Tex-Mex Sloppy Joes

I'll bet you've never eaten a Tex-Mex Sloppy Joe before?  Me either.
It's pretty good!

The kids didn't know what to think of this sandwich at first.  After I made them, I mean, I asked them to try it, they were pleasantly surprised.  My picky eater wasn't crazy about the tomatoes, but I knew that would happen.  The slice of Monterey Jack cheese really makes it for the kiddos.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1/2 pound extra lean ground beef
• 2 to 3 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon mild chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 cup diced tomatoes, I used canned
• 1/2 cup cooked black beans
• Monterey Jack cheese slices
• whole wheat buns or bread, toasted

Over medium heat, cook beef and onions until the meat is cooked through.  Add chili powder, cumin and tomatoes, then simmer covered for 10 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Add in black beans and warm thorough.

Toast your buns *snicker* and fill with meat filling, top with a cheese slice.
You're ready to eat!

This made a great hot lunch with a healthy side salad.

Easy Taco Salad

Taco Salad takes very little time to throw together and it only takes a little of this, a little of that.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED

• cooked ground beef seasoned with chili powder & cumin
• green leafy lettuce
• can of kidney beans, drained
• shredded monterey jack & cheddar cheese
• medium tomato, roughly chopped
• purple onion, thinly sliced
• tortillas chips
• salt & pepper
• Catalina dressing or Thousand Island

Start by seasoning cooked ground beef with chili powder and cumin. Set aside and allow to cool. Lay down the lettuce as the foundation, start with ground beef, then work your way down the list. You add as much of each ingredient as you wish to eat. I prefer Catalina dressing, but my husband prefers Thousand Island. To each their own.

The beef and beans make this a filling meal fit for serving at dinner time. My husband totally enjoyed it after a long hard day. (Yeah!!!)

Sloppy Joes and Country Bobs

My kids have been begging me to make Sloppy Joes. It's been SO long since I've made them, how could I say no? This time, I had something new to add to the sauce that made my family go back for seconds.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 pound of fresh, lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup ketchup
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce
• whole wheat buns

Brown meat and season with salt and pepper. Add ketchup and all purpose sauce, then simmer over medium heat until it thickens. Toast buns in a toaster or in an oven at 300F degrees for 5 to 7 minutes.

IT'S TIME TO EAT!

Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce tastes like a steak sauce with a little kick. It totally works next to steak, basted on grilled chicken and added to pick up Sloppy Joes. It's not so spicy that the kids noticed any heat in the Joes, they just kept on eating.

If you haven't had a chance to try Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce go over through the link. When you sign up for their newsletter, they send you a FREE BOTTLE!

Go get your FREE BOTTLE and come back here and tell me what you think of it. I'm curious to know how many folks claim a bottle and actually try it. Aren't you?

Quick and Easy Meatloaf Muffins

These easy meatloaf muffins took less time to bake in the oven than the traditional method of baking in a loaf pan or cast iron skillet. I had a kitchen assistant to help me bring this meal together. You may notice a sweet 5 year old in the background. Maggie was very serious and actually, very helpful. She surprised me with all that she could handle.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKE TO MAKE THIS MEAL

• 1.5 to 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup crushed crackers
• 1 Lipton onion soup mix envelope
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• PAM Professional High Heat cooking spray

PREHEAT OVEN 350F degrees.

Place 12-15 saltine crackers in a one cup food processor and pulse into rough crumbs. Set aside.

It may cost a little more, BUT it's so much better for our health and it's cheaper than heart surgery. I ALWAYS BUY LEAN (93/07) GROUND BEEF. (It makes for an easier clean up later.)

Place the meat, onion soup mix, cracker crumbs, eggs, water and ketchup in a large mixing bowl.

Mix well with hands, but try not to mash the meat together.

VERY IMPORTANT FOR EASY CLEAN UP LATER: Spray the muffin pan with PAM Professional High Heat cooking spray. This stuff is GREAT! I've been using it for over a month now and I can't go back to the regular cooking spray.

Have your kitchen assistant fill each muffin cup with about 1/2 cup of the meat mixture. Do not pack it down, but gently press the top flat.

Add an extra dollop of ketchup to the tops and have your assistant spread it evenly with the back of a spoon.

BAKE for 30-40 minutes, until meatloaf muffins pull away from the sides. While the muffins are baking, you'll have plenty of time to make home cooked mashed potatoes and heat up a can of ready to eat baked beans. Transfer hot meatloaf muffins to a large serving bowl and you're ready to eat!

Homecooked Burgers and Happy Meals

Even if you don't own an outdoor grill, don't let it stop you from having a good burger. I made up a great tasting batch of burgers using a grill pan and a heavy cast iron skillet. The burger shown above had a chunk of goat cheese in the center...ooh baby was it GOOD!

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO DO

• 1 pound of lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• goat cheese for filling
• cheddar or American cheese slices
• a small bag of frozen crinkle fries

Preheat oven according to the directions on the crinkle fries bag.
Heat up a large grill pan, sprayed with high heat non-stick spray, on medium high.

In a medium bowl, mix the seasonings, not the goat cheese, into the ground beef, then shape into large thin patties. I've learned to make the patties an inch larger than the diameter of the bun. The patties always shrink up to just the right size.

Place patties on hot grill pan then reduce heat to medium or medium low. You'll get some smoke & popping at first so stand back. To get good even cooking and grill marks, set a cast iron skillet on top of the patties and cooked for 4 to 6 minutes on each side.

While you're waiting for that second side to cook, start baking the crinkle fries. Finished patties can be put in a small roasting pan, covered with foil and kept hot in the oven until it's time to eat.

For the grown ups, put a large spoonful of goat cheese in the center of a patty, and give it a sprinkle of fresh ground red pepper flakes then top it with another patty. Press the edges together so the cheese doesn't ooze out while cooking.

With the cheese filled patties, cook them on medium low heat and cover with the cast iron skillet turned upside down over them. Make sense? Use the skillet like a lid cover and not a pressing tool.

After cooking them for 5 minutes on each side, press down on the patty with a spatula to make sure the juices run clear. I don't know about you, but we like our burgers fully cooked around my house.

The fries should be finished by now, so take them out and set aside. On the kid's patties, lay on a cheese slice to start melting while the bread was toasting.

Toasted whole wheat sandwich bread slices work just fine in place of burger buns.  Set out your favorite condiments, pickles and such and you're ready to eat!

My kids love this simple home cooked happy meal. Come to think of it, I've NEVER had to bribe them with a toy to make them eat it all.
Hmm, that's interesting. Good food doesn't need a toy.

Bean & Beef Taco Dinner

Go easy on yourself tonight and make crunchy, delicious tacos for dinner.

For the kiddos that don't like spicy taco meat filling, feed them bean & cheese tacos. Grown ups can enjoy crunchy tacos loaded with meat, beans, spicy salsa, sour cream, lettuce and jalapeños!

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1/2 pound fresh extra lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder & cumin, as much as you prefer
• salt & pepper

• 1 box of taco shells
• 1 (15oz.) can of pinto beans, drain & reserve liquid
• 1 (2 cup) package of shredded cheddar cheese
• shredded lettuce
• lite sour cream
• jalapeños
• your favorite salsa

Preheat oven for heating taco shells (see directions on box).

Start by browning beef in a medium size skillet over medium heat until fully cooked (there's no pink meat); stir occasionally. Add onions, chili powder, cumin, pinch of salt and pepper, and approximately 1/4 cup water; cook until onions are translucent; stir occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

Between the moments of stirring and cooking the beef, blend pinto beans in a one cup food processor until semi-smooth with chunks of beans here and there. If the consistency is too thick, stir in the reserved bean liquid a tablespoon at a time to thin. Careful not to add too much liquid or it gets soupy after it heats up. Move the blended beans to a microwaveable bowl and heat until hot, 1 to 2 minutes depending on your microwave.

Whether you stick clean spoons in the salsa, sour cream and jalapeno jars or you put each in their own small bowls, prepare a taco assembly line so everyone can build there own tacos.

Once the meat mixture is ready, fill taco shells with beans or meat or both, and shredded cheese and lay them on their sides on a cookie sheet. Bake for the amount time designated on taco shell box, 6-8 minutes usually. Then it's time to EAT!

For dessert, serve up fat free Vanilla Yogurt with a crushed cinnamon granola bar sprinkled on top.

5 Simple Meals & A Shopping List

Skip trying to figure out what your family's going to eat this week; it's all right here!

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO DO

• Follow the Recipe links and print the recipes
• Print the Shopping List provided
• Follow the cooking suggestions

ON THE MENU

• Roasted Chicken Breasts
• Ground Beef Cooked Ahead
• Black Bean Salad, Chicken Quesadillas
• Rich & Meaty Lasagna
• Chicken Fajitas
• Hamburger & Jalapeño Pizza

SHOPPING LIST

• 3 small onions
• 2 fresh jalapeños
• 1 head of green leaf lettuce
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 fresh lime

• 1 box Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles
• 1 (26 oz.) can/jar Spaghetti sauce
• 4 oz. whole kernel corn, small can
• 1 (15 oz.) can Southwest Style tomatoes
• 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans
• 1 jar of your favorite salsa

• 1 package of Mission zesty Garlic Flour Tortillas
• 1 package Mama Mary's Gourmet Thin & Crispy Pizza Crusts, comes with two medium crusts
• Corn Tortilla chips for dipping

• 1 to 1.5 pounds lean ground beef
• 4 chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
• 1 pound chicken tenders

• 8 oz. container sour cream
• 16 oz. container small curd cottage cheese
• 1 package (2 cups) Mexican Blend shredded cheese
• 1 package (2 cups) Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 package (2 cups) Italian Blend shredded cheese
• 1 package (2 cups) Pizza Blend shredded cheese

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COOKING SUGGESTIONS

1. Roast the chicken breasts and cook the ground beef.  Divide up the cooked meats to use in the recipes, and store in airtight containers or freezer bags to have ready.  You'll have 2 extra cooked chicken breasts to use as you wish.
2. Wash, prepare and store green leaf lettuce and cilantro in airtight containers to have ready to use.
3. Make the Black Bean Salad, Chicken Quesadillas before the chicken fajitas, there will be plenty of black bean salad to add as a side for the fajitas.
4. Reserve 1/3 cup spaghetti sauce from the lasagna recipe to use on the Hamburger pizzas.  You can add 1/3 cup water/vegetable/chicken broth back to the lasagna sauce and no one will know the difference.
5. The Rich & Meaty Lasagna will make enough to eat for two dinners.  So, there's one night you don't need to cook, just reheat leftovers.

Okay, now I've done all the planning, list building, and given you easy to follow instructions.  Go live it!

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT
Come back and tell me if this meal plan worked for you and your family.  Should I make more of these?

You gotta speak up.  This was a bigger task than I thought it would be, but I would do it again and again, if I knew it would help you through the week.

Bean & Meat Burritos

This is what I'm serving my family tonight.  Mmmmm, I can't wait to chow down!

HERE'S ALL I NEED TO DO

• 3-4 cups cooked ground beef
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 can green chilies, optional
• 1 package of 10-12 flour tortillas (fajitas/soft taco size)
• 1 large can ranch style beans
• 3/4- 1 cup water
• 2 cups grated cheddar/jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350^oF.

Reheat cooked meat, chili powder, cumin and water in medium pan over medium heat.  Remove from heat and add green chilies.

Drain ranch beans and RESERVE red sauce. Mash beans until you get a refried bean texture, you can add a little water to loosen beans. Fill one tortilla with meat, beans, & cheese. Fold and lay in greased casserole dish.

After dish is full, mix remaining beans to reserved red sauce, plus 1/2 cup water then pour over burritos. Add any leftover meat mixture and cheese for topping.

Cover with foil and bake at 350^oF for 30-40 minutes. Can be prepared earlier that day and left in refrigerator until ready to cook.

Serve with salsa, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Kid Friendly Tip
Leave out the green chilies in the meat mixture, or leave out the meat mixture all together. Fill half the casserole dish with bean and cheese filled burritos. Be sure to mark the bean filled side of the dish by toping it only with cheese, do not top with meat mixture.

Rich & Meaty Lasagna

If you have a real butcher shop in your town, I HIGHLY recommend that you buy from them.  Ever since my friend shared her batch of fresh, ground beef with me, I have been amazed at the difference in flavor compared to the meat at the large chain grocer.

My son, Max, asked me to make a lasagna dinner just like Garfield the cat eats. Last week was his birthday week, so I made his favorite meals for dinner all week long.  Around the McKeever home, it's tradition to celebrate one's birthday ALL WEEK LONG!

HERE'S HOW I MADE THIS AWESOME LASAGNA

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 9 Oven Ready lasagna noodles
• 1 (26 oz.) can Hunt's Garlic & Herb spaghetti sauce
• 1 (16 oz.) low fat cottage cheese
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups Kraft Italian blend shredded cheese, or 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup Romano, 1/4 cup Mozzarella, & 1/4 cup Provolone all finely shredded.

Preheat oven 375F degrees.

Brown the meat, seasoned with 3/4 teaspoon salt, on medium high heat; add onions, garlic, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.  Cook until onions are translucent.  Remove from heat, and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, oregano, pepper and 1/2 cup Italian blend cheese; set aside.

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Layering the Lasagna

1. Spray lasagna pan (13x9x2 inch) with nonstick spray.
2. Cover bottom with 1/2 cup tomato sauce
3. Lay down 3 pasta rectangles
4. Add meat layer, spreading evenly
5. Dollop cottage cheese mixture, as seen in picture above.
6. Lay down 3 pasta rectangles
7. Cover pasta with 3/4 cup tomato sauce
8. Pour on all cottage cheese mix, spread evenly
9. Top with last 3 pasta rectangles
10. Pour remaining tomato sauce, spreading evenly
11. Top with remaining Italian cheese blend

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HANDY KITCHEN TRICK

Instead of using foil to cover the 13x9 inch baking dish, use a small baking sheet pan!  Simply turn it upside to cover the dish. Bake lasagna for 30 minutes.

Serve a side salad with baby lettuce, grape tomatoes, shredded Parmesan cheese and a Briannas Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Lasagna is perfect for making a day ahead.  Assemble the lasagna, cover and store in the refrigerator.  When you're ready, preheat the oven to 375F and bake for 40 minutes.  You can freeze leftovers in serving size portions for lunch later in the week.  That is, if you have enough leftover.

Fresh Beef Chili

With all these cold, blustery days, a hardy pot of chili sounded good to eat over the weekend.  My friend, Anne, brought over fresh, ground beef that was grown right here in Sulphur Springs, Texas.  Thanks Anne, now we know the difference between locally grown and store bought beef.

That beautiful, moist cornbread muffin in the middle of the bowl was the perfect bread for this chili.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons oil

Cook in large pot on medium high heat until soften.

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (26oz) Ranch Style Beans
• 3 cups water

Add beef and cook until browned.  Add all the remaining spices and tomato paste, stir well. Transfer meat mixture to slow cooker.  Add Ranch Style beans and water and stir together.  Cook on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

The chili has a mild flavor, which is perfect for the kiddos.  In my own bowl, I added several dashes of Tabasco sauce and sunk a cornbread muffin in the center to soak up the soup.  It really hit the spot!

It tastes great with Fritos, too.  There is no better chip to go with chili.

For dessert, I baked a French Apple Pie that was AWESOME!  Be on the look out for that recipe, it's super easy.

Classic and Simple Sloppy Joes

The kiddos love this quick, delicious Sloppy Joes recipe.  It has all the classic flavors that we grew up craving.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED FOR SLOPPY JOES

• 3 cups precooked ground beef
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• salt to taste
• 2-3 dashes Tabasco
• 6 hamburger buns, toasted

Cook over medium heat all the ingredients, excepts the buns, 10-15 minutes, until the sauce has thicken.  Remove from heat, allow to set for a few minutes before serving.

If you have them, heat up some Tater Tots in the oven while you're cooking the Sloppy Joes.  They should finish up about the same time.

Enjoy!

Mexican Stack Salad

I devoured a Mexican Stack salad for lunch.  It has an odd combination of ingredients, but MAN, IT IS GOOD! The Mexican Stack Salad is perfect for pot luck gatherings.  If you have enough guests attending, each person picks one or two ingredients to bring to the meal.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED FOR THIS TASTY SALAD

• 2 pounds cooked ground beef with taco seasoning
• 2 pounds cooked ground beef with taco seasoning (Yes, I wrote that twice.)
• 2 pounds Uncle Ben's rice, cooked (32 oz. Box)
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 1 box golden raisins, or dried cranberries
• 2 cups chopped pecans
• 2 cups coconut
• 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 carton Sour Cream
• 1 jar Picante Sauce
• Large bag Fritos corn chips

This will easily feed a crowd of 20.  It's a great combination of flavors.  The trick is to convince everyone to put every ingredient on their stack.

I personally love the coconut, taco meat, Fritos, and cranberries together.  Doesn't that sound strange?  But I'm telling you straight up, it's soooo good!

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