Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are such an easy meal to throw together but I don't like many of the traditional recipes so I played around until I came up with my own. Great for a quick meal especially on a cool night.

Sloppy Joes

1 lb. lean ground beef
½ medium onion, chopped finely
1 clove garlic. minced
2 T. brown sugar
1 t. ground mustard
½ - 1 c. ketchup
2 t. Worcestershire sauce

Brown ground beef and onion. Add mustard, brown sugar, and ½ c. ketchup. If the meat is not the right consistency add the remaining ketchup a little at a time.

Chicken Zucchini Soup

Chicken Zucchini Soup

5 chicken tenders or 2 chicken breasts
3 T. butter
1 large onion, chopped
4-5 zucchini sliced
2 cans chicken broth

1 c. whipping cream
1/3 c. flour

Fry chicken with small amount of oil. Brown and cook chicken, take chicken out of the pan and set aside. Add butter and chopped onion to pan. Cook until tender. Move zucchini and onions to sauce pan, add the can of chicken broth. Dice chicken and add to pan. In bowl mix flour and whipping cream add to sauce pan, heat on high until bubbling. Lower heat; simmer until soup thickens.

(I had chicken already cooked and frozen so I gave it a quick thaw and then started with the onion. Having Zucchini growing in the garden made it easy to put this together quickly and it's great for a cool Fall evening.)

Pears

I love dried pears! So I was excited to see ripe pears at the local fruit stand earlier this week. They require quite a bit of work and time but they are so sweet and good to eat.

After peeling, coring, and slicing them they go into Fruit Fresh

And into the dehydrator to dry.
A few hours later they are ready to be a sweet and natural treat.

Pie Crust

When I was growing up I can remember when my Mom would try to make pie crusts and she always got frustrated and threw them away. As a result I thought that they were such a hard thing to do that I never would be able to master it myself. After I got married I made a pie for my sweetie, the worst pie I have ever made or tasted so I was convinced that it was an art I wouldn't learn. My Mother-in-law showed me a few months later how to make a pie crust. Since that time I have never been afraid of making them. Here are a few tips that I have found make it much easier.

After making the dough place on top of wax paper and flatten slightly.

The wax paper should be long enough so that you can fold it over to be on both sides of the dough and give it enough room to expand as you roll it out.

The wax paper allows you to roll it out without making a mess of your counter or rolling pin.
It also allows you to see how big the crust is to fit your pie plate.


When you get it to the size you want gently pull the wax paper away and fold over to put into the pie plate.

Gently unfold into the pie plate.

Trim to fit and create a nice edge.

Pie Crust

1/3 c. plus 1 T. shortening
1 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
2-3 T .cold water
(Double for two crust)

To roll out the top start with a fresh piece of wax paper!

Fresh Peach Pie- revisited

It has been a year since I started this blog and this recipe is one of my first posts but I decided that I wanted to redo it with some better pictures. This is my very favorite pie of all. I just love the sweetness of the peaches and I like the fresh rather than a baked peach pie. Before the glaze is put on.
After the glaze is on and ready to be chilled

Fresh Peach Pie (not baked)

9 inch baked pie shell,

5 c. ripe peaches , peeled and sliced (about 9 medium for pie and 3 for the filling)

1 c. sugar

3 T. cornstarch

1/2 c. water

Bake pie shell. Mash enough peaches to measure 1 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch in 2 quart saucepan. Stir in water and mashed peaches gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute; cool. Fill shell with remaining peaches; pour cooked peach mixture over top. Refrigerate until set, at least three hours. Serve with whipped cream on top.

Quick and Easy Chicken Casserole/Mexican Style

2-3 c. chicken, cooked and cubed
corn tortillas
15 oz can stewed tomatoes, diced
1 10 3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1 10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 4 oz. can chopped green Chile's
1 medium onion, chopped
2 c. Cheddar cheese or Monterrey Jack, or 1 c. each

Mix, soups, tomatoes, Chile's, and onion. Spray 9x13 pan with non stick spray and tear the tortillas to fit into the bottom of the pan. Spread half of the chicken on top of the tortillas and then half of the soup mixture and top with half of the cheese. Repeat layers. Bake in 350 oven for 1 hour. Serve with Avocado or guacamole and sour cream.

I had the chicken prepared and frozen for such a recipe, it was very easy to assemble and this could be made in advance and frozen for a Rainy Day.

Chicken a l'Orange

I watched the Next Food Network Star this past season and was very excited when "the Homemaker" won it. I was quite bothered by the housewife comments throughout the series like some of the best cooks come anywhere but out of the home. Watching her new show I thought this recipe sounded good and very easy. I had boneless, skinless chicken breasts in my freezer which made it a little different to begin with but I liked the recipe. I even made the potatoes that she made, I like them but would serve them with a different type of meal.

Crispy-Skinned Chicken a l'Orange
Recipe courtesy Melissa d'Arabian
Serves:
4 servings

Ingredients
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 skin-on bone-in chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
4 tablespoons honey
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Liberally salt and pepper the chicken breast halves. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and sear the chicken, skin side only, until brown and beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the orange glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the orange juice concentrate, honey, and salt and pepper, to taste, over medium heat, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Turn the chicken over and brush each piece with the glaze. Turn the chicken skin side up and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160 to 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, brushing on more glaze halfway through, about 15 minutes in total. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board. Remove the chicken breast from the bone and slice the meat on the bias. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve.

This is how mine looked.

The chicken breasts were pretty big and so we only used half for this meal and we decided that they would be really good cut up and served over rice. Since I keep left over rice frozen to be used for quick and easy meals this was extra easy. We were right it was really good fixed this way and this is the way I will do it in the future. Two great meals from one. There was even enough left to make a frozen meal for my Mother-in-law.

Reb's Ribs (Barbecue Spareribs)

I have always been a fan of Barbecue Ribs but I have always made country style ribs not spareribs. A few weeks ago Rebecca, my youngest daughter, went to Lake Powell with some family friends. One of the meals that they had there was Barbecue Spareribs and she fell in love with them. She was helping with dinner and watched how they did it and then came home and wanted to make it here. So she and her dad decided to try it, he has wanted to make them for a long time.

They started by cutting one large rib rack into two pieces. Then they decided to use two different rubs and one sauce to experiment with flavors.

When we went to Kansas City last summer we found this rub and sauce at Oklahoma Joe's and really like it. So this was one of the experiments. (this time just the rub because there wasn't enough of the sauce to complete the project! But this has become my favorite sauce on most meats right now.)
We had the McCormick Rub already and so we paired it with the Famous Dave's sauce that she had tried at Lake Powell.
First he cut the rack in half since there are only three of us.
Then he placed rubs on each half and made a foil packet to cook the meat in.

Before sealing tightly he added 1/4 c. of water.

Place in a 300 oven for three hours.
The ribs on the left have the Cowtown Rub and the right has the McCormick Pork Rub

Fully opened you can see the liquid from the meat and imagine just how tender they are.
Next the ribs go on the grill over medium heat. With the bone side down brush the sauce liberally over the meat and turn, grill until the sauce begins to caramelize and bubbles. Spread the sauce over the top again and turn and wait until the sauce begins to caramelize and bubbles again.

Each of us liked different versions of the experiment. Rebecca and her dad liked the McCormick Rub and I liked the Cowtown Rub. Ironically the next day when we warmed them up as left overs I liked the McCormick better and they like the Cowtown. Either way they were a big hit and we will definitely be doing this more often.

Beans-Storage

Growing up I hated containers like this! This is the third picking from our little backyard garden, I no longer hate this sight.

I remember my Mother canning for hours an hours. When I started my family one of the things I had her teach me was how to can green beans. I love the taste and texture of home canned green beans, they also make me a little nostalgic for Mom and Dad. I also like the satisfaction of knowing that we planted, grew, and canned them ourselves. I like looking at them on my shelves. Someday I hope my girls like to see containers like these in the future!

For the second picking I blanched, quick froze and froze the beans in serving size packages.
Fall is my favorite time of year with the harvest and leaves changing colors. I think that comes from my Dad. He always had a huge garden and spent hours taking care of it. Many years later I understand and appreciate that so much.

55 pints
8 large freezer bags

Apricots

Of all the recipes that I have tried with apricots this summer Apricot Orange Conserve is still my favorite! With the exception of using the whole apricots for Apricot Nector.

Apricot Orange Conserve

3 1/2 c. apricots

1 1/2 c. orange juice

1/2 orange peel

2 T. lemon juice

3 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional

Finely shred orange peel. Combine all ingredients except nuts in large saucepan. Cook until thick, stirring frequently. Add nuts if desired in the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Remove from heat skim and stir for minutes. Pour into hot jelly jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Place caps, process in water bath for 10 minutes. 5-6 half pint jars.

Avocado Dip

This dip was made by my mother made for a special treat. My family and my sister and I still love it and it doesn't last very long when it is placed out to eat.

2 ripe avocados

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

lemon juice to taste

garlic salt to taste

Peel the avocado's and remove the pit, smash the avocado until smooth add the cream cheese and continue until blended and smooth. Add lemon juice to keep the avocado from browning (if placing in the refrigerator add the pit to keep it from browning to quickly) Add the garlic salt to taste. Serve with chips. We like Lays potato chips because they are just the right salt level to bring out of the flavor of the Avocado.

Tip: To mash avocados for this dip or for Guacamole I like to use a pastry blender, it cuts through a ripe avocado with great ease and isn't hard on your hands.