Sloppy Joes

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 lb. Ground Chuck
• 1/2 med onion (diced)
• 2 cloves garlic(minced)
• 3/4 cup ketchup 
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Add butter to skillet over med. high heat. Add ground chuck and cook until brown. Drain off fat. Add onions and garlic a pinch of salt and a bit of pepper, cook until they begin to soften. Add ketchup, brown sugar, chilli powder, dry mustard, Worcestershire and water. Turn heat to simmer. Cook 15 minutes more.

This is my version of a quick and easy go to recipe for sloppy joe's. When the hubby is not around I will also add 1/2 red or green pepper, diced.

Wild Mushroom Pie

• prepared crust for double crust pie  
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 2 lb  mixture of shitake, oyster, chantarelle, and/or portabello, cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/4 cup dry wine (such as pinot nior)
• 2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (115 ml) heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon fresh herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary and/or thyme) **Remember rosemary is very potant so use only a small amount of this.
• 1/3 cup (50 grams) fresh shredded parmesan cheese

Heat the butter in a wide, shallow pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add wine and the sliced mushrooms. Cook until browned, stirring frequently. The mushrooms may crowd the pan, but they will shrink as they cook. Season with salt and pepper.

While the mushrooms are cooking, roll out one disk of the pie dough into a rough 13-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie dish.

In bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, eggs, and flour. Add the mushroom mixture, herbs, and cheese and stir to combine. Dump mixture into the bottom pie crust.

Roll out the second dough disk and transfer it to the top of the pie. Pinch the two crusts together and tuck into the dish to seal. Cut slits into the crust as vents. Brush pie with egg wash.

Bake at 350 degrees F on the bottom rack of your oven until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 60-75 minutes. For best results, let pie cool to room temperature before serving to let the filling thicken properly. (I let it sit about 30 minutes which worked just fine)

If you desire you can store prebaked pie in the refrigerator then reheat pie at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes when ready to serve.

**The origional recipe can be found here which includes this parmasan pie crust. I have included them on my page as seperate entries as I love this crust with many savory pies. Plain pie crust works with the mushroom pie as well.

Parmesan Pie Crust

• 2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 1/3 cup (50 grams) parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) buttermilk, cold
• 1-2 tablespoons vodka or water, cold

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the cubed butter and toss to coat. Dump the mixture out onto a clean surface and use a rolling pin to roll the butter into thin sheets, combining it with the flour. Use a bench scraper to scrape the rolling pin and to bring the mixture back into a pile as necessary. Continue until all of the butter is incorporated into the flour. Mixture will be very flaky. Return mixture to the bowl and add the parmesan cheese. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Remove from freezer and add the buttermilk. Use a spoon and then your hands to stir the mixture until it comes together into a ball. If mixture is too dry, add the water or vodka a tablespoon at a time. Divide the dough in two and flatten into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.

Origional Recipe found here: http://www.completelydelicious.com

Scones

• 2 cups flour (plus 1 or 2 Tablespoons to toss fruit with)

  

  Cherry-Almond Glazed Scone

• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into chunks
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• Variety of optional additions to mix or match: 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit. 2/3 cup dried fruit. 1/3 cup nuts

Preheat oven to 400ºF

In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until well combined. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or two forks until the butter pieces resemble crumbs.

In another small bowl mix buttermilk and egg together.  Add dry ingredients. Mix just to incorporate. Do not over mix.  In a separate bowl toss fruit with 1 to 2 Tablespoons flour (this prevents the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the dough while baking). Shaking off extra flour, add optional ingredients gently folding it into dough.  Drop large tablespoons of batter on to an ungreased cookie sheet. (Makes 6-12 depending on the size you desire)

Bake 15 to 20 minutes

Let cool and glaze if desired.