Aarons Sloppy Joes

I am not a fan of sloppy joes but Aaron loves them. This recipe is his creation. Enjoy!

Serves 4 - 6

1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup bell pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
hamburger buns

On medium heat, cook ground beef, onion and bell pepper in a large skillet. Once brown, drain fat. Add remaining ingredients to skillet and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.

Glazed Ham on a Pretzel Bun

The whole process seems extensive but it is quite easy. For the pretzel bun recipe, you can make regular soft pretzels, if desired. The recipe calls for coarse kosher salt for the top but I did not have any. Enjoy!

Glazed Ham

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon paprika
dash ground ginger
1/2 cup water
4 ham steaks

In a small sauce pan, coombine sugar, spices and water. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce to a light syrup. Place ham steaks in a frying pan. Heat on medium high. Flip once the first side lightly browns. Brush a thin layer of glaze on steak. Use glazed ham on pretzel buns. Recipe below



Pretzel Buns
Makes 8

Water Bath
1 teaspoon baking soda to 1 cup water

In a large put, fill with 1 1/2 inch water. Stir in baking soda accordingly. Bring to a gentle boil

Pretzel Mixture
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 pkg active dry yeast
5 cups flour

Preheat oven to 475. In a small bowl, combine water and brown sugar. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let rest for 5 minutes. Measure flour into a large bowl. Add the water mixture and stir until dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and kneed until dough is stretchy. Divide into 8 balls and form into thin buns. If making regular pretzels, form into desired shape.

Lightly grease 2 large cookie sheets. Sprinkle with kosher salt and set aside. Gently lower buns into boiling water. Only 2 to 3 at a time and do not allow them to stick together. Once they float to the top, remove with a slotted spoon and place on salted cookie sheet. Sprinkle additional kosher salt on top of buns. Repeat until all buns have been boiled. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove when pretzels are dark brown, not burnt.


Building Sandwich
4 pretzel buns
4 slices glazed ham
4 slized provolone cheese
mustard
lettuce
tomato

Carefully slice bun and layer ingredients, as desired.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Make a double batch of these meatballs and freeze them for later. Enjoy!

Serves 4

1 pound ground beef (I use 90/10)
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg, beaten
2 slices bread, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 servings spaghetti pasta, cooked
Any spaghetti sauce, heated

Preheat oven to 400. In a small sauce pan, heat oil on medium. Add onion, garlic and a pinch of salt. Saute until tender. Do not allow to brown. Place in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix with hands until blended. Using a cookie scoop, form 20 small meatballs. Place on foil lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve on pasta with sauce.

Dill Roasted Chicken Breast

Pair this chicken with my Roasted Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts recipe and you have a delicious meal. Enjoy!

Serves 4
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
4 tablespoons margarine
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
juice of 1 lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Mix margarine, dill and lemon juice in a small bowl. Gently lift skin of each chicken breast and fill with 1/4 butter mixture. Rub skin to distribute. Drizzle each breast with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan, skin side up. Roast, uncovered, for 1-1/4 hours. Baste occasionally. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Take your favorite baked potato toppings and turn it into a cold salad. Perfect for a hot summer day. Enjoy!

Serves 8
8 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup real bacon bits
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
dash salt and pepper

In a large pot, bring heavily salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are slightly tender. Drain and place in a bowl with cold water and ice. Drain once cooled. In a large bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. Gently fold in cooled potatoes.If desired, sprinkle with additional bacon and cheese. Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve.

Beef and Noodles with Roasted Carrots

I know canned cream soups are quite processed but moderation is key. Enjoy!

Serves 4

1 pound beef chuck roast or stew meat
8 large carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
1 packet lipton onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of celery (I use cream of celery)
1 can beef broth
4 servings cooked egg noodles or bite-sized pasta

Preheat oven to 300. Place roast and carrots in a roasting pan. Lightly season meat with salt and pepper. Pour lipton soup mix over meat and carrots. Add 1 cup water to pan. Cover and cook for 3 hours. When meat is done, place on cutting board and shred with a fork, discarding fat. Set carrots aside. Place shredded meat and pan drippings in a large pot. Add soup, broth and noodles. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until heated through. Serve with roasted carrots on the side.

Wet Beef Burritos

A taste of Flint has arrived! This recipe are inspired by the loved burritos as El Charritos. It goes great with my version of El Charritos Spanish Rice. Enjoy!

Serves 4

1 pound beef chuck roast or stew meat
1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 tablespoon cumin
salt and pepper
1 7 oz can diced green chillies, undrained
1 can refried beans
4 burroto shells or 8 large taco shells
2 cups beef gravy
1 1/4 tablespoon cumin
shredded cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 295. Spray a roaster pan with cooking spray. Rub chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper onto roast and place in the pan. Pour diced green chillies over meat. Add 1/2 cup water to bottom of the pan, cover and roast for 4 hours. Do not let bottom of pan get dry. Once meat is done, remove fat and shred with a fork. Stir in refried beans and set aside. In a medium sauce pan, bring gravy and cumin to a boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Heat shells in the microwave for 30 seconds. Spoon meat mixture onto each shell. Roll into a burrito. Place in a single layer in baking dish. Spoon gravy over burritos. Cover with cheese, if desired. Bake in oven for 10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Hot Chicken Sandwich and Mashed Potatoes

This is comfort food at its best. So simple to make, yet it will taste like you slaved all day. Enjoy!

Hot Chicken Sandwiches
Serves 4

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Seasoned salt and pepper
Cooking spray
Chicken Gravy
8 slices white bread

Preheat oven to 350. Coat bottom of an oven safe dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle seasoned salt and pepper on chicken. Place in dish and cook, uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Slice and set aside. Heat gravy in a pan. Place sliced chicken on 1 piece of bread and top with another piece. Spoon gravy over sandwich. Serve with mashed potatoes, below.


Mashed Potatoes
Serves 4

3 pounds russet potatoes, pealed and cut into 1 inch pieces
6 tablespoons margarine, more or less if desired
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, place potatoes in heavily salted water and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain water, do not rinse. Place drained potatoes back into pan. Add margarine, salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher or mixer. Add a little bit of milk if they are too thick. Serve with gravy, alongside sandwhich.

Baked Tortilla Chips and Guacamole

These chips are amazing. They are so simple to make, virtually fat free and very crispy. Enjoy!

Baked Tortilla Chips
Serves 4

8 white corn tortilla shells, cut in half
salt
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400. On a cooking sheet, place shells on a single layer. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Flip and spray other side. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 5 minutes or until golden brown, turn if necessary. Let cool and serve.


Guacamole
Serves 4

2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, diced
Juice from 1 lime
Pinch of salt
Diced jalapeno, optional

In a medium bowl, mash avocados with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix together. Serve with baked tortilla chips.

Meaty Vegetable Spaghetti

Spaghetti is a dish that you can really enhance with additional ingredients. I took a regular jar of tradional sauce and loaded it with vegetables. The texture of the vegetables almost mirrors the ground beef, making a very hearty and meaty sauce. This recipe also makes it very easy to hide plenty of vegetables from kids. Enjoy!

Serves 4
1 pound lean ground beef
2 large carrots
3 large staulks celery
1 large green pepper
1 medium onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1 jar traditional spaghetti sauce
1 small can petite diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 servings spaghetti pasta

Cut vegetables into 1 inch pieces. Place in a food proccesor and chop into fine pieces. Proccess in batches if needed. In a large sauce pan, add meat, vegetable mixture, salt and pepper. Cook on medium high heat, stirring frequently and breaking up meat. Once meat is cooked through, drain if necessary. Add spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, bay leaves and garlic powder. Bring to a boil and reduce to low. Cover and simmer. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta per directions on pasta, removing 2 minutes before recommended time. Drain and put back into pot. Poor sauce onto pasta and cook on medium for an addition 2 minutes.