictures. Had I done so, I would've been deserving of such filthy looks from passersby.)

Now it's important to note that the first and second degree waves are very often given to complete strangers. Chances are good that you don't even know the person in the oncoming car, but sometimes it's nice to greet him or her anyway. It's nice.

Thirdly, we have the complete hand raise. This is as it sounds, with the full hand coming up off of the wheel for a nice "hello."


(Let me know if you'd like the name of my manicurist...)

There are many varieties of this greeting, including the whipping of the wrist into a gun formation...


...or a slow, back and forth movement, just to name a couple.

The final wave is the full-fledged, enthusiastic, total-arm, "HEY, HOW YOU DOIN'?" wave.


Little Brother and I like to use this wave to startle oncoming drivers, or at the very least, make them think, "Did I know that person?" and see if they'll respond. More often than not, the other driver will wave back accordingly, even if he or she has no idea who we are.

That, folks, is one of the major differences between the cold North and the warm South.

What does this have to do with spaghetti? Not a durn thing, except that the experience made me think of home, which made me think of this sauce. It's been perfected by my Mamburger, and there's always some in the fridge or freezer. Little Brother is a spaghetti maniac--the size of his typical plateful would make your jaw drop. The boy can put it away. (The sauce is also one of the few things he has deemed worthy of learning how to cook for himself.)


Mammy's Pasketti Sauce (no, I don't actually call it that, but it is more fun to say)

1 lb ground beef, obesity to your liking (I use lean)
12 oz can tomato paste
1 1/2 cans water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

Brown beef, drain. (Mamster likes to leave a little of the fat in the meat. Me, not so much.)
Add paste, water, and seasonings and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Add to appropriately awesome pasta, such as this variety (radiatore?) sent to me by Melanie from My Kitchen Cafe:


Simple and delicious.

Moral of the story: If a stranger waves at you, wave back.

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