Sloppy Joe BBQ Pizza

 

 

 

 

My mom used to make this pizza on busy Wednesday nights before church. Sometimes she would fold over the dough to make calzones. Super yum! Since you don’t use an entire can of sloppy joe sauce (you can use BBQ sauce instead) I like to freeze the leftovers flat in a small zip loc bag for an easy meal later on.

Sloppy Joe Pizza

Cook Time: 25 minutes
Level: Easy
Servings: 4-6

pizza dough
1/3 c. BBQ sauce or sloppy joe sauce (like Manwich)
1/2 c. ground beef, cooked
1/3 c. corn, drained and rinsed
1/3 c. peppers and onions, frozen
1/3 – 1/2 c. shredded cheese
jalapeños, chopped, to taste
red onions, sliced, to taste
ranch dressing, to taste

Pre-heat oven according to pizza dough directions. If using a dough that needs rolling out, roll out onto a greased cookie sheet, pizza pan, or baking stone. Bake dough for 8 minutes. Take it out of the oven and top it with BBQ sauce or sloppy joe sauce and next 6 ingredients.

 

Bake for and additional 4-6 minutes, or until dough is golden brown on the bottom and slightly browned on the edges. Take out of the oven and top with ranch dressing, if desired. Yum!

Tips
– Economically speaking, the bag of pizza dough mix is the way to go. You can get it for around 60¢ per bag and all you need to mix with is water. The tube of refrigerated dough and the fresh dough balls from the bakery section also work well in this recipe. You can even opt for a pre-made dough, like a Boboli crust.
-Rinsing vegetables from a can removes up to 25% of the added sodium. Try to buy the low sodium versions and rinse those as well.
– Don’t forget! You can add different ingredients to different parts of a pizza to help please everyone. Tonight, my half of the pizza was sans onions and double jalapeños!

Grilled Apple Pork Burgers with a Maple Mustard Glaze

Tonight was an adventure. I wasn’t really sure where this dinner was taking me but I knew I needed to use up the ground pork I had in my freezer. Pork chops and apple sauce is a classic combination so I figured ground pork and chopped apples would have a similar flavor. Everyone loves a good burger… so I went for it.

What became of this burger was nothing short of delicious. An interesting combination of flavors, to say the least, but it was both savory and sweet and very well balanced.

Grilled Apple Pork Burgers with a Maple Mustard Glaze

Servings: 2
Time: 15 minutes
Level: Medium

1/3 – 1/2 lb. ground pork
1 small apple, peeled and diced into small pieces
curry powder, a good sprinkle
garlic powder, a good sprinkle
ground cinnamon or nutmeg, a good sprinkle
ground ginger, a good sprinkle
paprika, a good sprinkle
1 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
1/2 tbsp. maple syrup

Mix pork, apple, and spices together.

Form meat mixture into two patties.

Either on the grill or in a grill pan, grill burgers for 4-6 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, mix together mustard and syrup. Baste burgers while cooking with mustard glaze.

Yum!

Tips
– Serve alone or on whole wheat buns with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

Perfectly Roasted Chicken – Comfort Food At It’s Best!

Whew. What a looong weekend/week. After everything we’ve all been through, I thought we deserved a little R&R and a deliciously comforting meal. This roasted chicken takes about 10 minutes to prepare so it’s in the oven in no time. It also makes your entire house smell like a cozy diner on a winter’s day.

While it roasted away in the oven, I got in a load of laundry, took the dogs on a w-a-l-k, (can’t say it in front of them, ya know) and took a much deserved bath. This is my go-to recipe for roasted chicken and it delivers time after time. I hope you like it.

The two of us can typically get about 4-5 meals out of one chicken so buy them when they’re on sale and keep them in your freezer to roast later. You can also freeze the cooked meat. That’s what I did tonight. We ate the chicken legs for dinner and I froze a bag of the breasts and two bags of shredded meat. That will come in handy later on when I’m in a hurry and need to make a quesadilla or a quick casserole.

Perfectly Roasted Chicken

Servings: 8
Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes total
Level: Medium

1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs.), thawed
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, cut into thirds
1 Tbsp. margarine
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. chicken seasoning (such as Weber’s Kick’n Chicken)

Preheat oven to 400°. Remove innards from chicken. Dry off chicken, inside and out, with paper towels. Fill cavity with garlic, onions, celery, and margarine.

Rub outside of chicken with oil. Sprinkle seasonings all over. Tuck wings and tie legs together with kitchen twine, if desired.  Place any leftover onion or celery pieces in the bottom of a large cast iron skillet. Place chicken on top.

Roast in the oven, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 180° when inserted into the thickest part of the breast. Remove from oven, let rest for at least 15 minutes, and serve. Yum!

Tips
– If you don’t have kitchen twine, you can use unwaxed and unflavored dental floss or upholstery thread.
– Instead of using chicken seasoning, use your favorite fresh herbs, like rosemary or thyme.

In Honor of the First Day of Summer: A Delicious Chicken and Veggie Marinade for the Grill

It has felt like summer for a month now. But today marks the summer solstice and the official first day of summer. To honor the longest day of the year we’d better fire up the grill!

This marinade is one of my favorites. It is so simple… just two ingredients! And it packs a serious punch after marinating for only 20 minutes. It simply can’t be beat.

Grilled Chicken and Vegetables Marinade

Time: 5 minutes to make, at least 20 minutes to marinade.
Servings: I marinated 2 big chicken breast and about 3 c. of chopped veggies.
Level: Easy

2/3 c. Zesty Italian dressing (you can use lite or fat free)
almost 1 Tbs. Weber Grill Kick’n Chicken seasoning

Mix ingredients together in a large zip-loc bag. Add whole chicken breasts and various chopped veggies. Seal bag and rub marinade all through chicken and veggies. Lay bag flat on the counter and let marinade sit for at least 20 minutes, turning bag a few times.

Grill over medium heat for 15- 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. Yum!

Tips
– I had leftover red and green bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and white button mushrooms from my Steak and Veggie Kabobs. I used those veggies plus a roughly chopped onion.
– I grilled my veggies in a grilling basket.

Chili Cheese Turkey Dogs

These are some serious knife and fork dogs. The spicy chili and grilled hot dog combo is a classic that simply can’t be beat.

I NEVER order these when I’m out because chili can be unpredictable and VERY VERY fatty. You never know what the consistency is going to be like and you can never tell what cut of meat has been used. I like my chili chunky. I want to be able to see the meat, beans, and tomatoes and taste them all individually if I wanted to. I know, I know… I’m such a weirdo.

This chili is not just good on hot dogs. It is also delicious when served alone, on top of Fritos or tortilla chips, topped with sour cream and cheese, or any combination of the three. An added bonus?! This chili recipe is quick and easy and only takes 15 minutes to make!

Speedy Spicy Chili

Servings: 4
Time: 15 minutes
Level: Easy

1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 lb. ground turkey or ground beef
1 can chili ready tomatoes
1 can chili beans
1/4 c. jalapeños
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin

In a deep sauté  pan over medium-high heat, cook onions and garlic in a little oil until they become fragrant. Add meat and cook until no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients and continue to cook, stirring often, until chili reduces and becomes thick. Yum!

Grill hot dogs, place in warmed hot dog buns, and top with chili and shredded cheese. Yum!

Tips
– My dad likes to add mustard to the top of his chili dogs.
– Jason likes to add sour cream.
– You can use regular hot dogs instead of turkey dogs.
– You can also leave the meat out of the chili and use vegetarian hot dogs.

Steak and Veggie Kabobs

This marinade isn’t true to the original recipe because I couldn’t remember it exactly but comes from a great friend and amazing lasagna maker, Web. He made it for us a few weeks back and they were amazing!

Summertime screams “Turn on the Grill!” so that is just what we did. What better way to beat the 100° weather than to spend time outside over a fiery grill? Kidding… it always takes some convincing in this hot humidity to get the grill going in our house but tonight, it was well worth it.

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Steak and Veggie Kabobs

Time: 24 hours… but seriously about 10-15 minutes to prepare
Servings: 4-6
Level: Easy

Marinade:
1 c. Zesty Italian dressing
1/2 c. Worcestershire
1/2 c. Dale’s Low Sodium Steak Seasoning (picture in slideshow)
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Kabobs:
1 1/2 lbs. chuck roast, or your favorite cut of beef… almost anything will do, cut into big bite sized pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into big bite sized pieces
1 green bell pepper, chopped into big bite sized pieces
1 red bell pepper, chopped into big bite sized pieces
1 onion, chopped into big bite sized pieces
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 package white button mushrooms, cut in half, length wise

In a long dish, whisk marinade ingredients together. Add meat and veggies.

Toss to coat. Cover dish in plastic wrap and let sit overnight in the fridge, stirring once or twice throughout the day.

When ready to grill, thread meat and veggies on skewers.

Grill over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning often to ensure even grilling.

Yum!

Tips
– Serve with a side of brown rice.
– Skewer pineapple and grill for a sweet addition.
– Use leftovers to make steak fajitas.

BBQ Chicken and Bacon Mini Tarts

These little appetizers are delicious hot out of the oven and at room temperature so they are perfect for tailgating or entertaining. You can switch up the filling to include anything you want. I once used pizza sauce and pepperoni instead of BBQ sauce and chicken. The options are truly endless.

One filling I would like to try is cream cheese mixed with a little sugar and lemon juice topped with sliced fruit. Doesn’t that sound great?

BBQ Chicken and Bacon Mini Tarts

Servings: This recipe made 24 tarts
Time: 20 minutes
Level: Medium

1 tube crescent rolls
6 chicken strips, cooked and cut into tiny bite sized pieces (I used Tyson 100% white meat chicken nuggets… I keep them around to throw on salads)
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used turkey bacon)
1/4 c. BBQ sauce
jalapeños, sliced
1/3 c. cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a mini muffin tin. Unroll crescent rolls and smoosh together to make one big rectangle of dough. Cut into 24 small squares.

Stretch each square a little and press down into each muffin cup.

Bake for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and fill each cup with a tiny amount of BBQ sauce, a piece of chicken, a few bacon crumbles, a piece of a jalapeño slice, and a little shredded cheese.

Bake for 2 more minutes. Yum!

Tips
– Jason likes to dip his in ranch dressing. Go figure.

BBQ Chili Meatballs

You know those little cocktail meatballs you always see at parties? I had a very random craving for those tonight. I didn’t have any grape jelly, packaged meatballs, or time to use my crockpot tonight. But I did have chili sauce, or as the bottle says… ketchup with a kick! Ha. Too bad it doesn’t really taste like ketchup. Anyway, this is my quick version and they more than satisfied my craving.

BBQ Chili Meatballs

Servings: 2
Time: 20 minutes
Level: Easy

Enough ground beef to make 2 hamburger patties (I just eye balled it…)
1 tbsp. dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 tbsp. chili saice
sprinkle of chili powder
sprinkle of pepper
sprinkle of dry onion flakes, or finely diced fresh onion
1/4 c. BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 400°. Mix all ingredients together, being careful to handle meat as little as possible so it doesn’t become tough.

Roll meat into 1 – 1 1/2 inch balls.

Place on a cookie sheet that has sides or in a baking dish.

 (Oh, hasn’t my cookie sheet been loved?)

Bake for 15 minutes or until no longer pink in the center. Remove from oven and set on a paper towel lined plate to help drain off excess oil. Roll or dip each meatball in BBQ sauce. Yum!

Tips
– Serve over brown rice.
– Serve along side Green Chile Cornbread
– Make a meatball sub with any leftovers. Just throw the meatballs, some provolone cheese, and a little mayo onto a hoagie  roll.

BBQ Pineapple Luau Pizza

Tonight’s dinner was AMAZING! I will definitely be making this pizza again and again. I had a little fresh pineapple (fresh pineapple… oh, how sweet!) left in the fridge and a hankering for Hawaiian Pizza. The only problem  was that I needed to make more pizza sauce and I wanted dinner to be quick tonight. No pizza sauce? No problem! I decided to use BBQ sauce instead.

I came across a recipe earlier this week that had me thinking. The recipe was for chicken and pineapple quesadillas and it looked divine. I will HAVE to try it soon.

But tonight, I wanted pizza. Fast. So I used this recipe as my inspiration and what I came up with was truly delicious. This is seriously a must try recipe!

Luau Pizza

Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4-6
Level: Easy

Pizza dough/crust
BBQ sauce
Ham, chopped
Pineapple, thinly sliced
Green bell pepper, diced
Onion, cut into thin rings
Jalapeños, diced
Cheese, shredded

Pre-heat oven and make/roll out dough according to pizza dough directions.

Pre-bake dough for 5 minutes. Top with BBQ sauce and remaining ingredients, ending with cheese.

Bake pizza for an additional 10-15 minutes until crust is golden brown. Yum!

Tips
– Use a pre-made crust for a faster dinner.
– Top with a little crushed red pepper for more of a kick.
– I used a packaged dough mix that mixes with water. For 57¢ you can’t beat it if you like thin crust!
– Use as many or as little of the above ingredients. Tonight, I only put onions on 1/2 of the pizza. Jason LOVES them… Me? Not so much…
– Jason dipped his in a little ranch dressing. He’s obsessed with ranch.
– You can substitute the ham for Canadian bacon, bacon, turkey bacon, or even chicken.

John Wayne BBQ Burgers

Tonight was just one of those nights… you know the kind. The kind of night that’s rainy and cold and you walk in your door exhausted. All I could think about after a long day of work and a killer workout was a burger.

Thank goodness I worked out today because after eating this burger, I probably need another hour of TurboKick. Ugh, there’s always tomorrow… but tonight, I was comforted and it was just what I needed.

A traditional John Wayne Burger, or pizza for that matter, is usually topped with BBQ sauce, onion rings, cheddar cheese, and bacon. My take on the burger stemmed from leftover French fried onions from my Crispy Onion Baked Chicken recipe and a killer craving for the new Muenster cheese I just bought. Ahh, a perfect creation! I hope you like it.

Crispy Onion BBQ Burgers

Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2
Level: Easy

2 servings of ground beef (I always pre-portion my meat once I buy it…)
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. onions, chopped
1/3 c. BBQ sauce, divided in half
2 whole wheat hamburger buns
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 slices Muenster cheese
1/4 c. French fried onions… they aren’t just for green bean casserole, ya know

Mix ground beef, pepper, onions, and half of the BBQ sauce. Form into 2 patties. Either outside on the grill or inside in a grill pan, grill burgers until no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes on each side.

Spread remaining BBQ sauce on one side of hamburger buns and spread mayo on the other side. Top buns with burgers, Muenster cheese, and French fried onions. Yum!

Tips
– Leave off the mayo if you want to… or use fat-free.
– You can use dried onions to mix in with the ground beef instead of diced fresh onions.
– Add bacon if you want to… I wanted to but alas, my waistline preferred I didn’t.