TUESDAY

sup todd. this is joe from long island, NY. ok this is a sandwich i like to call
THE JOE MULLEN
to make it, you will need:

1 box of kraft macaroni and cheese SHAPES. get scooby doo or something. the regular ones arent good. easy mac works if thats all you have but its alot better if you get the standard mac n cheese

some white panini bread, i get mine from a local place. any bread will pretty much work. white panini bread is the best for it though

arriba! roasted chipotle salsa. it's pretty spicy salsa and it's really damn good. should be easy to find in your local supermarket

standard flat tortilla chips

some extras you can throw in there, but not necessary to the sandwich:goldfish, shredded cheese, lettuce. any one will taste good on the sandwich

first, cook the macaroni with the instructions on the box. dont make it too milky.
then toast the bread
put some flat tortilla chips on the bottom of the sandwich
then scoop some mac n cheese onto it
then some of the salsa on top of that
add whatever extras you want
then throw some more flat tortilla chips on top
then top it off with the 2nd slice of bread

and there you have it....THE JOE MULLEN. a very delicious and creative sandwich by yours truly
later fools

I think this recipe, which I discovered by accident, is in keeping with
the true spirit of Tuesday's recipes. It could be a trail mix kind of
thing, but since I can't remember the last time I was on an actual trail
and instead just eat it at my desk all day at work, I'll call it

Desk Mix

It's yummy, not overly fattening or bad for you, and doesn't mess
up your hands if you're eating at your desk at work. Here it is:

1 cup Golden Grahams or Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal
1 cup lightly salted or unsalted peanuts

Mix it up. It's good.

Carrie

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Hey tOdd, now that it's fall, it's time to fire up the stove and oven and cook up a big old batch of navy bean soup and pan bread. GO NAVY! Mark in Saint Louis.

Navy Bean Soup

4 (1/2-pound) ham hocks, scored (If you don't dig on swine, substitute a smoked turkey leg)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onions
1/4 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pound navy beans, rinsed, picked over, soaked overnight and drained
8 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced parsley
1/2 cup minced green onions

In a large, heavy stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the ham hocks (turkey leg), onions, celery, bell pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme and bay leaves, and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for 1 minute.

Add the stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Add the navy beans and stir. Continue simmering over medium-low heat for 45 minutes to one hour, or until the beans are almost cooked and ham hocks (turkey leg) are very tender. Season with salt and continue cooking 15 to 30 minutes, until beans are done and ham hocks (turkey leg) are beginning to fall apart.

Remove from the heat andstir the pot well to break up the beans. This will thicken the mixture. Cut the meat from the bones in the kitchen before serving, return the meat to the pot and stir well. Sprinkled with parsley and green onions and serve with pan bread (recipe follows).

Panbread

2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup lard (if you don't dig on swine, use vegetable shortening)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk (you will need enough to make a batter about the thickness of pancake batter; the amount of buttermilk needed will vary according to the fineness of the cornmeal used, the thickness of the buttermilk and the size of the eggs)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine the cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Place the lard (shortening) in an 8-inch heavy iron skillet, set in oven, and let melt. Meanwhile, mix the eggs lightly into the combined dry ingredients, then stir in just enough buttermilk to make a batter about the consistency of pancake batter.

Remove skillet from the oven, tilt so that lard (shortening) greases both the sides and the bottom, and then pour the hot lard (shortening) into the batter. Stir briskly just to mix.

Pour batter into the hot skillet and bake in hot oven until firm and lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Serve oven-hot, directly from skillet with the soup.
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