Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are awesome. They're messy and full of flavor and give you an excuse to lick your fingers at the dinner table. Those qualities alone should gain them a place on the 30 Family Favorites list.

My mother-in-law made this meal for her eight kids for years. I talked her out of the recipe. The rest is history.

These joes are the perfect balance of tangy with a touch of sweet, inexpensive to make, can be made ahead of time, can be frozen, and can hide healthy things. I've substituted cracked wheat cereal or 9-grain cereal for up to half of the meat without getting caught.

I did make some changes to her original recipe to fit my family's needs. I believe in the make it in a hurry method whenever possible. Life is busy. Kids have sports. Sometimes I forget to start dinner....sigh.

Sloppy Joes

2 lb hamburger

2 c catsup

1 T lemon juice

½ c chopped celery

¼ c chopped green pepper

1 onion, chopped

2 T vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

¾ T Worcestershire sauce

2 T brown sugar

¼ c water

½ T dry mustard (or less)

Brown meat and drain. Add all ingredients and let cook on low heat for one hour or longer until sauce becomes thick.

My In a Hurry Method: Brown and drain the hamburger. While meat is cooking, sauté the celery, peppers, and onion in 1 T butter until tender, then add to the meat. Add all remaining ingredients, but omit the water. Simmer for 10 -15 minutes.

Healthy variation: I have also substituted up to 2 cups of cooked 9-grain or cracked wheat cereal for half of the hamburger. This was usually left-overs from breakfast. Kids never knew the difference.

Ultimate Grilled Cheese

Keeping to the 30 Family Favorite Recipes theme...

I'm posting one of my favorite simple recipes today because I have a million things to get done. I'm working on getting my first ever passport today!

As some of you know, I am a nursing student. This semester, over winter break, actually, I have the chance to travel to Ecuador for nearly a month as part of a cultural nursing course. I am excited and a bit nervous, but mostly in a panic to get the paperwork in order.

Sooooo...with that said, Ultimate Grilled Cheese it is. Probably for dinner tonight, too.

We all pretty much know how to make grilled cheese, right? Butter the outside of the bread and slap a piece of cheese inside, then fry it up.

What makes it really good is....drumroll, please...shredded Parmesan cheese toasted up to golden, crispy deliciousness on the outside.

The Parmesan can make even standard American cheese slices taste amazing.

Think Sizzler's Cheese Toast made into a sandwich.

For the record, the stuff in the plastic container will work in a pinch, but it tends to be saltier and isn't nearly as good.

Step it up and try Swiss cheese slices (yep, Kraft, in the wrapper).

Wanna get wild?

Use pepperjack cheese. On sourdough bread. With Parmesan on the outside.

Or slice a big, fat loaf of sweet French bread into a two-inch thick slice, from the bottom, cut a little pocket into the center of it (almost like you're trying to cut it into two slices but leaving the sides intact), stuff it with a slice of mozzarella cheese, and dip the outside in shredded Parmesan.

Notice how everything comes back to Parmesan?

Try it. You'll thank me. =]

Ultimate Grilled Cheese

2 slices bread of choice
1 slice cheese of choice to cover bread
Butter
Shredded Parmesan cheese

       Butter one side of each piece of bread. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on a small plate. Press bread, buttered side down on the Parmesan. This makes the cheese stick a bit better than if you just sprinkled directly onto the bread. Place cheese between non buttered sides of bread.
       Grill in a non-stick pan at medium heat, flipping when the first side becomes golden brown. You know the routine. Don't wander away to be efficient and do something else, because it can burn fast. Especially if you think you have a minute to go check Facebook. I know.

30 Days of Family Favorite Recipes

I missed day one and two. I'm going to cheat from the start and post those later today.

For now though, the goal is to post a one of my family's favorite recipes each day for the month of September.

This is a challenge for me as

1) It's hard for everyone to agree 100% on a favorite ~ I have a child that doesn't like melted cheese and another that doesn't like chocolate. Excuse me? They won't have a say here. Six against one. Majority rules.

2) I don't think I've ever done anything for 31 days straight. Not even make my bed. Maybe I should add bed making to my goals instead.

Just as a heads up, we're pretty basic around here. You won't find the fancy stuff that takes hours to make and minutes to devour. If I want to impress someone, that's another story, but we're talking efficiency now, and as a single mom with a busy schedule, efficiency rules the day and the dinner table.

All of the recipes in this series are ones that we have made many, many times. They are tried and true. The kids have given them the thumbs up review.

We gravitate towards foods that are fast, easy, use everyday ingredients that I have on hand, and use minimal prepackaged mixes. I like to cook from scratch because I know what's in my food that way and yeah, it's cheaper.

This morning I posted a recipe for homemade ice cream. I can't think of a better way to start.

I'll be adding to this list as I go along, but to give you an idea of what we consider favorites:

Jeanette's Basic Ice Cream
Swedish Pancakes
Ultimate Grilled Cheese - Basic with a twist that makes it great
Idaho Baked Potato Soup - From one of my Idaho sisters-in-law
Brown Sugar Sausage-Bacon Appetizers - Oh. My. Gosh.
Party Punch
Tortilla Stew
Sloppy Joes
Sweet and Sour Salad - I don't care what the kids say. This is fantastic!
Stafford Breakfast
Chili Stack
Pizza
Chicken Dressing Casserole
Chicken Poppy Casserole
Hot Chicken Salad - another mother-in-law recipe - yumm
Navajo Tacos and Fry Bread - Courtesy of my sister-in-law - my kids love it!
Chicken Roll Ups - A mother-in-law recipe, which means it's delicious
Sweet and Sour Chicken - Reminds me of Panda's orange chicken
Chili - Make a bunch and freeze it for later
Biscuits Supreme - A definite must have recipe
Basic Muffins and Favorite Variations - A breakfast favorite
Flour Tortillas - All the kids help make these - simple and great
Pumpkin Streusel Bread - A favorite for fall
Braden's Famous Focaccia - My son has been making this since he was eight and it's great
One Hour Cinnamon Rolls - Yep, start to finish in an hour
Puffy French Toast - You know those crispy, puffy french toast sticks you can get at restaurants?
Waffles - light and crisp and perfect
Super Simple Smoothies
Oatmeal Cake
A Recipe for Disaster

...and a little space for last minute picks...

If you have a family favorite, feel free to share! ~ Erin