Homemade Sloppy Joes

I've never had homemade sloppy joes before this recipe, but I was impressed. It had a sweet, home-cooked flavor. For those of you who aren't too fond of the typical Manwich joes (Brandi), this is a must-try.


INGREDIENTS


1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tsp brown sugar
salt to taste
black pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS


1. Brown ground beef, onion, and green pepper in medium skillet. Drain off liquids.
2. Add garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar. Mix thoroughly.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve on buns (I like them toasted) and enjoy!

Beef Taco Skillet

A Campbell's 1-2-3 Dinner recipe that is quick, easy, and absolutely delicious! As I was eating it, I kept thinking, "Wow, I can't believe this tastes so good and was so easy!"

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground beef

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) tomato soup

1 cup Pace chunky salsa or Picante sauce

1/2 cup water

8 flour or corn tortillas (6 inch), cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup shredded cheddar cheesee

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook beef in skillet until browned. Pour off fat.

2. Add soup, salsa, water, tortillas, and HALF the cheese. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low for 5 minutes or until hot.

3. Top with remaining cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

"cran-tastic" baked pear slices

Ok my pictures don't really do this justice. I don't know if any of you have heard of this website/cookbook, but its my new absolute favorite! It is www.hungry-girl.com. The cookbook I have is 200 recipes all 200 calories or less. I've tried a few recipes now and LOVED all of them- this is just the only one that I have stopped to take a picture of :) So here is the incredibly east recipe straight from the book!

Ingredients:
-4 med. pears, sliced
-1 1/2 cups Diet Ocean Spray Cranberry Spray
-Dash Cinnamon

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees
-Spray a large baking dish lightly with nonstick spray. Lay pear slices flat in teh dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and pour cranberry drink on top.
-Bake 45 minutes, or until pear slices are soft.
Remove from teh oven and let pears sit in the "juice" for at least 30 minutes.
-Drain any excess liquid from pears. Enjoy hot, cold, or anywhere in between!

A serving is one whole pear. Per serving: 98 calories, 0g fat, 20 mg sodium, 26g carbs, 5g fiber, 17g sugars, 0.5g protein.

Pioneer Woman’s Key Lime Pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crust
18 graham crackers (the 4-section large pieces)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Crush crackers in a food processor or Ziploc bag. Pour them into a bowl and stir in sugar and melted butter. Press into a pie pan and bake for 5 minutes or until golden and set. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Filling
1 heaping tablespoon lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice
2 egg yolks
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Mix lime zest, lime juice, and egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add in condensed milk and mix on high until smooth and thick. Pour mixture into crust and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour—more if possible.

Serve with sweetened whipped cream and more grated lime zest.

Enjoy every single bite!

Ramen Asian Salad

1 pack cabbage coleslaw mix OR broccoli slaw mix ( I used the cabbage)
1 bunch of Green Onion
1/2 Cup of Sesame seeds OR sunflower seeds
1 pack of slivered almonds ( 1/2 cup)
1 or 2 packages of Ramen noodles
Optional - 1 grilled chicken breast, cut up


Directions:
Chop up the Green Onions and mix with the coleslaw. Put a small amount of butter in a pan and fry the sesame seeds. Set aside and then brown the 1/2 Cup of slivered almonds. Break up the ramon noodles and brown them. Let the the sesame seeds, slivered almonds and noodles cool off and toss in the salad. (Or just skip the toasting and toss them in the salad)

Dressing:
1/3 Cup Vinegar
1/4 Cup sugar (granulated or brown)
1/4 Cup oil
2 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce OR flavoring packet from the Ramen

Mix till sugar is dissolved When ready to serve, pour dressing over salad and mix all together.

Creamy White Chicken Chili

This was the month's winning recipe from the Shirley J Blog: Creamy White Chicken Chili submitted by Jessica Olsen of Michigan. We're having it for dinner tonight.

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Shirley J Universal Cream Sauce Base
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts(3-4), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 TB garlic powder
1 TB oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cup of made up Shirley J Chicken Broth (see Shirley J Chicken Bouillon label for recipe)
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup water

Directions:
In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Make Shirley J Universal Cream Sauce in separate pan. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and Shirley J Universal Cream Sauce mixture. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Makes about 6 servings.

Strawberry Fruit Leather

I have always loved fruit leather. I never knew how to make it though. Homemade is So Yummy So easy and so Cheap (assuming the fruit is in season and cheap. Buy from the Farmer's Market if you can) 

You'll need:

2 cups strawberries (or fruit of your choice)

2 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Cut out the leafy part and cut up the strawberries. Blend them smooth in the blender. Add the honey and lemon juice and blend it some more. Then spread it out on plastic and dry. When they're done, roll them up and store. 

Sun Dry: Spread the mixture out on plastic wrap and place outside in the sun with a screen over it so the sun and air can get in, but the bugs can't. This takes about 24 hours (Longer for Strawberries)

Oven Dry: Place plastic wrap on cookie sheets. Spread the fruit mix on it and put it in the oven on the lowest temp. Place a hot pad or wadded up towel in the door so it satays open and the moisture can escape. This should take about 4-8 hours. Rotate the pans every hour.

{ I did it in the oven, but I wanted to make smaller rolls so I did 6 smaller sheets of plastic instead of 2 big ones. My oven's lowest temp was 170 instead of 140 so that and the fact that I spread them a little thin, made it so they only took 2 hours to dry. }

Are they Done? 

They are done when you touch them and they are still a little sticky, but you can peel the sides off easily. Don't be afraid to make the layer a little thick cause if it's too thin, it'll get crispy fast. 

Storage:

Room Temp = up to 30 weeks

Fridge = Months

Freezer = Years

Although really it won't last that long, it's too yummy.

I can't wait to try more fruit!