La Sciatta Giulia Anna’s (Italian Sloppy Julie Ann’s)

Felici Giorni Dell’Indipendenza

(Happy Independence Day, in Italian)

Benvenuta! Grazie Per Essere Qui!

So Happy You Are Here!

Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, and Roma Tomatoes….

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Introducing, My La Sciatta Giulia Anna’s…

A.K.A.: My Italian Sloppy Julie Ann’s

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My Italian Sloppy Julie Ann’s Are The Best Thing I Have Ever Eaten In My LIFE!

I kid you not!

This was something that I created based on some of my favorite food ingredients. I even inserted a few new ones that I just knew would work well here. Whenever I make something like this I tend to double, and sometimes triple the recipe. I love to give food as gifts. I also love to have plenty to freeze for another day.

Can Be Made Ahead Of Time, Just Heat Up On The Stovetop

(Recipe Down Below)

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This Was Such A Nice Simple Italian Themed 4th. For Me

(Not Everything Has To Be Big And Elaborate.)

The Unique Looking Artisan Buns I Used Above, Are Actually From Barcelona, Spain

( I Purchased Them From Sprouts)

The Mustard You See Above, Photo Top Right, Is From Italy

I Purchased The Mustard From Giada De Laurentiis’s Website:

Sweet Tuscan Mustard

If you would like to purchase some, then click on this link:

https://giadzy.com/collections/all/products/dario-cecchini-mustard-7-76-oz

We LOVE this mustard!

I just sent Gordon a jar, he is currently working overseas and requested it!

I will also be heading over to buy some more online.

It is a very unique mustard and not something we are used to eating here in America.

If you would like to view Giada De Laurentiis’s website, and view her recipes, then click on this link:

https://giadzy.com/blogs/recipes

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My La Sciatta Giulia Anna’s Are Also Great As Leftovers

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My Italian Potato’s With Tomato’s and Basil Pesto

(Recipe Down Below)

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My Famous Baked Beans

I have featured my Baked Beans in the past in other blog postings here on the website, but they do still deserve a space here for this meal.

Although they aren’t the main focus, they are a co-starring role and deserve recognition. I took these Baked Beans to Isabelle’s birthday party which was on the 4th. of July, 2024. I made the double batch to accommodate a great deal of people invited to the party.

Right Out Of The Oven And Ready To Go!

(Recipe Down Below)

Me, With Isabelle at the Birthday Party

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Pickled Red Onion

(I have also made Pickled Red Onion in the past, but they do deserve to shine here as well.)

(Recipe Down Below)

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What You See Here Is The Meal Gordon And I Shared When He Came Home For A Visit October, 2024

I Froze My La Sciatta Giulia Anna’s Along With The Potatoes From Above. He Loved It All!)

Prego!

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July 4th. 2024

An Italian-American Themed 4th. Foods As Gifts

The Gift of Fresh Basil, Roma Tomato’s,…

…Italian Mustard, Italian Green Beans, Calabrian Peppers, Spanish Bread, Cannellini Beans…

(I Also Love Giving These Reusable Grocery Bags.)

..AND My La Sciatta Giulia Anna’s!

I Also Sent Along Plenty of Roma Tomatoes, and Some Fresh Mozzarella Cheese!

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I Think I Ate This For 10 Straight Days! 🙂

Here I Added Some Micro-Greens!

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The Nice Gift of Fresh Basil

I Already Had The Pots, I Just Needed To Buy The Fresh Basil Plants

(Something Nice To Place On Their Windowsill To Snip When Needed)

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WARNING!!!! CALABRIAN PEPPERS!!!!!

These are HOT! HOT! HOT!

Use Sparingly! I Opened 3 Jars For Photographic Purposes.

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Recipes Start Right Here

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My Pickled Red Onions

Ingredients:

4 Red Onions, Sliced Thinly

8 T. Sugar

6 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar

4 Pinches of Sea Salt

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I Don’t Know Why They Call Them Red Onions, They Look Purple To Me 🙂

You will need jars for this project. Mason Jars work best as they have the lids to secure them.

You want to slice your Red Onions as thin as possible, and place them into the Mason Jars.

In a Medium Sized Bowl add your Sugar, Apple Cider Vinegar and Sea Salt

Mix Together, and Allow the Sugar and Salt to Dissolve

You Will Need A Funnel For This

Pour The Liquid Into The Jars of Red Onions

Like So…..

Secure the Lids and Refrigerate Until Ready to Use

They are an excellent condiment to any July 4th. celebration and can be made ahead of time.

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My La Sciatta’s Giulia Anna’s

Cooling On The Stove Top

(This Can Also Be Made Ahead Of Time)

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Ingredients:

Lots of Italian Sausage: I have 2, 1 LB. Packages of Jimmy Dean Italian Sausage

I also have 3, 1 LB. Packages of Johnsonville Sweet and Hot Italian Sausage (2 Sweet, 1 Hot)

I Actually Like Mixing Up Different Brands of Sausage To Create A Unique Taste

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The Onions

I Am Chopping Up 2 Sweet Onions, and 1 Red Onion

(Not all of this is for my Sloppy Julie Ann’s. Some of this Onion is for my Baked Beans, and my Potato Dish.)

Place Your Chopped Onions Into Bowls and Set Aside

(This is also something that can be done ahead of time. You can even refrigerate them a day or two before you need them.)

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Garlic Cloves… (A Lot!) About 27!

Finely Chopped

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3 Red Bell Peppers…

Chopped!

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2-3 Green Bell Peppers, Chopped

(The Green Bell Peppers Here Are For My Baked Beans. See Recipe Below)

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Time To Start Creating My Sloppy Julie Ann’s

Melting My Butter/Margarine in 2 Saucepans on the Stove Top, on a Medium-High Heat, About 3 T. in Each Pan

(Because I am making a large amount of the meat mixture, I need more than one sauce pan, etc.)

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Once The Butter Has Melted, Time To Add Some Red Onion

I Probably Have About 3/4 Cup Red Onion In Each Pot

Stir Around On A Medium-High Heat While It Starts To Soften

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My Sweet Onion I Had Chopped Ahead Of Time….

Adding A Handful To Each Sauce Pan To Soften

(Do This For About 5-7 Minutes)

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Now That My Onions Have Softened, I Am Adding All The Garlic To Each Pan, Divided, In Order To Soften As Well

Mix Together

You Do Want To Stir This Occasionally So That Nothing Burns

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Now That The Onions and Garlic Are Ready…

I’ve Dumped Them All Together Into One Sauce Pan

I Am Now Using The Other Sauce Pan To Soften The Chopped Red Bell Peppers In 2-3 T. Butter/Margarine

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Both Sauce Pans Are Ready, So Set Aside

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All Of My Sausage

I got Out 2 Wok’s For This

I Placed Half Of The Sausage In One, And The Other Half In The Other Wok

Because This Is Sausage, There Is No Need To Add Any Oil…. For Now, Anyway

Just Use A Wooden Spoon To Break Up The Sausage Into Small Chunks, While Stir Frying Around

This Is A Spatter Screen, But I Also Use It For When I Need To Drain Excess Fat Out Of A Wok Or Skillet

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CALABRAIN PEPPERS!!!!

HOT! HOT! HOT!!!!!

I Only Used About 2 -3 T. Per Wok!

This is the Secret Ingredient in Many Great Italian Meals! Just Be Cautious!

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Time To Add The Crushed Tomatoes To Each Wok

28 oz. Each!

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Cans of Whole Tomatoes

(I Added 1, 28 oz. Can in Each Wok)

Just Use Cooking Scissors To Cut Up The Tomatoes In The Wok

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My 2 Woks Simmering Away on a Medium-Low Heat

Having Added The Calabrian Peppers

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By Now I Have The Stove Top On A Low Heat To Simmer, I Monitor It. I Want It To Thicken Up.

Adding The Sauteed Red Bell Peppers

Stir Together, And Simmer More…

Now To Add My Red and Sweet Onions With The Garlic, Divide Among Each Pot and Continue To Simmer and Thicken

Look How Beautifully Thick and Caramelized It All Is!

PERFECT!!!!

Allow To Cool, Then Spoon Into Containers To Save, Freeze, And To Give Away!

This, Is A Nice Little Gift!

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My Famous Baked Beans

Cans of Van Camp Pork and Beans

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Frying The Bacon…

I Fried An Entire Package of Bacon Here

My Cans of Beans, and My Bacon, Along With the Ketchup

In A Large Bowl Add Your Beans, Once Drained

Now, I Am Adding Some of the Chopped Green Bell Pepper and Chopped Onion To Them

(I had chopped the Green Bell Pepper and Onion in advance from the photos above.)

This is all about personal tastes. So add as much, or as little as you like.

I ended up transferring my beans from one bowl, to a larger one.

Stir Together

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Now It’s Time To Add The Ketchup

As much as you like! You do want it to be a nice saucy liquid. Not too runny, but enough of a sauce for when we bake it in the oven so that it doesn’t dry out.

Add as much Freshly Ground Black Pepper as you like, along with as many shakes of Tabasco as you want.

BROWN SUGAR!

Eyeball This! Add as much as you like! And Taste As You Go!

Stir Together…

Time To Add The Yellow Mustard

I Just Drizzle What I Think Is Appropriate

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Stir Together

You Can Place This In The Refrigerator Until Ready To Bake, Or You Can Start Baking Immediately

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I Have Two Glass Casserole Dishes Here With The Beans Ready For The Oven

However, I Covered Them With Saran Wrap, Placed Them Into The Refrigerator, Covered Them, Until…..

It Was Time To Bake Them!

I Put The Oven On 400F, And Placed Them Into The Oven

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Into The Oven They Go! About 45 Minutes Cooking Time.

I Do Have Most Of The Bacon I Cooked Crumbled Up In Them…

I Did Withhold Some To Add On Top

When Done, Remove From The Oven To Cool

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Time To Place The Bacon On Top!

Also, Time To Head Out To The Party!

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My Italian Potatoes with Tomatoes, and Basil Pesto

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE

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I love any version that I have made of this potato dish. I love potatoes. This is easy and creative. Be inspired to make your own version geared towards your family’s personal tastes. Make it as plain or as elaborate as you wish. 🙂

Ingredients:

Grape Tomatoes (As many as you like.)

Bags of Potatoes (As many as you like.)

I love the Fingerlings, and the Red/White/Blue one’s as well.

You want to wash all of your potatoes well.

Clean them Good as You go

I like to make sure that all the little growth bits are removed and any bad areas of the potatoes.

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Cook The Potatoes On The Stove Top Until Tender

I brought the potatoes to a boil, and then lowered the heat as they simmered away.

They are ready when you can stick a fork into them easily.

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When The Potatoes Are Fork Tender, Pour Them Into A Colander to Drain and Cool a Bit

On a Cutting Board cut your Potatoes into smaller chunks. Removing any bits you don’t want, and then place them into a greased Casserole Dish.

(Just use a Cooking Oil Spray all around the Casserole Dish.)

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Remember my washed Grape Tomatoes? Add as many as you like!

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Time To Add The Spices

I Chose: And I Eyeballed:

Dried Oregano

Ground Oregano

Garlic Powder

Pizza Palooza (A spice blend.)

Black Garlic Salt

(I pretty much just added as much as I like. About a 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of each, and about 1/4 t. of the Black Garlic Salt.)

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Although I don’t have a photo of it, I chopped several Garlic Cloves and sprinkled them over top.

A Really Nice Extra Virgin Olive Oil

(Drizzle a Nice Amount Overtop)

Stir Everything Together

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Turn Your Oven On 350F

I covered the dish with Aluminum Foil because I wanted the casserole to steam, and not burn.

I Baked For 20-25 Minutes

I then removed the casserole…..

…and added some Sea Salt, just a pinch!

I Also Added Some Marinated Mozzarella Cheese, Dotting Them All Around

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This is the Olive Oil and Spices left in the Marinated Mozzarella container. I did drizzle a few Tablespoons over the casserole.

Now, It’s Back Into The Oven For The Cheese To Melt, About 10 Minutes, No Aluminum Foil Needed Here

Right Out Of The Oven To Cool

I Added Some Basil Pesto, A Dollop Actually, To The Potatoes.

It Increased The Taste Significantly!

Potatoes are always a great side dish.

These however, were an excellent Italian side dish.

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No matter what your ethnic background or where you are from originally, you are American, and have contributed to this country’s history in many important and significant ways. Hey, I just thank you for bringing over all those great spices and ingredients, introducing us to some of the best foods in the world. Thank you! Hang in there! America has lost it’s way now, and it’s up to all of us to get it back on track.

No matter who you are, I appreciate you! I am very happy you are here!

Julie

p.s. Happy 4th. of July!

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If you would like to view our other Italian food posts……

Julie’s Italian Appetizers and Edible Gifts