(un)Sloppy Joes

This has to be one of my favorite meals. It's such a simple summer camp food, but there's something about Sloppy Joes that I love. Every time I go home my mom asks what I want for dinner. I always say "Sloppy Joes please!" No steak or fancy meals. Sloppy Joes satisfy my hunger pains.

It was actually my mom that suggested making these for dinner. It sounded perfect - until I saw that they're supposed to simmer for 1 hour! (It was already after 6:30) But don't worry. If nothing else, just bump the heat up and everything cooks faster.

Sloppy Joes
2 tbsp butter
1 lb chopped beef
2 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, chopped
salt to taste
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 C catsup
1/2 C water

1)  Chop up the celery and onions.  

2)  Brown the celery, onions and beef in 2 tbsp butter. Once the beef is browned, make sure to drain the grease. (I forgot to do this once and I had Sloppy Joe Soup instead). Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about an hour. NOTE: I would recommend just turning up the heat a little (medium-low roughly) so the water will evaporate faster. Once most of the liquid is gone, you're ready to eat!

I know, I know. This doesn't look too appealing. But it gets my seal of approval.

That's more like it!

This is what I was munching on the whole time I was cooking: Calidad Tortilla Chips. Under $2 at Walmart! And they are GOOD. I always try to find chips that don't have a lot of salt on them. I would say this bag is pretty light on the salt.

Veri Teriyaki Chicken & Broccoli

Lately I've been on a chicken and rice kick. Surprise, Surprise. We already know that I always make chicken dishes - I really need to start changing my menu. I also never seem to use an actual recipe. I tend to just throw together anything I can find, but it all manages to turn out just fine.

My mom introduced me to this Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce when she used it to marinate grilled chicken. It's a good switch from the usual Italian dressing marinade. Check out their website for a bunch of delicious looking recipes. 

Teriyaki Chicken & Broccoli
Boneless chicken breast
Teriyaki sauce (I like Soy Vay's)
Broccoli
Instant rice
Chow mein noodles (optional)

1)  I used my handy-dandy George Foreman grill to cook the chicken. Marinade it in some teriyaki sauce before in a bag. You can also just pour it over the chicken as it grills, but this gets a bit messy. Or you can cook it in a skillet on the stove.

2)  Cook the rice as directed on the box. I used the microwave since it would take less time. It overflowed a little, so I would recommend putting some paper towel under the bowl. 

3)  Cook the broccoli as instructed on the bag (if you're using the frozen stuff).

4)  Once everything is cooked, mix it all in a bowl. Add some extra Teriyaki sauce for more flavor. 

  
This took probably 15 minutes tops. Next time I make it, I'll probably add some onions to the mix.

Quick Chicken Potato Bowl

I remember seeing KFC commercials years ago for this little bowl of food. They called it a Chicken Potato Bowl...and I thought they looked disgusting. I have never liked my food mixing together. Everything needs to be on a separate portion of my plate. I still consider using my kiddie airplane plate with the 3 sections every now and then.

While away at college, I finally had my first Chicken Potato Bowl. I fell in love and it became a weekly staple. Every Tuesday was Chicken Potato Bowl day at the dining hall. Boy, was I missing out. My friend and I have started a Tuesday night dinner together. We switch off who cooks and this week it was me. I haven't this since last year (when I was still eating dorm food) so thought I would bring back the tradition. And they are SO easy to make!


Chicken Potato Bowl
- frozen chicken (I used popcorn chicken you just heat up in the oven)
- 1 can of corn
- mashed potatoes
- cheddar cheese
- chicken gravy (optional for me)

1.  Boil a pot of water and peel the potatoes. I went a little potato happy and made 4. Put the potatoes in the water until they start to fall apart when you touch them with a fork.

2.  In the meantime, start cooking the chicken. Follow the directions on the package. Cook the corn in the microwave according to the directions on the can.

3.  Mash the potatoes to your liking. I just used butter and milk this time, with a little garlic powder. I really like mashed potatoes with sour cream. Add the chicken and corn. You can add chicken gravy and cheese to your liking. Just heat the gravy on the stove. I personally prefer mine plain, but if you want it true KFC style, make it with all the fixings.

(I'm still not the greatest with this food photography, so you may be thinking what I thought the first time I saw that KFC ad)


I also made some garlic bread, just because. (OK, because I LOVE bread and eat it all the time)

Just spread some butter on bread, add garlic powder and Parmesan cheese, and pop it in the oven. Yum. So quick and so easy. And a great meal with as few ingredients as possible!

What meals did you think looked disgusting before actually trying them and loving them? 

Eggless Banana Muffins

I always seem to buy bananas and let them sit around. Thank god for banana bread! The ripe bananas were screaming at me, but there was a slight problem - we had no eggs. I jumped on the computer and found several recipes for banana bread that didn't require eggs. I thought I'd try them out. (I turned them into muffins instead, so had to experiment with the time)

Eggless Banana Muffins
1/2 C canola oil or shortening
3/4 C sugar
1 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 ripe bananas
1-2 tsp vanilla
chocolate chips (optional)
nuts (optional)

I found these pretty easy to make and they didn't take very long.


1) Cream shortening & sugar. Add vanilla. {Don't be alarmed when it looks like a crumbled mess. This is exactly what happened to me, but it will all work out}

2) Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Cut up bananas and blend them into the mixture. Add chocolate chips and/or nuts at this point.

3) Fill the baking cups about 3/4 full. I used an ice cream scoop to measure the dough out. 

4) Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. Really watch them, though. I took them out after about 20 minutes when the tops started to get golden brown, but then the middles started sinking. I put them back into the oven until a toothpick came out clean.

 The end product was a little dense and seem to be missing something, but I can't put my finger on it. They have stayed fresh for about 4 days, which is always a plus when it comes to home baked treats.
Do you have a go-to muffin recipe?

Simple Breakfast Burrito

I had an ingenious idea the other day. While stuffing admit packets at the Law School, I started pondering what I would make for lunch. I'm getting really tired of the usual ham sandwich I've made myself since 1st grade. I remembered I had some grape tomatoes and mushrooms and assumed a salad would be fine. Scratch that - no lettuce. So I settled on an omelet, before I remembered I had tortillas. BINGO! Breakfast burrito it is. (I can also thank Bandit Burrito for the inspiration - I had one a few weeks again and it was amazing)

I realize this is just a simple concoction of a few ingredients, but that's what this is all about. I'm all for as few ingredients as possible - and combining whatever I have in the kitchen.

Breakfast Burrito
- Tortilla
- 2 eggs
- grape tomatoes
- mushrooms
- ham
- Mexican cheese

I would suggest heating the tortilla in the oven while you cook the eggs. Just wrap it in foil and let it warm at about 250 degrees.

I scrambled my eggs first. While those are cooking, cut up any vegetables or meat you want to add. Once the eggs are just about ready, add the veggies. Warm them up to your liking. Add some cheese if desired.

 So simple. The second time I made this I added salsa for some zip. It made it 10 times better.

Colorful Revolution

The past couple years I have tried giving up cookies for Lent. Did it ever work? Of course not. I think the longest I lasted was about two weeks - and that wasn't counting Sundays. This year I decided against the no cookie ordeal since I always cave in. Instead I've opted for no snacking after 9PM (another weakness of mine).

So I'm switching things up a bit. I'm obviously craving sweets - cookies especially - and wanted a simple cookie recipe. I fell in love with these simple cookies made from a yellow cake mix years ago when my mom whipped up a batch.

M&M Cookies 
Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix
1/2 C butter or margarine (softened)
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 pkg M&M baking bits

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed. Drop dough on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Cool for about a minute before placing on wire racks. 

Viola! Simple as that. The only problem I ran into was the bottoms burning. I'm still not used to an electric oven and am a horrible judge of time.

A lot of cake mixes have recipes on the side for a cookie variation. Have you tried turning any cake mixes into cookies? What are you favorites? Some of my favorites:

Lemony Crisps
Funfetti Cookies
Or just use your favorite cake mix

Chicken Pot Pie

Another chicken dish. I love chicken. You would think that I live on a chicken farm or something. But this is one of my current favorite dinners. AND it's done in about 20 minutes...really.

My rowing coach told me about this easy chicken pot pie and I couldn't wait to try it. All you need is some chicken (I like rotisserie chicken), crescent rolls, frozen mixed vegetables and chicken gravy.

 Roll out the crescent rolls and lay them in a greased baking dish. You only need one package. I like to use the second one for actual crescent rolls.

 Cut apart the chicken. (And eat a little too)

 Add it all together: chicken, about half a bag of frozen vegetables, and one jar of chicken gravy.

Bake it at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or once the gravy and vegetables are done. Also make sure the crescent rolls don't burn too easily.


Easy Chicken Pot Pie
1 jar chicken gravy
rotisserie chicken
frozen mixed vegetables (you choose the amount)
2 pkgs crescent rolls (one for the base, one for yourself)

It's easy as pie!

And for the leftover chicken:
Rotisserie Chicken ideas