Homemade Sloppy Joes

Homemade Sloppy Joes


2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 ½ lbs. ground beef
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2/3 cup BBQ sauce
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
8 to 12 potato rolls

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until it is finely crumbled, the liquid boils off and the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Drain the grease off the meat and onions. Stir in the tomato paste, and keep stirring until the meat is coated. Add the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. You can make the sloppy joe meat up to 2 days in advance and reheat it over low heat or in the microwave.
Wrap the rolls in aluminum foil and warm in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Serve the sloppy joes hot with the warmed rolls.

Basic Chili Powder Recipe

Makes approximately 4 Tablespoons
Ingredients

2 Tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit or increase to taste)

Method
1.  Place all ingredients in a bowl.
2.  Blend thoroughly.
3.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Paprika is a pepper and should be refrigerated for maximum shelf life and potency.

Homemade Cream of Condensed Soup

Homemade Cream of Condensed Soup

Ingredients

1. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2. 3 tablespoons flour
3. 1/2 cup chicken broth
4. 1/2 cup regular milk or almond milk
5. 1 teaspoon garlic salt
6. 1/4 teaspoon pepper, optional
7. 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, optional

Instructions

1. 1. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and add flour. Whisk until a roux forms, about 1 minute. Add garlic salt and pepper if desired. Slowly whisk in chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until mixture thickens. Add parsley flakes if desired. Remove from heat and use as you would a regular can of condensed soup. Soup can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to be used on the same day.

Notes

1. The recipe above yields one can of Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup. For different kinds of soup, simply swap out chicken broth but keep the rest of the ingredients the same.
2. Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup: 1/2 cup chicken or veggie broth plus 1/4 cup sautéed mushrooms (add mushrooms after mixture has thickened)
3. Condensed Cream of Celery Soup: 1/2 cup veggie broth plus 1/4 cup sautéed chopped celery (add celery after mixture has thickened)
4. Condensed Cream of Tomato Soup: 1/2 cup tomato juice

Breakfast Potatoes

Breakfast Potatoes

Ingredients

1. 3 medium golden potatoes - skin on
2. 1 T. olive oil
3. 2 pieces of bacon
4. 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
5. 1 T. pure maple syrup
6. parsley for garnish
7. salt
8. pepper
9. Old Bay

Instructions

1. Before you do anything, freeze your bacon slices that way when you're ready to prep, it'll be so much easier to chop!
2. Wash the potatoes and cut medium dice into square pieces. To prevent any browning, place the already cut potatoes in a bowl filled with water.
3. In the meantime, heat 1 T. of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Tilt the skillet so the oil spreads evenly.
4. Once the oil is hot, drain the potatoes and add to the skillet. Season with salt, pepper, and Old Bay as needed.
5. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring the potatoes often, until brown.
6. Chop up the bacon and add to the potatoes. The bacon will start to render and the fat will begin to further cook the potatoes. Toss it up a bit!
7. Once the bacon is cooked, add the minced garlic and toss. Season once more. Add dried or fresh parsley. Control heat as needed.
8. Let the garlic cook until fragrant, about one minute.
9. Just before serving, drizzle over the maple syrup and toss. Let that cook another minute, giving the potatoes are caramelized effect.
10. Serve in a warm bowl with a sunny side up egg!

Notes

1. This served 3 people in my household, easily bump up the amount of potatoes if serving more!
2. If turkey bacon is preferred, add a little more oil throughout cooking process.
3. Red potatoes work well too!

Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets

Copycat Chick-fil-A Nuggets

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 cup dill pickle juice
• 1 1/2 cups milk, divided
• 1 cup peanut oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine chicken, pickle juice and 1/2 cup milk; marinate for at least 30 minutes. Drain well.
• Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 1 cup milk and egg. Stir in chicken and gently toss to combine; drain excess milk mixture.
• In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken, flour and confectioners' sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Slow Cooker Chex Mix

Slow Cooker Chex Mix

Prep: 10 mins Cook: 3 hours Total: 3 hours 10 mins

Ingredients:

• 9 cups Chex cereal (I used equal parts corn, rice, and wheat Chex)
• 2 cups pretzels
• 1 cup Cheerios
• 1/3 cup (6 Tablespoons) butter, melted and hot
• 1 Tablespoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Add cereal, pretzels, and cheerios to the bowl of a slow cooker.
In a separate bowl, whisk together butter and seasoned salt until the salt is dissolved.  Stir in the Worcestershire sauce until combined.
Drizzle the sauce evenly over the top of the cereal mixture.  Toss for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is evenly combined.
Cover and slow cook on low for 3 hours,  stirring at the 1 hour, 2 hour and 2.5 hour marks so that the mixture does not burn.  Then spread the mixture out onto a few baking sheets or parchment paper in an even layer until it cools to room temperature.  Serve, or store in a sealed container for up to 3 weeks.
*If your slow cooker does not have a tiny hole in it to let air escape, it may collect too much condensation which could make the Chex Mix get too soggy.  If that is the case, I recommend placing a towel underneath the lid of the slow cooker to collect the condensation.