Roberta's Sloppy Joes

Since I got to do homage to my Grandma Pete in the last post, I thought I'd honor someone else's mom in this one. No, it's not my grandmother-in-law, Roberta, although she's sent me some fabulous recipes. This recipe comes from my August-Mom friend Sue, straight from her mom's recipe cards. And every time I make it, someone asks for the recipe. Super easy, super yummy, super sloppy. :)

Roberta's Sloppy Joes

1 1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup ketchup
4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons dry yellow mustard
1 bag frozen corn (that's my mom's addition...gotta have corn in sloppy joes)
Hamburger buns

Brown the beef and drain off any grease.
Add all other ingredients and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 20 minutes and serve -- OR -- spoon the meat mixture into a crockpot and cook on low for 2-4 hours.
Serve on hamburger buns.

Three meals in one

With our crazy schedule and limited income, we are all about re-using leftovers in some creative way. Some of them don't work and end up being dumped. Others, like these three recipes, are definite repeats.


Day 1: Pork and Beans

• 1 pound ham hocks
• 1 16-oz bag pinto beans
• 6 cups water

1. Add all three ingredients to a very large crock pot. (Keep in mind the beans will more than double in size while they cook.)
2. Turn on high for 8-10 hours, until beans are soft.
3. Serve with warm cornbread... at least that's how we do it in our house.

Simple, right? Now, expect leftovers and use them in this recipe:

Day 2: Taco Soup

• 1-2 cup leftover pinto beans with ham pieces (be sure to remove any bone)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 package Taco Bell taco seasoning
• 1 bag frozen corn
• 1 cup chopped bell pepper
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• sour cream
• tortilla chips, optional

1. Cook the ground beef thoroughly.
2. Mix together, in a large saucepan, the beef, beans/ham, taco seasoning, corn, and bell pepper. Cook on medium heat until the corn in cooked through, about 15 minutes.
3. Serve topped with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Celebrating with food

I love the Fourth of July! Not only do you get to make things explode and spend as much time outside as possible, but you get the celebrate with friends, family, and food!

Our holiday menu includes Stuffed Hamburgers, red and blue potato chips, lots of cherry tomatoes, and frozen bananas with chocolate shell over them.

How about you?

Best Hamburger Ever!

My menu, which I made back in December, said "inside out hamburgers." And so, I bought some hamburger buns, thawed some ground beef, and got creative.

The Best Burgers EVER

1 pound hamburger, thawed
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup cream cheese
5 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
5 teaspoons bacon bits
1/3 cup shredded cheese
5 hamburger buns
miracle whip

1. Preheat the grill.
2. Mix the hamburger, barbecue sauce, salt and pepper. Divide the hamburger in half.
3. Using half the hamburger, make five very thin patties and place on a plate.
4. On each patty, add a cube of cream cheese, a teaspoon of relish, teaspoon of bacon bits, and a sprinkle of cheese.
5. Make 5 thin patties with the remaining hamburger. Place the patties on top of the cream-cheesed patties. Seal the edges.
6. Grill the hamburgers. (Here's a how-to for the novice grillers.)
7. For extra pizzazz, toast the hamburger buns lightly on the grill.
8. Put a litte miracle whip on each top bun. Place the cooked hamburgers on the buns and serve.

Sloppy Joes, slow-cooker style

From my friend, Sue, who got it from her mom, Roberta, who got it from a co-worker back in 1962. A good recipe will spread faster and last longer than ANY gossip! And like gossip, it changes a bit as it passes from one person to another. I added corn to sneak in some vegetables, and Sue adjusted it for crockpot.

1 - 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 to 3/4 cup ketchup
4 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
1 can corn, drained
1/8 to 1/4 cup white vinegar
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
Chopped onion and green pepper, optional
salt and pepper, to taste

Brown meat and drain. Add all other ingredients and pour into crockpot. Cook on low for 4 hours, or until warm throughout. Serve on hamburger buns.

Chili

Most of the time, I cherish the time we have with our kids. I listen to all the sweet old ladies who tell me to enjoy my beautiful family, because they grow up too fast. I know the time will pass quicker than I want it to...most of the time. But there are a few insignificant things that I will enjoy when the girls are older. One of those things: 4-alarm chili. Of course, by then, I probably won't be able to hand the hot stuff like I do know. Such is the irony of life!

Anywho, below is my chili recipe. If you have small kids or a wimpy tongue, skip the ingredients in red. If you are adventurous and think Hot Sauce adds flavor, not heat, then go for it!

Chili

1 pound ground beef
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 jalapeno peppers, cored and seeded (unless you like it hot; then keep the seeds)
1 Anaheim pepper, cored and seeded
3 cayenne peppers, whole (stem and all, just throw it in)
6-8 shakes of Louisiana Hot Sauce
2 cans chili beans
1 can red beans
1 can diced tomatoes or Ro-Tel

• Add the onions and ground beef to a skillet. Stir in 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder, and half the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook on medium-high heat until meat in brown and onion is translucent.
• To a crockpot, add all other ingredients, including remaining spices. Stir in the beef-onion mixture.
• Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
• Remove cayenne peppers, or give them to the guy who claims there is nothing too hot for him. :)
  
• Serve with saltines, cheddar cheese, and hot sauce. (Jay adds ketchup to his, but I consider that a major party-foul!)

Don't worry if it seems like this makes too much for your family. You can turn the leftovers into chili dogs or Frito Pie...two meals, 1 day of cooking!

Nacho Soup

Nacho Soup, in honor of our N-day. I plan to make extra taco meat on Wednesday's M-day and use it in Thursday's soup, for an extra easy meal night.

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 1 can condensed nacho cheese soup (10 3/4 oz.)
• 1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (10 oz)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• shredded Cheddar cheese
• tortilla chips
• sour cream

1. Brown ground beef in a medium saucepan. Drain. -OR- Reheat leftover taco meat in a saucepan.
2. Over medium heat, stir in remaining ingredients except shredded cheese and tortilla chips.
3. Cook 8 to 12 minutes or until heated through.
4. Ladle into bowls and serve with cheddar cheese, chips, and sour cream.

Lasagne

My lasagne is also not anything fancy. It's based on the recipe on any lasagne pasta box, but I embellish it here and there.

Linda's Lasagne

1 pound ground beef
1 jar Best Choice spaghetti sauce, any flavor
1 large container of cottage cheese, small curd, low fat
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic
1 box lasagne noodles

• Brown the ground beef until cooked through. Drain.
• Stir spaghetti sauce into ground beef. Let simmer for a few minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the lasagne noodles as directed on the box.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, mozzarella, and spices.
• Spray a 13x9 casserole dish.
• Scoop 2-3 large spoonfuls of the meat mixture into the casserole dish. Spread evenly.
• Scoop 2-3 large spoonfuls of the cheese mixture onto the meat mixture in the dish. Spread evenly.
• Lay lasagne noodles over the cheese mixture.
• Repeat layers two more times.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Lasagne hints I've recently learned:
Let the lasagne set a few minutes before serving.
Substitute Italian sausage for the beef, for extra flavor
Skip boiling the noodles and put the casserole in the fridge for at least 8 hours before baking.

How do you spice up your lasagne?

Mom's Meatloaf

A high school classmate of mine just posted that she made her first meatloaf. I was amazed; we eat it probably twice a month. The comments that followed were mostly listing how gross meatloaf is...I was stunned. Apparently, the rest of the world was not as fortunate as my family is, growing up with my mom's amazing meatloaf. Not only does it taste awesome, it's so very fool-proof to make. I've tried to list quantities for the ketchup, mustard, cheese, and sauce, but it is truly an estimation. A couple squirts of this, a dash or two of that, and a handful of this...ta da!

Mom's Meatloaf
1 pound ground beef
1 pound pork sausage
1/3 cup crushed saltine crackers
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped onion
3-4 tablespoons of mustard (or 3 big squirts)
2/3 cup ketchup, divided
2 tablespoons A1 sauce (or two big dollups)
salt
pepper

• With cooking spray, spray either 2 loaf pans or 1 9X9 pan.
• In a large bowl, mix together the meat, egg, saltines, cheese, mustard, A1 sauce, salt, pepper, and about 4-5 big squirts of ketchup.
• Roll up your sleeves, and mix it all together with your hands.
• Form two equal-sized loaves with the meat mixture, either one in each loaf pan or two side-by-side in the 9x9 dish. *Hint from Alton Brown: don't pound down the meat to make evenly shaped loaves. By just plopping the meat into the pan, the meatloaf will be juicier and less dense.
• Cover both loaves with ketchup, about 3 squirts per loaf. Again, use your hands to smear it so that the loaves are completely covered.
• Cover with foil.
• Bake at 375 for 1 hour 25 minutes, removing the foil for the last 20 minutes.
• Let the meatloaf set for 5 minutes before cutting into it.

And, to make it an extra-easy meal, throw a few baked potatoes in with the meat loaf. They'll be ready about the same time.

Bierocks Casserole

Growing up, I had the best lunch ladies EVER. They were four seemingly-old German ladies in our very German community. VERY German. In the middle of Kansas, probably 90 percent of my community was German and many had grandparents who still spoke German in the home. My high school offered Spanish and German as your language choices, and I'm just now realizing how odd that was. Anyway, back to lunch ladies. These fabulous women would make homemade bierocks for my school of 100 or so students. We are talking about fresh, made-from-scratch dough with beef, cabbage and cheese inside. YUM!

This is no where near as good, but is also thousands of times faster.

2 cans crescent roll dough
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 bag cole slaw mix
2 cups shredded cheese, cheddar or mozzarella

1. Brown the beef and pork in a large skillet. Drain.
2. Stir in the cole slaw mix. Cover and let steam until cabbage is softened.
3. Line a 13x9 dish with one of the crescent roll dough, pinching the seams to make a crust.
4. Spoon in the cabbage and meat mixture.
5. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the meat.
6. Top with the second crescent roll dough, again pinching the seams to make one big rectangle.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until dough turns golden brown.

Other variations of this recipe include adding a cream-of soup, but I stick to the basics, in honor of those great St. Mark's lunch ladies.

Sloppy Joes, Crock-Pot style

From a dear friend, Sue...

Roberta's Sloppy Joes

1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2-3/4 cup ketchup
4 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 to 1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp yellow dry mustard
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can whole corn*
salt and papper, to taste

In a skillet, brown the meat and drain. Add all other ingredients and pour into a crock pot. Heat on low for 3-4 hours, or until heated through. Serve on hamburger buns for sloppy joes.

*The corn is definitely optional. Sloppy joes must have corn in them, in my mind, but not in everyone's. Think of it as a way to sneak more veggies in your family.

Burritos

Ah, burritos. So good in so many ways!

Our family's version of it is pretty simple. You can spice it up or down to your tastes.

Burritos
1 pound ground beef
1 can refried beans
about 2 cups cheddar cheese
about 12 large to medium flour tortillas
1 cup of your favorite salsa

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Ground beef in a large skillet. Drain.
3. Stir salsa and refried beans into beef. Stir and cook on medium-low until combined.
4. Place a spoonful of the meat/bean mixture on each tortilla, evenly distributing among them all.
5. Sprinkle cheese on top of meat/bean mixture.
6. Add anything else you want in the burritos. (Onions, peppers, cumin, cilantro, lettuce, tomato)
7. Roll tortilla and put seam-side down in a 13x9 casserole.
8. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is melted completely.
9. Serve with sour cream.

Tacos as backup

Tacos are a constant back-up meal in our house. Not only is it quick and a hit with everyone, but it usually turns into two meals. Tacos can be made in so many ways; you just need to play around with it to find what fits for your household.


Tacos, Our Style

1 pound ground beef
1 Taco Bell taco seasoning
Soft tortillas for the girls and taco shells for adults
Shredded cheddar
Sour cream
Additional optional toppings, including wedged tomatoes, diced bell pepper, jalapenos, bread-and-butter jalapenos, salsa, lettuce, onion, carrots and any other veggie that sounds good

1. Cook the ground beef and prepare according to the directions on the Taco Bell seasoning packet.
2. Spread sour cream on a tortilla or taco shell.
3. Spoon beef on top of that, then cheddar cheese and any other toppings you want to add.

MEAL TWO: Mexi-cornbread

1. Save any leftover taco meat and toppings.
2. Prepare a boxed cornbread mix and add a can of cream corn.
   
3. Stir taco leftovers into cornbread mixture.
4. Pour into an 8x8 casserole.
5. Combine 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup cheddar cheese, and drop the sour cream/cheese mix onto the cornbread mix.
6. Bake according to the cornbread mix directions.