Sloppy Joes (Edited)

This is easy. It's basically the chili recipe with a couple of changes.

Sloppy Joes

1 1/2 pound ground beef or turkey
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 chopped bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic
chili seasoning
Spaghetti sauce

Brown the meat with the onions and bell peppers. Drain well. Add remaining ingredients, spaghetti sauce last. The amount of sauce & chili seasoning is up to the individual, I'd suggest starting with about a cup of sauce and a teaspoon of chili powder and then adding more of each as you see fit. You can leave out the garlic if you want, or use garlic salt or powder. You can also add salt and/or pepper. Add sauce in small amounts and stir well - same thing applies to the chili powder. Remember, it's a whole lot easier to add more to it than it is to take it out if you use too much!

I usually let it simmer 5 - 10 minutes over a very low flame. Simmer time varies, depending on how much liquid I want.

The spaghetti sauce can be canned, from a jar or homemade. I tend to stick with Ragu brand, sometimes I'll use the kind with mushrooms in it but I usually use the plain kind. Use whatever kind you like.

I usually serve it over toast, sometimes I'll use hamburger buns.

Edit: I am probably going to retool this one, I have a few ideas I want to try with it. If I do, I'll post them as another recipe and leave this one posted.

Chili (Edited) (Edited Again!)

This is one of our favorites. Naturally, we are Texan after all! It's easy and you can control the amount of heat very easily.

1 1/2 pound ground beef or turkey ****
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 or 2 can chili beans
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 chopped bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic
chili seasoning

Brown the meat with the onions and bell peppers. Drain well. Add remaining ingredients, chili seasoning last. The amount of chili seasoning is up to the individual, I'd suggest starting with about a tablespoon and then adding more as you see fit. The only way to tell when you have enough chili seasoning is to taste it. We use a lot, like about 1/2 cup but sometimes more, and that's only the amount I start with. You can leave out the garlic if you want, or use garlic salt or powder. You can also add salt and/or pepper. Bill usually tops his off with a lot of picante sauce (real Texans only use Pace!).

I usually let it simmer 5 - 10 minutes over a very low flame. Simmer time varies, depending on how much liquid I want in the chili.

This is a really good meal for cold weather, but we have it pretty much all year round. It's a Texas thing. It's good served with tortillas, crackers, nacho chips or whatever you happen to feel like. We also top it with shredded cheese.

Chili isn't chili unless it has beans in it. It's just spicy meat sauce otherwise. In Oklahoma, chili is apparently served without beans but see my first sentence for my opinion on that! Another way it's served in Oklahoma is over cooked pasta. It's called 3-Way Chili: chili, beans, pasta = 3. It's surprisingly good over pasta.

We usually use ground turkey, but Bill's requested that I make it with ground buffalo so I'll probably try that the next time.

****I tried it with ground buffalo. It was very good! But buffalo has more fat than turkey, so it will need to be drained longer.

2nd Edit: We made it a slightly different way, we added about 4 oz. of water and let it simmer a little longer. It was obviously more soupy than normal, but it was good.

Oven Fried Chicken

This is actually a version of baked, it's not actually fried. I usually use chicken breast (not boneless) but you could use any other pieces. I also remove the skin but that is not necessary. It's just healthier that way.

And measurements don't happen here! So I'm going to guess, but remember - it's a guess.

Chicken breast (however many you want)

Remove the skin, rinse off if you want to. If you do rinse, you'll need to pat dry slightly.

In a large (gallon) ziploc-style bag, combine:

flour (about a cup)
cornmeal (optional)
garlic powder (teaspoon?)
salt
pepper
parsley flakes
chili seasoning (if desired)
any other spices you want to use

Zip the bag closed, then shake it to mix the contents.

In a bowl:

1 or 2 eggs, beaten with a fork or whisk
(you can add a little milk to the egg, if you want to)

Dip the chicken in the egg, turn to coat both sides. Then put the chicken piece in the bag, seal the bag and shake to coat the chicken. You can repeat the egg & bag step if you want a deeper coating of breading on the chicken. I suggest you use tongs for this step, as it gets messy!

Repeat until you've run out of chicken! You might have to add more flour, etc. to the bag and you might also need more egg/milk.

When you've coated all the chicken pieces, place them on a cookie sheet or baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. I use an olive oil based spray.

Cook at 425 degrees. Approximately 30 minutes. About 25 minutes into the cooking time, I usually check for doneness. I use a fork, poke into the thickest part of the meat and it's usually done when the juices run clear. If you aren't sure, cut into the meat at the thickest part and visually check.

Pasta Dogs

This one is about as easy as it gets. It's one that Bill came up with on his own, sometimes he experiments. When he experiments, sometimes strange things happen. This one turned out pretty good. It's not one that we have often, but it's fast and simple. And better than it sounds!

Pasta Dogs

Any type of pasta, cooked according to package directions
Hot dog weiners, sliced.
Olive oil
Parsley

About 5 minutes before the pasta is cooked, add the hot dog slices. Then drain pasta when done. Add olive oil & parsley, stir well. It won't take much oil. I suggest you stop adding oil BEFORE you think you've added enough because you can always add more but it's not something you can take out if you add too much. Experiment with this one, we've made it with cut up ham instead of hot dogs before. You can use any other seasonings you want to, with or in place of the parsley.

I didn't say it was a particularly healthy meal, but it's good. I do use beef hot dogs, on the rare occasions that I actually eat them.

A Different Kind of Chicken Fajita (Edited)

This one is different. It's one I created and it's actually pretty good. It's easy.

1 - 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast (you can use other cuts, but we prefer chicken breast meat)

Lemon juice
Fajita seasing, I use McCormick's***

Place chicken breast in a ziploc bag or a container with a secure lid. Pour about 2 - 3 tablespoons of lemon juice over the chicken - the amount can vary depending on how much chicken you actually use. This is one of those times I don't measure, so I'm not sure of the exact amount of lemon juice.

Sprinkle fajita seasoning on the chicken, on both sides. The amount is up to you, we prefer it to be fairly spicy so I use a LOT of seasoning.

Let it marinate in the refrigerator for several hours. I also prepare it in ziploc bags and then freeze it for later use, thaw it out in the fridge (generally overnight) and by the time it's thawed it is well marinated. If using a bag, flip the bag over about half way through the marinating process. If you are using a container, you can turn the individual pieces over. Drain off and discard any remaining marinade liquid.

I usually bake the chicken in the microwave, but it can also be cooked in a small amount of olive oil on the stove. You'll want to use a good, non-stick pan if you prefer to use the stove. You can add more fajita seasoning at this point if you think you need it. When the chicken is cooked through, drain it well and cut into bite-size pieces. If using the microwave, the chicken pieces will need to be turned and cooked on both sides. I usually give it about 4 minute per side. Depending on the thickness of the chicken, it might need to be flipped more than once.

This is where it gets different. The amounts on the next ingredients are also not measured but I'm guessing.

Next ingredients:

Yellow squash (1 or 2)
Zuchinni squash (1 or 2) (the squashes need to be sliced or chopped)
Onion, chopped (at least half of one onion but I usually use more)
Bell pepper, chopped (1)
Carrots, peeled and sliced (2 or 3)
Celery, chopped (2 or 3 stalks)
Jalepenos, chopped (optional)
Any other fresh vegetable you like.

Saute the veggies in a small amount of olive oil. It's a good idea to start with the carrots first as they take longer to cook. Then add the rest of the vegetables and stir frequently. When they are warmed and slightly cooked to the crisp-tender stage, add the chopped chicken. There may be a lot of liquid left in the pan, thanks to the squash. Also, you'll want to make sure you have a large pan for this stage. Non-stick works best. You could also use a wok and we have used a griddle for it (such as for pancakes) but it didn't work as well. And then there is always the old standard, cast iron!

Serve on warmed tortillas. Add shredded cheese, sour cream if desired, tomatos, lettuce as desired and top with picante sauce. (True Texans only use Pace brand!)

It also makes a wonderful taco salad. Prepare as directed but then instead of tortillas, place it on a bed of lettuce with the other "normal" taco toppings - cheese, tomatos, etc.

The squash and carrots make it different from standard fajitas but they give it a wonderful flavor. It would probably work as well with beef, but we haven't tried it.

***I have made my own seasoning before, I use an assortment of spices. Finely ground black pepper, garlic powder, a little salt are the base ingredients and then I use whatever I happen to have on hand and feel like at the time.