Tuesday, January 18, 2011

A couple of recipes...

We are going over budgeting in our Sunday School class and it has been an awesome series. It's amazing how your life will change when you get your finances in order with how the Lord expects us to manage our money. With that said, Grocery shopping is a BIG deal in our family! I love to grocery shop! I love to see how cheap I can get things and how much I can get for free. It's not always easy. It takes some time, but there's nothing greater than knowing I have saved a lot of money just by being discipled with my pre-shopping preparation. I make a list and I follow it! I make my menu for 2 weeks at a time. It makes things sooo much easier and saves a ton of money!
So with all that said, here are some great meals that are easy to make and so yummy!!

It's not always easy to sit down and think of a couple of weeks of meals. I get in a rut just like everyone else, but I love trying new things and I love looking for new recipes!

This is a great meal that is always satisfying to our family!

Recipe: Sloppy Joes

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Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 2-½ pounds Ground Beef
  • ½ whole Large Onion, Diced
  • 1 whole Large Green Bell Pepper, Diced
  • 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • 1-½ cup Ketchup
  • 1 cup Water
  • 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Chili Powder (more To Taste)
  • 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
  • ½ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes (more To Taste)
  • Worcestershire Sauce, To Taste
  • 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste (optional)
  • Tabasco Sauce (optional; To Taste)
  • Salt To Taste
  • Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
  • Kaiser Rolls
  • Butter

Preparation Instructions

Add butter to a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Drain most of the fat and discard.

Add onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get soft.

Add ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, and water. Stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Also add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and Tabasco if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Spread rolls with butter and brown on a griddle or skillet. Spoon meat mixture over the rolls, topping with a slice of cheese if it makes your skirt fly up. Serve hot with kettle cooked chips!


Recipe: Macaroni and Cheese

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Ingredients

  • 4 cups Dried Macaroni
  • 1 whole Egg Beaten
  • ¼ cups (1/2 Stick Or 4 Tablespoons) Butter
  • ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
  • 2-½ cups Whole Milk
  • 2 teaspoons (heaping) Dry Mustard, More If Desired
  • 1 pound Cheese, Grated
  • ½ teaspoons Salt, More To Taste
  • ½ teaspoons Seasoned Salt, More To Taste
  • ½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
  • Optional Spices: Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Thyme

Preparation Instructions

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain.

In a small bowl, beat egg.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.

Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth.

Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth.

Add in cheese and stir to melt.

Add salt and pepper. Taste sauce and add more salt and seasoned salt as needed! DO NOT UNDERSALT.

Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

(I don't usually use the dried mustard only because I don't have it on hand and it tastes
great without!)

This makes a great meal! I don't like sloppy joes but these are amazing!

Happy Cooking and Happy Meal Planning!!

2 comments:

The Jordon Family said...

Yum!! We love sloppy joes and mac n cheese :) Keep 'em coming!! You are a very well planned out lady!
Love ya!!

Chrissy Cash said...

Both look really good! Gotta try them next week! I do have dry mustard on hand and I love the flavor it adds, so I'm excited to try them! What website are these recipes from? You know I'm always on the hunt for new ones, too! Thanks!