Sloppy Joes

These are one of our favorite dinners. Not too long ago we discovered that we could split a batch of roll dough into two sections and roll them out to fit a cookie sheet, cover the bottom layer of dough with the sloppy joe mixture, top it with the other half of the roll dough, and bake some less sloppy sandwiches. These are a hit with everyone from my 92 year old grandmother, to my rather picky eight year old. I love how easy they are, and the ingredients are staples that we always have on hand.

2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 stalks of celery, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cans (15oz, each) tomato sauce (organic tastes best, really)
salt and pepper to taste
cloves to taste (I'm guessing that I use about 1/8 tsp, try that, taste and adjust for your tastes)
Italian seasoning (probably between 1 and 2 tsp)
brown sugar to taste (I'm guessing a scant 1/4 cup... too little is better than too much, so add a handful and taste)

Brown the beef with the vegetables, add the tomato sauce and seasonings. I like to let this simmer while my bread dough is rising, so I begin browning the beef immediately after setting the bread dough aside for it's first rising. While the beef is browning I chop vegetables and then add them to the dutch oven (because I usually cook in an enamel coated, cast iron, dutch oven). As soon as the beef is browned I add the tomato sauce and seasonings, then turn the heat down, put a lid on the pot, and let it simmer (stirring occasionally) until the rolls are done (about two hours). You CAN serve the sloppy joes after only about 20 minutes of simmering, but what fun would that be?

Cheesy Potatoes

These are so easy and so good!

1 small package frozen hash brown potatoes

1 small container sour cream

2 cans cream soup (I usually use celery)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I also like colby jack)

Mix all together and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

That's It!

Grandma Canfield's Macaroni Salad Recipe

Grandma wants it known that she has never made this salad... but I'm calling it hers anyway because I found the recipe in her recipe files. We often take this to potlucks (unless we've been asked to bring broccoli salad instead... mmm... broccoli salad). It's very, very rare to have any leftovers. This recipe is very flavorful and has the perfect balance of flavors. It is neither bland, nor spicy... it's just right! (according to Jake). Remember as well that I NEVER measure... so if this tastes a little different than mine it will still be awesome, but I use the measurements as a guideline and kind of guess, pinch, and glug instead of using the measuring cups and spoons. We generally use a large bag of macaroni... so makes quite a bit more than this recipe.

1 1/2 cups uncooked macaroni

2 Tbsp vinegar

1 cup diced ham or cheese (cheese, ick!)

2 hard cooked eggs, chopped (eggs, ick!)

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup minced green pepper or pickle relish (I add both)

2 Tbsp cut-up pimiento (I use red bell pepper instead- because I'm cheap)

2 Tbsp minced onion (if you add too much onion you'll get an odd aftertaste)

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp or more prepared mustard

salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain, then rinse with cold water. Add vinegar, mix lightly and let stand ten minutes. Toss macaroni with ham, eggs, celery, pickles, peppers, and onion. Blend in mayonnaise and seasonings to taste. Chill. Yield: 8 servings

Healthier Chewy Oatmeal cookies

These turned out so good, I started with this recipe and then tweaked it a little bit.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup applesauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups rolled oats

optional:

about 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

dash of cloves

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease cookie sheet.

Cream butter, sugars, and applesauce. Add eggs one at a time mixing in between, then add vanilla and mix. Stir in dry ingredients, then add oats and mix. Add optional ingredients, making sure that batter is well mixed.

Place on baking sheet by rounded spoonfuls. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then place on cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Marshmallow-Almond Key Lime Pie

I found this really good pie here, and had to share it

Marshmallow-Almond Key Lime Pie

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted, divided
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, divided
• 1/2 cup key lime juice
• 1 tablespoon grated key lime peel
• Dash salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 1-3/4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 4-1/2 teaspoons butter
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

• Place the flour, brown sugar and 1/2 cup almonds in a food processor. Cover and process until blended. Add melted butter and honey; cover and process until crumbly. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a large bowl, beat the milk, 5 ounces cream cheese, lime juice, peel and salt until blended. Add egg yolk; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into crust. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a large saucepan, combine marshmallows and butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Add cream and remaining cream cheese; beat until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
• Beat marshmallow mixture until light and fluffy. Spread over pie; sprinkle with remaining almonds. Yield: 8 servings.

Coconut Haupia Cream Pie

This is a bit involved but well worth the time. You can save some time by using either a regular pastry crust or graham cracker (you can even use premade) and still have a great pie. I think the crust from this pie could also work really well, and it's quite a bit easier.

Crust

1 cup unsalted butter

2 tsp vanilla

1 egg

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup melted butter

Haupia Pudding

6 oz coconut milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1/4 cup cornstarch

Coconut Bavarian Cream

1 rounded T unflavored geletin

3 T water

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 1/2 cups milk

6 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (toasted if you like)

To make the crust:

preheat oven to 350

Mix butter and vanilla together, add egg, flour, salt and mix together. Place dough on a greased baking sheet and bake 15 - 20 min. Let cool, refrigerate 1 hour. Crumble 2 cups of cookie, add melted butter and mix by hand. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of a pie plate and the rest up the sides. Bake another 15 - 20 minutes.

Make the pudding next:

In a saucepan combine coconut milk, sugar and 1/2 cup milk bring to a slow boil. In a bowl mix together the remaining 1/2 cup milk, and the cornstarch. Mix until there are no lumps, then slowly add to the hot mixture stirring constantly till thick. Remove from stove and pour into the pie crust. Refrigerate until cold and set.

To make the cream:

Soften geletin with the water in a small bowl, set aside. Whip the whipping cream and set aside. Combine milk, egg yolks and sugar in a stainless steel or glass bowl and set over a double boiler. Cook until the mixture coats a spoon and you can run a finger through it and a line remains. Remove from heat and add the set geletin; mix well. Set hot bowl over an ice bath and stir until it cools and starts to thicken. Fold the whipping cream in, in 2 parts. Add coconut and fold in. Layer this on top of the pudding in the pie plate and chill 2 more hours.

Lighter Cole Slaw

I don't know that there is anything really unique about this coleslaw recipe that I came up with, but it's a great alternative to the regular old slaw recipe. It's still sweet and tangy like the original, but it's lighter and it can be outside without worrying about it being in the heat.

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (you could use apple cider vinegar too)

1/2 cup oil (I used canola)

about 2.5 tablespoons sugar

pepper to taste and salt if you like

about 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 bag shredded cabbage and carrots

whisk together the top ingredients and pour over the cabbage and carrots. Mix well.

*if you like more tang you can up the vinegar and canola to 1/3 cups

Mock Champagne Punch

My parents were looking for a punch recipe that wasn't red (since they just got new carpet) for a graduation party they were hosting! I found this recipe for them and it was a huge hit. This punch can also be put into a champagne fountain.

Ingredients

2 cups simple syrup, chilled

1 (32 fluid ounce) bottle raspberry flavored carbonated water, chilled

1 (64 fluid ounce) bottle white grape juice, chilled

2 (2 liter) bottles lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage, chilled

Directions

1. In a large punch bowl, mix together simple syrup, carbonated water, white grape juice and lemon-lime soda.

Makes 60 servings

Ice Cream Crunch

This is our favorite summer time dessert. If you make it at least a day in advance and it has a chance to freeze hard- you can slice it into "ice cream bars." We usually enjoy it the evening of the day we prepare it and just use a fork to eat it. We almost always double the recipe and make it in a sheet cake pan.

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 cups crisp rice cereal

2 cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

In a 3qt saucepan cook the butter and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves.

Mix the cereal, coconut and nuts. Add the caramel mixture and stir until well mixed. Press half of the cereal mixture into a greased 9x13 pan. Spread the softened ice cream over the cereal mixture. Top with the remaining cereal mix. Freeze until firm.

Curried Cauliflower Soup

A few weeks ago I went to a great restaurant in town. They had an amazing Curries Broccoli soup, so as soon as I came home I had to find a recipe that was similar. And yes I know this is cauliflower, not broccoli, however I had all of the ingredients on hand so I made this and boy am I glad. So first here's the actual recipe I found, then I'll tell you all what I added and did different!

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 onion, cut into chunks
• 3 cloves garlic, halved
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon curry paste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the cauliflower, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet, and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
2. Bring vegetable stock, coconut milk, and curry paste to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the roasted vegetables, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Carefully puree the soup in a blender until it has reached your desired consistency, serve, and enjoy!

* I use Patak's curry paste, since I don't like the flavor of Thai curry paste. I find it at Cost Plus World Market.

Okay so now for my changes, lol. A while ago I posted my Coconut Curry Chicken which is really similar, so I kind of merged the two.

1) I steamed the cauliflower and the onion instead of roasted. A friend roasted hers and said it didn't add any extra flavor so it's up to you. Once it was done I blended it in the blender with the broth will it was smooth.

2) I marinated chicken in the curry paste like in the chicken recipe, then I sauteed it in the soup pot till done.

3) Next I poured the rest of the ingredients into the soup pot, including the pureed cauliflower and onions, and stirred. Then I also added matchstick carrots to the mix., and simmer it all.

It was so similar to the flavor and texture of the soup I had that I think next time I make it I'll also add finely chopped broccoli with the carrots.

Banana Dessert

Crust:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Pat into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Second layer:

1- 8oz package, cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 container Cool Whip (12oz)

Mix thoroughly. Spread gently over crust.

Third layer:

1 small package instant vanilla pudding

1 small package instant banana pudding

2 cups cold milk

Whip until thick. Pour over second layer.

Fourth layer:

3 large bananas, sliced over the top of the pudding layer.

Fifth layer:

Gently spread cool whip over the top of the dessert. Refrigerate until serving.

Butter Cookies

These are our favorite cut out cookies! They're rich and border on the edge of being crisp- instead of soft. We love the flavor and they don't puff up while baking so your designs stay put through baking.

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, unbeaten

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the flour and baking powder. Chill until firm. Roll out, cut, and bake at 350 degrees until the edges start to brown (I'm thinking 10-12 minutes, but my directions just say, "until they start to brown")

Salad Dressing

I just snagged this off a friend's facebook post. It sounds so good that I wanted to make sure it was included here.

‎1/4 cup olive oil. 2 T maple syrup. 2 T lemon juice. 1 t dijon mustard. 1/2 t cumin. 1/4 t salt. 1/4 t red pepper. Dash of nutmeg. Throw in some toasted pecans if you have them. Just the right amount of spicy and sweet.

She recommended putting it on spinach salad with cranberries.

Baked Parmesan Cottage Potatoes

Janet, here's the potatoes I was telling you about.

Baked Parmesan Cottage Potatoes

3 tablespoons margarine or butter

3 medium potatoes, thinly sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1/4 cup parmesan

garlic and pepper to taste

In a greased 9x13 inch pan arrange potatoes and onion in an even layer. Melt margarine, drizzle over the potatoes and onions. Mix your seasonings and parmesan. Sprinkle over the potatoes.

Bake in at 450 degrees, for about 25 minutes or till browned.

Peach Cobbler

I've been loving all of the fresh peaches on sale to make this lately, however you could really use any of your favorite fruits. The first time we didn't have quite enough peaches so I added a few pears into the mix, Yum!

Peach Cobbler

1 c. brown sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
6 c. sliced fresh peaches

dash of lemon juice

Cinnamon, cloves and ginger to taste

1/2 c. - 1 cup milk (less milk makes it more like dumplings, more gives it a more cakey top)
1 tbsp. sugar
2 c. Bisquick
1 tsp. lemon rind

Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Add peaches and spices, toss to coat. Add a dash of lemon juice, stir. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until boiling and thick. Reduce heat and cook 2 minutes longer. Set aside.

Combine Bisquick, sugar, lemon rind. Add milk. Stir with fork until moistened. Return peaches to a boil. Pour into 2-quart oblong baking dish. Drop batter on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with sauce.

Pasta Primavera

1/2 pound Basque Chorizo (or other flavorful sausage)
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups zucchini, chopped

4-6 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped (I used 3 small Early Girls, 1 lg. Mortgage Lifter, 8 Juliettes (large variety of grape tomato), and 10 yellow cherry tomatoes. Variety improves the sauce.

Salt
Pepper
Italian Seasoning
lemon juice (just a splash)
Pasta of your choice

Saute the chorizo with onions, celery, garlic, pepper, and carrots (until translucent). Add zucchini and tomatoes and season to taste. Simmer for about half an hour. Prepare pasta according to package directions. We use about a pound of dry pasta- either spaghetti or bowtie. Add the cooked pasta to the vegetables. We serve this dish with cheese sprinkled over the individual servings. Add a salad and some fresh bread and this makes a lovely summer dinner!

Crock pot Sweet Potatoes with the leftovers in Sweet Potato Waffles

These were so good!  I had made this crockpot sweet potato recipe yesterday to have with our grilled chicken, and then tonight I made the waffles with some of the leftovers that I mashed.

Orange Spiced Sweet Potatoes

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

Juice of 1 medium orange

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

chopped pecans (optional)

Place all ingredients on the crockpot (except pecans), and stir.  Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours or HIGH 2 hours.  Sprinkle with pecans before serving if desired.

Sweet Potato Waffles

Dry ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Wet ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mashed baked sweet potatoes
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

Optional

• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat your waffle iron. Depending on the type of iron you have, you may need to lightly oil it. Use your experience with your own equipment in deciding.
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk them until well combined.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the whites, reserving both.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the milk, sour cream, mashed sweet potato, melted butter, and egg yolks. Whisk until well combined.
5. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites at a high speed for about two minutes. Stiff peaks should form when you lift the beaters. Set aside.
6. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Whisk until well combined, but do not over mix. The batter should be nearly smooth.
7. Fold in the beaten egg whites. If you are adding the pecans, you should fold them in now.
8. The batter is now ready for your waffle iron. The amount of batter and cooking time will vary according to the size and temperature setting of your waffle iron.

Notes:

• Sweet potatoes should be baked for 1 hour at 400 degrees. I do this a day in advance.

Holiday favorites

This is my brothers favorite thing at the holidays!

Aaron's Christmas Cookies

2 cups Captain Krunch

2 cups Rice Krispies

2 cups colored mini marshmellows

1 8oz jar roasted peanuts

1 1/2 lb almond bark

Melt almond bark and pour over all the other ingredients, mix well.  Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.  Let set up.  Enjoy!

My comfort food

My comfort foods are pretty basic.  I love Chicken and dumplings, Beef Stroganoff, and my Mom's bread pudding.  I also love the hot artichoke dip that I've posted before, mostly because it reminds me of the holidays and parties, when you could always smell it cooking in the quiet right before everyone arrived.

Bread Pudding

4 cups milk

2 cups fresh bread cubes, packed

1 1/4 cup sugar

4 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325-350.  Scald milk; add bread cubes and sugar.  Allow to stand 5 minutes.  Slowly pour mixture into bowl of beaten eggs, stirring constantly.  Add vanilla.  Place mixture into a well buttered 2 quart casserole and sprinkle with nutmeg.  Bake with casserole in a pan of hot water for 1 hour, or until knife comes out clean.

We serve hot with a little milk or cream poured over it.

Comfort Food

Octamom posted about comfort food this morning. It made me think about whether or not I'd ever posted my absolute favorite, amazing, birthday requested meal on our blog. After a quick scan of previous entries I did not find our recipe for Swiss Steak.
When I was young I used to spend every summer in Idaho with my grandparents (we lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico at the time). Grandma was the best cook ever and she made so many wonderful dishes that utilized the homegrown tomatoes and peppers from Grandpa's garden (a small one acre patch that was divided between the east and west sides of their house). This recipe is very simple and easy.

Here is Grandma Canfield's recipe for Swiss Steak.

2 pounds cube steak
2 quart jars of stewed tomatoes
1 large sweet onion, sliced thin
2 large bell peppers, sliced thin
flour
salt
pepper

Dredge the cube steak in flour and brown in oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Smother the browned steaks with the tomatoes, onion, and peppers. Cover and simmer for about an hour our until the steaks are tender.

We always serve Swiss Steak with pan browned potatoes (I'm not sure why they're called that). You begin with several moderate sized potatoes (not tiny, not quite baking size either). Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Use a sharp knife to score the top of the potatoes with a diamond pattern. Brush the cut side of the potatoes with butter or oil and place them in a buttered or oiled pan cut side up. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Steamed green beans with sweet onion slices are the preferred vegetable side dish to serve with the steaks. Peach cobbler usually rounds off the meal (we freeze sliced peaches when they are in season so that we have plenty to use throughout the rest of the year).