Fried Green Tomato BLT

I was going to call this recipe a BL(FG)T, but then it occurred to me that civilians might not appreciate acronyms quite like the Army does. Whatever you choose to call it, this sandwich was heaven. First there is the fried bacon. I could eat bacon right out of the pan all day long, but when you add the tangy, salty fried green tomatoes it's just about the tastiest thing you can feed your mouth. Now my kids turned up their noses at the tomatoes, but I considered that a bonus....more for us. I do wonder if the kids get suspicious when I make them eat their green beans, but I encourage them to hand over their green tomatoes.

bacon
3 green tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 eggs
1/2c milk
1/2c flour
3 Tsp cornmeal
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
toasted bread
lettuce
mayonnaise
salt and pepper

On medium or medium-high heat, fry your bacon in a skillet. Drain the bacon on a paper toweled plate. Don't pour off the bacon grease.

Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Pour in milk and whisk together. In another small bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, and pepper.

Dredge the slices of green tomato (one a time) in the flour mixture. Shake of the excess and dip into the egg mixture. Now back in the flour mixture. Place the tomatoes in the hot oil and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Place the tomatoes on a paper toweled plate to drain the excess oil.

Construct the sandwiches by pulling mayonnaise on the toast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with bacon, lettuce, and the fried green tomatoes. Top with the other slice of bread.

(This recipe makes about five sandwiches depending on how much of your bacon gets stolen by snacking kids while you are cooking.)

Pulled Beef Brisket Sandwich

This was a very humbling recipe for me. I'll be honest, I've never cooked (or even bought) a brisket before. I looked in the meat section of my grocery store, but couldn't find it. I asked the butcher if he had any brisket.

He sneered at me, and waved his arm toward the right side of the meat fridge, "It's down there."

I did the only polite thing to do. I looked him straight in the eye and said, "I don't have any idea what it looks like and I couldn't find it overthere (waving my arm in that direction) could you point it out for me?"

Win/win situation. The butcher got to feel superior. I got the cut of meat I needed for this recipe. It was worth it. Saying this, I should probably tell you that I'm not usually a BBQ fan, in fact, I avoid it as much as possible. This recipe, however, is the exception. It was really good without tasting like it came out of the bottle. The pickles were a nice touch to finish off the sandwich. I'll be adding it to the menu more often.

Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 3-4 pound beef brisket
1 18-ounce bottle of barbecue sauce
2 onions, chopped
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
12 Dinner rolls

Mix the minced garlic, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and pepper. Rub over the brisket. In a small bowl mix the barbecue sauce, onions, Worchestershire sauce and liquid smoke. Place the brisket in a slow-cooker and pour over the sauce. Cook on low for 10 hours. Remove the beef and shred with two forks. Ladle the cooking liquid into a glass bowl and skim off the fat. Mix the sauce back into the pulled beef. Serve on rolls with pickles.


This recipe can be made ahead, stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat before serving

An Amazing Grill Cheese Sandwich

You had me at the green chilies. I was reading the recipe for this sandwich online and I knew I had to try it when I got to the green chilies.

You'll need:
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise
4 slices provolone cheese
4 slices mild cheddar cheese
Tomato, sliced
Red onion, sliced
4 oz can of green chilies
Rye (seeded) bread
Butter

Combine the Dijon mustard and mayonnaise in a small dish. You'll want to use real Mayonnaise, not that Miracle Whip nonsense. Spread this mixture (very thinly) on two pieces of bread. Put 2 slices on cheddar cheese on one piece of bread. (Or one long slice.) On the other slice of bread, layer tomato, red onion, provolone cheese(overlap the cheese slices), whole chilies, and a few more red onion bits for good measure. Close your sandwich. Butter the outside of the bread and don't skimp on the butter. If you do, your bread will be too dry. In a skillet, grill your sandwich over a low heat. This will take a little longer, but you want the sandwich to heat all the way through as the cheeses melt and as it browns on the outside. When bread is browned, flip it over and brown the other side. Cut in half and enjoy this amazing grill cheese sandwich. These ingredients are enough to make two sandwiches.