Sloppy Joes

This year I have volunteered my time working the mid-week meal ministry at church. There is one lady who does all the shopping, recipe picking, and most of the cooking. My part is to help with last minute needs, serving and cleaning up. But last week, she was sick, so my dear friend Cathy and I said that we would try to do what the main lady does. We made these Sloppy Joes. They came out wonderful! We had people say that they weren't big Sloppy Joe fans, but, these were so good! I hope that your family likes them as much as my church family did!

Sloppy Joes
1 lb ground beef
 2 -3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup barbecue sauce 
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar


In a large skillet, brown ground beef, celery and onion, drain the fat.Stir in remaining ingredients, simmer covered, 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If Joes appear too soupy, leave cover off and let moisture evaporate. Cook until it's the consistency you like for serving on toasted buns.

Baked Chicken Fajitas

My family has a little, ok, a big love affair with Mexican food! We love our enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, rellenos, quesadillas, and of course, fajitas! I have a fajita recipe (here) that I love, it is our standard. But, there is always room for one more awesome fajita recipe, right? This is for baked fajitas. I loved the idea of baking the fajitas, it was super easy. The results were delicious! The leftovers also made for really tasty quesadilla fillings!
Baked Chicken Fajitas
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 - 4 oz. can diced green chiles
1 medium onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/3 cup lime juice
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
Tortillas
Grated cheese and assorted fajita toppings
Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a 13x 9 in. baking dish. Mix chicken, onion, chiles, bell pepper in the dish. Pour oil and lime juice over the top. In a small bowl, mix the spices together. sprinkle over the chicken mixture and toss lightly to coat. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve on tortillas with cheese and any other toppings that you want and have handy.

Taco Rice

Some of you may know that I home school my boys. I love doing it, but sometimes having to make three meals a day is overwhelming! Taco Rice is a recipe that I discovered while blog hopping a couple of years ago. I found the original recipe here on The Picky Apple. It is a great recipe that I can make a batch of and keep in the fridge for the boys and I to reheat and throw into tortillas for a quick and easy lunch. One batch will last us for a couple of lunches.
Taco Rice
1 lb. ground beef
Taco seasoning to taste- the recipe I use is here or you can use whatever you like
1 can Rotel- we use mild, but if I were cooking for my husband and I, I would use hot- we like the spice!
2 cups cooked rice
Brown meat and drain. Combine all the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve in tortillas with all the traditional taco toppings.

Beef Tips and Noodles

This is such a simple recipe. This is pure comfort food to my family. Tender chunks of beef in a creamy gravy served over noodles. Yummy! This recipe rocks because it is one of those chop, drop and leave it alone recipes. It is perfect for all the busy people out there.

Beef Tips and Noodles
1 lb. beef stew meat, cut in chunks
3 can cream of chicken, mushroom, onion......whatever you have or feel like making
1 onion, diced
1 bag egg noodles, cooked and drained
Place 1 first 3 ingredients in a slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours. Serve over noodles.

Homemade Chai Tea

Years ago, one of my oldest and dearest friends introduced me to Chai tea. I am so glad that she did. I love the fragrant spiciness of this tea. I have been faithfully buying chai flavored tea bags so that I can get my fix. But no longer. Another friend shared this from scratch Chai tea recipe that has really rocked my kitchen! I have made it every day since she gave me the recipe. It is amazing! I have great friends that  introduce me to wonderful new recipes and experiences.....thank you Beth and Cathy for expanding my tea world!

Homemade Chai Tea
2 cups milk
2 cups water
4 cardamom pods, bruised (my friend showed me how to gently tap the pods with a blunt object, you don't want to crush the pod, just slightly bruise them so their flavor is released easier.)
1 whole cinnamon stick
2 whole black peppercorns
1-2 whole cloves
3 black tea bags (make sure it is straight black tea, not Earl Grey. This is important!)
1 tsp. vanilla
Honey or sugar to taste

Bring milk, water, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and cloves to a near boil. Turn off heat, add tea bags, stir and cover for 5 minutes. Remove cover and stir again. Strain and add desired amount of honey or sugar.

Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken

We seem to eat a lot of chicken at this house. I am always on the look out for a new way to serve it. This recipe was so good! The garlic infused chicken is delightfully crisp because of the Panko bread crumbs. Have you ever used Panko before? This was my first time, and I must tell you, we became fast friends, the bread crumbs made the outside of the chicken nice and crispy! Everyone in my house cleaned their plates- so it is kid friendly, and husband approved! The real bonus of this recipe though, is in the leftovers. I threw them on my salad for lunch today, and they were amazing! The flavors had really had a chance to meld together. I am making this again, and making extra so I can have leftovers! I found this recipe here.
Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Pour garlic, olive oil and poultry seasoning in a small sauce pan and heat over medium heat for one to two minutes- you are just trying to infuse the oil, not cook the garlic. Let cool. Cut the chicken breasts into tenders, place in a large zip lock bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Preheat oven to 425° . Pour Panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in shallow bowl, mix well. Dip each piece of chicken into the bread crumb mixture , patting the bread crumbs onto each piece, and then place on a cookie sheet that has been pre-sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and the juices run clear.

Pork Tenderloin in the Crock Pot

I like to make this dish when the grocery store puts pork tenderloins on sale. This is a simple, throw it into the crock pot, turn it on, and forget about it kind of meal. It smells so good as it cooks all day long. I serve it with steamed carrots and herbed garlic red potatoes.
Pork Tenderloin in the Crock Pot
1 pork tenderloin
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine or extra water (I have always done the extra water)
3 Tbsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp soy sauce
Pepper to taste
Place pork in crock pot with all ingredients except garlic. Spread the garlic over the tenderloin. Cover and cook low for 7-8 hours.