Easy Sloppy Joes

Easy Sloppy Joes

You basically can’t go wrong with this recipe. This is a more traditional recipe, but the general idea is to create a meat slop with ground beef and ketchup, so feel free to add whatever else you want for flavoring.

Ingredients
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 Chopped Onion
¾ Cup Ketchup
1 Tablespoon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Hamburger Buns

Step 1
Cook ground beef in a pan making sure to keep breaking it apart so it stays an even consistency.

Step 2
Drain excess grease out of the pan.

Step 3
Add chopped onion, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, and salt and pepper.  You may need to add more or less ketchup depending on the consistency you want.

Step 4
Cook for at least 10 minutes  then serve on hamburger buns.

Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet Potato Pie

Last year around this time we made pumpkin pie from a whole small pumpkin, so this year we decided to make sweet potato pie which is really similar. Maybe better in some people’s opinion.

Ingredients
1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust (store bought works fine unless you want to make your own)
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
¼ cup butter softened
1/3 cup white sugar
¾ cup evaporated milk
2 eggs
¼ tsp. salt
A little over 1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
pinch ground cloves (optional)
pinch ground ginger (optional)

Steps
1. Peel, chop, and boil sweet potatoes. Might as well boil a little more than what you think will be 2 cups mashed. Leftover mashed sweet potatoes are good to eat as is.
2. In a large bowl combine 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and add to pie shell.
3. Bake at 360 for 40 mins or however long it takes until it looks cooked and you can stick a knife in the center and nothing sticks to the knife. Just keep an eye on it until it’s done.

Serve cold with whipped cream just like pumpkin pie.

Easy Taffy Candy Recipe

Easy Taffy Candy Recipe

Kids love taffy pulls. Remember to make sure that everybody who will be pulling washes their hands really well or else the whole world will know they didn't wash their hands. Also, rub your hands in butter to avoid blisters. Unless you are experienced with making taffy you will want a candy thermometer for this. You can find cheap ones for $4 or so. Making taffy can be an art so there is no reason to be discouraged if it doesn’t turn out the way you thought it would. It will still be more than edible and it will be eaten before you know it.  The batch in the picture was uncolored orange flavored. Between 2 adults and 1 kid it didn’t last past the second day. There are tons of recipes out there for taffy.  All are great in their own way.

Ingredients
2 Cups of Sugar
2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 ½ Cup Water
½ Cup Corn Syrup
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 to 3 Tablespoons Flavoring Extract (orange works very well or just plain vanilla)
Food Coloring (Optional)
Butter for Coating Hands

Step 1
In a small pot, mix together sugar, cornstarch, butter, salt, corn starch, and water. On medium heat while stirring constantly, bring to 270 degrees on the candy thermometer. Another way to know if you don’t have a thermometer is to take a cup of water and drop a small amount of the hot taffy mix into it. If the taffy turns into a little squish ball then it is most likely ready. You will most likely be cooking this longer than you thought you would so relax and boil away just beware that the higher temperature you bring it to the harder it will be in the end. But even the rock hard stuff tastes great.

Step 2
Once taffy is cooked, remove from heat and stir in flavoring extract and food coloring.

Step 3
Once cooked to the desired temperature, pour into a greased pan and let cool until you can handle it without it burning you.

Step 4

Wash and butter your hands then start pulling until it turns light and hard. Form long ropes and cut into pieces that can be wrapped in wax paper if you like. Or just eat.

Blinchiki (Crepes Russian Style)

Blinchiki Crepes Russian Style
Blinchiki Crepes Russian StyleIngredients
2 cups of milk
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of flour
2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil (additional oil will be needed for oiling the pan)

Steps
1. In a bowl whisk eggs, milk, sugar, and salt.
2. Then stir in the flour a little at a time and whisk mixture until you get a runny batter. Note the batter should not be thin as milk though.
3. Add in oil and whisk mixture.
4. Let the the batter rest for 10-15 minutes.
5. Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat and make sure to oil the pan a little before making each blin (crepe).
6. Use a 1/3 measuring cup to scoop the batter (you can add a little bit more batter depending on the size of your pan, but remember blinchiki should come out thin).
7. Pour batter into the middle of the pan, then very quickly tilt the pan in a circular motion until the batter is evenly spread in the pan. If the mixture is too thin add more flour, if it is too thick add more milk.
8. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side on medium heat (if the blin starts to burn adjust the heat accordingly). When you start to see small bubbles form on top and the bottom is light gold flip the blin and cook for 30 seconds on the other side, then remove from heat.
9. Repeat steps until all of the batter is used.

Blinchiki can be served with just about anything. You can add jelly to serve as a dessert, or make a mushroom mixture to make it more of a main meal.

This recipe will roughly make 15 crepes.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Mexican Wedding Cookies

My husband’s Grandma makes a massive assortment of perfect cookies around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mexican Wedding Cookies are always in the mix. Just like with other cookies cook off a single cookie to make sure it doesn’t flatten too much. This recipe is generally very accurate but if the cookie does flatten out too much then add a little more flour. Be carful not to add too much though. Keep dough in refrigerator between rolling batches for the oven.

Ingredients
1 cup of softened butter
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. salt
2 ¼ cups flour
3/4 to 1 cup chopped walnuts
Some extra powdered sugar for rolling the cookies in after they are baked

Steps
1. Whip the softened butter with an electric hand mixer until it is full and creamy.
2. Add in the powdered sugar and whip more.  Don’t worry, you can’t over whip.
3. Mix in the vanilla and salt.
4. Mix in the flour.
5. Mix in the chopped walnuts.
6. Roll into 1 to 2 inch balls or form into more of a cookie shape and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until they begin to get a little golden.
8. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes then roll in powdered sugar. A little powdered sugar goes a long way when rolling. A ¼ cup of powdered sugar should be more than enough.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut Butter Blossoms cookies
The only advice I would give you for these is after you make the dough, bake a single cookie and see how it turns out. If it is too flat then add more flour then bake another single cookie. Do this with one cookie at a time until you get it right before making a whole sheet of cookies. They tend to be way too flat at first. Also, I omit the 2 tablespoons of milk to further prevent the cookies from flattening. Lastly, when you press the Hershey kiss onto the cookie let it sit for a few minutes to melt a little then go back through and press down on the kiss again to create the ring around the kiss.

Recipe found on hersheys.com

Ingredients 
48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Additional granulated sugar

Steps
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.
2.  Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
3.Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. 

Plain Ol’ Pumpkin Seeds

Plain Ol’ Pumpkin Seeds

There are a lot of different ways to prepare pumpkin seeds. Some like them spicy, some like them sweet. I think they are so good just as is.

Steps
1. When carving jack-o-'lanterns save the seeds which will most likely be mixed with some pumpkin guts.
2. Take the seeds and pumpkin guts and put in a strainer and separate and wash the seeds.
3. Place on a very lightly oiled baking sheet and bake at 320 degrees.
4. Mix the seeds around every 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Bake until golden. Should take roughly 30 minutes.
jack-o-'lanterns