homemade sloppy joes

Making bad food amazing is one of my most favorite things to do in the kitchen.  Not that Sloppy Joes are really horrible for you, let's face it we all grew up on them.  But there are several additions you can change or create that make them that much better and healthier for your whole family.  

This is the most wonderfully simple recipe, which is another reason why I adore it.  It is something I have just tweaked over the years into a deliciously quick meal that my husband and I both love.  The best part is it makes a good amount so we always have leftover's for lunch the next day. 

Start off with cooking 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef, chicken, or turkey in a large frypan.  

Then add in 1 or 2 chopped peppers and 1 onion chopped. 

Then in a separate bowl mix together 5 cloves of garlic, 1 1/2 cups of ketchup, 1 cup of water, 2 tbs of brown sugar, 2 tsp of chili powder, 1 tsp of dry mustard, 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes, 3 tbs of Worcestershire sauce, 2 tbs of tomato paste, salt and pepper. 

Then mix that in with the cooked meat.  Stir it around completely so that the flavors have the opportunity to completely incorporate.  

Then serve it up on your favorite bun with a hearty salad and you have yourself a complete meal !! 
















Enjoy !!!

Perfect Fried Egg Sandwich

A fried egg sandwich can be a thing of beauty and not a cardiac arrest waiting to happen like some of the fast food egg sandwiches are.  I have always loved them, but can't handle the grease and other bad additives that are sometimes in the fast food options.  While I was recently on vacation our good friend made a fried egg sandwich one of the mornings for breakfast.  I was thoroughly impressed with the technique as I have never tried making one at home and knew I had to post about it.  I asked him at the time how it made it so perfect and he replied, "I don't know it just happened."  
He took a large frypan and turned the heat to medium high.  Then sprayed a good coating of non-stick spray in the area he was going to break the egg in.  He then broke the egg on the side of the pan and let it drip into the pan.  Then as the whites of the eggs started to solidify he began to fold over the sides so that  it would form a reasonably perfect circle to wonderfully sit on top of a toasted English muffin.

He then flipped it over perfectly and had the yolk break a little then let the whole egg cook through. 

He topped it with a slice of cheddar cheese and let the melting commence.  It look so delicious!  He said it was pretty amazing.  I unfortunately could not convince him to make them rest of us one, but seemed to enjoy it and had a deliciously nutritious breakfast. 

Enjoy !!!

Food on Vacation

One of my most favorite places in the whole wide world is Chincoteague Island. My family has been vacationing there for years. There is a beach house in that area that an extended family now owns, but still lets us rent it out on occasion. I love this place. I feel safe, happy, and completely relaxed when I am there.

I love cooking in this kitchen as it is a place where several women in my family have cooked delicious meals for our families to enjoy.

I wanted to post about what we ate during our vacation because it was healthy. It is just proof that you do not need to eat like crap while you are on vacation just because you can.

That's my husband and one of our good friends down at the beach.

Wonderfully delicious fruit salad.

The freshest seafood. It was the first time I had ever tried flounder and it was delicious.

Broiled white and green asparagus !

Whole wheat pita pizzas. Pita's by the way are one of the best vessels to cook a pizza on. They naturally curl up a little when cooked and it keeps all of the topping secure and in place.

I had to show off these crab cakes mainly because they are the best crab cakes I have ever had.

Salad, corn on the cob, 93 % lean ground turkey burgers !!

Any finishing out the week with some delicious french toast made by a very special friend.

I promise I will be back with a recipe tomorrow for sure !!

Enjoy !!!

Back from Vacation !!

I have been on a little bit of a blogcation........I apologize for not letting you all know earlier. I recently went on a week's vacation to one of my most favorite places in the whole wide world. Chincoteague Island in the great state of Virginia is a place my family has been vacationing in for years. For the first time I went back with just friends and my husband and had a wonderful time. We also cooked some wonderful food and I assure you I will be back tomorrow with more.

Chincoteague is also known around the world for the wild ponies that inhabit the island. It is such a beautiful place and an amazing place to go on vacation....

Be back tomorrow with some beachy treats from our vacation !!!

Enjoy !!!

Adapted from: Esquire

I actually enjoy that my husband gets a yearly subscription to Esquire. Frequently, the stories, recipes, and tips that are in the monthly magazine tend to be helpful and somewhat interesting. I found this recipe in the last copy he had. I figured it was not only a good way to use my cast iron skillet, but a pretty reasonable awesome way to make a quick dinner.

So you start by getting a whole chicken. Wash it off and take off anything that looks like it shouldnt be there. Add a little olive oil to the bottom of the pan. Set your chicken on top. Massage the top of the chicken with a little olive oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper.

Add some carrots, potatoes, or whatever your favortie fixings are. Pop it in 450 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Once it is done the skin will be brown and crispy and when you cut into it the juices will run clear. If it is not running clear pop it back and wait until it is done. No one wants to get samonela !!!

Take it out and friggin enjoy !!!! Your gonna love it seriously. It is one of hte most simple, fast, and healthy meals i have made in a long time. Sometimes simplicity is where its at certain nights of the week.

Enjoy !!!

Arugula Pistachio Pesto Flank Steak

I grabbed this recipe from Hannford's monthly magazine they release that have healthful tips, recipes, and tricks. It is a couple of dollars if you don't buy anything else, but if you buy more than $25.00 worth of groceries it's free. It's a neat little program they have for sure.

It is a delicious and nutritious alternative to flank steak. It is bright and vibrant and full of color. I highly recommend this if you are stuck on what to have for dinner tonight.

Begin by combining 2 cups of arugula, 4 tbs of olive oil, 1/2 cup of pistachio's, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Use an immersion blender or food processor to make a thick and delicious pesto for your flank steak.

Squeeze 1 lime into the mix as well. Whiz it up a bit with the immersion blender again until it becomes incredibly smooth.

Then begin to cook your flank steak. I broiled it in the oven for 9 minutes on each side until it is cooked thoroughly.

Serve it up with an avocado and tomato salad. If it sounds weird to you don't let it. Just cut up that fresh avocado with some tomato slices sprinkle some salt and pepper and you will be so happy trust me.

Add some rice to the mix and you will have yourself one hell of a meal.

Enjoy !!!

I recently was asked to do a guest post on one of my favorite crafting blogs Creative Kristi.

You can find it here ...

Kristi is almost on her way to having a beautiful second baby and wanted to ensure there were posts still happening on her awesome blog.

So I said yes of course .... It was an awesome experience

Enjoy !!!

pierogis

Adapted from: Martha Stewart Living

There are certain things about my Polish heritage that I love. Two of those things are pierogis and kielbasa. I have been trying for several years to perfect pierogis. The ones that are in the frozen aisle can filled with horrible fillers, added sodium, more fat, and un-natural items that you just don't want in your diet. These were so unbelievably easy to make and fun. It would be a perfect mess-free fun item to cook with kids.

Start off with combining 1 egg, 2 tbs of sour cream, 1 cup of skim milk, and 1 cup of water in a bowl together.

Then add in 4 1/2 to 5 of all purpose flour and mix it thoroughly together.

Then make some mashed potatoes. Boil up some yukon gold potatoes and mash them together with some butter, salt, pepper, buttermilk, or milk. Cut a circle of dough out you can use a simple cookie cutter to do this. Then scoop a tablespoon into half of the circle.

Fold over the the circle and press it closed with your fingers.

You can arrange them on a baking sheet, freeze them on the sheet, then take them out of the freezer as you need. Or you can boil them right there.

The best part of pierogis are that they cook up just like ravioli. Once they are done they rise to the top of the boiling water.

Add some butter, salt, and pepper and enjoy with a hearty salad....You will be one happy camper!!!

Enjoy !!!