Not Your Mom's Sloppy Joe's

If you asked me what my most hated childhood meals were, Sloppy Joe's would be at the top of my list along with hamburger helper and tuna casserole.  These were my Dad's "specialties", those and cinnamon-sugared toast (which I love, but until about the age of 15 he had me convinced that he had invented).  I had no idea that one could make Sloppy Joe's without it coming out of a can.  One day, many years ago, a girlfriend of mine was telling me how excited she was for their dinner that night.  She went on and on about how much she loved Sloppy Joe's.  I responded with  a natural gag reflex and scowl.  She looked at me like I was crazy.  She asked me if I had ever made it.  I was dumb founded.  I didn't understand how opening a can of processed Manwich was "making" Sloppy Joe's.  She went on to tell me that it's just a little bit of ketchup, mustard and brown sugar.  I was in awe.  Oh, she said, and the onion and green pepper are the key.  She never did tell me any precise directions other than cover the meat with catsup, use less mustard and a little brown sugar.  If it's too tart add more brown sugar, if it's too sweet add more mustard.  I had to have equivalents or else I would be over the stove all night ending up with Sloppy Joe soup ;)  

1 lb. of 80/20 ground beef

1 large yellow onion (diced)

1 large green sweet pepper (diced)

3/4 cup of ketchup

1 T. of yellow mustard

2 T. of light brown sugar (packed)

1 pkg. of white hamburger buns (Wonder Bread one's are just right)

-Brown the beef, onion and pepper in a large skillet on medium-high heat.  Once the meat is browned and the veggies are soft, drain off grease.  Stir in the catsup, mustard and brown sugar.  Serve on white buns.  Serves 4.  Enjoy!

Fresh Fruit Flag Cake

This may be the most liked birthday cake that I have ever made for one of my children's parties.  I constantly have people asking me how I made it and if I will have it again.  Both my kids have birthdays on holiday weekends.  Paige is on Memorial Day and Parker is on Labor Day.  I never do the same cake twice, but this layered cake may just have to be a repeat soon!  The cake itself is rich a moist, filled with custard and fresh strawberries and topped off with cool whip and fresh berries........delicious is all I can say to sum it up.  Simply delicious.

2 boxes of Pillsbury French Vanilla Cake Mix (prepared as directed in 2 9x13" cake pans and cooled)

1 box of Jell-O Instant French Vanilla Pudding Mix (prepared as directed and chilled to firm)

1 carton of fresh strawberries (rinsed and sliced into 4 vertical slices)

1 large tub of Cool Whip (thawed)

1 carton of blueberries (rinsed)

1 carton of raspberries (rinsed)

-Flip out the first cake onto a large rectangular serving platter (or a large piece of cardboard covered in aluminum foil if you don't have one) Spread a decent layer of pudding evenly across it, keeping about 2" from the edge (the weight of the 2nd cake and toppings will squish it out to the edge for you).  Then cover with spaced strawberry slices.  Gently place the 2nd cake on top and cover with a sloppy slather of Cool Whip-as thick as you prefer.  Then use the raspberries to represent the stripes and the blueberries to represent the stars.  Serves 20.  Enjoy!

Rustic Mashed Potatoes

I love how you can toss the term "Rustic" in front of food and get away with it.  Sometimes I just don't feel like standing over the garbage can peeling potatoes, yet I still want real mashed potatoes to go with our dinner.  So, I just skip the peeling and tell everyone that they are my "Rustic Mashed Potatoes".  And you would be surprised how everybody loves them.  I too love them, because they are not only tasty this way, but also I love the fact that we are getting all of the vitamins and nutrients from the potato skins.  So, for me it's a win win.

10 small Yukon Gold potatoes (rinsed and chopped with the skins still on)
3-4 T. of real un-salted butter
a slight 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

-Bring a large stockpot to a roaring boil; add in a little bit of sea salt and the potatoes.  Boil for 15-20 minutes or until soft.  Strain potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl.  Add in butter, cream, pepper and a little bit more sea salt.  Mix well with a hand-held mixer, then transfer to a serving bowl.  Serves 4.  Enjoy!

Granola Topped Pumpkin Muffins

Who says you can't have pumpkin baked goods in the summer?!  I start getting a taste for pumpkin, well to be frank, I always have the taste for pumpkin.  May it be pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies or pumpkin muffins anytime of the year.  I don't think that it needs to be reserved only for the fall.  Pumpkin is much too delicious to neglect.  And these pumpkin muffins were just right.  They are super moist and sweet, perfectly complimented by the crunchy oats and the sweet raisins from the granola on top.  It all worked wonderfully together.

1 1/4 cups of light brown sugar (packed)

1 stick of real un-salted butter

2 eggs (at room temperature)

2 cups of all-purpose flour

5 tsp. of baking powder

1 tsp. of cinnamon

1/2 tsp. of salt

1 cup of canned pumpkin

5 T. of milk

1/3 cup of my Homemade Granola recipe (made with raisins instead of dried cherries)

-Preheat oven to 350*.  In a large mixing bowl, beat together the brown sugar and the butter; mix in the eggs 1 at a time.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and the salt.  In another medium mixing bowl, stir together the pumpkin and the milk.  Mix both the flour mixture and the pumpkin mixture into the butter mixture alternating them in small batches.  Place heaping tablespoons of the batter into a well-greased muffin pan (filling them about 3/4's of the way).  Sprinkle with some granola and bake for 18-20 minutes.  Makes 15 muffins.  Enjoy!

Buttermilk Waffles

This is the kind of waffle that I have been hoping to construct.  I just had to stop and think about how to do it.  I love how it is so soft and spongy, yet very thin and light.  It's all about the eggs.  Beating the egg yolks and whites separately is the way to achieve this consistency.  Once the yolk is removed from the white and beaten, it almost takes on a whipped cream appearance.  It becomes very white and fluffy, almost stiff.  If you look very closely, you can see all of the millions of bubbles in it.  This is from using the hand-mixer.  It is not just mixing it up, but also beating in the air.  And by gently folding it into the batter at the very end, you are ensuring that you will not be breaking the bubbles, therefore defeating the whole purpose.  So, don't burst the bubbles :)

 2 cups of flour
 2 tsp. of baking powder
 1/2 tsp. of salt
 1-3/4 cups of buttermilk
 3 egg whites
 3 egg yolks
 2 1/2 T. sugar
 2 T. of canola oil
 2 tsp. of vanilla

-Preheat waffle iron to a medium setting (I set mine at 2 1/2 for these).  In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for the eggs.  Beat the egg yolks by fork in a small bowl; stir into the batter.  For the egg whites, in a medium mixing bowl, beat with a hand-held mixer for about 5 minutes or so (until it creates stiff peaks).  Gently fold the fluffy egg whites into the batter slowly but completely.  Using cooking spray, generously spray the top and bottom of the waffle iron, or else they will stick (this recipe requires that since there is less oil in it than my other waffle recipes).  Place about 1/2 cup or so of the batter onto the center of the waffle iron.  Cook until lightly golden.  Serve with butter and syrup.  Makes about 20 waffles.  Enjoy!

Scratch-Made Chili

No matter what time of year it is, I crave some homemade chili.  If there is even a hint of coolness in the breeze, I take that as a personal hint to whip up a pot.  I have tried endless amounts of recipes over the years, yet for the best reason, I come back to this one.  And that reason is that this particular recipe is the best to me (other than Grandma Neva's-but she took that recipe with her unfortunately).  The combination of the beef and the zesty pork sausage is the key.  It gives it a great flavor and a tougher texture that I think carries the dish better.  I love to add in the black beans too.  They are just another one of my favorite little things that I am always looking for ways to add in. 

3/4 lb. of 80/20 ground beef
1/2 lb. of HOT bulk breakfast sausage
1 large yellow onion (chopped)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1- 15oz. can of chili beans w/ medium sauce (un-drained)
1- 15oz. can of black beans (drained)
2- 14 1/2oz. cans of diced tomatoes w/ zesty milk green chile's (un-drained)
1- 8oz. can of tomato sauce
5 tsp. of chili powder
1 tsp. of dried crushed basil
2 green onion stalks (sliced thinly) for garnish
sliced pickled jalapenos for garnish
shredded mild cheddar cheese for garnish
sour cream for garnish
crushed corn chips for garnish (my hubby needs the crunch)

-In a large stockpot, brown the beef and the pork over a medium-high flame.  Add in the onions and the garlic.  Once the onions have started to soften, add in the chili powder and the basil; stir to coat.  Then pour in both of the beans, tomatoes and the tomato sauce.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat.  Continue to simmer before serving (the longer the better-you can take it and put in your slow-cooker if you are making this early in the day).  Garnish individual bowls with a pinch of cheese, a sprinkle of onions, a couple jalapenos and a dollop of sour cream.  And for the crunch seekers, a light layer of crushed corn chips.  Serves 6.  Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi over Angel Hair Pasta

No shocker to me that this is what my daughter, Paige, asked me to make for her Birthday Dinner last night.  You have no idea how much she loves to eat shrimp.  FYI to anyone who eats over and leaves their plate unattended, she will eat your shrimp before you return from the washroom.  I can promise you this.  Also lets not forget to mention pasta, or as she calls it "sip-up noodles".  She adores it.  Pretty much wants it every night with whatever I am making.  This was, however, the first time that she had angel hair pasta and she loved it.  That is after the fact that I had to spend about 10 minutes convincing her that no actual angel's were harmed in the making of this pasta.  She sure is something else.  But, boy does she ever have a great love of food.  And to me, that is awesome.

1/2 cup of real butter
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves of garlic (minced)
about a 1/4 cup of fresh Italian leaf parsley (chopped)
2 green onion stalks (sliced)
zest and juice from 1/2 of a lemon
16oz. of large peeled/ de-veined shrimp with the tails on (defrosted)
1 lb. of uncooked angel hair pasta

-Get a large stockpot of water going to boil; once boiling add in a little bit of sea salt and about a tsp. or so of e.v.o. (to flavor and keep the pasta from sticking together).  In a large saucepan, melt the butter and e.v.o. on medium-high heat.  Once it's combined together and all frothy, add in the garlic, onions, lemon zest, lemon juice and the shrimp.  Saute' until shrimps first turn pink; stirring well.  Meanwhile, boil your pasta for only 4 minutes (remember it's super thin-cooks very fast).  Using tongs, go ahead and toss the pasta straight into the shrimp and sauce (it's ok if a little bit of pasta water is going in too, the starch from it will actually help thicken the sauce slightly).  Serve immediately.  Serves 4-6.  Enjoy!