Sloppy Joes

 

When I was growing up, there was this place called The Frosty Treat. It was a small fast food grill, basically. They made Frosty burgers.  In terms that anyone not from Ashland, NE can understand, they made loose meat sandwiches.  Not a sloppy joe, but close.  I have that recipe and plan on making it at some point...but for now, we're talking sloppy joes! (I know, why even bring it up, right?  I don't know, every time I think/see/eat sloppy joes I think of Frosty burgers.)

Most of you may be familiar with Manwich...  Well forget about it.  Sorry ConAgra/Hunts, there's somethin' better!  From here on out, if you want a sloppy joe, make it this way.  It really doesn't take any longer then the stuff that comes in the can and it really doesn't cost any more either.  So why would you consider using the can again??  Go ahead, make it, try it...tell me I'm wrong :)

 

 

Sloppy Joes

Adapted from Life's Ambrosia 
Ingredients:
1 (14.5 oz) can tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 lbs. ground beef
1/2 large carrot, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
4-6 hamburger buns

Directions:
**Cooks Note:  place carrot, onion and jalapeno in a food processor for easy mincing**

In a bowl, whisk together the first 9 ingredients.  Set aside.

In a large, non-stick skillet, over medium high heat, cook the ground beef for 3 minutes.  Add the minced vegetables and cook until the meat is not longer pink.  Drain any excess grease.

Add tomato mixture to the pan, stir to combine.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to medium low heat and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes, or until sauce reduces and becomes thick.  Serve on hamburger buns and enjoy!

 

Tuscan Chicken with Pasta Medley

Besides the fact that I was 1. lazy and 2. went over board on the spices, this dish wasn't too bad.  I found these recipes in the Taste of Home Simple & Delicious magazine.  I always find good recipes in there, but never seem to actually make too many of them.  I need to make a better effort at going through all my magazines when I'm planning my menus.

Anyway :) You may be asking, why was I lazy?  Well, honestly, I didn't want to slice up garlic.  The chicken recipe actually called for slicing the garlic and frying it in the pan with the chicken.  Not only did I not want to go through the process of slicing the garlic (yea, I know it's so hard right..lol), I'm always so worried about frying garlic too long, it can tend to get real bitter if you over cook it.  So I took the easy way out and just used garlic powder.  As for #2, over doing the seasoning, I think that one is pretty self explanatory.  I just used too much and it was a bit over powering, but that's ok, it happens to the best of us.  I won't make the same mistake twice, nor will I allow you to make it once!

 

Personally, I think the pasta was the best part of the dish.  Again, there was mustard in the ingredients.  Since using it with pasta had been such a hit with the Pasta w/Sausage, Basil & Mustard recipe I posted on 3/3/10, I knew it would once again be splendid!  To sum up, the dish was good.  I don't know if I'd make this again, but that's only because there are so many more recipes out there to try!!!

Tuscan Chicken

Adapted from Taste of Home 

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, rosemary, basil, thyme and garlic powder.  Evenly sprinkle over chicken, both sides.

Spray a little cooking spray in a large non-stick skillet.  Over medium heat, cook chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear.

(Nutritional Info: 1 chicken breast= 217 calories, 9g fat, 78mg cholesterol, 364mg sodium, 1g carbohydrates. 29g protein)

Pasta Medley

Adapted from Taste of Home 

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked pasta shells

1 small zucchini, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 teaspoon olive oil

3/4 cup chicken broth

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Combine the cornstarch and broth until smooth; set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter; add the mustard, basil and garlic powder. Gradually stir in broth mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. 

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the red bell pepper.  Saute for 2 minutes.  Add the zucchini and saute another 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Drain pasta; return to pot. Add the mustard sauce and toss to coat.

(Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 157 calories, 6 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 16 mg cholesterol, 359 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 4 g protein.) 

Baked Parmesan Tilapia

This is a dish that is not meant for the health conscience.  I mean two of the ingredients are butter and mayonnaise.  You can use low fat mayo, but still.. look at the picture...check out that puddle of yummy buttery goodness that surrounds the fish..like I said, not meant for those on a diet.  If you aren't worried about your waistline, though, you gotta try this.  It's amazingly good.  It is probably Chris's favorite fish recipe that I make.  I don't really know what else to say about it other then look at it....

 

You know you want to try it :)

Baked Parmesan Tilapia

Adapted from All Recipes.com 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter, softened

3 Tablespoons mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

4 tilapia fillets (or any other white fish)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together except for the fish.  Arrange the fish in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.  Cover the fish evenly with the parmesan mixture.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Turn oven on to broil.  Broil for 1-2 minutes or until the top is slightly browned.  Enjoy!   

Bacon & Tomato Pasta

 

I have a lot of favorite dishes, but this one...this one ranks right up there with my mom's tacos!  I have not tried a ton of Guy Fieri's recipes, but the ones I have tried have been incredible! (This one being the top pick)

Who here doesn't like bacon?  Go ahead, don't be shy......anyone?  No one?  Bacon is one of those foods that the majority of people will admit to liking.  Bacon is now such a food trend that you can even find recipes out there for bacon donuts or bacon muffins, heck, I've even tried bacon ice cream before!  (It was a bit strange.  I mean I love ice cream, I love bacon....but together it was a bit odd)  I guess my point is...well, I don't know what my point is...I keep thinking of this dish and my mind suddenly wanders, sorry!  Seriously, though, try this, you will not be disappointed! 

  

Bacon & Tomato Pasta

Adapted from Guy Fieri 

Ingredients:

16 oz. Angel Hair or Spaghetti pasta

1 lb. bacon, chopped

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large shallot, finely diced

1 teaspoon red chili flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup red wine
4 tablespoons basil, chiffonade
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
salt and pepper

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, add bacon and saute until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon to drain on a paper towel-lined plate and remove 3/4 of the bacon fat from the pan. Add extra-virgin olive oil, onions, and red chili flakes. Cook until onions are translucent, add garlic, cook for 2 minutes then add tomatoes. Saute for 5 minutes, then deglaze with wine.

Drain pasta and add to the tomato mixture pan. Add basil and bacon. Toss with Parmesan, and add salt and pepper, to taste.  Enjoy!  

   

Pepper Jack Steak Sandwiches (w/Jalapeno Mayo)

At times, the thought of posting a sandwich recipe seems a bit silly to me.  I mean who can't throw a sandwich together, right?  Then I started thinking, maybe it's not that people need a "recipe", maybe what they need is just an idea.  DING!  The light goes on over my head and I realize that is really all this blog is about anyway...ideas!  I've said time and time again that recipes should just be a canvas, something to start with.  What you do with that canvas is really up to you.  If I don't have a certain ingredient on hand, I'll look on line to see if I can substitute it with anything else.  Granted, sometimes there isn't a substitution, but the point is, I'll look.

Anyway, this sandwich was fantastic!  I love pepper jack cheese, it's one of my favorites.  I remember when I was a kid, every time my dad would cut himself a piece of pepper jack cheese, I'd be right there next to him asking for a slice!  The steak takes on an amazing flavor from the marinade and could be eaten all by itself, but why?  I mean add the amazing flavor of the steak with the pepper jack cheese and the jalapeno mayo...mmm mmm mmm... enough said!

Pepper Jack Steak Sandwiches
Adapted from Life's Ambrosia 
Ingredients:
1 pound flat iron steak about 1 inch thick
1/4 cup red wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
2 cloves garlic sliced
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
4 hoagie rolls
8 slices pepper jack cheese
jalapeno mayonnaise (see recipe below)

Directions:
Place steak in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk red wine, Worcestershire, garlic, seasoning salt and celery salt together in a bowl.  Pour over steak. Seal bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat grill.  Grill steaks 5-6 minutes on each side.  Transfer cooked steak to the cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Once rested, thinly slice against the grain.

Preheat oven broiler.

Cut hoagie rolls in half. For each sandwich, place 4 – 5 slices of steak on the bottom half of the roll. Place 2 slices of cheese on top of the steak. Place under the broiler until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. You may also toast the top half of the roll at this time, but it won’t take as long as the bottom half so keep an eye on it.

After cheese has melted, remove sandwich from oven. Spread jalapeno mayonnaise on top half of the roll.  Enjoy!

Jalapeno Mayonnaise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 jalapenos (seeds removed from 1 jalapeno), minced
2 gloves garlic, minced
kosher salt

Combine first four ingredients together in a bowl. Season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

 

P.S...if you want to add lettuce or tomato to this sandwich, go for it, I just didn't have any on hand the night I made this!

Baked Teriyaki Fish

So when a recipe calls for a low-sodium product, sometimes it's VERY important to use just that.  That is the only thing I can think happened to our meal.  It was so incredibly salty.  Ok, maybe not incredibly, but it was salty enough for it to stand out to me.  I understand that using soy sauce is going to give anything a salty flavor, but this was the saltiest teriyaki mix I have ever had.  Now I have substituted regular soy for low-sodium soy before and never had a problem, but I really have never used it in this large of an amount before either.  Chris didn't think it was overly salty, so maybe it was just my taste buds that night?  I really don't know.  All in all, though, it was pretty good.  If you are going to make it, make it with the low sodium soy sauce, I think it will make all the difference!  Also, this would work great for a teriyaki chicken or pork stir fry too!

Baked Teriyaki Fish
Adapted from Food & Wine 
Ingredients:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water

3 tablespoons rice vinegar
Four 6- to 8-ounce skinless cod or tilapia fillets

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, the dissolved cornstarch, and the rice vinegar and bring to a boil, whisking until the glaze is thickened, about 2 minutes.

Place the fillets in a baking dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray.  Pour half of the teriyaki sauce over the fish.  Bake for 6 minutes, remove, and pour the rest of the sauce over the fish.  Continue baking another 6-8 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Enjoy!

 

Szechuan Chicken

Ok, so this stir fry looks a lot like the last stir fry I made.  They are a bit similar, but yet very different. I have said before that Chris and I are picky about our veggies, so you will see that my stir frys will really only consist of zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and if I can get them passed Chris, mushrooms.  If you want to change it up, use something different, go ahead..you are the cook, you are in control!

Speaking of being in control, the original recipe was for Szechuan Shrimp, that's right, shrimp.  Shrimp can be out of our price budget a lot of the time, so I just used what we had on hand...chicken.  I'm only telling you this to, once again, remind you that recipes can be altered and creativeness is encouraged in the kitchen (at least in mine it is!!).

Szechuan Chicken
Adapted from Blog Chef 
Ingredients:
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bell pepper, sliced (optional)

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper flakes, and ginger.

Heat oil in a wok or large deep skillet over medium high heat.  Add chicken and cook till no longer pink in the middle, about 4-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes.  Pour in the sauce, stir to combine.  Add the green onions and cook until the sauce is thick and bubbly.  Serve over rice and enjoy!

 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't normally toot my own horn, but sometimes, just sometimes..... TOOT TOOT!!  This is absolutely my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  It was originally a recipe for oatmeal coconut cookies.  I'm not a huge fan of coconut...I like the flavor, hate the texture...and since you may have read a few weeks ago on my Snickerdoodle post that I am a chocolate chip cookie girl, you can see why I would switch the two.  The key to these delicious little cookies is the sugar.  You roll them in sugar before baking.  YUM..it gives the cookie this nice sweet crispiness, yet they are moist and chewy too.  I would never tell someone to throw a recipe away, but once I made these, I barely give other recipes a second glance!  Ok, maybe that's snobby, but still.. these are the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever made!!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Jean Uhlenhake
Ingredients:
1 cup butter flavor Crisco
1 cup granulated sugar (plus more for rolling dough in)
1 cup packed brown sugar (light or golden)
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups oatmeal (I used Quaker Oats 1-minute)
1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl cream together Crisco, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Slowly add the dry mix to the creamed mixture.  Stir in the oatmeal.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Shape dough into balls the size of walnuts and roll in sugar.  Place on cookie sheet and flatten slightly with a fork.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.  Enjoy!

Italian Style Tilapia

This is a wonderfully light and flavorful fish recipe.  I love Italian flavors, so I could be bias, but still, it's fantastic and so very easy.  The original recipe called for baking it in the oven in a cast iron skillet.  The first time I made this recipe, though, it was summer time and I try really hard not to turn on the oven in the summer time.  I decided just to put the fish in a foil packet and throw it on the grill.  The herbs tend to get a bit dark and doesn't look too good to the eye, but the taste, the taste is perfect (I think I actually said this on yesterday's post too) .  If you wanted to add the herbs half way through the cooking process, they would keep their vibrant green colors better.  Check out the original recipe here, they give you alternative methods of cooking this dish, just in case you don't want to grill it.

Italian Style Tilapia
Adapted from Chefability.com 
Ingredients:
2 Tilapia Fillets
1/2 large tomato (or 2 Roma tomatoes), diced
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (loosely packed)
2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (loosely packed)
shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
salt & pepper

Directions:
Place fillets on squares of foil that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Drizzle 1/2 Tablespoon of oil on each fillet.  Sprinkle on the garlic.  Add 1 Tablespoon each, parsley and basil, to each fillet.  Divide the tomatoes, evenly, among the fillets.  Season with salt and pepper.  Seal the foil around the fish.

Grill on preheated grill for 12-14 minutes.  Remove from foil packet and sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese.  Serve & enjoy! 

 

Pasta with Sausage, Basil & Mustard

I had found this recipe a few months back.  It looked incredibly good, so I put it aside for future use.  I create a two week menu and this recipe has popped up in that list numerous times since then and every time it gets kicked to the curb by something I believed to be more scrumptious.  Well, I am now very, very glad that this recipe made it on last weeks menu.  OMG was it good.  I was a bit hesitant even as I was putting it together.  Mustard????  With pasta?  Now, I'm a fan of pasta as I have said before, and I am also a fan of mustard...but together?  As I'm cooking dinner the other night it hit me... DUH.. mustard, sausage, what goes better together?  Wow, what a surprise this one was.  It was fantastic!

Pasta with Sausage, Basil & Mustard
Adapted from Nigel Slater/Food & Wine 
Ingredients:
1/2 lb Ziti or Penne pasta
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
3 Italian sausages, casings removed, crumbled (I used two sweet links and one hot link)
6 Tablespoons white wine (you can use chicken broth also)
6 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 Tablespoons coarse mustard
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I may have added a tad bit more)
1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.

Meanwhile, in a deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add the sausage and cook about 5 minutes.  Add the white wine, making sure to scrap all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the cream, mustard, and red pepper flakes and simmer for 2 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat.  Add the cooked pasta and basil; toss to coat.  Serve and Enjoy!

(PS..a little note about the basil...always add it at the last moment, as it heats up, basil will turn a black color, still tastes ok, but it's definitely not pleasing to the eye!!)

Caramelized Chicken Breasts with Garlic Rice

This is a MUST try!  The flavor combination was amazing!  I came across the garlic rice recipe on Life's Ambrosia.  I had never actually had garlic rice before, but I love rice..I love garlic..so how could it actually be bad, right?  I really don't know if I'll ever make just plain rice again!  The chicken recipe is my creation.  It's sort of a mix of other recipes I've come across.  The glaze gave the chicken a wonderful flavor...sweet, yet not sweet. The flavors of the rice and chicken together are pretty much a match made in heaven!

One more quick thing, I started a new job yesterday...I was really worried, not because I didn't feel confident enough that I could do the job, it's just I was starting a new job and what if it sucks and what if everyone hates me and what if.........  Well, let me just say, I made the right choice in the matter.  It's going to be challenging and fun and I'm so looking forward to it!  The people seem really nice, the atmosphere is upbeat and positive, and they believe in taking care of their employees.  Sometimes, change IS good. 

Caramelized Chicken Breasts with Garlic Rice
Caramelized Chicken Breasts
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
pepper
6 Tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
6 Tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 large garlic clove, minced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray a baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, mix soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic and hot sauce together.  Bring to a boil, stir, remove from heat.

Place chicken in prepared baking dish, season with pepper.  Pour half of the sauce over the chicken and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove baking dish from oven and pour remainder or sauce over chicken.  Return to oven and continue baking another 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is not longer pink in the middle.  Remove from oven and serve over rice.

Garlic Rice
Loosely adapted from Life's Ambrosia 
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup Basmati rice, uncooked
2 cups chicken broth
chopped fresh parsley or basil

Directions:

In a saucepan over medium heat combine butter and olive oil. Once butter has melted add garlic and cook one minute.  Stir in rice, cook until rice becomes slightly translucent. Stirring occasionally to make sure rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. About 2-3 minutes.  Rice may brown slightly.

Stir in chicken broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and let cook 15-20 minutes. Carefully remove lid, fluff rice with a fork and sprinkle with chopped herbs.  Enjoy!

Rosemary & Red Wine Steaks

I love love love rosemary!  So does our cat Lexi.  She will be nowhere in site for hours, but pull the rosemary out and start chopping it, and she's at my feet in seconds!  Red wine...well, put it this way, my friend Ruth has a tile in her kitchen with my favorite saying on it: "I love cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food"! (By the way, red wine is one of the best things to tenderize beef with!)

Speaking of our cat Lexi.. I want to quickly introduce you to the rest of my family.  On my profile you will see that I am a mother to one Savage Beast, one Bailey's Irish Cream, and one Lex Luthor.  Well here they are......at their finest:

 

Savage, aka: Savage Beast (yea, I know he doesn't look that beastly, but trust me!)

    

Ok, this is what he looks like when he's not trying to sleep :)

  

Bailey, aka: Bailey's Irish Cream (he's a lover not a fighter)

 

 Lexi, aka: Lex Luthor (watch out for that dark side!!)

Ok, sorry, had to show them off, we don't have kids, so this is what you get :)

The steak was amazing!  So tender and juicy and the flavor of the rosemary and wine are phenomenal together!  I came up with the creamy horseradish sauce myself.  You don't have to use it, but it compliments the steak amazingly well.

Rosemary & Red Wine Steaks
Adapted from About.com 
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs NY Strip Steaks (2 steaks) (you could use any cut you want)
1/2 cup dry red wine
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 large garlic cloves, smashed
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
Creamy Horseradish Sauce (recipes follows) - optional

Directions:
Place steaks in a resealable bag.  In a small bowl, mix together all other ingredients.  Pour over steaks and marinate in refrigerator for 4 hours.

Preheat your grill.  When grill is ready, grill steaks 5-10 minutes each side, depending on thickness of steaks.  When meat reaches desired doneness, remove from heat and let meat rest for 3 minutes before slicing.  Serve with creamy horseradish sauce.  Enjoy!

Creamy Horseradish Sauce: 
1/4 cup sour cream
2-3 Tablespoons horseradish (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

Combine all ingredients together; mix well.  Serve alongside steaks.  Any leftover sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days.