Suddenly Sloppy Joe's!

Sloppy Joe's - inspired by Disney Family Fun Slow Cookin' Recipes!

So, my freezer is PACKED. P-A-C-K-E-D full of food. So stuffed that I cannot even BEAR to think about what to cook. I know we have fixings for a month in there, but what? Chicken? Beef? Pasta?

Perry's been balking at too much chicken lately. I didn't know there was such a thing. I could eat chicken all the time and never bat an eye. Though, I think I heard Rachel cluck this morning. So, I got to thinking ground beef might be the way to go today.

I remember when my mom made Sloppy Joes. I can't recall if I liked them or not. Drippy, fun to eat sandwiches where no one gets fussed at for making a mess, served with a roll of paper towels within easy reach? Sounds like heaven for my youngest. For my oldest...heaven only knows.

Time to make: 15 minutes

Ready In: 4-6 hours
serves: 4-6 (hopefully!!)

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cups ketchup
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tbs packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoons stone ground mustard
1 tablespoons vinegar
1/8 tsp chili powder
Toasted hamburger buns

Directions

Cook and stir ground beef, onion and garlic in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until beef is browned and onion is tender. Drain and discard fat.

Combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, mustard, vinegar and chili powder in 4 1/2-quart CROCK-POT® slow cooker. Stir in beef mixture. Cover; cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours. To serve, spoon mixture onto hamburger buns.

Here's a Disney Family Tip
Don't worry about making big batches of food in your CROCK-POT® slow cooker. Instead, plan ahead to freeze the leftovers as individual portions. Just reheat a single serving in the microwave for fast meals or impulse snacks.

OOOH! good one. As soon as I can spy space in my freezer, I'll try it. HOWEVER, leftovers are actually consumed in this house the day after, usually. Reheated leftovers? Anyone? I'm thinking maybe, no.

Chili Relleno Bake!

I scoured the cookbooks yesterday in search of this recipe, instead, found a variation online. The original recipe came off a can of Rosarita Refried Beans...and this has some zingy updates that I liked. Ellie, for once, let me crack and separate the eggs--and watched while the Kitchenaid mixer frothed the eggwhites for us. Really. There's NOTHING to be afraid of with egg separation if you own a Kitchenaid mixer.

Ingredients

• Pam cooking spray
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (7 ounce) cans diced green chilies
• 1 (16 ounce) cans rosarita vegetarian refried beans
• 1/4 cup onions, chopped finely (optional)
• 1/3 cup salsa verde (optional)
• 2 cups cheddar, monterey jack pepper cheese OR 2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded (I used cheddar)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Spray 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Beat egg whites* in small bowl until stiff peaks form.
4. Whisk egg yolks in separate bowl; fold into egg whites.
5. Add Flour into eggs until just combined.
6. Fold in green chilies.
7. Spread beans over bottom of dish.
8. Layer chopped onions over beans and make sure to get sides.* (we didn't use onions...Perry & the kids not a big fan of crunchy stuff in the beans... ugh)
9. Spread layer of salsa verde, smoothing into the sides.
10. Mix all the beans, onions and salsa verde together.
11. Top with half of the egg mixture, spreading evenly.
12. Sprinkle with half of the cheese, then remaining egg mixture and remaining cheese.
13. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes or until golden brown.
    Mine got nice and toasty on top after about 25 minutes, so it depends on your oven. This REALLY dresses up a side dish. And, my Spanish friends have always told me--you can tell a great restaurant by their Chile Relleno. Casa De Ludwig serves up a mean one!
    Also--as for my finicky family? Rachel had a corn dog, apple sauce, and cheddar cheese with a side of tomatoes. Ellie ate a taco with her daddy, tried the relleno bake, and informed me "I liked the crunchy top and the beans. Didn't care for the green stuff."
    NOTES:
    *How to separate an egg: Crack and peek into egg over your bowl, weight the yolk side to one half, let whites drip down, turn yolk into other half of shell, when white is all in the bowl, return yolk to other bowl. If you want to be more heart healthy, go 1 yolk to 3 egg whites for this recipe. I made it with all 3, though. Delicious.Oh! and another trick! don't turn the whites more than you have to, once they're all frothed up. Keep it light and fluffy!