Sloppy Joes & Chips...love being a Tastemaker...tag, you're it!

One of the most awesome perks of being a FoodBuzz featured publisher is that you get the opportunity to be a Tastemaker and try new products! I love getting free things...free foodie things at that! I recently received a package containing a few of Emeril's products...Emeril's All-Natural Chicken Stock, Emeril's Chicken Rub and these two beauties that I used in the following recipe...Emeril's Kicked Up Horseradish Mustard and Emeril's Original Essence Seasoning. BAM! You know you can't resist saying it. Okay, I know I can't resist saying it! Boy it's hard to empty your pantry when you get more fillers in the mail. I'm not complaining. But, this is the last meal I made in my pantry/fridge-cleaning extravaganza. I hit the market the very next day. Kicked Up Sloppy Joes w/ Red Potato Chips

by girlichef

yield: 8-12 svgs (depending on the size of your buns...or the size you want your buns to be)

2 lbs. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 3/4 c. ketchup

1 c. water

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 Tbs. Emeril's Original Essence

2 Tbs. Emeril's Kicked Up Horseradish Mustard

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. minced, dried onion

1/2 tsp. crushed red chiles

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper- to taste

1. Cook the ground beef, onions and garlic until ground beef is browned. Drain fat. Add all remaining ingredients except salt and pepper.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Partially cover and let cook until liquid is reduced and coats the ground beef all nice & sloppy-like, ~20-30 minutes. Now season to taste with the sea salt and black pepper.

Red Potato Chips

Red Potatoes

vegetable (or whichever kind you prefer) oil for frying

Black Truffle Sea Salt (go ahead, click it...)

1. Thinly slice your potatoes with a mandolin, vegetable peeler or super-sharp knife. Fry in oil that has been brought up to ~350 degrees F.

2. Remove to paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with Black Truffle Sea Salt.Serve the Sloppy Joe on your choice of bread...I used small-ish, split rolls. Crunch some chips in between bites of the Joes...ahhhh, slightly sweet w/ an underlying kick!

I want to give a big shout-out to Palidor of Crazy Asian Gal for passing me this Premio Meme! award. If you do not know her, you must go visit her...she has some crazy delicious food over there...and she gives a big thank you to each new person who joins/follows her blog (sweet, huh)...so quick go bombard her and see how many thanks she has to put up on her next post...LOL!! Thanks Palidor :D This award states that we're supposed to share 7 of our personality traits...since I've done this before, I won't bore you. You can click here if you'd like to find out what I said. And I just know that you know that I'm gonna break the rules and not pass it on to 7 people...since I've passed it on before. Maybe I'll just hold it for later....speaking of passing things on....

I was tagged by Jenn of Bread + Butter to receive The Joy of Reading award....cool. Here's the skinny on this particular "tag" or "award":

1. Collect the book that you have most handy.

2. Turn to page 161

3. Find the 5th complete sentence.

4. Site the sentence on your blog

5. Pass it on to 5 other bloggers.

I imagine that most or all of you know that I love books. Can not get enough of them. I've told you of mexi's comments that we have more than the library. One of my all-time favorite quotes is...."A room without books is like a body without a soul." -anonymous This is so obviously the reason that I have books spread throughout the house...although I actually draw the line at the bathroom. Ewww, no thanks. The book I have most handy is actually a stack of 8 books, so...I'll pick a couple of them and share with you. Because I just know you're interested in how diverse I am. Why yes, I do practice sarcasm, why do you ask?

The first book I have handy is The French Chef Cookbook by Julia Child (come on, you knew one would be a cookbook) and the chosen sentence is: Pour fat out of browning skillet, pour in 2 cups of stock or bouillon, and boil, scraping up coagulated browning juices. Sheesh, now I'm hungry. Doesn't take much.

Another of the books in my current pile is The Zen of Eating by Ronna Kabatznick, Ph.D and the chosen sentence here is: You learn that mindfulness is something you can trust. Indeed.

So....Kim of The Ungourmet, Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, Danielle of Cooking for my Peace of Mind, Wandering Coyote of ReTorte and Ty's Mommy of The Seventh Level of Boredom...you're tagged! Do with it what you will.