Sloppy Joes

I got the basis for this recipe from my friend Sue. Who will never admit it, but she's an AMAZING cook.

When I realized I usually made this for parties and large groups, I just decided to two-and-a-half it on the recipe so it would be easier. This will make 25 -30 sandwiches.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 large onions chopped fine (I like to use the food processer for this step)
• 6-8 cloves garlic minced
• 5 lbs ground beef or pork or a combination of the two 
• 1 44 oz. bottle of Heinz ketchup
• 1/4 cup mustard (I like to use spicy mustard)
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

In a large pot, heat a little bit of vegetable oil over medium high , add the onions and garlic and cook until tender. Add the ground beef. Drain any liquid from the pan if there is any. Add remaining ingredients and cook for at least 1-2 hours before serving. You can transfer this to a crock pot for the party!

• Buns

Serve on round buns like sesame seed hamburger buns*

I love to serve this with my homemade coleslaw and kettle cooked salt and vinegar potato chips

*I originally used this recipe to teach to my cooking class for adults when we were living in Poland. I loved teaching them these all-American types of foods and I think they loved learning them even more. They would often ask me to teach a recipe for foods that they saw on "Friends" or a Hollywood movie and they were curious about it. I loved this little instruction on the buns (something so obvious to us Americans). It reminds me of all the friends we made doing that class in Krakow.

Autumn Salad

Ingredients for Salad:

• lettuce (a tender leafy mix)...or whatever's in the fridge
• glazed pecans
• dried cranberries
• finely chopped (or very thin rings) red onion to taste
• granny smith apples diced with skins on

Directions:

To glaze the pecans: Heat a skillet over med-hi heat and put about ¾ cup sugar in the pan. When the sugar liquefies add the pecans and stir quickly to coat them. As soon as they are coated work quickly and remove to wax paper on a plate. Be sure to soak the pan immediately or the sugar will harden and be so much more work to clean off. Allow them to cool completely and then break apart or chop and put into the bowl with the other salad ingredients. I like to assemble this salad on individual plates for special dinner parties to make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Ingredients for Dressing:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 heaping teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• small yellow or red onion coarsely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup oil

Directions: 

combine first 7 ingredients in blender, then slowly add oil. Pour over salad and toss immediately before serving. Or pass the dressing in a pretty bottle or small pitcher to serve to individual plates.

The Highest Form of Flattery

My bff had this brilliant idea...

two years ago my friend Dawnie and I were going to compile a cookbook of all of our recipes...long story short I didn't get around to my part...so she started a blog instead and now I'm starting a blog...great idea, Dawnie. Isn't there a saying about this?