"Not So Sloppy" Sloppy Joes and Ranch Dressing Recipe

Earlier this week I found myself with a dinner dilemma. I'm sure you've been there before.


I had a pound of ground beef and wasn't sure what to make for dinner! We had already enjoyed beef tacos not too long ago and burgers didn't make the cut. I'm not one for meatloaf, and spaghetti didn't sound appetizing either!


I found some jumbo hamburger buns in my freezer and hopped online to see if I had all the ingredients to make sloppy joes. Most of the recipes I found called for bell peppers or tomato sauce. I don't care for either of those ingredients in sloppy joes (and didn't have them on hand either). So, I decided to make the most of what I had and create my own version of sloppy joes.

With toasted buns and melted cheese, these are DELISH!

They turned out wonderful! Even my hubby said, "I love it!". (I think that's a 10 in his book.) So I plan to make this again soon! They weren't too sloppy, soupy, or tomato-paste-tasting. They were just right!

"Not So Sloppy" Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground meat (your choice!)

1 tbl. EVOO

1/4 cup chopped onion (red or white)

1 clove garlic chopped

2 tbl. brown sugar

1 tbl. McCormick Montreal Seasoning

1 tbl. Worcestershire Sauce

3 tbl. apple juice

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup favorite barbecue sauce (ours is Sweet Baby Rays!)

Directions:

Brown meat in olive oil over med/high heat.

Add onion and garlic to meat and finish browning.

Spoon out extra grease.

Keeping the pan nice and warm, add brown sugar and seasoning.

Stir and let caramelize.

Cook for about a minute.

Add Worcestershire sauce and apple juice. Cook 5 min.

Add ketchup and barbecue sauce. Turn to low and keep warm until served.

Serve the meat on toasted buns!
(just butter them up and brown in a pan over med/high heat or toast them in the oven)

Warmed them in the oven for a few mintues to melt the cheese.

You may want to add a bit more apple juice and more of the two sauces at the end - just to give it a bit more slop. Either way, the flavor is excellent!

My hubby's plate... always looks better than mine :o)

My entire family liked the taste of these sloppy joes,

even my picky two-year-old!!!

I had eggs on hand (straight from our backyard!) so we had deviled eggs on the side. Along with baked beans, carrots, and ranch dip.


If you like ranch dressing as much as we do, then the next recipe is for you! We used to buy it in a bottle, but now I make it from scratch - almost every other week!


Here's a recipe that will save you some money and you know what's in it! (As opposed to all the preservatives that we can't pronounce that are in shelved dressings.)


This one's a keeper! (Thanks Mom!)

Ranch dressing ingredients ready to go!

Mom's Homemade Ranch

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream (or 1/2 cup sour cream & 1/2 cup buttermilk -

for more of a dressing consistency rather than a dip)

1 cup mayo

1/2 tsp. dried chives

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

Dash of Lawry's seasoning salt (to taste)

Dash garlic powder

1 tsp. light vinegar (I use white wine vinegar)

 

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Great for salads, baked potatoes, dipping veggies, chips and anything else you enjoy with ranch.

 

 

Ranch dip and veggies - YUM!

I hope that you are having a wonderful first week of the new year!


Blessings,

I'm linked up with:

Worshipping the Lord at Home! {Thoughtful Momma Monday}

Thoughtful Momma Monday

Are you tired, stressed, sick, or depressed? Is it difficult to speak kindly to your spouse or kids because of negativity in your heart? I've been there before, and am not exempt from those thoughts and feelings again. One thing I've found that turns things around is lifting HIGH the name of JESUS! 

Our dancing girl, worshipping JESUS!

July 2011

Turn on some praise music and worship the Lord! He alone can give you the strength, health and peace that you need!

"I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise
to my God while I have my being."

Psalm 104:33

I remember at my home when I was young, my mother has music going constantly - kids praise as well as worship songs (mostly on cassette, but sometimes on vinyl  :o). My sister and I would sing and dance along to the music. It created an atmosphere of joy and peace. That's what I want for my family as well!

Having some musical instruments, ribbon on a dowel rod, or a tutu for little girls to wear are extras that add another dimension of fun! My daughter hears a worship song she likes and asks for her tutu! She is ready to worship the Lord and wants to dress up for the occasion!

Mo with her "glory ring" from Grammy ~ December 2012

"Let them praise His name with the dance;

Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp."

Psalm 149:3

In the New Year I desire to LIFT my eyes to the Lord more often than not. I don't want to waste time moping about or feeling discouraged. My heart WILL delight in the Lord and I WILL rejoice in the joy of my salvation!

"I will sing to the LORD,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me."

Psalm 13:6

I hope you are encouraged to turn up the music and worship with your kids.


Blessings,




I'm participating in The Gentleness Challenge over at Women Living Well. If you are a mother, I would encourage you to stop by Courtney's blog and read more about it. I will grab ahold of the opportunity and encouragement to be more gentle with my children. And I know that God will help me as I rely on His strength!

Winter Wonderland Tea Party

Tea parties are a great way to bless others - whether to celebrate a birthday or a holiday they can be so enjoyable. You don't need to spend much money or have a fancy home to host a tea party - just a few tea cups and some creativity!

I wanted to thank some special ladies in my children's lives, so I invited them to a Winter Wonderland Tea Party! I used scrapbook paper and other materials that I had on hand to make the invitations and place cards. I was able to borrow tea cups and a couple tea pots from my sweet mother-in-law, and it all came together!

The Invitation

Going with the Winter Wonderland theme, I used snowflake ornaments that I hadn't used for Christmas and placed them around on tables, near picture frames and hung them on the large mirror in our living room! I also found some large crystal clear snowflakes at the Dollar Tree (that were half off - score!) and used them on the table underneath trays of food.

 

Spray painted tree branches bring the feel of winter indoors!

 

A framed menu for all to see what's to come!

Two teas were offered - Chai Spice and Blackberry Pomegranate

As well as hot cocoa fixings

 

The spread

I served a homemade veggie quiche for the ladies and peanut butter jelly stars for the kids.

I also included meat, cheese, and crackers, carrot stick and ranch dressing, and chocolate pudding for dessert along with some fruit!

PB&J Stars (a favorite around here)

 

Christmas napkins and candy canes left over from the holidays

 added a touch of color and winter feel.

The younger tea party guests enjoyed a simple craft - creating a winter wonderland landscape with white crayons and sparkles! Then after we ate and visited for a while we played a fun game with tea bags. We all laughed together and got to know one another better! After all the sweets that the little girls ate it was time to get our shoes on and head outside into the sunshine. What a great way to end the party!

Me and my Minnie Mouse girl at the party!

(she wanted to wear her new dress up clothes that she received for Christmas)

Whatever the occasion, even if it's just to have a few friends over to visit, I hope that you enjoy a tea party soon. Little girls love the chance to dress up and practice being little ladies.

Foot Pumice "Lollipops" - a take home treat for our grown up guests!



May God bless this last day of 2011 and pour out His joy and peace in your life in 2012!

Blessings,

Melting Moments - Easy Christmas Cookies

My sweet momma gave me this recipe and I share it when I can. These cookies are so simple to make and turn out delicious, they MELT in your MOUTH (not in your hand :o).

Made with love...

Hope you enjoy making and eating these! Not the healthiest cookie, but hey - it's the holidays!

I've got all my ingredients together to make another couple batches of these sweet treats to give to our neighbors for Christmas. I just need the self control to get them out of the house! They are so good :o)

Melting Moments

(this is doubled - which is rarely even enough for my family to enjoy and to share!)

Ingredients:

2 cups butter (softened)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup cornstarch

2 2/3 cup flour

red or green sugar crystals (or any color)

 

Directions:

In medium bowl, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add cornstarch and flour, beating until blended.

Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375*.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in colored sugar. (great job for the kids!)

Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 12-15 minutes, until edges are golden.

Cool 2-3 minutes and remove to cookie rack.

***These freeze very well! Great to make ahead.***

My little girl LOVES to help roll the balls of dough in colored sugar.

It's a fun job for a 2-year-old  :o)



ENJOY and many blessings!

I'm linked up with:

 

Decorating for Christmas With What You Have!

Around Thanksgiving I began to daydream of the lovely ways I could decorate my home for the next holiday - Christmas! Of course I imagined the pristine silvers and blues of a perfect living room straight from a magazine. I then began to realize that a perfectly decorated living room wouldn't reflect the homey peace and joy that I want for my family... and it would cost me a lot of money to buy new decorations. So, I decided to look in my craft containers and see what I had.

An invitation above our couch

I found quite a bit that I put to use!

• 12 x 12 scrapbook paper
• tape
• paper cutter
• white card stock
• hot glue gun (my best friend :o)
• letter stamps
• ribbon
• lots of frames not being used

Each time the kids were down for a nap or busy wrestling with Daddy on the floor, I would get out my paper cutter, stack of paper and stamps. Slowly, slowly it all came together!

Hand-stamped "Joy" with rolled fabric flower!

My point of inspiration came when I saw this FREE holiday print out at Inviting Printables. The colors popped from the page and encouraged me to be BOLD this Christmas! So the color scheme I went with was bright blue, green and red (along with black and white).

I love to decorate with real greenery!

Picked up some xmas tree clippings from our local Walmart for free.

I found those same colors in my scrapbook paper collection and had fun putting together framed words and black and white pictures that we took last winter. I moved around the regular decor and added a bit of color to the kitchen and bathroom just to liven the place up.

The only additional items I bought to add to the decorations were four candlesticks (red and blue), a few new glass ornament balls in silver and blue, two poinsettia plants, and some colorful material from the scrap bin at Hobby Lobby.

So colorful!

Little white lights... my favorite

Our advent "house" and red galore!

Now I can say that I'm decorated for Christmas and feel cheery when I walk into my home. Peace and joy are here, because the One who gives us these precious gifts dwells in my home. He is welcome here during the holidays and always!

"Jesus" and my family

I pray that you enjoy this Christmas with your family and friends and most of all with Jesus Christ - the TRUE reason we celebrate Christmas.

And be encouraged to use what you have when decorating for the holidays!

Blessings,



PS - Can't wait to share my favorite Christmas cookie recipe with you later this week!

I'm linked up with: