Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes

For each bag:

·         Brown and drain:

o   1lb ground beef

o   1lb ground turkey

·         ½ cup ketchup

·         ½ cup mustard

·         2 cans pork and beans (only drain 1 can)

Instructions for Ziplock:

Dump into crock pot and cook on low 4-6 hours or until heated through. 

Crock Pot Freezer Meals Part 2

Here are a few more of my favorite crock pot freezer meals (click here for part 1) 

CHEESY CHICKEN

In crock pot or zip lock add:
- 2lbs boneless skinless chicken (thighs, breasts, or combo)
- 2 (10.5oz) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 (10.5oz) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder


Cook time: 8  to 10 hours LOW

Serving suggestion: over rice or noodles.

Optional variety: add a little spice or frozen broccoli...can garnish with shredded cheese.







SAUSAGE LENTIL SOUP

Brown:
- 12 to 14 oz sliced kielbasa sausage
- 1 onion diced
-  3 garlic cloves minced (can use more or less to taste.  Sometimes when I'm in a hurry I just use garlic powder)

Add browned meat mixture to crock pot or zip lock along with:
- 2 cups lentils
- 2 carrots (peeled and diced)
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes

Season with favorite Italian spices (I use parsley, oregano, and basil)

Day of cooking: add 2 quarts of water to crock pot.  (can use less if you want it less soupy)

Cook time: 4 to 5 hours HIGH or 8 to 10 hours LOW

Serving suggestion: fresh bread or rice

Serves: 6


SAUSAGE AND BEAN SUPPER

Brown:
- 1lb sausage (can use ground turkey and season)
- 1 onion diced

Drain meat and add to crock pot or zip lock along with:
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 can rotel
- 1 can butter beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Cook time: 4 to 8 hours LOW

Serving suggestion: shredded cheese over rice

Serves: 4 to 6

Mexican Beans and Rice

I cooked this again tonight and decided it was time to re-post it. 
My Aunt Jo originally posted it and I make it quite regularly in the colder months.  
I made a few changes for my family ... I'm adding those notes in RED.

1 ½ cup water
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 green bell pepper, chopped (we all prefer red bell pepper)
1 can red kidney beans
1 can chopped tomatoes
¾ cup uncooked long-grain rice (I use brown rice)
1 Tbsp chili powder (Australian chili powder is ground chili and SUPER HOT! I only use a pinch)
2 tsp cumin
1 cup mozzarella cheese (I use a mozz/cheddar blend)

In large saucepan, sauté onion, garlic, and green pepper in water. Simmer, stirring often, until onion is tender. Add beans, tomatoes, rice, chili powder and cumin. Simmer, covered, 20-25 minutes until rice is tender and most of liquid absorbed. (Keep an eye that you don’t run out of liquid before the rice is done. Since I also use the liquid in the tomato and bean cans, I sometimes have to boil the mixture, uncovered, at the end to reduce the liquid.) When rice is done and most of the liquid absorbed, top with cheese. When cheese is all melted, serve and enjoy.

Tonight I served these with quesadillas.

Repocheta

 

I have no idea how I have hitherto fore neglected to put this, my favorite Nicaraguan food, on the blog! It boggles the imagination! 

You will need:

12 corn tortillas - it's not as good with flour tortillas, they turn out too sweet

2 cups cooked red beans with cooking liquid - canned is ok

Chunk of onion

Chunk of green pepper

Queso fresco, shredded - I found it at Walmart

One med tomato, chopped

1/4 cabbage, shredded

Lime juice

Salt

Sour cream

Hot sauce (optional)

For the beans:

Fry the onion and green pepper in a little bit of oil. Add beans and cook down until the liquid has thickened. If desired, add some hot sauce. In a blender, liquify the beans until they form a thick, spreadable paste. More water can be added as necessary. 

For the tortillas:

Fry flat in oil until crispy, drain on paper towel.

For the salad:

Mix shredded cabbage and tomatoes with a little bit of salt and lime juice, to taste. 

To assemble the repochetas:

Once you have all your components assembled, spread beans over tortillas, sprinkle with cheese, add salad, a dollop of sour cream and a dash or five of hot sauce. Be prepared with many napkins to wipe the beans and/or sour cream off your nose. 

Serves 4

Chicken and Beans on Rice

This was delicious.  Easy too.  I found the recipe here.  I did what she did with minor alterations like, one less chicken breast because I always find these sorts of chicken dishes have to much chicken. I also added rice and toppings.  Oh, and I mixed all the stuff together before adding to crock pot ...

Anyway, here's my way ...

3 raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (400g/15oz) can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (400g/15oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 (400g/15oz) cans of diced tomatoes
frozen corn, I didn't measure ...
1 (340g/12oz) jar of salsa

to serve ...
avocado, chopped
grated cheese, i used a mexican blend
rice or tortillas or corn chips
sour cream or greek yoghurt (didn't have any in the house this time but will use next time)

Put chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker (crock pot).

In a separate bowl, mix other ingredients.  I just added the corn til it seemed a reasonable amount. Pour over chicken.  Cook on low for 5-7 hours.  I did the full 7 hours then turned it on 'keep warm' til we were ready to eat a few hours later.  When I stirred the mixture up when we were ready to eat, the chicken just broke into pieces! 

Serve on top of rice, or in a tortilla or with corn chips.  Top with avocado, grated cheese and sour cream ...

This was a BIG HIT with the whole family ! And it made lots.  Our family of four ate it for diner one night & everyone had seconds.  Two of us are having it for lunch today.  And there is still enough for lunch tomorrow!

Gallo Pinto

This dish is served everywhere in Nicaragua, as a side dish or main dish, often with corn tortillas and boiled or fried plantains. It is part of breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner!

• 2 cups cooked long-grain rice
• 1 cup red beans
• 1/2 cup of finely diced white onion
• 3 teaspoons vegetable oil
• salt
• sour cream

Place vegetable oil on a frying pan and heat for approximately 1 minute. Saute onions until caramelized. Add entire pot of cooked beans and its gravy into the sautéed onions. Stir over low-medium heat for a minute. Add cooked rice to sautéed bean mixture, mix well and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately, topped with sour cream if desired.

Variations: Can substitute canned red or black beans, undrained. The recipe I used called for 2T chopped cilantro, added with the salt (but I am not a fan of cilantro, and I don’t remember Liz or Eli using it in Nicaragua). To be authentic don’t skimp on the salt. Other versions of this recipe added chopped red or green pepper and garlic with the onion for more zip.

The name of the dish translates to "speckled rooster," a reference to the look of the dish rather than its contents.

Chicken Taco Salad a la Bon-Chan

I wanted to make taco salad but taco beef often gives me indigestion. Not fun. So ... I wanted to try it with chicken. I love chicken soft tacos from taco bell. Gasp. I don't know that I could eat one now, knowing what I know about fast food, but I do love that flavor. Well, I don't need to anymore because this chicken totally did it for me. I don't know that it's a taco bell replica but it doesn't need to be because it was delicious and totally filled that taco bell spot.

The salad itself was really simple. I made individual plates (and made lunches straight into tupperware containers at the same time) for each of us !

chopped lettuce leaves
a spoonful of black beans
sliced avocado
sour cream
a chunk of lime
corn chips
simple homemade salsa
chicken

for the salsa
chopped tomatoes
chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
finely diced red onion
crushed garlic
lime juice
salt and pepper

mix the above to taste

for the chicken
300g chicken ( I'll do more next time )
1/2 Tablespoon paprika
1/2 Tablespoon cumin
1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 Tablespoon onion flakes
1/2 Tablespoon sea salt

mix spices.
add to chicken when frying in olive oil.
i didn't use all of the spice mix ... saved about 1/2 for next time !

Other things I might also add to the salad but didn't this time ...
black olives
grated cheddar cheese
cilantro lime rice

Shepherd's Pie

500g beef mince (ground beef)

1 onion - finely diced
garlic - to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
green beans - frozen or canned.
4 cups mashed potatoes
cheese - to top

Preheat oven to 180c/350f.

Put potatoes on to boil.

Brown the mince with the onion and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add soup. Pour mixture into a casserole dish. I like a big round one but any will do.

Add a layer of green beans.

If you haven't already drained and mashed your potatoes, you should do that now ... if they are ready. If they aren't then wait ... raw potatoes don't mash well. Or taste good. I add a bit of milk and a scoop of butter ... but just make your mash like you would normally. Add to casserole, on top of green beans.

Top with cheese. Bake. Uncovered. 20 ? 30 ? minutes ... til bubbly !

YUM YUM YUM !!!

NOW ... I need some advice. I checked the cream of mushroom soup can and while there are no icky preservatives, I'm just not sure how a can of condensed soup that lives on a shelf for years and years could be good for us. SO ... I want to try and substitute something else in it's place. I'm wondering if I could do a white sauce ... maybe with some sauteed mushrooms in it ?

What do you all think ? Any other ideas ?

Also ... has anyone ever frozen white sauce ? How'd it taste when thawed and then used ?

Bean and Squash Quesadillas

I got this recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cook book. We all love these! It is one of the few recipes I like and/or have tried from the book. Overall I'm not that impressed with the book - it was a gift.

1 T olive oil
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder, or to taste
1/2 cup canned navy beans drained and rinsed
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup butternut squash cooked and mashed
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
4 (8 inch) whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup bottled salsa

Cook the chicken in the olive oil, salt, pepper and chili powder. In one bowl stirl together the mashed squash and the shredded cheese. In another small bowl mash the beans and then stir in the sour cream. Spread the bean mixture over one of the tortillas and spoon some chicken on top. On the other side/tortilla spread the squash mixture.



Put the two tortillas together like a sandwich and bake them on a cooking sheet at 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa.
This makes about three large quesadillas.

I didn't have wheat tortillas so I used plain. I've made them with wheat before and they are great.

Kung Pao, Chili and the Picky Palate

We had the chili last night and it was delish !! Just thought I'd share a photo.
Tonight we had the Kung Pao Chicken and man oh man was it tasty !!
LOVED IT but didn't take a photo.
(Frustrating afternoon and just wanted to get dinner on the table !!!)
~
I've discovered a new blog that I really love.
It's called Picky Palate.
Check it out !
Today there was a post for Chicken Artichoke Panini with Proscuitto and Swiss.
Does that sound fabulous to any one else ???

Bon's Spaghetti and Shay's Chili

What ? Don't you like the sound of spaghetti and chili ? Well, you'll be glad to know, we don't eat them together ... but I did a big cook up on Saturday and thought I'd share.

I made these at the same time. We didn't have either of them for dinner that night. We actually had hamburgers. :D I'll list the ingredients separately in case you only want to do one of them but then you'll have to pick the bits and pieces you need because I'm going to tell you how to make them together and get a whole bunch of good home cookin' into your freezer !!

For the Chili:
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, diced
500g (1lb) mince (ground beef)
1 red capsicum (bell pepper), diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 can of corn (I use frozen - about a cup ??)
1 tbls chili powder ~ I only use a pinch as my chili powder is SUPER DOOPER STRENGTH
1/2 tble cumin
2 chipotle chilis with some adobo sauce
pinch oregano
pinch and 1/2 salt
2 cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 cans diced tomatoes
to serve:
rice
shredded cheese
sour cream
spring onions

For the spaghetti sauce:
I don't use exact measurements. I add how much I like and then adjust for taste !
500g (1lb) mince (ground beef)
1 onion, diced
garlic to your taste preference, chopped to your size preference
mushrooms
kalamata olives
red wine
brown sugar
oregano
parsley
basil
bay leaves
a few big cans of tomatoes
tomato paste
tomato puree
I sometimes add a jar of Five Brothers but this time I didn't ...
to serve:
pasta

Ok ... here's how you do it. Start by sauteeing all the garlic and onions together. Add ALL the mince (ground beef) and brown.

When the mince is browned, remove half of it for the spaghetti sauce. To the remaining half, add the veggies. Cook a few minutes til they soften.

Put the other half in a big sauce pan with all your cans of tomatoes, some tomato puree, and tomato paste. I use as many of the herbs fresh as I have in my garden. This time I had oregano, parsley and garlic chives. I added dried basil and bay leaves. As you can see, I like it herby !! Chop up your mushrooms and add them, nope, I don't cook them first but you could if you wanted to. You can also use canned mushrooms but we prefer fresh. Add your kalamata olives. A bit of a weird ingredient but if you like olives you will probably love this ! It gives the sauce such a nice flavor !! Add your red wine and a bit of brown sugar. I probably add a couple tsp to a huge pot. It just takes the edge of the acidity of all those tomatoes !!

Oops ... don't forget to add the corn to your chili like I almost did !! There, that's better. Once the veggies are softened, add the spices. Stir well. Add kidney beans and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Turn way down low. Cover and cook. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick.

Once the spaghetti sauce is boiling away, turn it down too. Let it simmer. The longer the better but don't let it burn to the bottom of the pan. I set a timer and come back to stir it every now and then. Of course, if I had a good heavy bottom pan, that would probably help !!

That's if for the preparation !

Now for the cleanup !! UGH. Here's what my kitchen looked like after making spaghetti, chili and hamburgers ... oh, and I see the pizza trays from the night before !!!

Not too worry though. Took very little time to clean up and look what I was able to put into my freezer !! 4 meals of chili and 9 meals of spaghetti sauce !!! WOOOOO HOOOOO !!

To serve the chili : Put on top of rice and add shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped spring onions ! It's pretty spicy. I probably should have done a non spicy one for the kids but I'll probably just let them have rice with cheese and sour cream on top on the nights we eat the chili. Maybe stir a bit of scrambled egg through as well ...

To serve the spaghetti : On top of pasta of your choice !

OR ... we have put both of these on top of baked potatoes for a bit of something different !!!

Bonnie's Enchilada Photos

These were delicious and would have been super easy if it weren't for the fact that I made my own enchilada sauce and re-fried beans. But, if you store bought those or had them already made ahead of time ... then, yeah, this would have been a cinch !

Here's the recipes you need :
Enchilada Sauce
Re-Fried Beans (I used black beans)
Enchiladas of Loveliness

It made way too much for us ... and it was too spicy for the kids. But, I just froze the extras and we'll see how it does re-heated next week !

My Photo of Aunt Jo's Beans

A couple of nights ago, I made Mexican Beans and Rice for dinner ! They were delicious ... but sooooo spicy ! I have to ask, Aunt Jo, is there really supposed to be 1 TABLESPOON of chilli powder in it ? Good thing we had sour cream in the fridge to cool our mouths ... ! As you can see, I also topped mine with a sharp cheddar cheese and avocado. VERY TASTY ! and so easy to make ! Loved it and will definitely make it again, maybe with a bit less chilli powder next time !