Monday, March 18, 2024

National Sloppy Joe Day - Recipe Video

 This is the leanest Sloppy Joe you will ever eat. On this auspicious day in celebration of National Sloppy Joe Day, I have my version that is for the diet-conscious who uses ground chicken or turkey. And ground poultry seems to be a buck cheaper than ground beef these days.

Sloppy Joe's are typically made with ground beef, and depending on the fat content, you will have a gallon of grease after browning the beef. So, not only is my homemade poultry Sloppy Joe Burger delicious, but it fits into almost any dietary regimen.


I found a package on sale!

Hi, I am The 99 Cent Chef and I am a tightwad. I seldom cook with ground beef anymore. Since I created this blog in 2007, I've weaned myself off this artery-clogging but oh-so-tasty protein and learned to love ground poultry. 

The kind I use is mechanically separated and typically found in the frozen deli case. It's more watery than fresh ground chicken (or turkey,) but I've found that it firms up fine during baking or sauteing. Of course, use your favorite local ground turkey or chicken, mechanically separated or not.


My Ground Chicken Sloppy Joe Burger is loaded with flavor, using sauteed fresh veggies, pungent chili powder, ground cumin, and brown sugar -- all in a thick sauce of tomato and ketchup. 

Upon the first bite of my homemade Sloppy Joe, you will flashback to your childhood: when Mom put the steaming meaty bowl of goodness on the dinner table, and you piled on the sloppy mess between a bun -- then dribbled it all over your fingers, while staining the front of your tee shirt, as you scarfed it all down as fast as you could.


I used a pound of ground chicken for this recipe, so the end result will easily, and cheaply, feed your hungry brood -- just make sure to lay out extra napkins. Prices have increased since I originally made the recipe 10 years ago.


Condiments like Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and chili powder still show up cheaply.


You could conveniently buy a couple of cans of Sloppy Joe sauce, but you will still have to fry up some meat, so you might as well go the extra step and make my much more delicious homemade Poultry Sloppy Joe

And like two of my earlier video recipes, Beanie Weenies, and Chicken Stroganoff, I used stop motion animation -- it makes following cooking directions so much more fun!

Poultry Sloppy Joe's - Video
Play it here. The video runs 3 minutes 18 seconds. 

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients (about 6 - 8 servings, depending on how sloppy you like it!)
  • 1 pound of ground chicken, turkey, or beef - I used packages of cheaper, frozen (and thawed,) mechanically separated, ground chicken.
  • 1 whole small onion - chopped
  • 1 stalk of celery (optional) - chopped
  • 1/2 bell pepper - green, red or yellow, chopped.
  • 1 tablespoon of garlic - chopped, from a jar or fresh.
  • 1 can of tomato sauce (about 15 oz.) - okay to use crushed, whole, or chopped tomatoes. Just break apart into smaller chunks when sauteing.
  • 1/4 cup of ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of brown sugar - or your favorite sweetener (may need less, depending on sweetener potency.)
  • 1 tablespoon of chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons of oil - 1 tbsp. for sauteing chicken, and 1 tbsp. oil for sauteing veggies.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve on hamburger buns

Directions
In a large pan or pot, add a teaspoon of oil over medium heat, then add ground chicken. I spread out the chicken to cover the bottom of the pan and just sit back and let one side brown. You don't need to brown both sides. It should take about 7-10 minutes. 

Turn over meat and break apart into bite-sized pieces -- like you would for a spaghetti meat sauce. Remove from pan and set aside.


Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan. You can add chopped celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the same pan -- or you could have been sauteing the veggies, at the same time as the chicken, in another pan -- it's up to you. Stir and cook veggies for about 5-10 minutes, until onions begin to turn light brown and caramelize.


When veggies are done, add cooked ground chicken. Pour in a can of tomato sauce, and a 1/4 cup of ketchup, and mix well.


The final additions are the seasonings, including Worcestershire Sauce, ground cumin and chile powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix the Poultry Sloppy Joe sauce well.


Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 - 15 minutes. Check during the last five minutes and stir. You want a thick chili consistency -- not too watery. Uncover and let sit a couple of minutes, and the sauce will thicken even more.


Get out the hamburger buns and load them up -- but don't forget the extra napkins!

Friday, March 15, 2024

The Best St. Patrick's Day Recipes

St. Patrick's Day is the time to dress in green and put on your yarmulke? That's if you're combining the cuisines of the Emerald Isle and the Promised Land. And you'll feel like you've found that leprechaun pot o' gold at the end of the Western Wall when you try my luscious Jewish recipes using Irish Corned Beef, that's now on sale this week, just like the loaded deli classic Corned Beef Sandwich pictured below.


I like traditional Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage and it's easy enough to make, but for the money, I like my Corned Beef between 2 slices of rye and topped with a cabbage Coleslaw, Jewish deli-style. So just keep on reading to see my tasty recipes below for Deli Corned Beef and Homemade Pastrami.

Easy Corned Beef Recipe - VIDEO


If you didn't notice, this week offers up cheap hunks of Corned Beef at half the normal price! I usually clear out my freezer for this St. Patrick's Day beef celebration and stock up on a few Corned Beef briskets. They freeze well and I like to smoke them during my patio summer cookouts.


Traditional Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage are easy to make. Boil the whole Corned Beef brisket for about 3 to 4 hours until the meat is tender. Next, remove the corned beef and cook chopped cabbage, carrot, and potatoes in the salty broth. I like to dump half the brine/broth as it's very salty and replace it with regular water. When the veggies are tender, return the corned beef to the pot to reheat. That's it, just pile on your plate a thick slice of Corned Beef with tender veggies. Check out my video below.
Easy Homemade Corned Beef with Cabbage - VIDEO


You'll want a batch of Coleslaw to go along with my Homemade Deli-Style Corned Beef Sandwich. Especially when cabbage is selling for pennies a pound this week. Just click here to get a cheap$kate Deli Coleslaw recipe.

Our most famous deli in Los Angeles is Canter's Deli on Fairfax Boulevard. They are especially known for Pastrami and Corned Beef Sandwiches.


For their 60th Anniversary at this location, they served Corned Beef on Rye Sandwiches for 60 cents! If you don't believe me, then just watch the video below as proof positive.
Canter's 60c Corned Beef Sandwich- VIDEO


Last summer I threw a Pastrami Sandwich Party that featured a Rueben and Rachel Sandwich. What takes these sammies over the top is that they are grilled in butter on rye bread grilled with melty Swiss Cheese...sooo gooood.

Reuben Sandwich is stacked with Pastrami or Corned Beef, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut, and Russian Dressing (of course you can substitute with mustard). Sour to the nth degree, Sauerkraut ignites smokey Pastrami and pungent Swiss Cheese on Rye Bread into an explosive flavor bomb.

Reuben Sandwich- VIDEO

Rachel Sandwich is toasted the same as a Reuben but substitutes Sauerkraut with Coleslaw. Both sandwiches share Russian Dressing, which is easy enough to make - just a mix of mayo and ketchup.

Rachel Sandwich- VIDEO

And if you have any meaty leftovers then add them to a caloric breakfast scramble of Eggs and Pastrami or Corned Beef (my recipe is a click away here).


Now, if you really want the wildest use of leftover Pastrami then go no further than the next video, on the making of an Oki Dog.


It is basically a Burrito with hot dogs, cheese, chili, and pastrami. Yes, it's a cholesterolic artery-clogging tortilla-wrapped depth charge that will literally take your breath away. Just watch the video below to see it being assembled (and click here to read its Japanese origin story).

Oki Dog with Pastrami - VIDEO


In my  Homemade Pastrami Recipe Video link here, I show you how to brine a beef brisket in the refrigerator for a week. But if you buy a package of Corned Beef, you can skip that stage and go right to cooking it like in the video below.

So keep scrolling down to see my Corned Beef and Pastrami recipes (you can also click here to see more Pastrami Recipe photos and text).


Keep an eye out for that yarmulke-wearing leprechaun with a tzitzit under his green jacket. If you catch him make sure one of your 3 wishes is one of my delish dishes.

This St. Patty's Day post is all about the beef. So stock up on Corned Beef and get to cooking. You can be sure that the Blarney Chef is not full of it this time - these are some of my best and favorite recipes.

Easy Homemade Deli Pastrami - VIDEO

Play it here. Video runs 2 minutes 42 seconds.

Ingredients for Corned Beef and Cabbage
  • 1 corned beef - I use cheap point-cut corned beef on sale. They usually weigh 3 to 5 pounds. You can follow package directions for cooking corned beef. 
  • 1 whole cabbage - chopped. They have a tough root stem you can remove, but it will tenderize. I only remove if it's discolored brown and extra tough. 
  • 1 carrot chopped - You can add another carrot or two, depending on the size. Sometimes I like more veggies.
  • 2 red potatoes chopped - You can boil the red potatoes whole, but they will take an extra half hour to cook. Okay to use white or russet potatoes. Also, add more potatoes if you like.
  • Water to cover corned beef - When corned beef is cooked, taste broth for saltiness, if too much then replace half the broth with freshwater and taste again.  

Directions for Corned Beef and Cabbage
Corned Beef is a thick and tough piece of meat, so you need to low boil it for about 3 to 4 hours until tender. Time will vary depending on the size of the whole Corned Beef. Mine was about 4 pounds. Cheaper cuts of Corned Beef can be fatty, is so it's okay to trim off some of the fat.


You can follow Corned Beef package cooking directions. Usually, you cover Corned Beef with water, about 5 cups worth. Most times you have a small packet of spices and herb included, so open and empty the contents into the water.


In a large pot, bring the Corned Beef in water to a boil, lower to a low simmer or low boil and cover the pot. Cook for about 3 to 4 hours. Check on the pot every hour or so to make sure the liquid does not cookout, and add more water if needed. It's okay if the liquid cooks out by half, this will make an intense broth for the veggies.


After about 3 hours you can chop the cabbage, carrot, and potatoes.


When the Corned Beef is done, remove it and set it aside. Taste the broth to see how salty it is. More than likely it's too salty, so pour out half the broth and add an equal amount of freshwater. Now taste to see if the broth is milder. Repeat this step if necessary to reach your desired flavor.


Once the broth meets your tastes, then add the chopped veggies. Bring to a low simmer, cover the pot and cook veggies for about 20 minutes.


If you like crunchy cabbage, then cook carrot and potato first, about 15 minutes, then add chopped cabbage. Cook until cabbage reaches desired crunchiness, usually 10 minutes or so.

Finally, return the cooked Corned Beef to the pot with veggies and let it reheat for about 5 minutes.


This is a one-pot meal, so just slice off hunks of Corned Beef and serve with the cooked veggies.


When slicing the Corned Beef for sandwiches make sure to cut across the grain of the meat. Of course, you'll want to try out a slice to see how yummy it is. Notice the lean meat and its rosy color inside.


For a Deli-style Corned Beef Sandwich just add mustard to rye bread. Layer on your favorite cheese, corned beef, and coleslaw. From a 2.67 pound of corned beef brisket, I made 3 sandwiches. I served them to my ex-NYC neighbor Deb and she raved about how delicious it was. I hope you will like it too!



Directions for Cooking Easy Pastrami Recipe
Remove corned beef from the package and follow the cooking directions.

Typically you add corned beef to a large pot with a cover and fill it with water to just above the meat. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer, cover and simmer for at least 3 hours. Check on it from time to time to make sure the water doesn't cook out (the water can cook out by a third, and that's okay, as the meat will continue to steam).


When finished boiling, remove the meat and set it to drain. Make a dry rub to coat the meat for smoking. Mix the pepper and coriander and coat all sides of the brisket.

Dry Rub Ingredients for Smoking
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander - they are the tan brown seeds in the herb package that normally comes with corned beef. You can sometimes find ground coriander in grocery spice racks, too.
  • 2 tablespoons of ground black pepper - okay to use less. Sometimes black pepper can overpower everything, but I like my pastrami that way.
  • Wood chips for smoking the pastrami on a BBQ grill -- about 4 cups.


Now time to smoke it. You mainly need an outdoor grill with a cover. I have a 2-burner gas grill. The object is to smoke the meat with indirect heat. That is, place the meat as far away from the flame as possible. The meat is already cooked, so you just want to smoke it at this stage. If you have a simple outdoor charcoal bbq grill then build a fire way off to one side.


The flame is under a pan of wood chips. You could even loosely wrap a large handful of chips in aluminum foil and place them over hot coals or a gas flame.

Depending on how large and hot the flame source is, the wood chips should start smoking in a couple of minutes. When the smoke starts, place the boiled brisket as far away from the flame as possible and cover the grill tightly.

Check every 10 minutes or so and replace the wood chips with fresh ones as they cook away if needed. I smoked my pastrami for an hour. Even a half-hour of smoking will give the Corned Beef great flavor and create a crunchy crusted Pastrami.


In the hour of smoking, I had to replace the blackened wood chips a couple of times. The meat will still heat up and brown, even away from the heat.

If you are using a coal-burning grill your smoking time may be shorter, as they often burn hotter than a more controllable gas grill (about half an hour of smoking?). The length of time it takes for the wood chips to stop smoking is all the time you really need.

After the pastrami is smoked, place it on a cutting board, slice across the grain, and make a big fat Pastrami Sandwich - your way!


Friday, March 8, 2024

2024 Oscar Party - Recipes

And the Best Oscar Entree goes to...YOU! Come and accept your award-winning chow and pass it around to your party guests so everyone has a taste of Oscar. Sit back and watch the Best Picture Oscar-nominated movie trailers below paired with my Best Oscar Entrees which are a feast for your eyes.

And click on any Best Oscar Entree nominee names to be directed to the original blog post for all the award-winning recipe prose and cinematic culinary imagery.

Do try out any of my Oscar Party Entrees - you're sure to get a Standing O. So have your acceptance speech ready because the golden statuette for Best Entree at an Oscar Party belongs to you, the host with the most.

The first Best Oscar Entree nominee is a New York City Broadway dressing room favorite nosh. Check out the trailer for "Maestro."


1. "Maestro" Bagel Spread with Cream Cheese & Salmon - The biopic flick of New York Philharmonic and Broadway musical conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein is loaded (with high drama) like my latest Bagel Spread recipe. 


The second Best Oscar Entree is a sprinkles-filled dessert and a topping so fresh like the movie "Barbie."



2. "Barbie" Cupcakes with Pink Strawberry Frosting - From plastic to fresh fruity Technicolor sets and costumes, Barbie is a bustier of a blockbuster musical with a feminist spin. My cupcakes with homemade pink frosting, the color scheme of the movie.


The third Best Oscar Entree sees previous Oscar winner Martin Scorsese helming a tragic historical story on the Great Plains.  


3. "Killers of the Flower Moon" Frybread - My late wife, Amy, and I vacationed on a few Indian reservations one summer. The sights were majestic and the natives enlightened us to their culture and food. A local Indian was generous enough to show us his version of American Indian-style Frybread.



The fourth Best Oscar Entree took the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in France last year. I have a favorite French entree I know you will devour.



4. "Anatomy of a Fall" Cassoulet - A murder mystery at a chilly mountain chalet in France calls for a toasty warm dish of baked beans with sausage and chicken. Check out the movie in the comfort of your warm living room with a steaming plate of Cassoulet.



The fifth Best Oscar Entree stars Jeffery Wright, who is always worth watching. 



5. "American Fiction" Soul Food - This pitch-black satire on "Black" books takes elite academia to task. There is nothing elite about a visit to Chef Marilyn's Soul Food Express in my neighborhood. It's all good. 


The sixth Best Oscar Entree is the bomb!


6. "Oppenheimer" Tuna Melt - My sandwich recipe fuses Cheese and Tuna Salad into one powerful atom-splitting core of molten goodness. I think my wide-screen recipe video would make the film director Christopher Nolan quite pleased as an accompaniment to his Imax operatic bio of Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.


The seventh Best Oscar Entree takes place in a New England boarding school and stars scene-chewing Paul Giamotti. 


7. "The Holdover" Hoagie - I had my first Hoagie Sandwich when I visited my wife's family on the East Coast. Like the movie, it has a crusty Professor of bread with a volatile Student filling of Italian deli meats.


The eighth Best Oscar Entree time-shifts between childhood in Korea and adulthood in New York City.


8. "Past Lives" Pizza - The bittersweet story is about unrequited love, so you will want something soothing and satisfying to dine on.  I always grab a toasty $1.50 Pizza Slice or two when visiting the Big Apple. Linda and I saw this film while staying in NYC and we happened to hang out at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge exactly where some scenes in the film were filmed.


The ninth Best Oscar Entree is my kind of flick. A twisted tale based on a novel that is a riff on the classic Frankenstein story.


9. "Poor Things" Fried Baloney Sandwich - I was fed this sandwich as a child, and like the movie's main character played by Emma Stone, we follow her from adolescence to enlightenment. With eccentric visuals and characters in extremis (Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo). This recipe and movie are not for the faint of palate.


The final Best Oscar Entree is a WWII antiseptic chilling story that takes place in a Nazi family's villa next to the concentration camp of Auschwitz.


10. "Zone of Interest" - There is really no recipe that can accompany this tragic tale. 

Do try any of my Oscar Party Entrees - you're sure to get a Standing O. So have your acceptance speech ready because the golden statuette for Best Entree at an Oscar Party belongs to you, the host with the most.

I'll leave you with a video I made a while ago when the Academy of Motion Pictures had an exhibit with a podium on which a real Oscar stood. All you had to do was stand in line and take a picture with it -- well you can be sure I showed up for that! Just check out the video below:


May the Best Entree win!!

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

National Oreo Cookie Day

Oreo is the best-selling cookie brand in the U.S.A. and I loved them as a kid and I still do. I get mine in 2 or 4 Packs at my local Dollar Tree for $1.25. I invite you to celebrate National Oreo Cookie Day with me.


Oreo Cookie Interloper

I like these cookies of crunchy sweetness in small packages, I mean at my age eating half a normal-sized package of 30 is a bit much (the cookie count continues to drop from 45 to 30).

While the crème filling is super-sweet, the chocolate cookie is dry and almost bitter, it's a great combination that is attractive to all ages. 

The first Nabisco Oreo consisting of two cookies with a crème filling was introduced in New York City on March 6, 1912. They were originally called Oreo Biscuits. 

The original crème center was made with animal lard, but now the filling is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, so it's vegan (if you're a stickler it is said that there is a bit of dairy cross-contamination at the factory). The other main ingredients are sugar, flour, and cocoa.

I enjoy how Nabisco continues to introduce different configurations of the Oreo that reflect the times. They seem to have fun with their brand, always tweaking the filling colors and packaging for the holidays, special events, and passing fads -- and why the heck not? 


Oreo Cookie Cupcakes? I'm in!

I haven't seen Oreo Ice Cream at dollar stores yet, but they look pretty good, even at full price.

I especially like the Oreo Halloween skull design, totally kool. 


I like the Oreo Halloween Pumpkin design, too.

I like the Oreo Olympics cookie so I picked up a few packages during its last winter run.

All the colorful fillings taste the same, but there are editions with wild flavors you can read about here. I'll be on the lookout for any of them from now on.

Check back next year to see new editions of Oreo Cookies I find.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

National Pancake Day - Fruity Recipes!

How I loved pancakes as a kid. And on this delicious National Pancake Day, I have it covered featuring a cheap$kate spin on the traditional pancake with the addition of fresh fruit. Just check out my video below to see how easy it is to do.

Strawberry Pancake Recipe - Video

Fluffy browned flour pancakes would jumpstart my day with a sugar blast of maple-flavored syrup. Hey, I grew up in the South in a small town so we didn't have access to real New England maple syrup, but what we had was fine. 

Of course, now I buy real maple syrup. I don't have pancakes as often as I used to, but when I do I make it a special occasion with the addition of fresh fruit that I add to the frying pan and then pour on the pancake batter. 


That way I don't need as much syrup since fresh and in-season fruit adds a layer of natural sweetness. And you'll never get bored with plain pancakes again if you try my versions of Fruity Pancakes, and I bet the kids will eat them up, too!

What fruit can you add? Just about any type you can find, really - fresh, canned, or frozen. Start with an easy-to-get banana, then move on to peach, and more exotic ripe slices of mango. 

It's easiest to use small whole fruit that is ready to add, like blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. Scroll on to see the fruity variations I've tried and pick a favorite to try yourself.


My recipe is basic, I use premixed pancakes from the box. Nothing special really. The average mix is usually just enriched flour, sugar, dried egg, and milk. Normally you just add water. You can use your own favorite mix or even a homemade mix. If price is no object then get organic from Whole Foods or from your fave health food market.

I do like to finish my pancake with a pat of real butter. It's up to you if you want to go that far. 

Here is my basic Pancake Recipe using a box of mix and fresh blueberries. I like to make one large pancake, but you can make them any size you and your family or friends like including small dollar-sized. 

Blueberries are ready-to-go, just a quick rinse and put them right on a lightly oiled hot griddle or pan -- no peeling or seeds to remove. Next pour on the pancake batter and cook until browned on both sides.

Blueberry Pancake Recipe - Video
Play it here, video runs 1 minute, 32 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.


Ingredients (2 servings, using a pancake mix)
  • 1 cup pancake mix - any favorite
  • 3/4 cup water - okay to use milk for a richer pancake batter.
  • 1/4 cup blueberries - add as many blueberries as you like per pancake, about a dozen or so.
  • 1 tablespoon of cooking oil - to grease skillet. Add more when needed, depending on how many pancakes you make.
  • Butter and favorite pancake syrup - add as much as you like.
Directions
Prepare pancake batter according to package directions. My pancake mix calls for 1 cup of flour and 3/4 cup of water.


Mix pancake ingredients in a bowl. When mixed it will be like thick country gravy.
(If you are using frozen blueberries it's okay to add right to the batter. Defrosted or not, as they will warm up during pancake cooking).


Add a teaspoon of oil to pan or griddle. Heat the pan over medium heat.
Rinse fresh blueberries and arrange on a hot pan or griddle. Add as many as you like, depending on the size of each pancake.


Brown pancakes for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, depending on pan heat. When you see air pockets then check the bottom of the pancake to see how it's browning.

The instant box of pancake directions mentions cooking time to brown each side as 1.5 minutes each....hmmm, they must be using a super hot pan! Best to just check the pancake for color as you go.


If you want a dark brown pancake presentation, then cook one side to get the right hue of brown, then cook the other side for a minute, to finish. Serve browned side up, on the plate.


I serve hot with melted butter and favorite pancake syrup. 

Cherry Pancakes are at the top of my fave fruit-filled breakfast. 


You do need to remove cherry seeds, but it's worth the effort and since cherry season only lasts a couple of months, you won't be making these too many times anyway, so give my Cherry Pancake recipe a try.


Fig Pancakes are another favorite. I have a fig tree a few blocks away so I can get them for free when the tree starts bearing sweet fruit.


When store-bought they are on the expensive side, but I've found packages of cheaper dried figs that work just fine.


Blackberries often show up at my local 99c Only Store, so they will end up in my Blackberry Pancakes. They are often quite large so I slice them in half before pouring on the pancake batter. 


Mango Pancakes may be the sweetest fruit pancakes. You do have to wait for them to reach ripeness until they are soft to the touch like a peach. 


And they are well worth the wait. Check out your local ethnic market to get a good deal on them.
 

Raspberries are the most delicate berry. Handle with care and they will reside in your pancake batter to impart sweet and tangy pancakes.


So stir it up, I mean the pancake batter and grill a stack for a delicious National Pancake Day. And check back next year for more fruit-filled Pancakes in the works!
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