Meatball Sub

 Serves: 2

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Using the leftover mini-meatloaves from the night before, they were a breeze. I opted to make a homemade marinara sauce because I didn't have any jarred stuff on hand. I'm glad I did! Best sandwich!

What It Takes:
1T Olive Oil
1 Sweet Onion, Diced
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Can (28oz) Diced Tomato, Stewed Tomato or Whole Tomatoes, undrained*
1 Can (8 oz) Tomato Sauce
1 T Tomato Paste
3 t Italian Seasoning
1/4 t Red Pepper Flakes
1 t sugar
salt and pepper to taste
6 Left Over Mini Meatloaves
2 Sub/Hoagie Rolls
1 C Shredded Mozzarella

How To Do It:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until opaque, stirring often. Add garlic and let them cook together for one minute. Stir Constant to keep from burning.

Add all the tomato products and seasonings. Allow to come to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Add the mini meatloaves and simmer with lid on over low heat for 45 minutes. Taste the sauce to make sure it is to your liking. Add any additional seasoning that you feel necessary.

Toast rolls under the broiler until lightly toasted. Sprinkle 1/2 C cheese (more or less depending on how cheesy you like it) on the both sides of the rolls and place back under the broiler until cheese is starting to melt. Cut meatloaves in half and arrange on one side of the roll. Spoon on extra sauce and top with other half of roll.

*When using stewed tomatoes or whole tomatoes, break up the tomatoes into smaller pieces so there are small chunks. If you would like for your sauce to be a smooth texture, then using an immersion blender blend the sauce to your desired consistency. 

Best Ever Sloppy Joes

I have learned that there is no point in buying a can of sloppy joe mix when you can make it healthier and tastier from scratch.

Serves: 4    Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 30 minutes

What You Need:

1 lb. ground meat (I normally use turkey but of course beef in the norm)
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped (I have also used a whole zucchini and it turns out great)
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t mustard
3/4 C ketchup (more if it is to dry)
3 T brown sugar
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 T red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

How to do it: 

Brown meat with the veggies. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until well combined. Let simmer 20-30 minutes. Taste to make sure sauce is to your liking. At this point you may feel it isn't sweet enough (add more brown sugar) or isn't spicy (add some hot sauce).

I serve mine over a slice of bread and eat it open faced.

Sauerbraten (German Roast)

Serves: 8   



Prep Time:  15 minutes + 3-4 days in the
                   refrigerator

Cook Time: 4 hours in the oven or
                   6-8 hours in crock pot

After finding a red cabbage/apple mix at Aldi (a grocery store), I decided to make an entire German meal. I will show you what all I made over the next couple of days.


First up is the Sauerbraten (thanks Alton Brown).

What it Takes:

2 c water
1 c cider vinegar
1 c red wine vinegar
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper (I used 1 teaspoon whole black pepper corns)
2 bay leaves
6 cloves (I used 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves)
12 juniper berries
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 3-5lb roast (I used chuck)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 c sugar
18-20 gingersnaps, crushed

How to do it:

In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the water, vinegars, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper berries and mustard seed. Cover and boil. Lower heat to a simmer for 10 minutes. Cool until able to dip finger in and not burn the finger.

Pat the roast dry and rub with oil. Season roast with some salt and pepper. Sear meat on all sides in a skillet over high heat (2-3 minutes per side).

Place roast in a glass bowl and pour over the cooled marinade. Cover and place in fridge for 3-4 days. If roast is not fully submerged in the marinade, turn roast once per day.

After 3-4 days, mix 1/3 c sugar in with the marinade and roast. Then, either place roast and marinade in a dutch oven and bake at 325 for 4 hours or place in a crock pot set to low for 6-8 hours.

After roast has cooked, remove roast and keep it warm by placing foil over the roast on a cutting board. Strain the liquid into a sauce pan and boil over medium-high heat. Whisk in the crushed gingersnaps and cook until thickened. If your gravy seems lumpy, strain the gravy through a sieve to remove the lumps.

I suggest you go get a roast tonight and start the marinading process. This is hands down, one of the best roasts I have had. The flavor is AMAZING and the gravy has the perfect balance of sweet and savory. I will post the potatoes tomorrow.