Delicious Sloppy Joes

I love these sloppy joes. They're so easy and so delicious. I was really rather pleasantly surprised the first time I tried them. So much better than Manwich (I'm not knocking it--but these ARE better). The picture and original recipe came from Rachel Ray on foodnetwork.com.



1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin (or whatever—I used ground chicken thighs)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large red or green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste

In a bowl, combine brown sugar, seasoning blend, vinegar, W sauce, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. In skillet, brown meat over medium high heat. Remove meat, and sauté onion and pepper until onions are translucent. Add meat and sauce mixture to skillet. Stir to combine. Reduce heat and simmer for about five minutes, or until it reaches desired consistency. Serve on crusty rolls or hamburger buns.

Saturday's menu

Saturday we had the in-laws over for dinner, so I thought I'd share what we had, since I thought it turned out beautifully.

For the main dish, we had:

Italian Barbecued Chicken with Polenta
You can find the original recipe by Rachael Ray here. I've just taken out the polenta ingredients and instructions. I also used chicken tenders instead of bone-in chicken.

4 bone-in chicken thigh and leg or chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons grill seasoning
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 thick cut slices pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 to 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cups chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, poultry seasoning, and grill seasoning. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet and brown the chicken a few minutes on each side to put some of it's flavor and drippings into the pan then transfer to oven and roast 15 minutes more or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, add 1 more tablespoon olive oil to the pan and cook pancetta or bacon, if using, until crisp. Add onions, garlic and rosemary, cook 5 minutes then add the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken stock, reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer 5 minutes more.

For a side, we had mashed potatoes to which I added yogurt (in place of sour cream--you get the same result with a lot fewer calories), a teensy pat of butter, and some cajun seasoning from the grocery store.

And some broccoli and baby carrots, steamed for 10 minutes, then topped with mozzarella cheese and cajun seasoning and heated in the oven until the cheese was melty.

Also, some one hour rolls, recipe here.

Croissant Pizza

I made this recipe up myself when I was feeling lazy and hungry. It's easy and quick to make.

2 cans croissant rolls
traditional spaghetti sauce
pizza/special seasonings
cheese
pizza toppings

Unroll and split apart the croissant rolls and put on a large cookie sheet. Mix spaghetti sauce with the seasonings and put on each croissant. Add pizza toppings and cheese. (I have also made BBQ chicken and cheddar cheese as my pizza topping.) Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until dough is browned. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo

This is seriously the yummiest chicken alfredo recipe I've found. I've even won an award for it at a Ward Cook-Off that was judged by the missionaries. I warn you though, this baby is full of calories!

Ingredients:

3 - 4 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into pieces

1 stick of butter

1 packet of Good Seasons Zesty Italian Mix (this can be found in the salad dressing section)

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1 cup of milk or water

1 box cream cheese

Set your crock pot to HIGH. Add chicken, butter and seasoning. Cook for 1 hour. Add soup, milk, and cream cheese. Cook for an additional 2 hours on HIGH. Serve over pasta.

Chicken Breasts With Herb Basting Sauce

I removed the skin and trimmed the fat first, then coated them in the basting sauce. I actually cooked this in my crock pot, on low for about 7 hours. They came out tender and juicy and flavorful, and the meat came right off the bone. Served up with steamed veggies and rolls. Delicious! You can do the same thing with boneless skinless chicken breasts. I used bone-in chicken breasts because they were way cheaper. When Lacey starts eating with us, though, I’ll probably stay away from them since it’s so easy to miss those little bones (not really an issue for the big people, but we don’t want to choke the little ones).

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 clove crushed garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
4 bone-in chicken breast halves, with skin
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 425 F (350 if you're using boneless skinless).

In a bowl, prepare the basting sauce by combining olive oil, onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce.
Turn chicken breasts in sauce to coat thoroughly. Place skin side up in a shallow baking dish. Cover.

Roast at 425 (or 350) F, basting occasionally with pan drippings, for about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove to warm platter, spoon pan juices over.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This is sooo easy! And yummy. Use whatever amount of sauce, cheese, and chicken you like. The amounts listed are just suggestions--what I used.

Pre-baked pizza crust (see note)
1 red onion, sliced or chopped
1 cup your favorite BBQ sauce
1 cups left-over chicken
2/3 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. Saute onion in a little oil until soft. Spread BBQ sauce on crust. Top with onions, chicken, and cheese. Bake until cheese is melty.

Note: There’s lots of things you could use for a crust. Really any bread product would work, including tortillas, sliced bread, French bread (sliced in half), rolls, hamburger buns, biscuits. You could use Pillsbury crescent rolls (rolled out and pinched together) or one of their refrigerated pizza crusts. Or make your own from scratch.

Chicken and Biscuits

This is a really quick and easy recipe for chicken and biscuits. It would be easier just to sub the chicken broth and cornstarch with a can of cream of chicken soup, but this way is dairy free and low fat, if those are concerns. If you want it creamy, you could add milk or cream.

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup cooked chopped chicken
2 cups frozen vegetables (I used peas, carrots, corn, and potatoes)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup cold water

Combine everything together in a pot and cook until the vegetables are done, about 5 minutes. Whisk together cornstarch and water, and add to pot as you stir. Simmer until thickened. Serve over biscuits (recipe for drop biscuits here, or use frozen biscuits, canned biscuit dough, Bisquick, whatever).

Taco Chicken Soup

Sooooo easy and delicious.

1 cup cooked chopped chicken
3 cups water
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can white kidney (canellini) beans
1 (16-oz) can tomato sauce
1 (1.5 oz) envelope taco seasoning mix
1 cup salsa

Toss everything in a pot and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

Double Thick Baked Potato-Cheese Soup

Simple, delicious, and cheesy!

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cans (10 1/2 oz. each) condensed cream of mushroom or chicken soup
1 1/2 cups finely chopped green onions, divided
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp, ground red pepper
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 cup milk
Black pepper

Combine potatoes, soup, 1 c. green onions, garlic powder and red pepper in slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 8 hours or on HIGH 4 hours. (I've found that it doesn't take this long.)

Add cheese, sour cream and milk; stir until cheese has completely melted. Cover; cook on HIGH 10 minutes. Season to taste with black pepper. Garnish with remaining green onions. Makes 7 servings.

Feta-Topped Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1- 1/4 lb)
2 T balsamic viniagrette dressing
1 t Italian seasoning
1/4 t seasoned pepper
1 lg roma tomato, cut into 8 slices
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 Set oven control to broil. Brush both sides of chicken breasts with dressing. Sprinkle both sides with Italian seasoning and seasoned pepper. Place on rack in broiler pan.
2 Broil with tops 4 inches from heat about 10 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Top with tomato and cheese. Broil 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is lightly browned. 4 servings

(I grilled the chicken. 7 - 8 minutes on each side. Top with the tomato and cheese after turning it)

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake

Katherine, I'm so glad you invited me to contribute! I was just typing this recipe up to send it to you when I got the invite. I made it tonight and its SOOOOOOO good, and just stuffed with yummy veggies! It's from the Better Homes and Gardens ultimate casseroles magazine

8 oz bowtie pasta (I used garden rotini cause I didnt have bowties)
1 Tbs butter, or olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (8 oz)
1 14-oz jar quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 10-oz pkg frozen leaf or chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 tsp paprika (opt)
1 tbs butter, melted


Preheat oven to 350F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the 1 Tbs butter (or oil) over medium heat. Add onion; cook for 4 to 5 mins or until tender.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, Italian seasoning, salt, crushed red pepper (if desired), and black pepper. Stir in cooked onion, chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, artichoke hearts, spinach, dried tomatoes, and half of the Parmesan cheese. Stir in cooked pasta. (at this point I added a shredded carrot and a shredded zuccini) Transfer mixture to an ungreased 3-quart rectangular baking dish.

Bake, covered, for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, paprika, and the remaining Parmesan cheese; stir in melted butter. Sprinkle over pasta mixture. Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes more or until mixture is heated through and crumbs are golden. Makes 6 to 8 servings (actually it completely fills a casserole dish. I got more than 8 servings out of that.)

Tangy Pork Chops

My picky husband loves this one. Add any other vegetables you like, too. I like to add carrots and celery.

4 thick cut boneless pork chops
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 medium chopped onions
1 large sliced green pepper
14-1/2 ounces stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 beef bouillon cube
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper and add to crockpot. Add the chopped onions, green pepper, and stewed tomatoes. Mix ketchup, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and bouillon. Pour over vegetables. Cook on Low for 5 to 6 hours. Mix cornstarch and water and stir into liquid on high and cook another 30 minutes.

Philly Cheese Steak Wraps

2 cups frozen bell pepper stir-fry
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli cooked roast beef, cut into strips
1/2 cup purchased Italian salad dressing
7 (8 or 7 inch) tomato-basil flour tortillas
4 oz (1 cup) shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

In a medium nonstick skillet, cook and stir pepper stir-fry over medium-high heat about 5 minutes or until tender. Add beef and salad dressing; mix well. Cook until thoroughly heated.
Spoon beef mixture evenly down center of each tortilla. Sprinkle each with cheese. Roll up each tortilla.

Chicken Taco Crescent Ring

1 tablespoon oil
1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup water
1 (1.25 oz) taco seasoning mix
4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls

Heat oven to 375 F. Spray large cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot. Add chicken; cook through, about 5, stirring freuquently. Add corn, bell pepper, water, and taco seasoning mix; mix well. Heat until bubbly. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 to 15 minutes or until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Set aside.
Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles on sprayed cookie sheet with short sides of triangle toward center, overlapping into wreath shape and leaving 5-inch round opening in center. Lightly press short sides of dough to flatten slightly.
Spoon chicken filling onto widest part of dough. Pull end points of triangles over filling and tuck under dough to form ring (filling will be visible).
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine lettuce, tomato and olives; toss gently to mix.