The Tavern

Not to be confused with a hole-in-the-wall serving long island iced teas and purple hooters, the tavern I'm referring to is a true mid-western invention. It's another home cooked meal I miss. Do not be alarmed by this photo. Taverns are infinitely more tasty than they look.

Photo Credit

A tavern is a loose meat sandwich. In one sense, it's similar to a sloppy joe since it's a ground beef sandwich on a bun, but it's not at all like a sloppy joe since it is not tomato based. It's got a completely different flavor. When I was younger, living in Iowa, we used to order these at Bob's Drive-Inn. After we moved away, my parents kept them in the family by recreating them over and over again. It's oh-so-easy, generally delicious, and can be modified for the slow cooker. It's probably not the healthiest thing in the world, but sometimes you've got to live a little, right? 

This recipe is from Food.com, but with a few changes. If you take a look at the original be sure to read the author's note. It will give you a little more history on the tavern. I know I'm biased since I'm from the area the author refers to, but, really, what is more fascinating than the origins of a loose meat sandwich?   


Taverns

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp. yellow mustard + additional for buns
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
water
salt and pepper to taste
dill pickles
hamburger buns

Directions:

1. Heat and break up ground beef in a skillet.
2. Add chopped onion to meat while cooking and breaking up meat.
3. After meat is cooked, drain off excess fat.
4. Add mustard, vinegar, and sugar to the meat and onions. Mix together and then add enough water to barely cover the ingredients in the pan.
5. Simmer tavern meat 15 to 20 minutes until water is cooked out.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Heat buns if desired.
8. Dress your bun with mustard and dill pickles then top with loose meat mixture.

And there you have it, my friends, another mid-western delicacy. Enjoy!  

Home Cookin': Meatloaf & Tuna and Noodles

I know I've mentioned at least a gazillion times before (like here and here) that food is the way to my heart. It really is. There's no fooling anyone here. I'm simple like that. Feed me and I will love you forever. So it's probably no surprise that one of the things I miss about living with my parents is the food. Mmm-mmm, do I miss me some home cookin'. Oh Lawd, some mashed potatoes and gravy would do me just fine (sorry, I've been reading The Help).

Speaking of mashed potatoes, nothing goes better with a mountain of fluffy white taters than a slab of moist, savory meatloaf. I'm talking real meatloaf here, not like the turkey and quinoa variety. Meatloaf is the ultimate comfort food, and no matter how many recipes I try, it doesn't get much better than my mom's. It's not gourmet by any means, but that's probably what makes it so perfect. For anyone wanting a tried and true meatloaf recipe, here's how she does it:

Mom's Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. ground beef
3/4 cup ketchup
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. Morton's Nature's Seasons Seasoning Blend

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients together and transfer mixture into a loaf pan.
3. Place in oven and cook for 1 hour.
4. Drain grease and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice and serve.  

Photo Credit

And then there's tuna and noodles. Seriously, tuna AND noodles. Does it get much better than that? I swear I haven't had this in years, but I can taste it right now. It's another great comfort food that I miss terribly, and my mom does it just right:

Mom's Tuna and Noodles

Ingredients:

1 large can albacore tuna, drained
1 bag egg noodles
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 green bell peppers, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the bag of egg noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain.
2. Transfer the noodles back to the pan and add the cream of mushroom, tuna, and bell pepper.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook over low to medium heat for about 5 minutes.
5. Serve and enjoy!

My mom and I like the crunch and flavor of the green bell pepper, but you can substitute peas for the bell pepper if you like.  You can also serve this as a casserole. Just transfer the mixture to a baking dish, sprinkle some cheese and bread crumbs on top, and place in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Photo Credit

If you're feeling like some good ol' mid-western comfort food, as I like to call it, try out these recipes and let me know what you think.

Orzo Salad

We all contributed something for dinner Saturday night when we went camping. I made Orzo Salad.  

I loved this dish the minute I tried it at a friend's birthday party. So naturally I had to get the recipe. Its got chickpeas in it. I love anything with chickpeas. Chickpeas remind me of going to the salad bar with my dad when I was younger. He used to always put them on his salad, right next to his heaping mound of cottage cheese. I guess good taste runs in the family.  

It wasn't too difficult to make while camping, either. It's just that there's a lot of prep work. If you know you won't be near a kitchen when you make this, you'll need to plan ahead and bring all the proper tools. Other than that, it's easy as pie.      

I got this recipe from a friend of a friend so I don't know the original source. I'm sure there are a million different variations floating around, but if you want to try this one, here's the recipe in all its glory:

Ingredients

Salad

1 package orzo (in the pasta aisle)

4 cups chicken stock

1 can garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas), drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, chopped

1 cup snap peas, chopped

3/4 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped

1 container of goat cheese

Dressing

1 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used 3/4 cup, but you could probably cut it down to 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 tablespoon black pepper 

1. Cook the orzo in the chicken stock using the directions on the orzo package. Stir frequently so as not to burn the orzo.

2. Move cooked orzo into a large mixing bowl. Combine with chopped salad ingredients and garbanzo beans.   

3. Add dressing mixture and stir.

4. If you're not going to eat it right away (I let mine sit for several hours in the refrigerator), reserve the goat cheese until just before serving. When you're ready, mix in the goat cheese and wha-la!

If you make it, you'll have to drop by and tell me what you think! 

Fruity Margarita

For all you alkies out there, put the Jack down and take a listen. Here is a great way to get your RDA of fruit while still enjoying the delicious goodness of a fruity margarita. How you ask? A margarita inspired fruit salad. That's how. I said inspired though, so don't get too excited. This puppy is 100% alcohol free, but once you put these delicious morsels in your mouth I am sure you'll be asking, "Jack who?"

You will need a bunch of fruit. I think pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and bananas work nicely. Start with some pineapple, but don't forget to take out the core. I once did and it wasn't pretty. So, don't be like me especially if you are looking to impress someone special with your fruit-salad-making-skills.

Pile on some beautiful strawberries. Make sure to discard those fuzzy green things on top though and no, I am not talking about mold. If you have mold than you have problems and yes, fruit mold CAN happen to good people so beware.

Add some plump blueberries into the mix...

and some tasty raspberries.

Mix up some margarita mix (about 3/4 cup), some honey (1/4 cup), and lime juice. One whole lime should do the trick. Pour into bowl of delicious fruit and gently mix everything together.

Wha-la! A fabulous salad made entirely of fruit and other stuff. I recommend slicing up some bananas and throwing them on top right before you serve this concoction of delicious goodness. Enjoy!