Sloppy Joes

I got this recipe years ago from a friend, and it's a staple in our house. Even my pickiest eater likes it!  All I need to buy is ground beef & onions (or I typically have them in the freezer), and the other ingredients are already in my pantry.

Sloppy Joes
Printable version here


1 lb. ground beef
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced (optional)
Ketchup (to desired consistency)
1 tsp. each dry mustard*, celery salt, & vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar
Few drops Worchestershire sauce

Brown meat with onions and bell pepper; drain. Add remaining ingredients; cook over medium heat until hot. Serve over buns.

*Prepared mustard may be substituted

Why I love it? It's inexpensive, quick, and uses ingredients I almost always have. The sauce is good- a little tangy, and really flavorful. You can also make the meat mixture and freeze it. Put it in a freezer bag, then just pull it out later and heat! Dinner in no time! :)

"Refried" Beans

This recipe has been one of my best finds from allrecipes.com- seriously!! I had never known how to cook dried beans before. Now I do! :) There is no turning back. Canned refried beans is another thing to add to my list of "Things I used to buy store-made, but now that I've made it from scratch, it's the only way I like it!" I've made these probably 10 times now. Since it's a technique most people probably haven't done before, I took pictures to add to the recipe.

I serve these one of two ways. One is to just serve them as a side, along with enchiladas, or something like that. The other is to make bean burritos with them. This is our favorite! I either do just beans for a filling, or sometimes I'll cut up one cooked chicken breast, and divide that among all of us. It's a great way to either stretch, or skip, the meat. To make burritos, I put beans, (maybe chicken), sour cream, cheese, and a little taco sauce, and roll them up. Another idea- they're great in this Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Sometimes I purposely make leftovers so I can make the soup!

(Note- I always halve the original recipe. That makes enough for my family of 5, with maybe a tiny bit leftover. That's how I'm writing it here.)

*** I made a separate post of my tips for making these, you can see that here***

Refried Beans
Printable version here

1/2 onion, peeled and halved
1 1/2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (or chopped green chilies, about 1/4 cup)
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
4 1/2 cups water
Taco seasoning

1. Place all of the ingredients (besides the taco seasoning) into a slow cooker. (This fits perfectly in my small 1 1/2 quart crock pot) Stir to combine. Cook on high for 6 hours. (If too much water is evaporating, then the temperature is too high. Add more water as needed. I've never had to do this step). If you make a bigger batch, or use a bigger slow cooker- you'll need to increase the cooking time.

2. Once the beans have cooked, strain them (along with the onions), and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency. Add taco seasoning and salt to taste.

Why I love it? It fits all of my desired qualities in a recipe- it's cheap, easy, yummy, and healthy! I love knowing exactly what's in the beans, and they are so much more appealing to look at than refried beans that have just been dumped out of a can. My whole family loves these, and I've converted other family members into cooking their beans this way, too! :)

What it looks like just before cooking:


Just about finished cooking:


I take the beans out with a slotted spoon, and put them in a plastic bowl.


Mash them until they're the consistency you like. Add seasonings, and you're done!

Pumpkin Roll

This is what I signed up to make for Thanksgiving this year. :) I love it even more than pumpkin pie!



Libby's Pumpkin Roll
Printable version here

Cake
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin

Filling
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
6 tbsp. butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Powdered sugar

For cake: Preheat oven to 375º. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan (such as Pampered Chef Large Bar Pan); line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper (or use parchment paper). Set aside. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. (I use 1 tsp. PC Cinnamon Plus Spice Blend in place of the cinnamon & cloves) Beat eggs and sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan (layer will be thin).

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched (in my baking stone, it took about 16-17 minutes). Immediately loosen and turn onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

For filling: beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Why I love it? It's fun to make (because it's a little challenging, and it's so exciting when it turns out right!), the filling is rich & tasty, it looks awesome, and it tastes great! It also can be made beforehand and kept in the fridge until the time you need it.

Chicken with Creamy Chive Sauce

I've made this recipe several times now.  Like all good crockpot recipes, it's easy to make and the chicken comes out tender, but the reason I keep coming back to this recipe is the sauce! The ingredients are so flavorful!

Chicken with Creamy Chive SaucePrintable version here
1 to 2 lbs. chicken breasts
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 (0.7 oz.) pkg. dry Italian dressing mix
1 can golden mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
4 oz. chive & onion cream cheese

Combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan; stir until melted. Cut chicken into large pieces (about 3 pieces per chicken breast), place in a crockpot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours, depending on the amount of chicken you use. Serving suggestion: Serve over rice.

Why I love it? As I wrote above, my favorite part is the sauce.  It is creamy & flavorful, but not too rich. I like to save the leftover sauce, and have it the next day either with toast or leftover rice. Yummy!