Super Easy BBQ Sloppy Joes.....

One of my high school home economics projects was to compile a recipe notebook of different categories. We asked friends and family to give us some of their favorite recipes and not surprisingly I use the recipes in my notebook more than any other recipe books I have. 

Catchy Title, huh? 

One of my default dinners at home or even to bring to a small group is these super easy BBQ Sloppy Joes.

Ingredients: 

1.5 lbs of Ground Beef (I've used ground turkey as well and it tastes just as yummy)

1 tbsp. Vinegar

2 tbsp. Brown Sugar

1/2 tbsp. Mustard

1 c. Ketchup

1 c. Water

Start by browning the meat. I doubled the recipe for small group when I was taking these pictures.....

While meat is browning, mix all the other ingredients in a separate bowl to create the sauce.....

After draining the meat, add combine the meat and sauce in the pan and bring to a simmer. It's yummy by itself if you're watching your carbs or put on a hamburger bun with cheese and pickles for a yummy sandwich!  

There you go!! A super easy dinner idea for your family!! What's your tried and true "go-to" recipe for dinner?? I'd love for you to share in the comments! Feel free to leave a link to a recipe blog post of your own! I'd love to share them on my A Steady Rain page! 

SUPER EASY Peanut Butter Cookies...

I love to bake. I love to eat yummy treats. I love easy recipes with only a few ingredients. That's why I love these super easy Peanut Butter Cookies. I almost always have the ingredients on hand to make a batch (or even less sometimes).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

 Combine the ingredients to form a sugary dough (I like to add dark chocolate chips! Yum!).

Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Press down with fork to make the traditional peanut butter cookie indentions! :)

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden (the cookies will not need to look very dark to be done).

ENJOY!!

Have you shared an easy recipe on your blog or page lately? I'd love to see it! Share the link in the comments!

Dunkin Donuts and a new job.....

Just a few highlights from the last couple months......

1. Our little town just got a new DD!! It's become our new favorite place to hang out as a family!

2. Our church secretary recently retired, and I've taken her position. It's been a lot to learn, but I'm enjoying so many parts of the job! The fact that it's flexible makes it a good fit with my little munchkins!

3. I was super excited to go to my 1st Casting Crowns concert. It was such an amazing, Jesus-centered time of worship!! 

4. My handsome husband turned 33! We celebrated with New York Pizza, of course! 

5. Beautiful spring bouquet from my sweetie!

6. Headed to The Gospel Coalition with Adam. It was our first conference together and it was an amazing time of spiritual refreshment! 

7. My best friend's husband flew me down to Florida for the weekend to help celebrate her birthday. It's the most relaxing time we've had in forever!! Pedicures and Krispy Kreme donuts make for super vacation!! 

8. My new favorite snack is kale chips! Yum!!

Recipe HERE!

9. I love this new blog I came across recently! 

10. I am so excited that some Spring weather is finally HERE (hopefully to stay)! 

How have YOU been lately?? 

Friday Feedback....

It's Friday, which means it's time for another installment of.....

Your answers to this week's question will be a great help to me! As a pastor's family, we often have guests over for Sunday dinner. I'm always looking for easy recipes that can "cook themselves" while I'm away all morning at church! Just this past Sunday I made my regular, "Crock Pot Chicken". Here's how I did it (super easy!!):

I always start by lining my Crock Pot with foil.....even if a little sauce drips through, it REALLY reduces my scrubbing time later.....

I simply put skinless, boneless chicken breasts into the Crock pot and pour 1 can of Cream of Celery, Chicken, and Mushroom soup over the top....I don't even add water....

I turn the Crock Pot  to High about 4-5 hours before dinner...then head to church!

Then serve!! 

This picture makes the chicken look kind of pale and bland, but the taste is SUPER yummy!

This is one of my tried and true recipes....I don't think I've ever messed it up!! =) 

Now it's time to hear from you:

What is your favorite Sunday dinner or recipe?

Write a post with your answer and link-up below or simply leave a comment with your answer! I can't wait to get some new ideas!! 

So you can plan, here's next week's question(s):

In what ways do YOU serve in your church?

or

What is your favorite way to serve in your church?

Making bread....

I have never made bread....well not since Home Economics in high school. My friend Meghan gave me a very easy recipe for "No-knead" bread, and I thought I'd give it a try!

The ingredients are very simple:

3 cups of flour

1/4 teaspoon of yeast

1 and 1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 and 1/3 cup of water

Simply mix all the ingredients together until they form a sticky texture. Then cover and let it rise for 12-18 hours (I did it overnight)

In the morning the dough should look like this with bubbles covering the surface.

Take the dough out of the bowl and fold the edges in to create a round loaf, and wrap in a floured tea towel for another 1-2 hrs

(until you can poke the dough and the indention remains.)

During the last 30 minutes that the dough is rising, put a pot in a 475 degree oven to heat. Then put the dough inside (pot is VERY hot!) and bake covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for another 15-30 minutes. Until its golden brown and not burnt!! =)

Here's the final product cooling after it was done! I may have dusted a little too heavily with the flour before I baked it, but it didn't affect the taste!!

My first bread-making experience was a success!! =)

What new recipes have YOU tried lately?

Sloppy Joe.....

I would imagine that most people have tasted a Sloppy Joe at some point in their life. However, none of the recipes I have tasted as an adult have been similar to the kind we ate when I was a kid. I thought I would share the recipe since it is SO easy, and a little different taste than what you are used to.

Cousin Ruth's Bar-B-Que

1 and 1/2 lbs. ground beef

Cook and brown with onion (optional) then drain

Then in a bowl or pan, stir together....

1 tbsp. Vinegar

2 tbsp. Brown Sugar

1/2 tbsp. Mustard

1 cup Ketchup

1 cup Water

Add mixture to the meat - Simmer & EAT!!

I love how simple this recipe is, and how it uses items I almost always have on hand!! Add some cheese to your Sloppy Joe for a little extra flavor and yumminess!! Enjoy!

Yummy Cheesy Bake......

This is soooooooooooooooooo good. Goes great with TownHouse pretzel flip crackers. Enjoy.......

Appetizer Cheese Bake

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes Ready In: 40 Minutes
Servings: 8
"This unique hot cheese dip tantalizes all who try it and goes well with tortilla chips and crackers."
Ingredients:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1 onion, finely chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray a 1-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl, mix the egg, mayonnaise, and pepper. Stir in the Cheddar cheese and onion, and transfer to the prepared dish.
3. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown.

 

Yum......

I am not the biggest cook in the world, however I do LOVE to bake. I also love to eat what I bake (which isn't always the best for my figure). Recently I subscribed to HungryGirl.com, and I get healthy eating tips sent to my e-mail every day. She sends tons of great recipes and substitutions, and so far all of them are really good. My favorite so far has been a low calorie chocolate cake. Not only is it super rich and yummy, it's much better for my waistline. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
One 18.25-oz. box devil's food cake mix
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the two ingredients together in a bowl. Don't add anything else that may be mentioned on the box, such as eggs, oil, or water. The mixture will be very thick, so you might be tempted to add in other things to make the batter smoother. Do NOT do this! Just keep on stirring until completely mixed.

Transfer batter to a 9-inch cake pan sprayed with nonstick spray, and smooth out the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Place pan in the oven, and bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool, and then cut into 12 slices. Enjoy!

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

I drizzled my with a little caramel sauce and it tasted great! Adam even loved it (he ended up eating most of it!) =)If you have the chance, you may want to try this recipe during the holiday season! I am always on the lookout for new or healthier recipes. Make sure to let me know if you have any to share! Happy baking!