Sloppy Joes

This is a family favorite for a quick, cheap meal. You can prepare ahead and simply reheat when ready to eat. It's perfect for feeding a crowd or a quick meal for a large family ( or a small family with leftovers to serve on baked potatoes or a second meal)

 

 

2 pounds ground beef

1 c. finely chopped onion

2/3 c. finely chopped celery

2/3 c bell pepper (any color), chopped

2/3 - 1 c. ketchup 

1/4- 1/2 c. water

1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

1 tsp hot sauce (or more for more zip)

 Hamburger buns

In a large pot, brown ground beef, drain fat and rinse with water to remove extra fat. Set aside. 

In the same pot, cook onion, celery and bell pepper in a small amount of olive oil until very tender. Return cooked ground beef into the pot, add the remainder of the ingredients. Start with the lower amount of ketchup and water and add more to make it saucier.

Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover. Simmer sloppy Joes 15 minutes stirring to prevent it from burning, remove cover if too sloppy. Serve on buns and top with cheese, if desired.

 

 

Makes 6-8 sandwiches, depending upon size of buns and amount put into each bun.

Leftovers can be frozen.

Serve with raw carrots and celery sticks and cucumber rounds with ranch dressing and potato chips for a kid-friendly meal or serve with a lettuce salad or coleslaw for adult meal.

Curry Chicken Salad

Use leftover roasted chicken to make a delicious lunch sandwich or a quick sandwich when you have little time to fix a full meal. There are many varieties so change things up and enjoy!

1/4 leftover roasted chicken (I used 1/4 breast and a leg and thigh), chopped in small pieces
1 1/2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green onions with tops, chopped
1 tsp (give or take) curry powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 c. or so Hellman's mayonnaise
1-3 tsp. sweet pickle juice

2-3 Tbsp. finely chopped sweet pickle (I used about 10 baby midgets)
1/4 c. toasted sliced almonds (I buy these alreadytoasted from Trader Joe's)

Chopped Lettuce
Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Combine the chicken, celery, onions, and spices in a medium bowl. Add mayonnaise so it sticks together, but not dry. Add pickle and juice to loosen it up a bit and add the sweet element to the chicken salad. Fold in the toasted almonds. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve in a half pita and top with lettuce. Makes about 3 half pita sandwiches which is enough to feed 3 people.

Variation: Use chopped sweet apple and/or golden raisins instead of sweet pickles.

Variation: Use toasted pecans or walnuts instead of almonds.

Variation: Substitute pineapple and its juice for the sweet pickle and pickle juice.

Hoosier Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

I never heard of a pork tenderloin sandwich until I moved to Indiana. Found on almost every Indiana restaurant menu, it is also a common State Fair food. This recipe is one of the best pork tenderloin sandwiches you'll ever eat. To be a true Hoosier pork tenderloin sandwich, it must be at least 2 inches larger than the bun! Taste a little bit of that Hoosier Hospitality today!

5 1/4 pound boneless pork tenderloin chops cut about 1 inch thick
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. milk
1/2 tsp. EACH - onion powder, granulated garlic, Lawry's seasoning salt, black pepper, oregano, marjoram
2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
Salt
Canola oil for frying
5 buns
Red onion slices
Sliced pickles
Dijon mustard
Hellmann's Mayonnaise
Sliced tomatoes & chopped lettuce (optional)

Butterfly pork chops by slice them in half horizontally, but not cutting through. Put each pork chop between plastic wrap and pound to 1/8 inch (should be fairly even so they cook evenly). Set aside.

Whisk 2 eggs, milk, and spices in a large flat dish (like a pie pan). Place Panko breadcrumbs in another flat dish. Dip each pork chop into the egg and then coat with Panko bread crumbs. Set on a piece of wax paper and set aside. Do not stack pork after breading. Allow to sit on counter until room temperature.

Prior to frying

Pour oil into an iron skillet or heavy pan. Oil should be about 2 inches deep (be sure pan is at least 4 or 5 inches deep). Once oil is hot, but not smoking, turn burner to Medium High. With a metal tongs, carefully place one pork tenderloin chop into hot oil. Fry for about 2 minutes and then turn over and fry an additional 1 minute or until golden brown. Drain on paper toweling. Continue frying each tenderloin, keeping the cooked ones in a warm oven or cover to keep hot. If oil gets low, add more oil and heat back up before frying again.

Should look golden brown, like this!

Toast buns in oven until golden brown. Place a mixture of mustard and Mayonnaise on both sides of the bun, add raw onion and pickles on top of tenderloin patty. You can also add fresh slices of tomato and chopped lettuce for additional crunch.

Makes 5 large sandwiches.

I served my tenderloin sandwiches with coleslaw and oven roasted white and sweet potatoes.

Rowdy Burger

Dave and I used to go to a place in Carmel, Indiana for what was called, "The Rowdy Burger" because it had just about everything you would want on a burger and it would make you rather rowdy when it came to your table heaped with amazing goodness! We went back to see if they had it and lo, and behold, they took it off the menu, so this burger is an attempt to re-create one of the best burgers I've ever had!

 For EACH Burger:

1/3 to 1/2 pound of PRIME ground chuck, shaped into a patty
Season with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic
Grill to desired doneness
Don't forget to toast the bun on the grill.

Top with:
Gorgonzola Cheese
Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese, 1/4 inch thick
Pepper Jack Cheese or Provolone

Allow cheeses to melt.

To the rest of the burger add:
Guacamole
Sweet, raw onion
Roasted Jalapeno(whole and then remove seeds and steps and flatten out)
Caramelized onions
Crispy bacon
Sliced tomato
Sauted mushrooms
Dijon mustard
BBQ sauce (or ketchup)
Pickles on the side or on the burger

You can take or leave whatever you don't want. We served ours with homemade Sweet Potato Fries topped with Emeril's Essence.

Greek Chicken Salad in a Pita Pocket

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to flatten slightly
1/2 bottle Italian dressing
Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
1/2 package grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4 c. chopped red onion
Greek olives
Feta cheese
Homemade hummus (recipe posted on this blog -- to see, click link)
Pita bread
Homemade dressing (see recipe below)

Marinade chicken in Italian dressing overnight. Grill chicken on preheated gas grill for about 5 minutes on a side. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes and cut on the bias into think strips.

To make pita pocket:  Cut pita bread in half. Stuff cooked chicken in the bottom of the pita pocket, put about 1-2 Tbsp. homemade hummus on top, add, cucumber, tomato, onion, green pepper, Greek olives and feta cheese. Top with a small handful of lettuce and drizzle with homemade dressing.

Homemade dressing: 
In a covered jar, mix 2 oz. red wine vinegar, 2 oz. extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, 3 or 4 grinds of pepper, 2 small garlic cloves, crushed, 1 tsp. dried oregano (crushed in hands), 1/2-1 tsp. honey, small squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Make ahead. Shake well before serving.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

So easy, so elegant, so good.....

For each sandwich:
1 Tbsp. butter
2 slices of your favorite bread (I use Health Nut bread)
2-3 oz. sliced deli ham
2-3 oz. sliced turkey
1 slice provolone or Swiss cheese
Honey mustard
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp. milk
pinch salt
Dusting of powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. cherry preserves

Spread honey mustard on one or both slices of bread. Place ham on one slice of the bread and the turkey on the other. Place cheese slice between the two meats. Put the sandwich halves together.

Melt butter in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Do not burn butter, but be certain it is hot and bubbly before toasting sandwich.

Place egg in a shallow pie pan. Add milk and mix until completely scrambled. Add a pinch of salt. Dip sandwich (both sides) in egg mixture, making sure the egg has saturated the bread.

Toast both sides of the bread until brown and cheese is melted, pressing down to make sure the sandwich is warmed inside. Turn several times and make sure the pan has enough butter, so that the sandwich doesn't burn.

Remove sandwich and slice in half - diagonally. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with preserves on the side for dipping. If you don't have cherry preserves, use strawberry instead.

Tuna Melts on Ciabatta Bread

A quick meal you can make when you have little time to cook. Ready in about 10 minutes! Serve with homemade soup, a salad, or chips.

1 loaf of ciabatta bread (I get mine at Trader Joe's)
Olive oil
15 oz. canned Albacore white tuna
1/2 c. Hellmann's Mayonnaise (whatever kind you like)
1/4 c. pickle relish
1-2 stalked celery, finely diced
pepper to taste
12 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
(optional -- sliced tomatoes)

Cut ciabatta bread in half horizontally and then into fourths (you should have 8 pieces of bread). Brush with olive oil and either grill bread or put on a pan and lightly toast under the broiler.

Mix tuna, mayo, celery, pickle relish and pepper until well blended. Spread generously on the 8 slices of toasted bread. Top with shredded Swiss cheese (if adding sliced tomatoes, put tomatoes on top of tuna and then top with cheese).

Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly - about 3-5 minutes. Remove from oven and serve open-faced. You don't need a knife and fork to eat -- just pick it up and enjoy!

Crock pot Chicken Jerk Sandwiches

 

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 large red or green bell pepper, chopped into smaller pieces

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 c. ketchup

3 Tbsp (or more) Jerk Seasoning Mix (see my recipe)

Rub seasoning over chicken. Place peppers and onions in bottom of a crock pot. Top with chicken. Mix broth and ketchup and pour over chicken.

Cook on LOW setting in crock pot for about 6-8 hours. Shred chicken and return to the crock pot and mix well with other ingredients. Can add more Jerk Seasoning to spice it up a bit more...or just add some cayenne if you like it a bit hotter.

Spoon into hard rolls (like hoagie buns or sub buns). Makes about 6 sandwiches.

Serve with chips and coleslaw or tropical fruit salad and bread-butter pickles on the side!

BLT's

In late winter, early spring, begin your tomato seedlings. Buy a large hog and fatten it up. In the spring plant your tomato plants and water and grow them until you have some ripened tomatoes. Also plant some leaf lettuce seeds and harvest your winter wheat. Grind the wheat into flour and bring the hog to be butchered. Be sure you have plenty of smokey bacon cured with natural curing agents.

Around this time (end of July), make your favorite recipe of whole wheat bread and allow it to cure overnight. Make your favorite homemade mayonnaise from only the freshest ingredients. Pick your lettuce and tomatoes and wash thoroughly. Dry the lettuce and thinly slice your tomatoes (you might need two). Fry up some of that bacon until crispy. Slice and toast two pieces of bread. Slather the toast on both sides with the homemade mayo, top with lettuce, tomato and bacon (make sure you put at least 3-4 slices of bacon on this sandwich. Now slice the sandwich diagonally and you've just made the tastiest BLT's around, or.....

Buy some bread, bacon, mayonnaise at the store. If you can, grow your own tomatoes, but if not, go to the Farmer's Market and buy some vine-ripened tomatoes and leaf lettuce. Toast the bread, fry up the bacon and proceed in making the best BLT's this side of the Mississippi!

I love BLT's in the summer -- especially when I have vine-ripened tomatoes on hand! YUM!

PICTURE SHOULD GO HERE, but I ATE IT AND FORGOT TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH!

Greek-Inspired Chicken Salad

At least 3 hours or a day ahead poach the chicken.
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 slice sweet onion
1/4 lemon -- sliced
1 bay leaf
1/2 Tbsp. whole peppercorns
1/2 tsp. flaked salt
In a large skillet, combine wine, onion, lemon, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt, add water so that it will cover the chicken completely. Bring to a boil for about 2 minutes, then turn down heat and add the chicken breasts. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Remove from the heat and uncover, allowing chicken to cool in the liquid about a half hour. Remove chicken and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. Discard liquid. Cut chicken into small 1/2-inch cubes and place into a large mixing bowl.

Salad Ingredients
1 medium eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch rounds
Olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced into 1/2 inch squares
1 cup garlic and herb feta cheese (or if not available, regular feta cheese), crumbled
1/4 c. chopped red onion
1/2 c. pitted and quartered kalamata olives
1/2 c. peeled and diced seedless or seeded cucumber

Heat grill to medium high. Brush both sides of the sliced eggplant with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden and slightly soft (about 2 minutes on a side). Put on a cutting board to cool and then diced into 1/2 inch squares. Placed the eggplant and the remaining salad ingredients in the same bowl as the chicken and mix completely.

Dressing:
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 heaping Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1 heaping Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
several grinds of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. flaked salt

Whisk dressing ingredients completely and pour a little over half of the chicken-eggplant combination so that it is completely coated. Serve the remaining dressing with the salad if needed.

To serve: Either place in pita bread pockets as a sandwich or serve on a large Romaine leaf of lettuce and make a lettuce wrap. Serve with a side of my homemade hummus, additional pita as needed, and minted iced tea.

Makes 6 very generous portions.

Amanda's Pizza Rolls

My "guest chef" today is Amanda Stone -- married to my nephew Caleb. She shared this recipe on Facebook and the photo too. She got her inspiration at tidymom.net, but I personally think her recipe is much easier to follow! They look so yummy and easy, I just had to post it here for all to see! This looks like something that would be perfect for a Sunday night meal or a quick meal when you're on the go.

Pizza dough (refrigerated Pillsbury or homemade)
Toppings for pizza
Cheeses
Pizza, marinara, spaghetti sauce (homemade or store bought)
Italian or Pizza seasonings


**These are made similar to jelly rolls.**

Roll dough out to about 1/4in thickness. Sprinkle dough with seasonings. Add toppings any way you prefer (I used mozzarella cheese on bottom, then added pepperoni, then added another layer of pizza cheese on top). Roll dough jelly roll style, starting on short side. Cut into 'rolls', about 1in thick (mine made 9 pizza rolls). Place about 1 in. apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Check periodically as ovens and times may vary.

Serve with the pizza sauce/marinara/spaghetti sauce as a dipping sauce

Greek-Spiced Feta Burgers

Create your own Greek spice mix and add some Feta cheese to the ground beef to make the burger. To complete the burger, make a homemade Tzatziki sauce add some veggies, stuff it into a pita and you've got yourself a Greek sandwich you will never forget! Let's get started!

Greek Spice Mix
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1/2 tsp. granulated onion
1/2 tsp. dried minced garlic
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Optional: 1 tsp. dried mint leaves

Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Burgers
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, chuck or ground round works best
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 1/2 Tbsp. Greek Spice Mix (see above)
Salt
4 pita pocket bread - sliced on top so burger can fit inside

Thinly sliced English cucumber (about 20 slices)
2 thinly-sliced Roma tomatoes (about 20 slices)
1/4 medium purple onion, thinly-sliced
Chopped lettuce (optional)
Tzatziki Sauce (see recipe below)

Mix the feta cheese and Greek spice into the ground beef. Then roll into a log and cut into desired number of burgers (we made 4). Press out to burger size and salt meat. (see photo below)

Grill burgers for 4-6 minutes on a side on medium high heat. Toast pita bread just before taking burgers off the grill.

Place one burger inside each of the pita pocket bread, then fill the pocket with 2 Tbsp. of Tzatziki sauce. Add cucumber, tomatoes, onion and lettuce to complete the sandwich.


Tzatziki Sauce
1/2 cup Plain (unflavored) Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup peeled cucumber, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. dried dillweed
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for about 15-30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Meatball Subs

Using the recipe for Dave's Famous Gigantic Italian Meatballs, make smaller meatballs, about the size of a walnut, and bake them for less time.

Place the meatballs in your favorite marinara sauce and heat completely.

To make the Sub, place 3-4 meatballs in a sub bun that has been split. Top with provolone or mozzarella cheese and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Broil for a few minutes until bread is toasted and cheese is melted and slightly brown.

Serve with chips or Guiltless Parmesan Roasted Potatoes and a crisp lettuce salad.

Hurray for Burgers and Homemade Cheesy Fries

Boys love burgers and we make all kinds of them! Here's a couple of photos that will hopefully get your mouth watering.....Joshua is the burger chef...he loves to make 'em and Nathaniel loves to eat 'em!

CHEESEBURGERS
1/3-1/2 pound of freshly ground beef (Ultra Premium Gold is our favorite)
Sprinkle with granulated garlic, salt, pepper or some Emeril's Essence
Fry with or without liquid smoke (or grill them if you can) to desired doneness
Toast a bun (preferably homemade or a bun from a good bakery)
Top with your favorite cheese (smoked cheddar, cheddar, swiss, blue cheese, pepperjack, etc.) until melted.
Fry up some bacon (top burger with one or two pieces)
Sliced sweet onion
Sliced tomato
Dill pickles
Dijon mustard
Ketchup (or BBQ sauce)
Lettuce or whatever else you like on a burger

Take a photograph and then eat!

CHEESY POTATOES
These potatoes are topped with shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, so they are only cheesy in the real sense of the word!

Scrub a medium potato per person (plus one or two extra for good measure), Do not peel the potatoes. Slice into long strips and place in icy-cold water for about 10 minutes to pull out the extra starch. Drain completely and then completely wipe off water with a flour-sack dish towel.

Place on a Stoneware pan (I use a Pampered Chef bar pan), Coat with olive oil (not too much, but enough to get them sizzling. Top with a hefty amount of Emeril's Essence and bake at 400-450 degrees. Turn at least once and bake until crispy and browned on all sides (this will take about 25-30 minutes). Just before serving, grate up some extra-sharp cheddar cheese and top with a generous amount. Turn off oven and allow the cheese to melt. Serve immediately with ketchup or small bowls of sour cream mixed with chives.

Cheeseburger and Cheesy Home-fries topped with a little crispy bacon

Calzones

Make bread dough in a bread machine at least 2-3 hours before you want to eat! You can make the dough early, cover it and put it in the refrigerator. Just remember to take out the dough an hour before you want to make dinner so it has a chance to warm up.
Calzone Dough
11/2 cups water
2 T. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 T. dried basil leaves (or Italian seasoning)
3 T. olive oil
3 T. toasted wheat germ
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. rapid rise yeast
1/3 c. oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (or you can leave this out)

Place all ingredients except tomatoes in bread machine in the order specified by your manufacturer. Spoon tomatoes into 4 corners of the pan, but do not cover the yeast. Use the dough setting on your bread machine and remove dough when completed. Place dough on wax paper or parchment paper and allow to rest  for 15 minutes (covered).

You can use anything you like for Calzone Ingredients, but we used the following:

Grated mozzarella cheese, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, freshly sliced baby portabella mushrooms, chopped green or red pepper, chopped red onion, pepperoni, chopped fresh plum tomato, sliced black olives, fresh slices of garlic cloves, sauted lightly.

Other ingredients to try: cooked Italian sausage, cooked Italian meatballs, cooked chicken, artichokes, spinach leaves (cooked and well-drained), fresh zucchini (sliced), a variety of cheeses including ricotta cheese. For a Mexican flavor you could use cooked chorizo sausage, jalepenos, pepperjack cheese, Mexican spices, etc. There are endless possibilities!

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Divide bread dough into fourths. For each fourth, roll, dough out into an oval about 6-8 inches along to long edge. Fill HALF of the dough  with small handful of mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle as many filling ingredients as you want on top and finish with a generous handful of the grated Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, freshly ground black pepper, granulated garlic, and Italian spices.

Fold top half of the Calzone dough on top of the ingredients and seal with an egg wash (1 beaten egg with a small amount of water). Be sure the dough is well sealed or ingredients will spill out while baking. Place calzone on a baking stone and baste entire calzone with the egg wash. Bake on top rack in the 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Watch closely. to ensure it doesn't burn. Move pan to lower rack of the oven if top is too brown.

Calzone is done when the dough sounds "hollow" when tapped and you can hear the ingredients sizzle.

Serve with homemade or jarred spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce warmed up and placed in an individual bowl on the side. Inside ingredients are very hot, so be careful. You can eat like a burrito or with a knife and fork.

Below is a Vegetarian Calzone

BLT's

One of the best things to eat on a hot August day is a BLT (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato) sandwich. I don't have any special recipe, but I do have pictures! We love the tomatoes that are freshly picked from the tomato plant, good bacon, whole wheat toast, fresh lettuce and Hellman's mayo to stick it altogether!

Greek Burger Folds with Yogurt Sauce

This is an adaptation of a Pillsbury recipe I had from one of the "Grilling" books. We think it is scruptious!

Burger Folds

1 1/3 pounds ground sirloin (or try with part or all ground lamb)

2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

2 large garlic cloves, minced

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled or grated

4 (3-10 inch) soft pita flatbread (not the kind with pocket)

1 thinly sliced roma tomato (medium to large sized)

1/3-1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, thinly sliced

thinly sliced vidalia onion

Sauce

1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint

1 large garlic clove, finely minced

Pepper to taste

Combine all sauce ingredients and mix well. Keep cold until serving time.

Heat grill, In a bowl, combine ground meat, onion, oregano, salt, 2 garlic cloves, feta cheese and mix well. Shape mixture into 4 oblong patties about 6 inches by 2 inches. When grill is hot, place patties on medium heat and cook about 13-15 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, turning once.

Wrap pita flatbread in foil and heat on grill for the last 5-7 minutes of burger cooking time.

Spread warm pita bread lightly with sauce. Top with cooked patty, tomato, cucumber and onion slices as desired. Put additional sauce on the sandwich and fold sides of pita to eat.

Serve with a Greek lettuce salad and chips or onion rings!

Caribbean-inspired Black-bean salsa

I'll admit, I took this from Pampered Chef too! It is great alone or combined with strips of cooked pork (chicken would work too) and stuffed into pita pockets.

1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red pepper, chopped
1 fresh mango, cut into small pieces (about 1 cup)
1/2 c. green onions, with tops, sliced on the diagonal
2-3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 c. canola oil
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1-2 tsp. sugar (try honey sometime!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cayene pepper (heaping is good)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (heaping is good)

Mix together the beans, veggies, mango and cilantro in a medium bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Pour dressing over the bean mixture. Stir gently to coat. At this point, you can eat the salsa alone as a side dish or combine with cooked pork strips or chicken strips and fill pita pockets with mixture and eat as a sandwich. Add some lettuce to make the sandwich crunch.

This is simple and delicious -- or maybe simply delicious! Even my children love these and eat them so fast they don't even talk during the meal! That's one way to have a quiet meal at home! :)

Crescent Tuna Melt

2 pkg. Pillsbury Crescent rolls
2 (6 oz) cans of Albacore tuna in spring water, drained
1/4 c. Hellman's Mayo
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. pickle relish
Dash pepper
2/3 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 c. toasted almonds

Unroll crescent rolls into triangles and place in a ring on a baking stone with the wide ends of the triangles toward the center. Flatten and seal seams slightly where the rolls overlap. Mix together the tuna, mayo, celery, mustard, pickle relish, pepper and cheese until well mixed. Place tuna mixture around the ring of rolls and then fold the small pointed ends up and over the tuna mixture to form a wreath effect. Sprinkle (and press into) the almonds on top of the rolls. Bake in preheated 375* oven. Bake 20-25 minutes until mixture is bubbly and rolls are completely cooked and not doughy. Top will be browned and crispy.

Cut into 8 pieces and enjoy as an appetizer or light lunch. Serve with soup or salad for a complete lunch.

Chicago-style Italian Beef Sandwiches

This is one of our favorite beef roast recipes. You can use chuck roast to make it because it will be tender and tasty with all of the added Italian spices added.

Place a 3-4 # beef roast and 1 cup of beef broth or water in crock pot. Spice beef with garlic powder, onion powder, fennel, salt, pepper, dried or fresh oregano, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook for 6-8 hours or until very tender. 

Remove roast from crockpot and strain juice. Cool both in the refrigerator until fat hardens in juice. Skim fat from juice and remove fat from beef and cut or shred roast into thin slices. You can use any beef roast (sirloin tip, chuck roast, bottom round). Place roast beef and the juice from the crock pot into a large pot. To it add:

2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. sesame seed
2 tsp. fennel seed
5-10 pepperoncini peppers, sliced, but not seeded
1/4 c. of juice from pepperoncinis (don’t skip this!)
Black pepper and salt to taste
1 thinly sliced sweet pepper (I use red, orange or green)

Juice should cover or nearly cover meat (if not, add  water or more canned of beef broth), bring to a boil and simmer until pepper is tender.

Serve on toasted Kaiser rolls w/ a slice of provolone cheese on the bottom. Serve with sauce for dipping. Can also serve with giardiniera pickled veggies atop.

This recipe takes a little planning, but you can cook the beef in the crock pot the day before and then it takes no time at all to make up the Italian beef (maybe 1/2 hour) the next day.

It has no artificial ingredients and no preservatives! Serve with homemade oven fries or Guiltless Parmesan Roasted Potatoes and Italian broccoli (Cook broccoli, add freshly grated parmesan cheese and spritz with low-fat Italian dressing for a tastey and healthy side dish!!) or zucchini stir fry with onion and Italian seasoning.