What's For Dinner

Sloppy Joes

A friend had us over for Sloppy Joes the other night and it was a great flash back! My mom was known in our neighborhood growing up as the Queen of Sloppy Joes!!
Sautee some chopped onions and ground beef with some S&P. Add some catsup, brown sugar, mustard, worcestchire sauce, and perhaps some chopped bell pepper. (My girlfriend adds a can of Chicken Gumbo soup! It’s awesome!). Simmer on low until everything is sloppy and yummy! Serve on hamburger buns with some good old potato chips on the side!

Spritz Cookies
I love to make these with my children because they are very easy and kids love using the cookie press!
1 ½ c. softened butter
1 c. granulated sugar
1 t. baking powder
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
¼ t. almond extract
3 ½ c. flour
Beat butter in high for 30 seconds, add sugar and baking powder – beat until combined. Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond. Beat in the flour. Press out the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet, sprinkle with colored sugar and bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Delicious! If you don’t have a cookie press, Williams & Sonoma has a great one!

Bacon Wrapped Chestnuts
wrap bacon around whole water chestnuts, place in baking dish in oven at 400 for about 15 minutes. Add sticky sauce (catsup, mustard, brown sugar) and bake until bubbly and sticky!

Pizza Pinwheels
pastry dough with grated cheese, pepperoni, other pizza toppings. Rollup and cut into wheels. Bake until golden. Dip in pizza sauce.

Christmas Dinner
Prime Rib (bone in, rubbed generously with Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, chopped fresh rosemary and minced garlic)
Homemade dinner rolls, smashed potatoes, petite peas with sautéed mushrooms, green salad, a family famous jello salad, and Red Velvet birthday cake for the King of Kings!

Fondue
I love to make fondue! It’s such a fun, interactive, easy, impressive meal!
I love to serve lots of different things to dip in addition to the traditional bread. Mini potatoes, grapes, apples, broccoli, green beans, green olives and cornichon pickles.
Classic Fondue:
1 clove of garlic peeled ( I usually use at least 3)
1 c. dry white wine
1 T. fresh lemon juice
8 oz. Gruyere cheese (about 2 ½ c.)
8 oz. Emmentaler cheese (about 2 ½ c.)
3 oz. Appenzeller cheese (about ½ c.)
4 t. corn starch
1 T kirsch
Touch of nutmeg and ground pepper
Rub the inside of your fondue pot with the garlic, add wine and lemon juice and bring to a warm simmer. Toss the shredded cheeses with the corn starch and add small batches to the simmering wine, stirring constantly in a figure 8 pattern. Once all the cheese in incorporated and melted, add the nutmeg and pepper and enjoy immediately.

Texas Caviar
Here’s a way to get in your black-eyed peas for the New Year!
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans black-eyed peas, drained (If this is hard to find, use the dried beans and follow the directions on the bag to soak)
2 med. tomatoes, chopped  (I leave these out because I hate tomatoes!)
4 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 med. green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 med. red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 (8 oz.) bottle Italian salad dressing (or you can make your own vinaigrette)
Combine all ingredients except Italian dressing; mix well. Pour salad dressing over mixture; cover and marinate at least 2 hours in refrigerator. Drain and serve with corn chips or tortilla chips. Makes 7 cups.