Messy Burgers…aka Sloppy Joes

Messy Burgers

My kids love Sloppy Joes, or should I say they love Messy Burgers.  My son changed the name when he was about 3.  You see to him anything on a bun was a burger, could be PB&J and it was a PB&J burger.  His introduction to the Sloppy Joe was a very messy one and he told me “mommy dis is a messy burger”, from that moment on when he wanted Sloppy Joes he would request Messy Burgers.
Typically I would brown my ground beef, add a can of Manwich and voila, Messy Burgers.  Tonight however when I was asked to make Messy Burgers I decided to continue with my make my own…no Manwich tonight.  I checked to ensure I had everything I needed and fortunately I did so my messy burger creation began.

My version of the messy burger didn’t get the rave reviews I expected but they were still pretty good.  My youngest did however eat four of them so they must have been pretty good.  I finally made myself you, you know how moms are…we always eat last. It was pretty good but a bit on the sweet side.  The recipe that I’m posting is the one I made tonight but I will be tweaking it using less sugar and will repost the results.

Messy Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 cup water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 hamburger buns, split

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the ground beef for 5 minutes. Add the onion and red bell pepper; saute for 5 more minutes, or until onion is tender. Drain the fat.
2. Mix in tomato paste and water, stirring until paste is dissolved. Stir in garlic, chili powder, paprika, cumin, vinegar, brown sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Continue to heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until mixture is thick and stewy.

Messy Burgers…its whats cooking 2 nite.

Delicioso! Last minute change of plans for dinner!

Tonight was supposed to be Sour Cream & Bacon Chicken,well not only did I forget to thaw out the chicken but I forgot to buy more sour cream.  Best laid plans and all I had to step back and punt.  Not that I’m in to making meal plans but I kind of get an idea in my head as to what I want to cook for the week and based on my workload at work depends on when I make what.  Tonight was Taco Mac and Cheese, it looked amazing but it was a bit bland so if you try this you may want to double up the chili powder or the rotel.  For the most part this was good, once I added some extra seasoning to my bowl.   I will try this one again but maybe doctor it up again for my taste.

The kids didn’t complain or go digging through the fridge for something else so that was a good sign.  My daughter who was here for dinner on the pretense of doing laundry ate with us and didn’t complain, nor did she rave about it, so it must of been just ok.

Taco Mac & Cheese

From http://vittlesandbits.blogspot.com

• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 T. canola or olive oil
• 1 t. garlic, minced
• 1 lb. lean (93%) ground beef or turkey
• 1 10-oz. can Rotel diced tomato & chiles, undrained
• 1 packet (or 1/4 C.) taco seasoning
• 8 oz. elbow or other small macaroni
• 3 T. butter
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 3 T. flour
• 1/4 t. chili powder
• 2 1/2 C. milk
• 1/2 t. salt
• 8 oz. grated Mexican or cheddar jack cheese
• 1 C. crushed tortilla chips

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water until tender (just past al dente stage).  While macaroni is cooking, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion & cook 2-3 minutes until softened.  Then add garlic and saute 30 seconds more.

Add ground beef to the pan and cook until no longer pink.  Drain fat (being careful not to drain out the garlic & onion in the pan.)  Add can of Rotel and taco seasoning, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Set aside.
Preheat broiler and adjust rack to mid-low position.
When macaroni is cooked to tender, drain and reserve in colander.  Return now-empty pot to stove over medium heat & melt butter until foaming.
Add flour, garlic & chili powders and whisk mixture constantly for 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in milk, then bring mixture to a boil while whisking constantly, to thicken.  Reduce heat to med-low and simmer, whisking occasionally, until consistency becomes that of heavy cream (3-5 minutes).
Remove pot from heat, and whisk in cheese and salt.  Add drained pasta and beef mixture, and return pot to med-low burner.  Stir occasionally until heated through, another 3-5 minutes.
Transfer to greased 13×9 baking dish, and sprinkle crushed chips over top.  Place in broiler for 3-5 minutes until tortilla chips are browned.  Cool 5 minutes before serving.

Tip:  Use that bag of tortilla chips that the kids forgot to put the chip clip on, you know the ones that are just on the verge of stale that no one will eat.  If you are anything like me you may have a few bags like this in your pantry.  The broiler crisps them right back up and there is no stale taste.

I will post again when I remake this one adding a bit more zing to it.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice…oh sooooooo good

Couldn’t decide what to cook tonight so my son looked through all my pinned food items and decided on this one.  So before leaving for the day I threw the chicken, soup, and onions in, set the crockpot to hi and off I went.  I came home to what smelled like my grandma cooking in her kitchen on Sunday.  How I miss that smell and that chicken…mouth watering now at the memories.
I quickly whipped up some cornbread and threw it in the oven then started cooking the rice.   Then went to the pantry for the corn…OMG no corn!!!!!  Peas will have to do, yes here I go again changing up someone’s recipe.  My kids like corn so we go through a lot and I do find myself running out a lot and yes I do tend to substitute peas or green beans, but the positive spin on that is that the peas give this dish some color.

Rice done, peas drained, cheese measured, into the crockpot they go.   Once I started to stir them in the chicken just fell apart and the smell was so good I couldn’t wait to try it.  Let it sit a bit longer to get the peas warmed through, then added another cup of cheese….we like cheesy.
This recipe is from Southern Plate.  Check out her site she has some great recipes and some funny stories.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 -8 ounce box Zatarain’s Yellow Rice Mix, cooked according to directions
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1 – 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup (regular or fat free)
• 1 -15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained

Instructions

1. Place chicken in bottom of slow cooker. Scatter chopped onion over top. Spoon cream soup over top of that. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours. A few minutes before serving, add in cooked rice, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. Serve hot.

My son took the first bite….”This is awesome”.  This recipe is now going to the keep pile, and it’s what’s cookin 2nite.

Here is the cornbread that went with it.