bell peppers – Page 10 – The Pajama Chef

Not Your Summer Camp’s Sloppy Joes

October 19, 2010December 14, 2015 Sarah

Up until this past spring, I had a strong dislike for Sloppy Joes. I liked them well enough growing up, but working at a summer camp for two years–aka two summers’ worth of kid food–kind of killed any liking I had for childhood staples like Sloppy Joes. I had visions of salty, goopy, ketchup-y, messy sandwiches that came out of an industrial food service can. Don’t get me wrong, not all food at Camp T was bad. Some was pretty darn good! Others though, I chose to load up on the salad bar and PB&J and pray it was my night off so I could get some real food for dinner.

However, my distaste for Sloppy Joes changed after my mom mentioned she was making them and my sister said how good they were. After getting over the initial shock [if you knew my mom you’d be surprised to know she was making Sloppy Joes], I promptly got the recipe, made it for myself, and was hooked.

This Sloppy Joe recipe is sweet and savory and fast, perfect for a busy night. I love the slight crunch of the green pepper, and think this could be veggied-up some more… I just haven’t tried yet. Ben loads it up with extra hot sauce; I like mine as is. This is a great base recipe for Sloppy Joes that works as is or can be adjusted to meet your tastes. Enjoy!

Not Your Summer Camp’s Sloppy Joes

Servings: 6
Time: 30 minutes
Print

from The Neelys

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 green or red pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt
pepper
1 pound ground beef
4 ounces tomato sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup BBQ sauce [I use Sweet Baby Ray’s original–different kinds of BBQ sauce would give it a different flavor profile.]
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Directions:

In a large skillet on medium heat, cook peppers and garlic in oil for about 3 minutes or until they are just getting soft. Season with a dash of salt and a generous amount of pepper. Add beef and cook through. Drain well. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Stir to combine. Simmer about 10 minutes or until thickened. If needed, add a pinch of flour or cornstarch to thicken sauce to your liking.

Question of the Day: What was your favorite school lunch growing up? I bought lunch a few days a week, and breakfast for lunch day was always one of them! Sloppy Joes was not. In fact, I would always bring my lunch on Sloppy Joes day. If my school made Sloppy Joes this way, there would have been no contest. 🙂

Pasta, Recipes, Sides

Sweet Asian Pasta Salad

September 29, 2010December 8, 2015 Sarah

Planning my lunch during the week is one of biggest stresses of my day. This is mostly because I have to take a packed lunch. Since I don’t always have access to a microwave [and never have access to a fridge], I have to get creative about packing filling and tasty cold lunches. I can only eat so many sandwiches! One of the ways I’ve been able to mix up my lunches and ensure that I actually enjoy what I eat is by making creative pasta salads. I used to just pour some ranch dressing and BBQ sauce on my pasta and call it a day. But now, I’ve become a little more grown-up with my cold pasta toppings, and have found a few combinations that I absolutely love! This Sweet Asian mix is one of them.

I love the burst of flavors in every bite. Garlic and onion mixed with the sweetness of honey and peanut butter. The tang of cilantro mellowing with the spice of red chili peppers. Plus veggies for some crunch! Add some apple slices, carrots, and crackers and you have yourself one tasty lunch!

Sweet Asian Pasta Salad

Servings: 6
Time: 25 minutes
Print

Ingredients:

8 ounces whole wheat penne pasta, uncooked
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 cup broccoli crowns, cut into bite-sized pieces if necessary
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 tablespoons coconut milk
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons lime juice
freshly ground pepper
red chili flakes

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, whisk together coconut milk, olive oil, honey, soy sauce, lime juice, and peanut butter. Combine green pepper, broccoli, onion, garlic, and cilantro together in a medium sized bowl (my one quart bowl was just barely big enough). When pasta is cooked to al dente, add to veggies, pour in dressing and toss with salad tongs to coat. Serve immediately or refrigerate/ice pack until lunch time! 🙂

Do you pack your lunch? What are some of your lunchtime favorites?

Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes

Sausage Pepper Penne

September 14, 2010September 9, 2015 Sarah

So last week was just one of those weeks. I was sick and we just didn’t eat off our meal plan as I like to do. By the time Friday came around, I was feeling a little better physically but I just wasn’t feeling up to eating something rich and cheesy like a calzone for dinner. However, we had plans to run a local 5K the next morning so I wanted something light, healthy, and filling. This dish I threw together in a few minutes did just the trick! It is definitely one I will be making again, unlike some of my past pasta creations which were just so-so.

This penne pasta dish had just the right combination of savory sausage, flavorful veggies, and complimentary seasonings. I loved how the sweetness of the honey was just barely noticeable but made it’s presence known. However, my favorite part of this dish was the sundried tomatoes. They really added a lot to the pasta–a little saltiness, a little tang, and a dash of tomato flavor to really bring the sauce together… so don’t skimp on them! I bet fresh tomatoes and a little tomato paste would be delicious too, and would give the dish a slightly different flavor palate.

Sausage Pepper Penne

Servings: 3-4
Time: 30 minutes
Print

by me 🙂

Ingredients:

1 gigantic clove garlic, minced [or 2 smaller cloves]
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
2 Italian turkey sausages, chopped [I used 1 sweet and 1 spicy, and mine were not precooked but you probably could substitute if that’s what you had on hand.]
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon honey
1 1/2 cups miniature penne pasta (uncooked)
fresh ground pepper
salt
olive oil

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat a dash of olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add garlic and onion and sauté for a few minutes until they are just beginning to brown and soften. Then add green pepper to the pan and cook for another two to three minutes until the green pepper is just beginning to soften. Turn heat down to medium and add chopped sausage into the pan. Let cook until sausage has browned, stirring every so often.

Meanwhile, bring water to boil in a large stock pot for your pasta. [Be sure to check out Lynne’s Kitchen Adventures for tips on the perfect way to cook pasta. It sounds elementary but it is not at all!]

Meanwhile, add sundried tomatoes to sausage mixture. Cover and simmer on low while pasta cooks. Cook pasta to al dente. Before draining pasta, reserve 1 cup of pasta water to thin out sauce if necessary. Drain and add penne to saucepan with sausage mixture. Stir in honey and mustard, and add salt and pepper to taste. Add up to 1 cup pasta water to thin out sauce–I used about 1/3 cup. Toss to combine and serve. Eat and enjoy!

Notes:

This recipe yields about 3-4 servings. Ben had one large helping and a smaller helping, I had a medium-sized serving, and there was some leftover for lunch yesterday… so be sure to keep that in mind and alter to fit your needs.

Have you ever made an improv recipe that ended up being a favorite? If so, tell me about it!

Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes

Spaghetti + Meatballs=Love

September 6, 2010December 8, 2015 Sarah

Spaghetti and meatballs. The Pioneer Woman has once again come through with an easy version of a classic dish everyone loves. There is so much to love about this recipe.

Spaghetti and Meatballs | thepajamachef.com #classic #recipe

I love that the meatballs are seasoned in an Italian-fashion, and not just like a variation of meatloaf (though I do love my meatloaf too).

I love that my husband thought the meatballs were some of the best he’d ever had.

I love that I wanted to eat the meatballs plain (and I don’t ever just want to eat meat to eat meat).

I love that the sauce was chunky with veggies and not pureed to oblivion.

I love that the sauce has a distinct wine flavor (but could be omitted if that’s not your thing).

I love that I got to use herbs from my balcony garden in both the sauce and the meatballs.

I love that I made this recipe on the second day of classes and it made extra that I can freeze and enjoy in week 8 when I am stressed out.

I love eating this dish, and smelling this dish, and tasting this dish, and making this dish, and loving this dish. And talking about this dish! So go make this dish. Yum!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Servings: 6-8+
Time: 90 minutes
Print

from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs…

1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
black pepper
milk
olive oil for frying

For the Sauce…

1/3 whole onion, minced
1/2 cup chopped peppers (I used red, yellow, and orange)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons garlic powder
28 ounce can whole tomatoes
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon sugar
salt
black pepper
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
1/8 cup fresh oregano, minced
cooked spaghetti

Directions:

For the Meatballs…

Fill a large bowl with beef, garlic, bread crumbs, eggs, and Parmesan. Add a splash of milk and a sprinkling of ground black pepper. Then, use your hands to combine everything together. Mix it real well! Then roll it into 1″ balls, and place in 9×13″ or cookie sheet. This should make about 3 dozen meatballs. Place in refrigerator for at least 10 minutes to firm up, but you can leave them up to 24 hours. I made my meatballs in the morning and cooked them in the evening and it worked out great.

Spaghetti and Meatballs | thepajamachef.com #classic #recipe — One way to make (somewhat) meatballs that are all the same size is to press the meat mixture into the bottom of the pan and then cut it up into squares and form each square into an individual ball…

When you’re ready to cook the meatballs, heat olive oil in a heavy stock pot (or a skillet deep enough for the sauce ingredients too) on medium-high heat. Brown meatballs in batches of 8-10, depending on the size of the pan or pot. When meatballs are browned (be sure to flip frequently to brown on all sides), drain on paper towel(s) over a plate and set aside. Do NOT wash the pot. Use it to make the sauce. It will be so good.

For the sauce…

Using the same pot as before, cook onions, peppers, and garlic until soft. This should take a few minutes but not much more. Add tomatoes and wine and stir together. Then add sugar, parsley, oregano, a dash of salt, and a healthy sprinkling of ground black pepper. Mix together, then let cook uncovered for 20 minutes over medium heat. Add meatballs to the pot, stir to combine, and turn the heat down to low. Let simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir every so often and be sure to taste it during this portion and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Meanwhile, make the pasta. Once the sauce is done, top pasta with sauce and extra Parmesan and enjoy!

Notes:

This makes a ton of sauce. Actually, about 8-9 cups. Not a ton, but close. For the two of us, this was more than enough for two generous servings for dinner, then one smaller serving to finish off the pasta I made (eaten another night as leftovers). Then, I froze the rest of the sauce and meatballs in 3 cup containers (full) for future dinners. You could decrease the amounts but I love the “work once, eat many times” approach here. 🙂

Beef, Main Dishes, Recipes

Taco Casserole

August 19, 2010June 4, 2015 Sarah

Last night for dinner I made taco casserole. I don’t really like the word casserole (though I do like casseroles… what can I say, I’m from the Midwest), but I don’t have a better name for this dish. Anyway… it’s not so pretty but it is pretty tasty. It kinda looks like a mash of dough and meat and sauce on a plate. Appetizing, huh?

My husband says it was good in his tum tum. He likes the flavor of it, especially the crust of biscuits and spicy taco sauce. The taco sauce gave it a distinct Mexican flavor, since we don’t use it in normal tacos. It would also give Sheba distinct Mexican flavor too. [Note: we don’t give our kitty taco sauce, but we’re considering getting her a kitty-sized sombrero. Any ideas where one could get one of those?] And on the kitty front, she just bit Ben in the stomach… maybe because it was filled with taco goodness?

On that note… the recipe.

Taco Casserole

Servings: 8
Time: 30-40 minutes
Print

from Taste and Tell

Ingredients:

16 ounces taco sauce
12 ounce can buttermilk biscuits [10], uncooked
about 8 ounces shredded cheese [I used remains from the fridge… Colby, Monterrey Jack, and Mozzarella]
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup water
cooking spray

Directions:

Grease a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread taco sauce out over bottom of the pan. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces, then place biscuits in sauce. Toss biscuit pieces to coat. Top with half of the cheese. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until biscuits are cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, brown ground beef. Meanwhile, heat canola oil in another skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and green pepper and cook until soft. Once ground beef is cooked through, drain and return to pan. Stir in water, chili powder, and cumin, then add green pepper/garlic mixture.

After biscuits have cooked, top with ground beef mixture and the rest of the cheese. Return to oven and bake for 5-7 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve with sour cream and hot sauce.