Fried Green Tomato BLT

Allllll summer I had been craving two things:

1.  Tomato sandwiches/BLT sandwiches (I am calling that one because they are so similar)

2.  Fried green tomatoes.

Also, because you can't have a fried green tomato without thinking about the movie.  I have to say that movies fall into 3 categories for me.

1.  My faves.  Movies I have seen way too many times.  Movies I would start watching halfway in if it happened to be on T.V. and I missed the first part.  

2.  Movies that I watch once and either love or hate.  But either way, I am really only interested in watching them once.  

3.  Movies that I fall asleep to.  And can never finish.  Even after trying 3-5 times.  

Guess with category Fried Green Tomatoes falls in?!?  

1!

Want to know some of the 1. category movies?  Sister Act II.  Center Stage.  Little Rascals.  How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.  Yeah.  I don't have the best taste. 

Are you wondering what a 3. category movie is?  Harry Potter.  Lord of the Rings.  Spiderman?  Or what was the one series?  Superman?  Yikes.  I think you get the idea.  And you may hate me.  I'm sorry?

Anyways, let's just get back to the Fried Green Tomatoes.  The movie.  That is a pretty good one, I think.  And you cannot watch that movie and not want to eat a fried green tomato.  Or a candy bar.  Or human.  

Combine that with toasted bread, mayo, bacon, lettuce and a fresh red tomato.  It is awesome.  And it gives a little more substance to the BLT sandwich.  Don't get me wrong.  The BLT is basically perfect.  But, for the hearty men in the world, adding a little substance is always appreciated.  

Fried Green Tomato BLT

by Closet Cooking

4 strips bacon

1 green tomato (sliced 1/4 inch thick)

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup flour

1 egg (lightly beaten)

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup corn meal

2 slices of bread

1 tomato (sliced 1/4 inch thick)

2 leaves bibb lettuce

1 tablespoon mayo

Fry the bacon and set it aside retaining the grease in the pan.

Season the tomato slices with salt and pepper.

Place the flour into one bowl, the egg into another bowl and mix the flour and cornmeal in another bowl.

Dredge the green tomato slices in the flour, then dip them in the egg and finally dredge them in the corn meal mixture.

Fry the breaded tomato slices in the bacon grease (or oil) until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side.

Assemble sandwich.

(Servings: 1, Prep time: 5 min., Cook time: 25 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10

Scot (taste):  6/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Italian Drip Beef

If I eat meat, I really like to go for it.  Give me ribs.  Give me a juicy steak.  Or give me a drip beef sandwich.  

We loved this recipe.  It is a beef chuck roast cooked low and slow with Italian seasoning and pepperoncini peppers.  Cooking it in a beef broth mixture results in the most tender meat plus the tastiest dipping sauce.  

Then, you take the shredded beef and put it on a toasted roll.  Top with cheese.  Throw it under the broiler to melt the cheese.  And serve with some of the cooking liquid.  It is amazing!

The Italian twist is wonderful.  It has a little bit of a kick.  Tons of flavor.  Make this!

Italian Drip Beef

adapted from Pioneer Woman

1 whole beef chuck roast, 2.5 to 4 lbs

2-4 cups beef broth

3 tablespoons (heaping) Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 -1 cup water

8 oz pepperoncini peppers, with juice

sliced provolone cheese

buttered, toasted deli rolls

Combine all ingredients in a heavy pot or dutch oven. Stir lightly to combine seasoning with the liquid.

Cover and bake in a 275 degree oven for 5 to 6 hours, or until meat is fork-tender and falling apart. If meat is not yet tender, return to oven for 30 minute intervals till it’s tender!

Remove from oven. With two forks, completely shred all meat, leaving no large chunks behind. Throw out large pieces of fat. Serve immediately, or keep warm over a simmer on the stove.

If making the day before, store in the refrigerator after it has cooled down. Remove the hardened fat from the top before reheating. Serve on buttered, toasted rolls. Top with cheese and melt under the broiler if desired. Serve with juices from the pot.

(Servings: 6-10, Prep time: 5 min., Cook time: 5-6 hrs., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  9/10

Scot (taste):  9/10

Effort:  1/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

California Club Chicken Burger

So, you know how everyone is going on and on about how great it is that fall has arrived?  So, they can start making pumpkin this.  And chili that.  Well, can we all keep in mind that some of us have been experiencing temps in the upper 80's and low 90's for the past TWO WEEKS!  

Ok, I am not complaining.  Bc I hate cold weather more than just about anything else.  Ever.  BUT, I do love pumpkin this and chili that.  And it is still too hot to heat up the kitchen.  And that is becoming borderline not ok.  I will give CO about one more week.  Then, I'm out.  

Anyways, as you may have noticed, I am still making quick dishes that don't use the oven or any excessive amounts of stovin'.  So......I am not a big fan of a chicken breast sandwich.  In fact, I would seriously never order that or eat that in a million years.  Yikes!  Strong statement.  But seriously, when I sit next to someone, at a burger place, for example, and they order a chicken breast sandwich with nothing on it, then put ketchup on it, I feel.....like all is wrong in the world.  I am not going to lie, it actually makes me angry.  I know, I have problems.

Anyways^2, this chicken burger is fun (and I like that it is ground chicken, which, in my opinion, is much more sandwich-able than a whole breast).  Love a club.  I do like the guac, but it does kind of squish out of the sandwich when you take a bit.  Makes it messy, but still delicious.  And, I did use a toasted english muffin and I liked it!

California Club Chicken Burger

from elly says opa!

1 lb. ground chicken

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed

3/4 tsp. kosher salt ground pepper

4 thick cut slices of bacon, cooked and cut in half

1/2 cup guacamole or 1 sliced avocado

4 toasted buns

Lightly mix together the chicken, cumin, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 4 patties. Grill, pan-fry, or broil the patties until cooked through. Top with 1 slice (2 pieces) of the cooked bacon and guacamole, and serve on toasted buns.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 25 min., Cook time: 15 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  5/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Linguine with Tomato-Almond Pesto (Pesto Trapenese)

I have been regurgitating lots of recipes posted recently by other bloggers.  Living on the edge. 

This pasta was amazing.  It is a pesto made with tomatoes, toasted almonds, parmesan, garlic and olive oil.  So simple.  I tagged it "quick and easy", but not without some hesitation.  I promised myself that I wouldn't tag any recipe that uses a food processor "quick and easy".  But this really was super easy.  The hardest part was cleaning up.  I made it after a relatively long day (which included two minor injuries) and I didn't mind at all.  

Linguine with Tomato-Almond Pesto (Pesto Trapenese)

from smitten kitchen

3/4 cup slivered almonds

1 large handful fresh basil leaves

1 to 2 large garlic cloves

Several sprinkles of sea salt

6 ripe plum tomatoes, quartered

1/2 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan

1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil

1 pound linguine

In a large skillet, sauté the almonds in a little olive oil until toasted. Let cool, then blend them in a food processor or blender until they are in coarse pieces. (“The size of orzo,” the original recipe suggests.) Scoop them out of the processor and set them aside.

Put the basil, garlic and a few pinches of sea salt into the food processor and chop. Add the almonds back to the food processor (keeping them separate will keep them from getting too finely chopped as you get the basil and garlic to the right texture) with the tomatoes, cheese and olive oil and whirl briefly. Season it with freshly ground black pepper.

Cook your linguine until it is al dente and could use another minute of cooking time. Reserve one cup of pasta cooking water and drain the rest. Immediately toss the hot linguine with the pesto and mix quickly so that it drinks the sauce up a bit. Add more pasta water if needed. Serve this lukewarm, or at room temperature.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 25 min., Cook time: 15 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10

Scot (taste):  7/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

Grilled Pineapple and Chicken Quesadillas

Another great recipe from Pioneer Woman.  Who doesn't love the pineapple/bbq/chicken combo?  Such a fun twist on a quesadilla.  

This recipe is fairly easy to throw together.  I actually used canned pineapple because sometimes (not always) I am too cheap to buy a $5 pineapple.  Especially when they don't look that great in the first place.  Although, this would be even better with a fresh pineapple.  Although, I do love canned fruit.  I will just eat a whole can of diced pineapple.  Whatever.  Who cares.  

I did add the jalapeno.  And I have to say, thinly sliced, it is good!  My problem with raw jalapeno may just be large chunks of raw jalapeno.  And the cilantro makes this taste so refreshing.  

Grilled Pineapple and Chicken Quesadillas

adapted from Pioneer Woman

8 whole flour tortillas

olive oil

2 cups pineapple

2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, split

Cajun spice blend

salt and pepper, to taste

3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1 whole jalapeno, thinly sliced

cilantro

3 tablespoons barbecue sauce

To grill pineapple: cut wedges, stick on skewers, and grill over medium heat. Cut into slices.

To pound chicken, place inside a Ziploc bag and pound with a mallet or large can to flatten to uniform thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and Cajun spice (or cumin/cayenne, etc.) Drizzle olive oil on a grill pan and grill on both sides until done. Set aside and slice into very thin slices.

Warm griddle over medium heat and drizzle with olive oil.

To assemble quesadillas, sprinkle four tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices and jalapeno slices. Sprinkle on cilantro. Drizzle barbecue sauce over the top. Add second tortilla on top of each one. (You’ll have four complete quesadillas at this point.)

Place on griddle and cook on each side until crispy (about 3-4 minutes per side).  Cut each quesadilla into six wedges. Serve with sour cream, pico de gallo, and lime wedges.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 15 min., Cook time: 25 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  6/10
Scot (taste):  7/10
Effort:  3/5
Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Yeasted Waffles

When we picked fresh raspberries this past weekend at Happy Apple farm, I wanted to make something with the berries that kept them relatively fresh.  So, I decided to try out a yeasted waffle recipe and top with some berries tossed in a little sugar and some whipped cream.  

Picking these raspberries brought me back to my first job, picking veggies and apples on a farm.  I didn't pick any berries back in the day.  I am sure that would have been a bad idea.  I would have definitely eaten more than I picked.  

Most of my time when I worked on the farm was spent in the green bean field (or the apple orchard).  My brother and I picked together.  We played all sorts of word games to keep us busy.  However, I did have plenty of alone time to day dream and think.  I remember one of the first couple of days I was there.  I was 12.  And I decided I wanted to grow up and be a farmer.  Because I absolutely loved being out in the fields.  

And I loved that we got paid for how much work we did.  It is hard work.  We would go up and down the green bean rows.  Always hoping we picked the BEST row.  And how great it was when you hit the jackpot plant.  You could grab the beans by the handful!  This is the feeling that I got to experience again picking raspberries.  You search and search for a few raspberries here and there.  But when you hit that one branch that is so heavy it is almost touching the ground.  It is somehow way too awesome.  

These waffles were great.  They had such a nice texture.  Nice and crispy on the outside.  I have the Waring Pro Belgian Waffle Maker.  I found that it worked best around the 3.5 setting.  They are not sweet on their own.  They smell a little like pizza dough because of all the yeast.  Oh yeah and the dough needs to be prepped the night before!

Yeasted Waffles

from Annie’s Eats

1/2 cup warm water

21/4 tsp. active dry yeast (instant is fine)

2 cups whole milk, warmed

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 tsp. baking soda

Combine the water and yeast in a large mixing bowl. (If using active dry yeast, let stand to dissolve 5 minutes before proceeding.) Add the milk, butter, salt, sugar and flour to the bowl. Whisk until well blended and smooth (you can also use an

electric mixer.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature overnight.

When you are ready to make the waffles, preheat the waffle iron. Preheat the oven to 200° F and place a plate in the oven. Just before making the waffles, whisk the eggs and baking soda into the batter until smooth. The batter will be very thin. Fill waffle wells and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Cook until crisp and golden. Transfer finished waffles to the warmed plate in the oven while you cook the rest of the batter. Top as desired with butter, syrup, etc.

(Servings; 4-6, Prep time: overnight, Cook time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10
Scot (taste):  7/10
Effort:  2/5
Dishwashing Effort:  2/5  

Grilled Cheese and Roasted Green Chile Sandwich

This is named Pioneer Woman's favorite sandwich.  Since roasted chiles are one of my top 10 favorite things of all time.  And also because I love PW.  I knew this sandwich would be amazing.  

We went down to southern-ish Colorado at visit the Happy Apple Farms yesterday.  And the desert landscape made it impossible to fool me into thinking this farm was anywhere close to a true midwest farm/apple orchard/pumpkin patch experience.  However, it was an awesome little CO farm.  

We met the owner/farmer immediately upon our arrival.  I love farmers.  He greeted our dog and welcomed him to run free in the fields as we picked raspberries, blackberries, apples and pumpkins.  The farm was small but cute and quite busy.  

This is one of the few apple orchards I have found in CO, but what also intrigued me was that they roasted chiles and served a BBQ beef brisket for lunch.  Even though I am skeptical of CO farming potential, I thought that they could surely win me over with the chiles and brisket.  And btw, the BBQ brisket was totally good.  They only serve it on the weekends and start it on Tuesday.  

And we bought a 1/2 bushel of roasted green chiles.  Big Jim variety.  They have a little kick, but mostly mild.  And when we got home, Scot personally peeled and seeded the entire bag.  His hands burned until 6 am but, you know what, he made it.  

I used some of those green chiles to make this wonderful grilled sandwich.  It is such a delicious sandwich.  You can also just buy Hatch, whole green chiles, canned.  Or you could roast like an anaheim or poblano.  Or even a roasted red pepper would be good if you aren't into the spicier stuff.  The rye bread, the dijonaise, the two different cheeses, tomato, red onion and roasted green chile.  Love this combo!

Grilled Cheese and Roasted Green Chile Sandwich

adapted from Pioneer Woman

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, to taste

1 tablespoon mayonnaise, to taste

2 slices mild cheddar

2 thick slices of tomato

several thin slices of red onion

1/2 - 1 whole roasted green chile

2 slices Monterey Jack cheese

2 slices rye bread

butter

First, make the sauce. Measure 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and mix the together in a small bowl. Spread a very thin layer onto the inside of both pieces of bread.

Place two slices of mild cheddar on one slice of bread. Top with tomato slices, red onion, roasted green chile, and then the two slices of Monterey Jack cheese. Place other slice of bread on top. Butter the outside top.

Heat a skillet (non-stick is preferable here) over medium-low heat. Place the sandwich (butter side down) in the skillet. Butter the other side now that it is on the skillet. Cook it for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Flip and continue cooking for another couple of minutes, until golden brown. Remove to a cutting board and cut in half.

(Servings: 1, Prep time: 15 min., Cook time; 10 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10
Scot (taste):  7/10
Effort:  2/5
Dishwashing Effort:  1/5