Sloppy Joes

This recipe has been in my family for, well really I don't know how long...but I know my grandma made it! It is delish! I know there are many who may turn up their nose just hearing the words "sloppy joes" but let me just tell you this recipe will change your mind! Try it....you'll love them...!! :)

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 can chicken gumbo soup
1/2-3/4 C Ketchup
1/2 tsp mustard

Directions:
Cook beef with salt, pepper, dried onion. Add in the gumbo soup, ketchup, and mustard mix altogether. Taste it and add more ketchup or mustard to taste. Put on a yummy bun dish with some chips and enjoy!!

White Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Coulis

I found these brownies to be divine! Super delish. I found the recipe for the brownies at. Culinairy Delights

(30 mins in and 8x8 pan)

For the brownies:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup finely ground almonds
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
4 ounces premium-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup fresh raspberries

Getting ready

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Butter a 9-x-13-inch pan (Or in an 8x8 for 30 mins), line the bottom with parchment or wax paper, butter the paper and dust the bottom and sides of the pan with flour; tap out the excess. Put the pan on a baking sheet. Not sure on the time, I'd put it for 20 mins and check it.)
To make the brownies

Whisk together the flour, ground almonds and salt.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of only-just-simmering water. Put the butter in the bowl, top with the chopped chocolate and stir frequently until the ingredients are just melted—you don't want them to get so hot that the butter or the white chocolate separates. (White chocolate is finicky, so don't leave the kitchen while it's over the heat—too much heat and it will fall apart or scorch.) Remove the bowl from the pan of water.

Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in another large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the eggs and, with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, or until pale and foamy. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and blend in the melted butter and chocolate. Still working on low, mix in the dry ingredients, stirring only until they disappear into the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the raspberries evenly over the batter.

Raspberry Coulis to go with brownies. This truely is what makes the brownies. It does take a little work, but is oh so worth it. I got the recipe from Une Gamine dans la Cuisine at pixie-baker.

Ingredients
2 cups of fresh or frozen raspberries
1/4 cup sugar (add more if needed, I like mine on the tart side)
1/2 Tablespoon of lemon juice (optional)

If you are using frozen berries, thaw them to room temperature first. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring raspberries and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts to thicken, about 10- 15 minutes.

Press mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, using a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard seeds and skins. Stir in 1 lemon juice. Taste and add more sugar or lemon juice if you like.

Drizzle over dessert with a fork or from a pastry bag fitted with a thin tip.

Creamy Sausage Rolls

Ok, I really love these and they're SO simple. These are a breakfast food, but I make for dinner all the time.

Ingredients:

2 rolls of crescent rolls

1 Jimmy Dean HOT Sausage pack (it's raw)

    (and yes you do need hot, the cream cheese tones it WAY down)

1 8 oz Cream cheese

Directions:

Brown the sausage. Drain.

Add cream cheese, melt and mix.

Scoop filling into crescent triangle, fold.

Cook in oven on directions according to crescent packaging or until brown.

Red Chile Chicken and Rice w/ Black Beans

This was really good! Ross absolutely LOVED it. And it's a one pot dish! I'd say it definitely needs the salsa, and I think sour cream would be divine on it! I even thought that adding the salsa right into the rice and mixing it in would be good. Ooo and putting it in a tortilla, yum. Now I didn't have the chile powder called for so I actually mixed regular chile powder, and Cayenne pepper, and it turned out great! This recipe is actually all over the internet, here is one of the places I found it where I think it originated: Elly Says Opa.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1.25 – 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1-2 Tbsp ancho chili powder, divided
1 medium onion, large dice
1 cup rice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped green onions, or 1/3 cup cilantro
1/2 to 1 cup salsa, such as Roasted Tomato Salsa

Directions:
Cut the chicken breast into 1″ pieces. Heat the oil in a medium-large heavy pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Season chicken chunks with with salt, pepper and 1 Tbsp of the ancho chili powder. Place the chicken in the hot oil and brown, 5-6 minutes . Remove to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.

Add the onion and rice to the pot. Stir for several minutes, until the rice turns from translucent to opaque. Add the garlic and the remaining ancho chili powder. Cook one minute, and then add the broth and salt to taste. Stir well. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Add cooked chicken along with drained beans. Re-cover and cook 10 minutes longer.

Sprinkle the green onions (or cilantro) and test a kernel of rice. It should have no more than a hint of chalkiness at in the center, in which case you place the cover back on, remove it from the heat and let it stand 5-10 minutes. If it’s not cooked, cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Calzones

I got this recipe from Cassie...and I LOVE them! And they really are pretty easy to make, and they don't take a lot of time.

Ingredients:
Dough:                                            Other:
1 pkg yeast                            2 C pizza sauce
1 C warm water                    2 C mozzarella chz
2 tsp sugar                            desired toppings
~*~*~*~*
1 1/2 tsp salt                       *1 eggs w/ 1/2 tsp of water
2 Tbl oil                                        whisked together
2 2/3 C flour
Directions:
Dissolve yeast in warm water; add sugar and whisk until foamy. Add all other ingredients; knead dough until mixed. Divide into 4's. Roll out the dough on floured counters. Put on pizza sauce over 1/2 of the dough, leaving and inch on edge. Add toppings over the sauce. Brush egg wash on the 1 inch edge. Flip over the none sauce side and seal with a fork. Poke a few hole on top, brush more egg wash on the top, and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake @ 400 for 15-20 mins. or till golden brown.

Delicious Crepes

We had crepes for dinner last night. We love this recipe! The husband can't wait to get enough of them and he isn't even a big sweet eater. If you want to try something fun for breakfast or have breakfast for dinner this is a fun change and very easy!!!

CREPES

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
*Beat the above ingredients until well mixed. Spray Pam or cooking spray on frying pan and then pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the center. Tilt the pan so that batter covers the entire bottom of the frying pan like the picture below. Cook each crepe on low/med heat (my stove is set to about a 3 or 4 when cooking them). When the crepe starts to look dry on top it is ready to flip sides. (In the pic below the crepe is almost ready to flip you can see the right side is still slightly wet). Then prepare the filling.

Filling:
1/2 pkg of cream cheese softened
3/4 carton of cool whip
1/2 c. powdered sugar
*Combine and spread in the center of a crepe and then roll crepe up. Top with berries! Enjoy

Spinach Pesto Spread

I LOVE pesto. And this spinach pesto is yum. The first time I made it, it was perfection.
Ingredients:
a bag of baby spinach
a bunch of basil (just the amount that it comes in fresh)
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 Tbl pine nuts
salt/pepper to taste
olive oil

 The first thing to be done is to blanch the spinach and basil. To blanch put them in boiling water for about 20 secs then put right into ice water. This recipe isn't an exact science. I added the ingredients a little at a time in the food processor.  The oil should be added until it becomes a mayo consistency. ENJOY!!!