Easy Sloppy Joe Recipe

When I ran the school lunch business, this was a very popular dish. The kids really liked these Sloppy Joes. I really liked them as well! In my opinion this Sloppy Joe recipe tastes so much better than making Sloppy Joes with the canned sauce. These are super simple to make. Enjoy!

Sloppy Joes
Yield 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pound 93/7 lean ground beef
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 (6oz)  can tomato paste
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon brown mustard
6 whole wheat hamburger rolls

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet, over medium heat, brown ground beef until completely cooked. Drain.
2. Add can of diced tomatoes and chilies, tomato paste, ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Stir and combine well.
3. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for five minutes, until sauce thickens.
4. Serve on hamburger rolls.

A Healthier Chicken Pot Pie

I was looking for a Chicken Pot Pie lower in fat and calories than a traditional pot pie. I found a recipe in a Cooking Light magazine that looked like it would fit the bill. I made that pot pie recipe but I found it a little lacking and bland. I ended up making the recipe again but this time I swapped out some veggies and added some seasoning. I am very pleased with the end result. Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound potatoes peeled and cubed
1 cup fresh diced carrots
1 stalk celery sliced
1 red onion, diced
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 prepared pie crust (I used refrigerated to save time)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add potato, carrot, celery and onion to pan; sauté about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken; sauté about 5 minutes or until lightly browned, and fully cooked stirring occasionally. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and thyme sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly.
3. Slowly add stock to pan, stirring constantly; bring to a boil. Cook about 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.
4.  Spoon mixture into a 2 1/2-quart glass or ceramic baking dish. Top with dough and press down on edges to seal.
5. Cut slits in dough to vent. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until crust is golden and internal temperature reaches a minimum of 165 degrees F for 15 seconds. Let stand 10 minutes before service.

Note:

• You can also use smaller ceramic dishes (16 oz ramekins work well) and make individual pot pies

Bruschetta Recipe

About seven years ago I had a slight obsession with Bruschetta. Every time I went out to dinner I ordered Bruschetta as an appetizer. Call it research....as I took everything I learned in sampling Bruschetta and then created a Bruschetta recipe I love. Enjoy!


 Bruschetta

Ingredients
12 fresh roma (plum) tomatoes, diced and drained In a
1 1/2 tablespoons smashed and chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 cup fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 head of Roasted Garlic Recipe is located on this blog in Side Dishes, Posted on October 3, 2013 link: http://yipsonfoods.blogspot.com/2013/10/roasted-garlic-recipe.html

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 thinly sliced french or Italian baguette

Preparation

1.  In a large bowl combine tomatoes, garlic, shallots, basil, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper and olive oil. Refrigerate.
2. Combine the roasted  garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil.
3. Brush the garlic and olive oil mixture on bread and lightly grill the bread.

Notes:

• For best results make the tomato mixture minus the basil the night before serving to let flavors marinate. Drain out most of the extra liquid and add the basil about an hour before service.
• I use a char grill on medium heat to grill the bread it takes about 3-5 minutes, George Foreman Grill could be used to grill the bread or the bread could be placed under a broiler.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Here is another great Autumn recipe! These Pumpkin Muffins are really super moist and tasty. On top of the muffin is a nice light cheesecake layer and finished with some crumble topping. The recipe makes about fifteen muffins. I actually made a dozen muffins and then made a mini loaf of Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread....which was equally as good as the muffins.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Ingredients:

Cheesecake Topping

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Crumb Topping
4 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
5 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter, softened

 Muffin Batter

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour 15 muffin cups.
2. To make the cream cheese topping: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar. Beat until smooth, (there will be some small lumps of cream cheese that is ok) then refrigerate.
3. For the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, mix flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut  in butter with a fork or pastry blender, until crumbly. Set aside.
4. For the muffin batter: In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl combine eggs, pumpkin, canola oil and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together until smooth.
5. Place pumpkin mixture in muffin cups about 2/3 full. Then add one heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on top of the batter, avoiding the sides as much as possible. 
6. Sprinkle on the crumb topping.
7. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Stir Fried Lemon Grass Chicken

This is a recipe for a pretty easy and very flavorful stir-fry. When making this stir fry I always cut everything ahead of time and then just toss together. If Haricot Verts are not available I use fresh green beans. I also use lemongrass paste instead of fresh lemongrass. There is a link for the paste below the recipe. Enjoy!

Lemon Grass Chicken Stir Fry

Serves 4, 1 cup portions

Ingredients

1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons low sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek (fresh chilie paste)
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh Lemon Grass or Lemon Grass paste
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup sliced red bell pepper

1/2 medium red onion, sliced

8oz Haricort Verts, trimmed 

1 pound thinly sliced boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 Thai chile, diced

1 package (8 oz) brown rice noodles

Preparation

1. Prepare Rice Noodles according to directions on package. 
2. Combine first 5 ingredients. 
3. Heat a large wok or large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add lemongrass and garlic; stir-fry 30 seconds. 
4. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a small bowl. 
5. Add bell pepper, red onion, and haricot verts to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes. 
6. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; add to lemongrass mixture. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. 
7. Add chicken in a single layer; cook 2 minutes or until browned. 
8. Add Chile to pan; stir-fry 2 minutes or until chicken is done. 
9. Stir in stock mixture and vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until sauce begins to thicken. 
10. Serve over rice noodles.

Link for Lemon Grass:

http://www.gourmetgarden.com/au/product/view/Lemon-Grass

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My New Favorite Quiche Recipe! Spinach, Mushroom Bacon Quiche

I was in the mood for quiche the other day. I had some fresh spinach, bacon and mushrooms and decided that together they would make a really good quiche. I was completely right. This was the first spinach based quiche I have eaten that used fresh spinach. It is so much better than using frozen spinach. The consistency was perfect, not too runny, which happens sometimes when using frozen veggies in quiche. This recipe is really tasty and so easy to make. I think I might invest in a quiche pan next. I saw some nice ones at Amazon and posted the link below.

Spinach, Mushroom, Bacon Quiche

Ingredients
6 large eggs
1½ cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 cups packed fresh baby spinach, stems removed
12 ounces bacon
3/4 cup of quartered  baby bella mushrooms
1½ cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust


 Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place crust in pie plate or quiche dish. Set aside.
3. Combine the eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl and beat until fully combined and slightly thickened. Set aside.
4. In a large pan over medium heat cook the bacon until crispy. Drain fat and reserve 1 tablespoon bacon fat.  Dice bacon into small pieces. Set aside.
5. Place the one tablespoon of reserved bacon fat in the same pan that was used to cook the bacon. Increase heat to medium high sauté the mushrooms until slightly browned about five minutes.
6. Layer the spinach then the mushrooms and bacon on top of the crust. Sprinkle the cheese over the mixture.
7. Pour the egg mixture on top.
8. Gently mix the filling around  to spread out the cheese.
9. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the egg mixture is set and golden brown.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Years ago I was reading a magazine. The magazine had a recipe for a cookie that tasted like a Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie. The crazy thing was the cookie was not a cookie at all. The cookie was a Ritz Cracker dipped in minted chocolate. I tried making the cookie and it tasted so good I ended up putting the cookie in my holiday cookie baskets. I received so much great feedback about this cookie. No one could believe that this cookie was actually a cracker covered in minted chocolate.

This has to be one of the best tasting and easiest cookies I make.

There are so many versions of this cookie recipe online. I am posting a basic recipe that uses chocolate, mint and Ritz Crackers. I have read where people have used  melted Mint Andes Candies and Ritz Crackers. I also have read where people use chocolate wafers instead of the Ritz Crackers but again I have always stuck with the basic recipe since it is so AMAZING.
 Enjoy!

 Ingredients:
1 pound chocolate (dark, semi sweet, or milk chocolate)
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
72 Ritz Crackers

Preparation:

1. Melt chocolate on a double boiler, in the microwave or in a slow cooker.
2. Stir in mint.
3. Dip crackers into chocolate. Flip cracker to coat both sides. Scrape or shake off excess chocolate. Place cookies onto waxed paper. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens.

Notes:

• The two best ways I found to dip the crackers is to drop the cracker into the chocolate and flip it with either a fork or tong then pick it up out of the chocolate using whatever utensil you used to flip the cracker.
• I garnished these with some white chocolate, tinted green. I then piped the green chocolate over the cooled cookies.
• Other garnishes could be sprinkles or crushed mint candies. These should be added onto the cookies before the the chocolate hardens.