Sloppy Joes with a String Cheese Surprise

Growing up, we were a Manwich family through and through. We ate sloppy joes a lot, and Mom always used the sauce from the can. I'm not going to lie: To this day, I shamelessly love the canned stuff. Since leaving my mom's house, I've tried to find a suitable replacement for it...really, I have. First, there was my best friend's version of the sauce, which consisted of just ketchup and brown sugar. Delicious, but not exactly what I was going for. Then there was the version I created while working at the Waffle House (I've mentioned that I worked there, right? All through high school and college?), which consisted of every sauce and/or condiment in the place all mixed together. Also pretty delicious, but expensive to make at home -- a lot of those sauces ain't cheap!

Mostly, when I make plain old sloppy joes, I still use the sauce from the can. But when I came across this recipe, it looked too yummy not to try. And it's the perfect sloppy joe sauce -- a more-than-suitable replacement for my beloved can!

What I really love about this recipe is that the sloppy joes are served in a hot dog bun, and that there's a piece of string cheese underneath the meat and sauce. It was such a fun, unexpected surprise for my oldest when he bit into his sloppy joe. True to its name, the string cheese gets all stringy and melty, and its mildness complements the slightly spicy and altogether flavorful sloppy joes. We all loved these, and they're well on their way to "family favorite" status.

Sloppy Joes with a String Cheese Surprise

adapted from Simply Scratch

Bacon grease or vegetable oil

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, minced

1 clove minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup water 

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

8 mozzarella string cheese sticks, at room temperature

8 hot dog buns

1. Sauté the onions in bacon grease or oil. Once translucent and soft, add the garlic, cook for one minute. Add the ground beef and cook through, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon. 

2. Add the chili powder, tomato sauce, brown sugar, water, mustard, and Worcestershire to the meat mixture. Stir and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Place the cheese sticks inside the buns and top with sloppy joe sauce. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Oven Chips

I'm sure a lot of you have resolved to eat better and healthier this year. I think it's something we should all strive for to a certain extent...I guess I just fall more into the "everything in moderation" category. This year, I plan to keep cooking the way I cook as far as dinner goes, but to eat healthier for breakfast and lunch. Too often I fall prey to the work cafeteria, and although they have plenty of healthy options there, I rarely choose them. That's what I want to change this year. That'll free me up for the occasional dinner indulgence!

That being said...I feel like I owe you a "healthy" recipe today. When I went through the list of recipes that I haven't shared yet, this one was just about the healthiest I could find. And not only are these zucchini oven chips healthy...they're delicious too. Even my kids thought so! Apparently the word "chips" has magical properties for them, and can turn even the most disdained of vegetables into something they enjoy. Who knew? Maybe next I'll try "cauliflower chips" for Andrew, and "green bean chips" for Will!

The thing with these is that they seem to get cold really quickly. And when they get cold, they get soggy and mushy. So just be sure you serve them right away. Served warm, they're flavorful and delicious -- and just like more traditional potato chips, I bet you can't eat just one!

Tomorrow I'll share the (not-so-healthy but incredibly yummy) sloppy joes I served these with.

Zucchini Oven Chips

slightly adapted from MyRecipes

1/4 cup dry Italian-style breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons 2% milk

2 1/2 cups zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (2 small zucchini)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. 

3. Place milk in a shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture. 

4. Place coated slices on an ovenproof wire rack coated with cooking spray; place rack on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp. Serve immediately.

Weekly Meal Planning, Week of 1.2.12

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone! Oh, man, I am so happy New Year's Day is finally here. I know it's just another day, but this year, it definitely feels like a new beginning. I absolutely believe that 2012 is going to be an amazing year for all of us!

I hope you're all recovering from last night, those of you that actually celebrated. As for me? I took a bath and was in bed by 11:00. That's just how exciting I am. Later today we're headed to my grandparents-in-laws' house for our traditional New Years lunch of pork and sauerkraut, so at least I have that to look forward to.

Which brings me to this question: What is traditionally eaten on New Year's Day where you live? I know in the South it's black-eyed peas and collard greens, and Rachel mentioned the other day on Twitter that a lot of people eat Chinese food where she lives. Around here? We have pork roast, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes. Anyway, I'm just curious.

On to the meal plan! The plan this week is composed of a few things I didn't get to make in the last couple of weeks (I've been on vacation, and I've been taking a break from the kitchen too!), a couple of our favorites, and even a few new recipes.

Monday: Roasted garlic chicken pasta in white wine white cheddar sauce. What a mouthful, right? I've had this recipe bookmarked to try for ages, and I happen to have all of these ingredients on hand.

Tuesday: Mom's "good-for-you" casserole. I grew up with this, and since this is the time of year I miss my mom the most, this dose of her comfort food is just what I need.

Wednesday: Chicken noodle soup -- without the cream, and with homemade egg noodles. A commenter on my post about the egg noodles shared the way she cuts them, so I'm going to try her way this time. I'll make the noodles on Monday and give them a couple of days to dry. Also, this soup will be the first thing I make in my new Dutch oven!

Thursday: Roasted garlic mac and cheese. I put this on my last meal plan but didn't get to make it. I've made it once and we loved it, so I'm really eager to have it again. I know this has a very similar flavor profile to Monday's meal, but, um, I'm pretty sure that's totally okay with me.

Friday: Baked sour cream chicken, rice pilaf, green beans. We love this chicken dish.

Saturday: Foil-baked Southwestern chicken, Mexican rice, steamed broccoli. I love a good stuffed chicken, and this one may just make me die from deliciousness. I'll be subbing queso fresco for the goat cheese, since my store just started carrying it and I've become sort of obsessed with it.

Sunday: The sweet little boy pictured over there to the left has a birthday on this day (He's TWO. HOW???), so we'll be celebrating with pizza and some other things that I haven't finalized yet. Probably Elmo cupcakes...or maybe Buzz Lightyear ones (Buzz is his absolute favorite!), if I can figure out how to make them. Off to check Pinterest!

Best of 2011: My Favorites

I can't believe we're at the end of the year already. I just can't believe it. This has been a tough year for my family in lots of different ways, so I'm ready for a fresh start in 2012.

2011 was definitely a delicious year food-wise, though, and it was really hard for me to narrow down the list of my favorite recipes of the year. So you're getting 20 of them, in no particular order (because it would be nearly impossible for me to rank them).

I want to thank each and every one of you for stopping by my blog this year. I love getting your comments and e-mails throughout the year! Maintaining this blog is so much fun for me, and I'm so glad so many of you seem to enjoy it as much as I do. Have a very safe, very Happy New Year!

Marsala burgers

Bacon pierogi bake

Lemon yogurt sugar muffins

Rosemary ranch chicken

Southwestern sloppy joes with honey-lime coleslaw

Cuban sandwiches

Honey-lime chicken enchiladas

Taco rice

Bacon and egg quesadillas

Shaved asparagus pizza

Butterbeer cake

Chicken bacon ranch chili

Oatmeal creme pies

Pumpkin crunch coffee cake

Bistro macaroni and cheese

Sweet pork tacos with cilantro ranch dressing

Maple brown sugar muffins

Southwestern ranch open-faced turkey sandwiches

Mozzarella-baked gnocchi

Swedish meatballs with homemade egg noodles

Best of 2011: Your Favorites

Today and tomorrow, I thought I’d highlight the favorite/most popular recipes I’ve shared during 2011. Today I’ll highlight your favorites (based on page views), and tomorrow I’ll share my favorites.

Here’s what you guys liked the most this year. And may I just say, you guys have amazing taste, because all of these things are delicious!

10. Pepperoni sauce

9. Green egg candies for Dr. Seuss’s birthday

8. Chicken bacon avocado quesadillas

7. Pecan pie cupcakes

6. Lasagna-stuffed garlic bread

5. Chicken enchilada casserole

4. Caramel-filled pumpkin snickerdoodles

3. Bacon ranch foil packet potatoes

2. Avocado eggs benedict with chipotle hollandaise

1. Crescent sausage egg and cheese bake