Grandma Lill's Sloppy Joes

Another one of my Grandma Lill's famous farm recipes! This is my husband's favorite sloppy joe recipe of all time and best of all, it is super easy using ingredients you should already have in your pantry! It does call for a half a can of tomato soup, and if you are worried about using the other half with lunch the following day, you can always double the recipe and freeze what you don't eat. It heats up well over the stove or even in a crockpot another day. I always add some diced up tomatoes-they camouflage right in and the kids never notice! Make sure you add the celery too, it's just not the same without it!

Sloppy Joes

Recipe from Lillian Rydalch

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 c chopped onion or 1 Tbsp dried

1/2 c chopped celery

1 tomato

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 c water

1 c ketchup

1/2 can tomato soup

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Brown hamburger and vegetables together. Cook for 5 minutes, then stir in flour. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve on hamburger bun

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This is our family's all time favorite meatball recipe. They are tender and full of flavor. A lot of recipes just don't taste the same when you substitute rice or soy milk, but that isn't the case with this one. I've received plenty of compliments on these meatballs from outsiders who were oblivious to the rice or soy milk substitute. Also my family isn't big on onions, so I always substitute about 1 Tbsp dried onions instead. To save time I usually make the meatballs while the kids are eating breakfast, refridgerate them and then all I have to do for dinner is pour the sauce on top and throw them in the oven. I'm getting hungry just typing about these! Serve over rice.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Recipe from Lion House Entertaining Cookbook


1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 c rolled oats
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 c finely chopped onion
1/2 c milk or milk substitute
1 tsp salt
few grains pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce


Combine all ingredients; mix well. Form into about 12 balls, each about 2 inches in diameter. Place in casserole dish. Cover with sauce (below). Bake @ 350 F for 30-45 minutes.


Sauce:
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp prepared mustard
1/4 c barbeque sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Spicy Pork Chops

I got this recipe in one of my food classes in college from my favorite professor and mentor Shauna Shirley. Although it's called "Spicy" pork chops, I've always called it "Saucy" pork chops because it's not spicy, but it is really tender and saucy. This has become one of my favorite quick meals because I love anything I can throw into a crockpot and forget about, and the ingredients are ones I usually have on hand. It calls for pork chops, but really you can use any kind of pork or even chicken. I usually use boneless skinless pork ribs because they are super cheap at my grocery store. Also I always serve this over rice, but you can also serve over mashed potatoes for a really hearty meal.

Spicy Pork Chops

Recipe from Shauna Shirley

5-6 center-cut loin pork chops (or any boneless pork)
1-2 green peppers, cut in strips

1 onion (optional)

8 ounce can tomato sauce

4 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp vinegar

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Put pork chops into crock pot. Add remeaining ingredients to cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.

Taco Super Skillet

 

 This is an ultimate kid pleaser, especially if you use these fun wagon wheels! If you can't find wagon wheels, try to get creative with other fun shaped pasta, or you could even use macoroni noodles. For my son I don't add sour cream or cheese, but I do add both for the rest of the family. I've wanted to try substituting soy yogurt for the sour cream but haven't yet. Mostly because it is one of my son's favorite meals (as in he would eat it every day if I let him) just the way I serve it with no cheese or sour cream.  Also I was really suprised at how hard it was to find taco seasonings that didn't have dairy ingredients. After a long search, the two most popular brands I use are Western Family and Old El Paso original.

Taco Super Skillet
Serves 4

1/2 to 1 pound lean ground beef

1 envelope taco seasoning mix

2 1/4 cups water

1 1/2 cups uncooked wagon wheel pasta

1 1/2 c frozen corn

1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 medium tomato - chopped

1/2 cup sour cream or plain soy or rice yogurt

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Cook beef in large skillet on medium/high heat, drain.

Stir in season mix, water, pasta, corn, beans, and tomato with beef

Heat to a boiling; stir; reduce to simmer

Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally until pasta is done

Stir in sour cream (optional) and remove from heat

Sprinkle with cheese (optional) and chives and cover

Let stand 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted

Serve with tortilla chips