Sweet Heat Sloppy Joe

 

A cool cole slaw crunch using a vinegar/sugar based dressing sprinkled with ground red chili flakes, yup the one you get in packets with your pizza, turns a simple sammy into an event. This recipe uses ground turkey instead of beef which is a healthier alternative but the sweetness of the turkey meat compliments the sweet and acidic slaw. It is also a nice economical option as today's beef prices continue to skyrocket.

Use your classic Sloppy Joe loose meat sandwich recipe, switch out beef for turkey and make your own coleslaw (recipe below). TALL blonde always toasts the buns and presses down the bun center to make room for more filling.

Pulled Pork and Coleslaw Sammy

This recipe started with a bit of sticker shock at the grocery store. While making my shopping list, I noticed a two-pound lean pork roast cost barely half as much as a single pound of ground beef. A post-pandemic dilemma—right up there with paying fifteen bucks for a dozen eggs.

I’d never made pulled pork before, and honestly, I’d never been impressed by most versions I’d tried elsewhere. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and build something packed with flavor from the ground up. It’s a simple, no-fuss dish that simmers away in the crockpot and fills the kitchen with rich, savory aromas.

This isn’t a recipe for beginners. The measurements are loose—more a reflection of memory than precision—since I was eyeballing everything as I went, from the pork seasoning to the coleslaw dressing. Trust your palate, adjust to your liking, and make it your own.

Lamb-rrito

TALL Blonde brings her love of Mediterranean cuisine to life with this fresh and flavorful ground lamb burrito-style wrap. Perfect for busy days when you want something quick, satisfying, and far from boring. This dish is a bold choice from the usual dull sandwich. The juicy ground lamb is the star, but the real magic is in the mix-and-match salad—totally customizable to suit your unique taste. This is a flexible recipe to create at your whim. Treat yourself to an array of flavor bombs as a starting point and let your palate lead the way.

Adult Tuna Sandwich

 

Pan Bagnat is a colorful Provencal layered sandwich of good quality canned tuna, an aromatic olive salad in vinaigrette and hard boiled eggs. If the aroma is familiar to you this is roughly the sandwich version of Salade Nicoise.  Pan Bagnat translates to bathed bread to give you some idea how the vinaigrette influences the dish, but this is by no means a sloppy sammy. It is a healthier alternative to a traditional tuna sandwich with mayonnaise and pleasing to an adult palate. This admittedly is TALLBlonde's favorite food group: the sandwich.

Best made in advance if you can curb your appetite so that the flavors meld and flow into a tangy sourdough baguette. Tuna used must be a good quality albacore packed in olive oil as albacore tends to have a dry quality so olive oil is preferable to water-packed. Whenever cooking with olive oil, always purchase California olive which is certified 100% olive oil and not cut with other oils. EVOO from other countries are not always pure olive oil.

Tater Salad Dressing

 

Completely packed with flavor and a little heat, TALLBlonde not only uses this for potato salad but it makes a tasty tuna sandwich. It has also become my favorite tartar sauce for deep fried fish, just add 2 tsp. dried tarragon.  I suggest emptying a full jar of mayonnaise and refilling the jar with this great creamy creation, double the recipe.

One cup of this dressing is perfect for 1 large potato or 2 medium potatoes.  Peel potato, cut into one-inch dice and boil in salted water until soft in the center but before it falls apart in the boiling water.  Drain and mix in dressing while potatoes are warm so dressing soaks in.

Pretzel Bread

makes 2 small loaves

Caprese Sandwich

TALL Blonde loves kitchen sink salads and also loves a well crafted sandwiches. This is two loves conjoined.

Super Bowl Sourdough Special

Tail-Gaters and Super Bowl Fan Favorite