Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes
1# lean ground beef
Seasoning salt to taste
½ or 1 medium onion, minced
¼ or ½ green pepper, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
¾ cups ketchup
1 tsp. mustard
3 T + 1 tsp. brown sugar
1½ tsp. Red wine vinegar
¾ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/3 -1/2 c water to reach desired consistency
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Stove top directions:
Brown ground beef with onion, green pepper, and garlic. Season to taste with seasoning salt. Add additional ingredients. Cover; turn heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stir occasionally
Crock Pot Instructions: After browning meat and seasoning with seasoning salt, transfer to crock pot. Stir additional ingredients except for the water and pepper. Add to the ground beef in crock pot and add 1/3 cup water or ½ to desired consistency and black pepper to taste. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.
Freezer instructions: Instead transferring seasoned browned meat into crock pot put into freezer container. Add additional ingredients. Combine well. Freeze. When you are ready to cook, transfer to crock pot and cook on low for 3-5 hours.
Yummy!!!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pudding

1 1/2 Sticks Butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 small pkg instant vanilla pudding
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups flour
1-2 cups chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350, sir together flour, baking soda and set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together. Add in pudding and beat until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla. Add four mixture slowly until well incorporated. Add chocolate chips. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 or 8-12 minutes. *worked best when I sprayed the pan with pam and pressed down the ball just a little. Take them out before they brown, they don't look done. Then they will be gooey and soft.

Caramel Corn Pops

Caramel Corn Pops

1/3 cube butter

2/3 c. sugar

2 T. water

1 t. vanilla

Melt butter in pan add water and sugar. Boil 4 min. Stir in 1 t. vanilla. Pour over 6 c. Corn Pop cereal in a large bowl. Stir. Spread out on cookie sheet. Bake 225 for 10 min. Add 1 c. peanuts if you want.

Best Spinach Salad

Spinach Salad

1 pkg. baby spinach

1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms

1 red onion chopped

2 c. grated swiss cheese

1 pkg. bacon cooked crumbled

16 oz. carton cottage cheese

On large round platter (nice it platter has low sides). In middle of platter scoop the cottage cheese into center. Sprinkle on top of that the bacon bits, onion, mushrooms and swiss cheese. Then sprinkle and arrange the baby spinach all around cheese leaving center cheese open. To serve let guests scoop spinach and cheese mixture onto plate and drizzle with:

Poppyseed Dressing:

1 1/2 t. poppyseeds

1 1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. grated onion

3/4 c. white vinegar

1 1/2 c. oil

3/4 c. sugar

Or easy way out buy a good quality poppyseed dressing. This salad looks beautiful and is fresh and delicious!

Cheesy Beef Noodle Bake

Cheesy Beef Noodle Bake

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 t. salt

2 T. sugar

1 16 oz. can tomatoes

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

2 garlic cloves crushed or use pre-chopped in jar garlic

1 5 oz. pkg thin egg noodles

1 c. sour cream

4 oz. cream cheese

6 chopped green onions

1 c. grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese

In skillet brown ground beef/salt then add next 4 ingredients. Boil noodles until almost done then drain. Mix the sour cream, cream cheese and onion into noodles. In a greased 3 qt. casserole dish arrange meat mixture on bottom with noodles in layers. Top with 1 c. grated cheese. Bake uncovered 350 35 minutes. Keeps nice in fridge and is as good or better the next day. This also can be frozen.

From the Garden Pasta

Garden Fresh Tomato/Basil Pasta

Bring large stockpot 3/4 full of water to a boil, add salt and a bit of olive oil. Boil pasta (any kind) until ala'dente. Drain water. Toss in the following:

2-3 T. olive oil

1-2 T. garlic salt (start with 1 T. and taste as you go if you want to add more)

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

4-5 fresh vine ripe tomatoes chopped

Cook for another 5 minutes. Then:

Toss in a big handful of fresh chopped basil

and pour into serving bowl and then:

Sprinkle generous portions of fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top

Cheese Brushetta:

Cut a fresh or day old baguette into slices. Mix: 1/2 c. cream cheese, 1/2 c. parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh basil. Spread on bread and broil just a few. Perfect!

Snicker Cookies

1 Cup of Softened Butter
1 cup of white sugar
1 cup of brown sugar packed
2 eggs
1 egg yoke
2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
18 ounces of creamy peanut butter
2 Cups of Flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
48 mini snicker bars
Cream butter and sugars and set aside; in a small bowl, mix egg yolk and then mix in the 2 eggs; mix eggs and vanilla into butter and sugar mixture until fluffy. Stir in creamy peanut butter. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add mixed dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Chill cookie dough for 2 hours. Preheat oven
to 350. Scoop out a spoonful and press it flat, place a mini snickers in the center or....create a ball of dough around the snickers bar...like we do with the "Rolo" cookies. If you don't have that recipe....You need that recipe too. I think it's on here. Bake them for 12-15 minutes...or just bake them until they are as done as you like them. At our house, we know they are ready if we “wonder” whether they are done or not... really.

Scotcharoos

2 cups Sugar
2 cups Light Karo Syrup
2 cups Peanut Butter
2 tsps Vanilla
9 + 11 cups of Rice Krispies
1 pkg butterscotch chips
1 pkg semi sweet chocolate chips

Bring Karo and sugar to a boil and remove from the burner. Add the peanut butter and stir until it is melted. Add the vanilla. Stir in the Rice Krispies until it is the consistency you like. Some like them denser than others. Press them in a 9x13 buttered or "pammed" pan. As soon as you are finished, melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in the microwave in a glass bowl on minute at a time stirring between each. You may need to cut this time down to 30 seconds if needed. When they are melted and smooth, spread the melted chips on top of the rice krispie treats and refrigerate until the melted chips have hardened.

Giada's Tilapia

I didn't use purple taters this time, but red ones worked just great. i also added lemon to my chive oil since i don't like eating straight up oil. easy peasy! five it a try!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/tilapia-with-purple-potato-crust-and-chive-rosemary-oil-recipe/index.html

Chocolate Mint Layer Brownies

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) plus 6 T butter, divided
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1 T plus 1 tsp water
1 tsp mint extract
4 drops green food color
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking pan, or line with foil and spray foil with non-stick spray.
2. Place 1 cup (2 sticks) butter in large microwave-safe bowl; cover. Microwave for two minutes or until melted. Stir in granulated sugar and vanilla. Add eggs; beat well. Add cocoa, flour, and baking powder; beat until well blended. Pour batter into pan.
3. Bake 30-35 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
4. Prepare mint cream center by combining powdered sugar, 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, water, mint extract and food color. Beat until smooth. (I gradually added more water to make it the consistency of soft frosting.) Spread evenly on brownie. Cover; refrigerate until cold.
5. Prepare chocolate glaze by placing remaining 6 T butter and chocolate chips in small microwave-save bowl. Microwave 1 minute or until mixture is smooth when stirred. Cool slightly; pour over chilled dessert. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Cover; refrigerate leftover dessert.

Enjoy!