Hula Joes

This came from Rachael Ray. Its a Hawaiian twist on Sloppy Joes.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 pound smoked ham or bacon, diced
1 lb ground pork
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup pineapple, chopped, fresh or canned
Salt and ground black pepper
4 Kaiser rolls
1 cup shredded yellow cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bacon in the pan until crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Drain the fat off. Add the ground pork and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until soft, about 5-6 minutes.

While the pork and onions are cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire and tomato sauce. Pour into the skillet with the pork and onion, cook about a minute, then stir in pineapple. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 2-3 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

To serve, place a bun bottom on a plate with a scoop of Hula Joe mixture and a sprinkling of cheese. Top with the bun cap.


My notes:
Although it only says 4 rolls, I served 5 and still had some left over. I left the cheese off and still thought it was great! Hamburger buns are okay to substitute for kaiser rolls.

Fried Pickles

I first tried Fried Pickles at the Alabama Grill in Nashville, TN. I was very skeptical at first, but was won over on the first bite! Now, before you let your imagination run with this one, I will tell you it is made with dill hamburger chips, not whole pickles. In Texas I was introduced to Razzoo's who also makes fried pickles. As I am no longer in the South and had to start making them myself. I have tried a few different recipes and I always tweak it a little each time. I found this recipe to be the easiest and it always turns out!

INGREDIENTS

Seasoned Egg Wash:

• 1 Egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/3 teaspoon Tabasco

Seasoned Flour:

• 2 cup flour
• 1/2 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 2 teaspoons black pepper

Other:

• Oil for deep frying
• Dill Hamburger Chips
  

DIRECTIONS

Whip together all ingredients for seasoned egg wash, set aside. Mix ingredients for flour mixture in a shallow dish. Dip pickles into flour mix, then egg wash, then flour mix again. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. Serve with dipping sauce of ranch dressing, ketchup or horseradish sauce.

My notes:

I like to substitute some of the flour for corn meal, but it isn't necessary. Also, if you don't like one of the seasoning or think something else may be better, feel free to change it up. The three I always use are salt, pepper and garlic. For time purposes, sometimes I will skip the first dip in the flour mix. I am picky about ranch dressing and think they are best with fresh buttermilk ranch dressing (made from a packet of course). In searching for a photo of these online, I found they are on wikipedia....but I caution you against using pickle spears (they aren't as good and are a little mushy).

My kind of Journal!

I'm not much of a journal writer so I thought I would try something a little different. I love to cook and try new recipes. Some turn out great, other may only be okay and some are terrible. Along with my love of cooking, I like to make others happy with my food. So, I thought I would try a blog where I will post new recipes that I try that actually work and aren't of the "terrible" variety. I will try to post at least one recipe a week, but there may be weeks when I post nothing....that's most likely because I didn't have anyone to experiment on that week it didn't turn out. If you find a recipe that you are nervouse to try, send it my way and I will let you know how it turns out. Also, feel free to send me some of your favorites that I can add to my collection. I hope you enjoy this!