Sloppy Joes

This is an oldie but a goodie. These are served on toasted buns, which take these to a whole new level, in my opinion. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2-1/2 pounds Ground Beef
• 1/2 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1 cup Water
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
•  Worcestershire Sauce, To Taste
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (optional)
•  Tabasco Sauce (optional; To Taste)
•  Salt To Taste
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
•  Kaiser Rolls
•  Butter

Preparation Instructions

Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.

Add onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get soft.

Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls, topping with a slice of cheese if it makes your skirt fly up. Serve hot with kettle cooked chips!

Recipe Credit: The Pioneer Woman

Red Velvet Oreo Cupcakes

Serves: 16 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

• Cupcakes:
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tbs cocoa powder
• 1½ cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2-3 tsp red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 7 Oreo Cookies, crushed in food processor
• 
  
• For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 2 8 oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup of butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups powder sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with cupcake liners. (I also used two muffin pans, I had batter for 16 cupcakes)
2. In a bowl on an electric mixer, beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla on medium low.
3. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat on low until smooth and just combined.
4. Add MOST of the crushed Oreo cookies (set aside about 2 tbs to top of the cupcakes.) and stir on low until just incorporated.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cups, filled about ¾ full.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Do a toothpick test to make sure the cupcakes are cooked through. Cool completely before frosting.
7. Frosting: In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth and light. (about 2-3 minutes)
8. Lower the speed to low and slowly add the powder sugar. Beat until just incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until very light and fluffy. (about another 1-1½ minutes)
9. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with remaining crushed Oreos.

Recipe Credit: Will Cook for Smiles

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (drained)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced (seeds removed)
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced (seeds removed)
• 12 small flour tortillas

Toppings

• cheese
• cilantro
• salsa
• sour cream

Instructions

• 1
  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
• 2
  • In a very large bowl, mix the chicken strips, tomatoes, peppers and onions.
• 3
  In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, chili powder, cumin, oregano and garlic powder. Pour the mixture evenly over the chicken mixture and stir to coat.
• 4
  Pour entire mixture into greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are fork tender. Serve with tortillas and you favorite toppings! Enjoy ♥

Notes

• Yields 6 servings ( 2 Fajitas per serving)

Recipe Credit: Adapted from Life in the Lofthouse

Creamy Potato Broccoli Chowder

After our son was in the hospital overnight, a friend from church brought this over. Delicious!

Serves 8

At our house, we serve this soup with a small pitcher of thinned Mock Sour Cream so kids can draw designs in their soup (a circle of cream with a spoon tip dragged through it makes a pretty love heart). Add a little Martha Stewart to your meal. "It's a good thing."

8 unpeeled red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
3 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, quartered
2 stalks broccoli, cut in chunks
1 T salt (or more to your liking)
1/2 cup healthy mayo

In a large soup pot, cover vegetables with water. Boil until tender (about 20 minutes). Transfer mixture into blender with a large measuring cup and puree all cooked ingredients. Blend mayo and salt in with potato broccoli puree. Warm and serve.

Recipe Credit: Chelsea Chadwick

Slow Cooker Hawaiian Haystacks

Just another yummy (and easier) version of the homemade Hawaiian haystacks. We loved it.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 large chicken breasts
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 5 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk or heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1½ teaspoons salt (or to taste)
• cooked white rice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill your slow cooker with 2 cups chicken broth. Add chicken breasts. Cover and cook for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
2. About 20 minutes before serving, shred the chicken with two forks and keep in slow cooker.
3. In a pan or skillet melt butter over medium heat. Stir in garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Add flour to pan and stir until mixture clumps up. Slowly whisk in remaining 2 cups chicken broth and milk. When mixture is thickened, stir in onion powder and salt.
5. Add cream mixture to slow cooker and stir to coat chicken. Cook for another 15 minutes. Serve over rice with your favorite toppings (listed below).

Toppings: (items with a star are our favorites)

shredded cheddar cheese*

pineapple tidbits*

sliced olives*

diced green onion*

chopped celery*

slice almonds*

Chow mein noodles*

diced tomatoes

mandarin oranges*

diced green pepper*
diced red pepper*
avocado
coconut flakes

water chestnuts*

cashews*

soy sauce

or anything else that you think would be good

Recipe Credit: lecremedelacrumb.com

Red and White Pasta Bake

This one was so delicious! Jeff loved it. We had this meal brought to us by a friend in our ward after Eli was in the hospital for the night with RSV. Thankfully, he's doing much better now, but it was a very scary time. What a yummy (and easy) meal though!

4 cups of small pasta, we had macaroni on hand, but penne would have been beautiful

15oz jar of alfredo sauce

24oz jar of marinara sauce 

2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

1 C shredded parmesan cheese + more for sprinkling

2-3 T chopped fresh basil for sprinkling

1 lb. cooked and shredded chicken/turkey (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. 

2. In a large pot of salted water, cook small pasta according to directions on package. Drain. 

3. While pasta is boiling, combine alfredo sauce, marinara sauce, 1 1/2 C shredded mozzarella, 1 C parmesan, and 1 lb. shredded chicken in a large mixing bowl. 

4. Pour cooked and drained pasta over mixture and stir until all the noodles have been coated in that blessed pink sauce. 

5. Pour smothered noodles into your prepared pan - try to even out the layer with a spatula. Top with remaining 1/2 C mozzarella, sprinkle of parm, and basil. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Remove cover, bake for another 5 minutes or until top is melted and slightly crispy. 

Recipe Credit: Baking with Blondie

Creamy Cajun Pasta with Smoked Sausage and Peppers

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound smoked pork sausage, halved and cut into 1/4″ slices
1 small red onion, halved and sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 colored bell peppers (I used red and yellow), halved and sliced
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water (high elevations increase to 1 3/4)
8 ounces pasta (I used trottole)
2 cups 1% milk
3 ounces low-fat cream cheese
1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup (4 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook 2-3 minutes or until it starts to release oil and is browning. Add the onions and cook until fragrant. Add the garlic and sliced bell peppers and cook until the peppers are tender-crisp. Remove from heat and transfer the sausage and peppers to a large plate. Set aside.

Return the pan to heat and add the tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then quickly add the pasta, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Cook until the pasta is al dente and the liquid is absorbed.

While the pasta is cooking, place the milk, cream cheese, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and flour in the jar of a blender and blend until smooth. Heat the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. When melted, add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until tender and fragrant. Add the mixture from the blender and cook until smooth and thickened to where if the back of a spoon is dipped into the sauce, you can trace your finger down the back of the spoon and that spot will stay clean.

Remove the sauce from heat and add the Parmesan cheese. Stir until melted and smooth.

Add the peppers and sausage to the pasta/tomato mixture and stir to combine. Add the garlic sauce and combine. Season to taste with Cajun seasoning and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Recipe Credit: Our Best Bites