Sloppy Guiseppe's

Even though it is fall it's still HOT around here.  We just can't seem to get a break. I'm missing the windy blustery days of October that remind me of football and Halloween. So to roll with the flow we are still grilling.  YEP we are.  

The other day I broke out a package of ground sirloin and we made some wonderful burgers and fries.  Whenever we do that I'm pressed to come up with something different to use the leftover ground sirloin.  I typically make a batch of goulash, or spaghetti sauce...but I was in the mood for something simple, yet delish!

Today's recipe is a twist on my Old School Sloppy Joes. Sloppy Guiseppe's is an Italian variation of the same satisfying sandwich.  Filled with Italian sauce, garlic and spices...oh and gooey melted cheese, these are hard to resist!  

They are the perfect game day meal.  Comforting, homey, and just messy enough to be fun.  Guys love them! Just serve them along with some chips and a salad or fruit and you have a wonderful hearty meal.  And...I think they will be the perfect meal to serve the kiddos prior to going trick or treating this Halloween!

What do you make with your leftover ground sirloin??

Enjoy!

Sloppy Guiseppe's

serves 4

2 T olive oil

1/2 c diced onion

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 lb of ground sirloin

3 c jarred tomato basil spaghetti sauce - or your favorite variety

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

4 Kaiser rolls, toasted

1 c fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

Add the olive oil to a large skillet.  Heat over medium heat. Add you dice onion and cook about 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and ground sirloin.  Cook, stirring the meat to crumble it about 7-8 minutes or until no longer pink.

Add the spaghetti sauce, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and heat until bubbly and sauce starts to thicken. About 5-6 minutes.  

Divide the meat mixture among the 4 bottom toasted rolls. Add 1/4 cup of shredded cheese over the meat mixture and top with the top bun.  

Fall Flavor Profile: Apples

It's apple season and I'm in heaven!

Always one of my favorite foods, apples are wonderful ingredients to many of our fall favorites.  I usually try to pick several new apples each year to try.  This year I've been eating a lot of Envy apples.  Nice, crisp, and sweet/tart.  I've also devoured my share of Jazz apples, and just recently bought several Honeycrisps.

Have you been apple picking?  This is something I want to do this year!  I've found a town outside of Los Angeles, that has many different farms that produce an array of apples. I'm on my way!

I've gathered some of my favorite apple recipes to share with you today to get you in the mood.  The mood for cooking with apples that is.  Or, the mood for fall...your pick!  (oops a pun, 'pick' apples...get it?)
Anyway, I hope you try a recipe or two and let me know what your favorite apple dish is.

Apple Cider Quick Bread - so moist an delicious.  One of my favorite fall breakfast dishes...or dessert...or with tea!

Crispy Chicken, Apple, and Spinach Salad - oh my this is a good salad.  A must try!

Fuji Apple Chicken Salad- another great salad that's very, very popular.  My version of Panera's salad by the same name (copycat recipe)

Apple Cider Iced Tea - boy do I love this tea.  Just a hint of apples makes this tea extra special.

Honey Apple Pancakes - one of the best comfort foods for breakfast!

Verna's Apple Crisp - a down home country favorite.  YUM YUM!

Happy picking!

Sicilian Spaghetti Sauce

It's officially fall and today is a nice balmy day at 64 degrees so far.  I do love the cool mornings, but I'm sure that this won't last for long as we've had one hot summer...and it's not over yet.

As I'm sitting here watching Rick Steves' ITALY Cities of Dreams shows I'm taken back to my trip to Italy with my mom and the wonderful memories we made.  One of my best vacations ever!  Of course the food was outstanding.  I can remember every dish we ate all those years ago.  Now that's an impression, and that's some good food.

So I'm getting a hankering for some comfort food.  So let's make some pasta.  Fall is the perfect time for comfort food.

You may recall that a neighbor of mine is from Sicily.  She's passed on now but I treasure the time I got to spend with her hearing her stories of traveling to America at the age of 14 on a boat, landing in New Orleans!  What an adventurous woman.  And her food?  to die for.

Today's recipe is a meaty pasta sauce and is a variation of her Sicilian Spaghetti Sauce. Oh! this is soooo good.  The recipe makes quite a bit of sauce, but not to fret, this freezes wonderfully.  I've placed my extra sauce in a airtight container and it will keep in the freezer for several months to take out and have again on a cold fall night.  Perfect double duty!  It also takes a while to make this sauce so make sure to do this on a weekend.

While I've never been to Sicily it's certainly on my bucket list. Thank you Nettie (my 4th grandmother!) for all your stories and your inspiration. Nettie's tomato marinara, Sicilian Sauce is wonderful if you don't like meat in your sauce.

Manga! Manga!

Sicilian Spaghetti Sauce

adapted from my Sicilian neighbor Nettie

serves 6

1/2 lb. sweet or hot Italian sausage, ground or casings removed
1/2 lb. 10% lean ground sirloin

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 15oz cans of good quality tomato sauce

1 6oz can of tomato paste

3 cups water

1 t salt

2 t dried parsley

1 t dried basil

1/2 t dried thyme

1/2 t red pepper flakes

Cooked spaghetti

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook sausage and ground sirloin in a large skillet over medium heat about 6 min.  Stir meat as it cooks until it crumbles.  Add onion and garlic to the meat and continue to cook and stir another 4 minutes or until onion is soft and meat is no longer pink.  Drain if necessary.  Set aside.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, add tomato sauce, paste, and water.  Stir to combine.  Add your spices, salt, parsley, basil, thyme, and red pepper flakes.  Stir to combine.  Add your meat and onion mixture. Cook on medium low for about 40-50 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly.  Serve over hot spaghetti and top with grate Parmesan cheese if desired.