Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

I've had this recipe bookmarked for quite some time now.  It's one of Sarah's most popular recipes and now I understand why.  Not only is it a great weeknight meal but the flavor is one that the whole family will love, too.

Have you ever noticed that ground beef pretty much never comes in one pound packages unless you buy the rolls?  I always end up with 0.1, 0.3, and so on pounds of beef leftover and then I end up freezing it.  Eventually, I have enough collected to create another meal and that's where this recipe came in.  To stretch my ground beef further, I "beefed" it up with some mushrooms.

Then, to add more zest and to further copycat a flavor I love at my favorite Philly Cheesesteak joint, Penn Station, I substituted some tangy banana peppers for the green bell peppers.  Last but not least, I found the filling juices to be a bit too runny so I recommend to reduce the beef stock.  It was also lacking in flavor to me.  Maybe it's the type of steak sauce I used?  Sarah recommends A-1 but all I had was generic store-brand sauce.  I amped mine up by adding additional steak sauce, Worcesteshire sauce, and garlic powder.  All of these changes are reflected below.

If you want to simplify the recipe further, you could always put provolone cheese slices directly on top of the filling instead of creating the sauce but it's not nearly as melty this way and you can't go totally crazy with the cheese like I did.  But either way, go ahead and dig in...these are super sloppy and I recommend a fork!

Two Years Ago: Pierogi and Kielbasa Bake - Another easy weeknight meal.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

For the Filling

• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1 softball-sized onion, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup banana peppers, chopped
• 4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons steak sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcesteshire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 cup beef stock
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

For the Cheese Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup (4 ounces) provolone, shredded (I used 5 slices of pre-sliced smoked provolone)

For Serving

• Rolls or buns of choice
• Mayonnaise (optional)

Directions

1. In large skillet over medium-high heat brown the ground beef, about 5-6 minutes. Drain the majority of the grease then add the onion, green pepper, banana pepper, and mushrooms and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables start to get tender. 
2. Stir in the steak sauce, beef stock, Worcestshire sauce, and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper to taste then bring up to a simmer and cook about 2 minutes. 
3. Split open rolls and remove most of the soft insides, leaving a bed to hold the meat mixture. Toast the rolls and set aside. 
4. While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium-size pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute until foaming. Whisk in milk, bring up to a simmer and let thicken slightly, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in the cheese.  Continue to stir until melted through. 
5. To serve, smear some mayonnaise on the top of the rolls.  Place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.

Source: Modified from A Taste of Home Cooking

Chicken Marsala Risotto

Hello, my name is Christine and I'm a food alcoholic.  I said it in my Southern Comfort (Drunken) Apple Pie post yesterday and I'll say it again.  I love booze in my food!

I also told my facebook fans on Friday when I made it that this meal that I'm about to share was easily one of the best I'd had in a long time.  And surprise surprise...it has booze in it!  I promised Jené and Whitney that I'd post it today so here I am taking their request.

Risotto is kind of a pain to make because you have to stir it constantly but the results always seem worth it to me.  My only other complaint is that it's usually doused in cream, cheese, and butter.  This recipe is different.  It carries nearly all of its fine flavor in the Marsala wine and uses only one tablespoon of butter (if you grill your chicken like I did), 1/4 cup cheese, and zero cream!  I told you alcohol makes food pack a flavor punch ;).

Nicole of Prevention RD says it yields 3 servings (4 if you serve with a salad and stretch it) but I found that it easily makes 4 servings all on its own.  Especially if you cut up your chicken breast into slices.  Since the meat is spread out, it tricks your mind into thinking you're eating more of it than you really are allowing you to stretch out the servings.  It's kind of similar to the trick of serving your meals on smaller plates.

Three Years Ago: (Sugary Sweet) Chili - My mother-in-law's recipe and how appropriate timing since this particular recipe won Nicole's 2nd Annual Chili Contest last year!  Check out her blog as she goes through eight chili entries in the 3rd annual contest.  Yep, I entered another recipe this year, too.

Chicken Marsala Risotto

Ingredients

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter*
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1 cup Marsala wine, divided
• 3 (4 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup (1 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil, cut chiffonade

*Note: I had my husband grill our chicken because it was still nice out but if you would like to prepare everything indoors and in a skillet, you'll want an additional 1 Tbsp of butter to cook the chicken.  The skillet method is also recommended for those that are cooking alone since you really can't leave risotto unattended!

Directions

1. Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan until it simmers.  
2. Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a large heavy-bottomed skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.  Add shallots and cook until soft, 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer.  Add the Arborio rice and toast until opaque around the edges, 2-3 minutes.  Add 3/4 cup of Marsala wine and cook, stirring often, until absorbed, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth and stir occasionally until almost absorbed, 5-8 minutes.  Working 1 ladle of broth at a time, continue to add broth and stirring often so that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Add another ladle when the broth is almost completely absorbed.  After you have been cooking the risotto for 10 minutes, stir in the mushrooms.  At this time, have your significant other or cooking partner in crime preheat your grill to medium-high. Continue cooking the risotto, stirring constantly, until all of the broth is absorbed for a total of 20-25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, pound chicken breasts to desired thickness, about 1/2 inch.  Season with salt and pepper.
   To Grill: Grill until cooked through, about 12-15 minutes or until thermometer inserted into center of the meat registers 170 degrees. Remove to a plate and cover with foil until ready to serve.
   To Cook in Skillet: Heat additional Tablespoon of butter in a large skillet.  Pan fry the chicken until lightly browned on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and cover with foil until ready to serve.
5. Remove risotto from heat and stir in remaining 1/4 cup of Marsala wine, Parmesan cheese, and basil.  Cut chicken breasts into slices and top each risotto portion with the slices or if desired, serve topped with whole chicken breasts.  Serve immediately.

Source: Slightly adapted from Prevention RD

 
This recipe was shared on This Week's Cravings.  The hostess for this linky arty are: Tina from MOMS CRAZY COOKING, Nicole from The Daily Dish and Kristi from Veggie Converter. 

Recipe Swap: Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabellas

The theme for this Recipe Swap was Vegetarian.  I submitted my favorite veggie meal - Sauceless Garden Lasagna and received this recipe from Jenna's Cooking Journey.  See the full round-up at Taste of Home Cooking.

I love mushrooms and I love spinach artichoke dip so I thought this recipe would be a no-brainer home run for me.  But I have to admit that it fell a little bit flat in terms of flavor.  I'm not sure where it went wrong since most others that have made it had raved about it.  Maybe I didn't put enough salt?  Or maybe it was my substitution of Greek yogurt for the mayo?  Whatever the reason, something just seemed to be missing from this recipe for me and I probably won't be making it again as written.  Possibly I'd consider trying the concept with my favorite Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip, though.  At least I got my veggies in for the day!

One Year Ago: Baked Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries - So good!
Three Years Ago: Jamie's Minestrone - Still one of my absolute favorite soups to date!

Remember, last chance to enter my Daelia's Biscuits with Cheese Giveaway.  It ends at midnight and your chances of winning are pretty good!

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Portabellas

Ingredients 

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 4-5 medium-large portabello mushrooms, wiped clean and stems removed
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (I used Greek yogurt)
• 1½ teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning
• 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
• ½ cup coarse Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup finely grated Asiago cheese 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450˚ F.
2. In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil with two thirds of the minced garlic. 
3. Scrape the gills from the inside of the mushroom caps.  Set the mushroom caps on a baking pan, gill side up, and brush lightly with the garlic-oil mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, mix the filling.  Combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, remaining garlic, ½ teaspoon of the Italian Seasoning, and the spinach in a medium bowl.  Stir together until evenly blended.  Gently stir in the artichokes.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon the filling mixture over the roasted mushroom caps.
5. In another small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, Asiago and remaining 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning.  Stir with a fork to blend.  Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the top of the filling mixture on each mushroom.  Bake for 10 more minutes or until golden and warmed through.  Serve immediately.

Source: Adapted and submitted by Jenna's Cooking Journey from Annie's Eats

Summer Corn Fettuccine

Apparently this is one of those recipes that you either love or hate.  Chris found it to be very strange and I'll admit that at first, I wasn't really a fan either.  But, by the time I was reaching the end of my plate, I found myself yearning for more and wanting to lick the plate.

The contrast between the sweet corn and the salty bacon with accents of parmesan and fresh basil kind of blows your mind once you temper it into accept something other than the expected pasta sauces.  This must be why this particular recipe took the blogging world by storm and fueled a great debate.

Love it or not?  Leave your comments below!


One Year Ago: Herbed Potato Salad (Look ma!  No mayo so perfect for your 4th of July/Summer BBQ!)


Summer Corn Fettucine

Ingredients

• 1 pound fettuccine
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 6 ears corn on the cob, shucked
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 12-oz mushrooms, sliced 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• A few dashes of hot sauce
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup sweet basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. 
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes until rendered and crisp. 
3. Put a small bowl inverted into a large bowl, steady the corn cobs on the smaller bowl and cut the kernels off the ears. Add three-quarters of the scraped corn and any corn liquid to the pan with the bacon. Add the onions and mushrooms and liberally season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
4. dd the remaining corn and half-and-half to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Pour the stock into the corn and vegetables and simmer over low heat for a minute to reduce. Stir in the thyme and corn-cream mixture and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken. Add the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the pasta to the sauce just before serving and toss with Parmesan cheese. Top with basil and serve.

Source: Originally from Cassie Craves and Evil Chef Mom as seen on and adapted by A Taste of Home Cooking

Recipe Swap: Mushroom Bolognese

I've said it once and I'll say it again.  I LOVE Italian food.  So, this week's Recipe Swap theme was a dream come true.  When I got my recipe from Heather at Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks I was pumped.  I can never get enough great Italian sauce recipes.

My husband to me: "What's for dinner tonight?"
Me: "Pasta."
My husband: "Oh.  Does it have meat in it?" [A fair question since I have been veggie heavy due to trying to use all our CSA veggies]
Me: "Yes."

I wasn't lying.  There IS some ground turkey in this dish.  But you know how they say that mushrooms are meaty?  That's exactly what this recipe is really all about.  It tastes a lot like your traditional bolognese sauce but uses meaty mushroom pieces in place of most of the ground meat yielding a healthier version of this Italian favorite.  Even my mushroom-hating husband thought he was eating meat and loved this dish.  He went so far as to tell me a good two or three times how much he liked this dish.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that it was mostly mushrooms.  Genius I tell you, genius!

Of course, you can make this recipe completely vegetarian by omitting the ground meat altogether or using those vegetarian beef crumbles.  As always, I added a few shakes of cracked red pepper for a good kick.  This will go in my recipe keepers for sure!  By the way, if you're looking for a more traditional meat bolognese, check out this recipe :).

For this swap, I submitted my favorite simple sauce, Marinara Magnifica which was received by Caitlin's Cooking and More.  It's a simple, great sauce to use on pretty much anything and I love how Caitlin adapted it for the crockpot.  See the rest of the Italian swap roundup at A Taste of Home Cooking.
Mushroom Bolognese


Ingredients

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 c. chopped onion
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. black pepper
• 1/2 lb. lean ground beef (optional; I used ground turkey)
• 5 c. finely chopped mushrooms (I used baby bella but feel free to use a combo of whatever)
• 1 t. minced garlic
• 3 T. tomato paste
• 1/2 c. dry red wine
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 t. Italian seasoning
• 1 t. oregano
• 1 lb. pasta
• 1/4 c. pasta water
• Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley or basil chiffonade
• Few shakes of cracked red pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion, salt, pepper, and ground beef.  Cook for 10 minutes or until beef is browned.
2. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Add in tomato paste, wine, and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  
3. Meanwhile, make the pound of pasta according to package directions.  Reserve 1/4 c. pasta water.
4. Stir in the oregano and Italian seasoning.  Stir in pasta water.  Spoon over hot pasta and sprinkle with cheese and parsley.

**This sauce can be frozen for up to 6 months.  Great for a make-ahead meal!**

Source: As seen on and adapted by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks from Cooking Light