Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

(image courtesy of http://www.cookingclassy.com)

This recipe came from 

• 4 pounds ground beef
• 1 C chopped onion
• 1 C chopped green bell pepper
• 1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
• 2 cans condensed tomato soup
• 1/4 -1/3 C packed brown sugar (The original recipe calls for 1 whole cup but I cut it back to a little under 1/2 and think it could still use less.)
• 1/4 C ketchup
• 3 T Worcerstershire sauce
• 1 T dry mustard
• 1 T prepared mustard
• 1 1/2 t chili powder
• 1 t garlic powder

Cook beef in skillet in batches over medium-high heat until no longer pink, drain fat.

Add onion and green pepper to the pan and cook 5 minutes

Transfer meat mixture and vegetables to slow cooker and add remaining ingredients, stir well

Cover, cook on LOW 4-6 hours

My kids had this the traditional way on rolls, but I also made rice and my husband and I ate it over rice (it is a bit saucy, but that might be because I was 1/4 pound shy of 4 pounds of ground beef). I thought this would make so much (recipe says it serves 20-25 people) that I would be freezing a couple meals' worth, but we ate a lot of it that night, and are slowly eating the rest this week.

You could easily just finish cooking this on the stove, but I needed the slow cooker option because we were eating at different times that night.

Very tasty! I am making more rice and having some for lunch today : )

Chocolate Lasagna from CenterCutCook.com

This recipe was being shared on Facebook, but I went to the original source to give credit where credit is due. Here is the link to the original page:

CenterCutCook.com

Chocolate Lasagna

I made this for my church potluck yesterday, and it was a hit. It was cool and refreshing, but not heavy at all.

Here are the instructions:

Chocolate Lasagna

INGREDIENTS

1 package regular Oreo cookies (Not Double Stuff) – about 36 cookies
6 Tablespoon butter, melted
1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cold milk
1- 12 ounce tub Cool Whip, divided
2 – 3.9 ounce packages Chocolate Instant Pudding.
3 1/4 cups cold milk
1 and 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by crushing 36 Oreo cookies. I used my Manual food processor for this, but you could also place them in a large ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin or meat mallet. When the Oreos have turned into fine crumbs, you are done.

2. Transfer the Oreo crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in 6 tablespoons melted butter and use a fork to incorporate the butter into the cookie crumbs. When the butter is distributed, transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you work on the additional layers.

3. Mix the cream cheese with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in 2 Tablespoons of milk, and sugar, and mix well. Stir in 1 and 1/4 cups Cool Whip. Spread this mixture over the oreo crust.

4. In a bowl, combine chocolate instant pudding with 3 and 1/4 cups cold milk. Whisk for several minutes until the pudding starts to thicken. Use a spatula to spread the mixture over the previous cream cheese layer. Allow the dessert to rest for about 5 minutes so that the pudding can firm up further.

5. Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the top. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips evenly over the top. Place in the freezer for 1 hour, or the refrigerator for 4 hours before serving.

The Best Comfort Food: Chili

Will I ever remember to take a picture? Oh well, here is a photo that makes me think of chili, and NO, this recipe is not hot, but it makes me think of warm comfort food.

It is officially called Tammy's chili in my house, because way back in the day, when our first son was little, our friends Dave and Tammy came over. She had been in the middle of cooking this chili when we called, so when it was done she brought it over and we had dinner together. It was one of those impromptu gatherings that worked out well. And the chili was delicious, and she is one of those kind souls who is willing to share her recipes, and some 18 years later, it is still my favorite chili recipe.  We haven't seen David and Tammy in years, but we did find Tammy on Facebook, and I believe the last time I made her chili I posted it on FB to let her know it is still loved.

Now there are as many opinions about chili as there are people. This is very mild, but there is something about ground beef and rice that just belongs together, and this is the perfect way to make that happen. And every time I eat this, I ask myself why I don't make it more often. It is very easy, it just takes an hour to cook.  So here it is.

Tammy's Chili

1 pound ground beef

1 chopped onion

1 chopped green pepper

1 large can peeled whole tomatoes, broken into pieces (use juice too)

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

3 cans beans (Tammy and I use a combo of red kidney and cannellini beans), rinsed and drained

2 T chili powder

3/4 t paprika

Brown the ground beef, drain grease

You can brown the onion and peppers with the beef or add it with the rest, whatever you prefer

Add the rest of the ingredients

Bring to boil, simmer for 1 hour

Serve however you like.

I put it on top of rice and top it all off with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

For a family of six I double the recipe.  We did have some leftover to freeze.

Dinner Anyone?

(photo courtesy of Sandra @ www.fullbellies.blogspot.com)

Last week I made two meals. TWO. It was one of those weeks.
But one of the reasons I only made two is because we had lots of leftovers.
One that I made was this yummy goodness from Sandra.

Virginia's Baked Spaghetti

I should write some kind of review, I suppose. It was creamy, cheesy, hardy, warm, and delicious. How's that? Sandra warns that this recipe makes a lot, and she is right. It took three dinners for us to finish it. This is being archived under potlucks and missionary dinners. The only thing I would do differently is break up the spaghetti into small pieces before cooking (or cut it up after cooking). You could also use a different pasta, but it might not fit in the dish if you are cooking a full recipe because other pastas are bulkier.

Check out Sandra's cooking blog, Full Bellies, Happy Kids for more delicious recipes. Let me know if you try anything else.