Fresh and Fabulous! Fire Roasted Green Chili and Onion Salsa Verde Recipe!!

Let's put some of those fresh, fire roasted green chlies to work for our dinner shall we?  This recipe for fire roasted green chili and onion salsa verde is delicious and super simple!  This goes together in no time and if you already took the time to roast your chilies, then this is doubly easy!

I used about six of the fire roasted chilies for this batch of salsa verde.  I put the chilies along with 1 sweet onion that I sliced and charred on the grill in the blender.  I added 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, a good handful or about 1/2 cup packed of fresh cilantro and a 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of lime juice and a teaspoon of salt.  You don't want to leave the salt out here or it will be very bland.

Blend that smooth.  Taste for seasoning.  You can add whatever you like here.  Cumin, lime powder and zest would be great or some oregano and even a pinch of chipotle or cayanne pepper would be nice depending on your heat tolerance.  

I took two additional peppers and one thick slice of charred onion and chopped them roughly.  I added them to the blended salsa and stirred well.  This will give some body and toothsomeness to the salsa and it will also give you a good hearty bite when you dip your chip in there.

You can use this to serve with chips, spoon over a burger or make some wicked chicken salsa verde or even green chili stew.  This is a great base as a cooking sauce for a slow cooker meal or even a quick green chili enchilada at the end of a long day.  I even like this spooned over scrambled eggs.  Divine!

You can also do this with canned, whole green chilies if you can find them, but that will not give you the delicious smoky flavor that you get from the fire roasting.  

So there is something amazing you can do with those roasted chilies we made.  I plan on spooning this over my green chili burger very soon.  I also plan on using this on some eggs for breakfast!  No matter what you use it for, you are not going to want to be without it once you give it a try!

So, as always, I hope you try this and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

Noreen's Kitchen

Fire Roasted Green Chili & Onion

Salsa Verde

Ingredients

6 anaheim chilies, fire roasted and peeled 1 large sweet onion, sliced and charred 1/4 cup lime juice

3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup packed, fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon salt

Step by Step Instructions

Place 4 chilies and all but one slice of onion along with cilantro, garlic, lime juice and salt into the cup of a high powered blender or food processor. 

Process until pureed consistency.

Pour into a bowl and set aside.

Chop remaining green chili and slice of onion roughly.

Add chopped chilies and onion to the bowl of puree and stir well.

Taste for seasoning.

You can spice this up any way you like.  Add cumin, oregano, cayenne or even some chipotle powder for a kick.

Enjoy as a cooking sauce or served as a dip or spooned over a burger or in a taco or even over scrambled eggs.

Enjoy!

You can get a printable copy of this recipe here:  http://bit.ly/29rbV4p

You can see how I made this in my YouTube video:

How To Fire Roast Green Chilies At Home! A Serious Summer Treat!

Summer is on and we are heading right into the thick of it!  Independence day is almost here and we have all things picnic and BBQ on our mind.  So on that note we are embarking on a theme for July of perfect picnic and bbq foods.  Today we begin with some amazing and easy fire roasted green chilies!  

Green chili season is just about here for those of us who grew up in the southwest and remember the middle of summer being the time when Hatch green chilies would be abundant and being fresh roasted at the farmer's market, at the swap meet and just about anywhere else you can think of!  

I lived in Northern Arizona for a long, long time and July was always when the fire roasters would show up at the Flagstaff Farmer's Market.  Giant mesh drums set over open flames.  The drums were filled with Hatch green chilies fresh out of New Mexico fields.  The smell is intoxicating and the sheer volume has you pick up on that delicious fragrance from a mile away, quite literally.  

The deep green peppers would go into that drum by the barrel full and the roasting man would turn that drum until those peppers were soft, black and blistered,  That is the time when you would request the amount you would like.  He would put them in a paper sack and away you would go.  Ready to create something wonderful.

The drive home would be difficult because the smell of those chilies is amazing and you want to just dig right in!  You can't get home fast enough to slap one on a freshly grilled burger with melted pepper jack cheese on top!  

Enough reminiscing though!  You don't have to live in New Mexico or Arizona to enjoy fire roasted green chilies at home!  Keep in mind that Hatch green chilies will be available soon in the stores and I can even get them in my area so if you find them buy a case and make your own salsa because it will be amazing!  But you can do this with Anaheim chilies with no problem.  

Get your grill good and hot.  No matter if it is charcoal or gas.  Just get it nice and hot.  Then pop those peppers right on that grill.  When you hear them start popping and crackling you will know that the magic is beginning to happen!  You want to keep turning and turning and turning until the skin is black and blistered all around the pepper and they become soft and no longer have a stiffness to them.

When you have removed the peppers from the grill you want to put them into a large bowl.  Then back into the kitchen!  Fill the bowl up with cold water and begin to gently rub the charred skin off the peppers.  It should come off quite easily.  The gently pull the stem off and run your finger down the side to split the pepper open.  Dunk it back in the water and wash the seeds away the best you can.  Then into an awaiting plate or bowl.  

You can use these peppers to make pork green chili, chicken salsa verde, green chili sauce, chunky roasted green chili and onion salsa, or green chili burgers.  You will want to use these in about a week and if you can't just pop them in the freezer until you are ready to use them.

It is not recommended to can these on their own, however you could use them in a recipe calling for green chilies if you are canning up some salsa or other dish.  You will want to research that on your own.  

I hope you see how easy it is to fire roast your own green chilies at home.  I hope you give this a try and I hope you love it because there really is nothing better than a fresh fire roasted chili on your burger!  

Happy Eating!!

You can see how I did this in my YouTube Video:

Perfect Hard Cooked Eggs in the Pressure Cooker! You Will Never Boil Them Again!

When I first purchased my pressure cooker, I had visions of quick and easy pot roast and chicken soup, however as the years have gone by and I have fallen more and more deeply in love with my pressure cooker, I have discovered a host of wonderful things that I can do with this fantastic electronic appliance.  

I have shared many different and delicious recipes using this pressure cooker and another that I had several years ago that was a different brand.  I actually went through two of those.  The old versions were only 5 quarts.  A couple of years ago this model was featured as a value of the day on HSN and angels sang LOUDLY!  This has been an amazing pressure cooker and I highly recommend that every one get one of these fantastic appliances because it will make your life easier!

Today I wanted to share with you how to make perfect hard boiled eggs in your pressure cooker!  I had no idea that this could even be done and when I learned about it, I was still skeptical.  My model did not come with instructions for how to do this so I went looking.  Then I saw my friend Heather make some and I had to try.  Additionally, a viewer gave me some sound tips on how she did hers so I employed her technique and the rest is history!

To pressure cook eggs to perfection you need to have a rack in the bottom of your pressure cooker.  I have a rack that is for cakes, but any rack will work as long as it will fit in the bottom of your cooker.  You can even use a small plate if you like.  It will need to hold the eggs above the water so keep that in mind.  I do recommend getting a rack if at all possible.  Pour in 1 1/2 cups of water then lay your eggs in there in a single layer.  Some people say you can do multiple layers, but I don't recommend that.  

Put the lid on and follow the manufactures instructions for sealing up your cooker then set for 5 minute on the "rice" setting.  Allow to come to pressure, cook and then time out.  Quick release your pressure being careful to avoid the stream of steam and remove the lid away from you.

Using tongs, remove the eggs to an ice bath to cool.  You can choose to peel them all at one time or place them in the fridge in their shells.  The one thing I will say about pressure cooking eggs, aside from the ultimate perfection of a purely pale yellow and creamy yolk, these eggs will nearly leap out of their shells for you with little effort and sticking.  This is especially nice if you buy farm fresh eggs, which can normally be a bit of a bugger to peel.

I am not exaggerating when I say I will never cook my hard boiled eggs another way again.  This method is a sheer winner overall and an energy saver and a water save and a time saver and a sanity saver!  You will always have perfect eggs now when you want to make deviled eggs or just have eggs on hand for breakfast or snacking!  

I hope you will get that pressure cooker down off the shelf and give this method of hard cooking eggs a try!  I think you will be pleasantly surprised to be sure!

I hope you try it and I hope you love it!

Happy eating!

You can see how I did this in my YouTube video!

I have an Elite 10 Quart Electronic Pressure Cooker.  You can get one for your own by following this link: http://amzn.to/28WXOWW

10 Minute Lemon Paprika Shrimp and Pasta!! A "Tasty" Recipe Trial! Did It Work? You Be the Judge!

Tasty videos are so popular in everyone's Facebook feed, that we wanted to give some of these recipes a try to see if they really are what they appear to be.  In a previous installment, we shared a slow cooker apple crumble that was good, but not great.  Today we are sharing a dinner recipe that my daughter Molly shared with me for this Lemon Paprika Shrimp and Pasta.  You can find the original Tasty video and recipe here:  http://bit.ly/lemonpaprikashrimp

This dish was super simple to make and it was good.  However it was a bit on the spicy side and if you like that, great!  But if you like it a bit milder, add less of the smoked paprika and add in regular paprika that will not be so spicy.  I also thought the sauce was a bit on the thin side so at the end, in an attempt to not over cook my shrimp into eraserville, I added a bit of a cornstarch slurry to tighten up the sauce a bit.  The sauce was still a bit on the thin side, but I was not going for a gravy consistency and just let it remain the way it was and it was easily soaked up into the pasta.

One of the other things I did differently was to not add the pasta to the pan because I did not want to have everything mashed together in case there was leftover pasta.  So we served them separately.  We enjoyed this and the next time I would make a few changes that would boost the flavor.  Other than spicy, this was a little bland for my taste and feel like it may need a bit more flavor.  That is the beauty of giving new things a try.  They actually give birth to even more new things!

In the end, we had a great dinner and it spawned a few new ideas for future recipe ideas.  We love shrimp, so anything with it, is going to be a great dinner anyway.  

I hope you will check out this recipe and give it a try for yourself and see what you think!

Happy Eating!

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You can see how I made this in my YouTube Video!

Meatless Never Tasted So good! Vegetable Stacks ~ Vegetarian Sheet Pan Dinner!!

Here is a great dinner option for meatless Monday or any day!  Vegetable stacks, vegetarian sheet pan dinner is easy to make and nobody in your family is going to miss the meat!  We really enjoyed this meal and served along with some ancient grains blend that I cooked up in the pressure cooker, this meal was simply delicious!  

We have been wanting to share this for a while and we have had it a couple of times so far this summer and we all really enjoy the simplicity of this meal.  Super simple to make and even the leftovers can be folded into leftover rice, quinoa or couscous for an awesome riff on a tabbouleh salad the next day!

I used some giant portobello mushroom caps from the warehouse store and some thick sliced eggplant, yellow and zuccini squash along with some thick sliced Vidalia onions.  I marinated each veggie in a zip top bag with some of our favorite zesty Italian dressing for 15 to 20 minutes then laid them on a sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat.  

We baked off the veggies for 20 to 25 minutes until they reached our desired doneness and then created our vegetable stacks on top of the prepared quinoa blend that had been prepared pilaf style.

You can always change up the dressing/marinade and make this with a delicious teriyaki or Asian sesame dressing, or Greek, French or even just some oil and balsamic vinegar would be great!  You decide which direction to take.  No matter what you choose I know it will be delicious!

I hope you give this vegetarian sheet pan dinner a try and I hope you love these vegetable stacks!

Happy Eating!

You can get a printable version of the recipe here:  http://bit.ly/1UwjWb2



You can see how I did this in my YouTube video:

Noreen's Kitchen

Vegetable Stacks

Vegetarian Sheet Pan Dinner

Ingredients

4 portobello mushroom caps 2 medium sized eggplant 2 large sweet onions 2 zucchini

2 yellow squash 2 cups marinade or dressing of choice salt and pepper to taste

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Clean the gills from the portobello mushrooms and set aside.

Slice eggplant, and squash into 1/2 inch slices.

Slice onion in 1/2 thick slices and place on skewers to make turning easier.  I put two slices per skewer.

Place 1/2 cup of dressing or marinade into a zip top bag and add the mushroom caps.  Seal the bag and distribute the dressing to coat the mushrooms.  Set aside for 15 t0 20 minutes.

Do the same with the rest of the vegetables and allow them to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Lay the vegetables in a single layer on two sheet pans that you have lined with either foil or silicone mats.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables reach your preferred doneness. 

Remove from oven and allow to sit for five minutes before preparing the stacks.

Build stacks by arranging a bed of quinoa, rice or couscous on the bottom of the plate and stacking a mushroom cap on the bottom then squash, onion and topping of with a slice of eggplant.

You can sprinkle with parsley or drizzle with more dressing or marinade if desired before serving.

This is a dish best eaten fresh, however leftover roasted vegetable can be chopped and mixed with any of your leftover rice, quinoa or couscous to make a version of tabbouleh salad that you can eat as a lunch the next day.

A Fiesta At Your Table! Pico De Guaco! Fresh Homemade Guacamole!

Many of you know I grew up in Arizona.  Born in New Jersey, but moved to Az. when I was 10 we moved from the pastoral beauty of the garden state to the foothills of the grand canyon state.  That is where my family lived until 10 years ago.  Now we live in North Carolina, the gateway to the south.  While I love where I live now, I love Arizona and I miss her especially when it comes to good Mexican food!  So today I am going to share with you my way of making a great guacamole. 

The name comes from an Aztec dialect via Nahuatl āhuacamolli [aːwakaˈmolːi], which literally translates to "avocado sauce".  Avocados were first cultivated in South Central Mexico to Central America and as far south as Peru.  They made their way into Mexican cuisine and have been a staple ever since.

My version of guacamole is kind of like a combination of two of my favorite things on every Mexican restaurant table.  Guacamole and pico de gallo.  The first you know, the latter, if you don't is a delicious fresh salsa made with tomato, onion, jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice.   You can sometimes purchase this premade, but trust me, fresh made is best.  Take the two dips and mix them together for an amazing, fresh and creamy dip that will have you reaching for the chips or the tortillas or anything else you can think of to dip or smear this heavenly concoction.

The combination is quite simple really.  Mashed avocados, tomato, white onion, jalapenos or if you prefer, finely diced bell pepper, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and salt.  You can also throw in a dash of black pepper, and even some hot sauce.  You control the heat level here so add more or less jalapeno or none at all.  Garlic also provides a bit of heat so you can adjust that as well.  Mash the avocado, mix in everything else and you are all set.  Voila!  Pico -de-guaco!  Grab the chips and enjoy!

A word of warning.  I have seen a lot of recipes where people include either mayonnaise or sour cream as part of the guacamole.  I am hear to tell you that this is just wrong, wrong, wrong.  Guacamole, does not need the addition of a creamy ingredient to be creamy.  Sour cream may be pushing it for me, but mayo is just stepping over a culinary line that one should never go over!  Mayo has it's place in many things, but guacamole is not one of them.  If you are one of those mayo including folks,  this is not a way to call you out.  I will not apologize for this one though!  Keep the mayo for the tuna and keep it out of the guac!  This will conclude the warning part of my blog!  LOL!

This dip is really best made and eaten right away, however you can store this in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container.  The avocado may tend to brown a little, but you can add a bit more lime juice, but not too much or it will be much too runny to enjoy.  Do that right before you put it away. 

Dipping is the most popular way to enjoy my pico-de-guaco, but for a light lunch think about making a quick wrap with some of the spread on a flour tortilla, topped with more tomatoes, onion and some shredded lettuce.  If you have some leftover grilled chicken or steak, this would be a great addition as well.  Roll that up, cut it in half and you have an amazing lunch ready to go in no time.  Also great for packing to take to work or school for a quick meal on the go! 

I think you are going to love this version of guacamole, my pico-de-guaco is an awesome way to enjoy a southwestern favorite like the kind I grew up eating in Arizona!  I hope you will give this a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

Noreen's Kitchen

Pico De Guaco

2 ripe avocados, mashed 1 cup diced roma tomato 1/2 cup diced white onion 2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh jalapeno, minced 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice Salt to taste

Ingredients

Combine avocado, tomato, onion, jalapeno, garlic and cilantro together in a bowl.  Blend well.

Add lime juice a tablespoon at a time until you get the right consistency and flavor.  You want this to be thick but not runny. 

Add salt to taste and even some cracked black pepper and or hot sauce if you are so inclined.

Serve with tortilla chips, flour or corn tortillas or as an addition to a guacamole salad like you get on the side at a Mexican restaurant!

You can get a printable copy of the recipe on my website:

http://bit.ly/1OKkHMI

You can see how to pick the perfect avocado in my video here:

http://bit.ly/1To4VpJ

See how I made this in my YouTube video!

Breakfast of Tropicals! Pineapple, Coconut Protein Smoothie Recipe!

This week for #Torani Friday I thought it would be fun to make a delicious breakfast smoothie chock full of good things that will make you happy and get you going for a good start to your day!

We love the pineapple coconut combination in our house!  Everything from smoothies and drinks to savory dishes and desserts.  Pineapple and coconut go together like Forest and Jenny or peas and carrots or peanut butter and jelly.  This tropical combination is also one of my favorites for a breakfast smoothie.  This one is not overly sweet and hits all the right notes!  With the addition of protein powder this one will take you from breakfast to lunch with no problem at all.

I have used a good handful of ice, you can use more or less if that is your preference, a generous half cup of fresh pineapple that I diced really small, some pineapple juice about 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes, 1/4 cup of organic whey protein, some coconut milk and Torani syrup in both coconut and pineapple.  I used about three pumps of each which ends up being just over a tablespoon of each flavor.

I used my Nutri Ninja drink mixer to whip up this smoothie but you could make this in any mixer or regular blender you have available.  I just tossed everything in and turned it on and let it run for about 30 seconds to make sure everything was smooth and creamy.

I garnished my smoothie with more flaked coconut and a little bit more sliced pineapple on the side of the glass for fun.  My recipe made enough for Rick and I to enjoy a smoothie for breakfast and we certainly did enjoy them!  

Because this is really an "idea" for a smoothie, the ingredient amounts can be adjusted to suit your taste and preference.  This smoothie was indeed, very smooth and not icy or frosty or thick.  If you like yours that way, add lots more ice.  You can even add coconut yogurt to make this thicker, tangy-er and boost the protein levels even more!  Like it sweeter?  Add more syrup.  You get the idea.  Make this your own.  But make it nonetheless.

Some of you may be saying "I can't believe she made a breakfast smoothie with that sugary syrup".  Well, you can believe it.  The way I see it is that Torani is made with pure cane sugar.  This is a simple sugar that is pure.  I have no problem adding a bit of this to my smoothie to make it even more delicious and boost the natural flavors that I have put in there to begin with.  You have to make the best decision for you and if you wanted to leave out the sweetener all together or sub out some honey or some agave, then go right ahead.  Your choice!

I hope you give this protein boosted pineapple coconut breakfast smoothie a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Sipping!

You can see how I made this in my YouTube video:

You can find Torani on their website here:

http://bit.ly/ToraniHome

You can get Bob's Red Mill Whey Protein here:

http://amzn.to/1NtoEFg

You can get Bob's Red Mill Unsweetened Coconut Flakes Here:

http://amzn.to/1NtoEoR

This is the drink mixer I am using, the Nutri Ninja Blender:

http://amzn.to/225ePjt

Business Inquiries can be sent to:

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Spice is Nice! Homemade Chili Lime Seasoning

I recently made a delicious mango and avocado salad with strawberries and in that salad I used my homemade chili and lime seasoning to take it over the top. I asked you if you wanted to see how it is made and the response was overwhelming! Of course you wanted to see it made! So today I am going to share with you this very simple yet delicious three ingredient chili and lime seasoning!

This is very similar to a popular Latin seasoning that you can usually find in the produce section called Tajin. It is a chili and lime seasoning that is popular in some areas. I see this a lot when the mangoes come into season in the spring and in the fall. Growing up in Arizona I remember this seasoning being used on all kinds of fruit as well as on, believe it or not, fruit pops! Some people love the sweet and savory mixture of flavors together.

My seasoning consists of three simple ingredients. Salt, chili powder and lime crystals. I have used my favorite, every day salt, pink Himalayan salt along with a basic chili powder and my favorite new find, True Lime, lime juice crystals! The "True" juice powders come in lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit and I love them. I purchased a little bit of everything from their website and I have to tell you that these are awesome. I am using these juice crystals in so many recipes and I have even used them in some homemade cleaning spray! 

I just used equal parts of the three ingredients, in my case 1 tablespoon of each and put them into a jelly jar. I screwed the lid on tight and gave it a good shake to distribute everything evenly. That's it! Super simple and super delicious. This seasoning is a great way to add some zing to just about any salad or soup that you can think of. I would use this as I would salt or pepper to add a special something to fruit or veggie salads or even an egg or potato salad would benefit from this chili and lime seasoning!

You can make as much or as little as you like. If you make a big batch you can share and give as gifts to family and friends! This is a great addition to a holiday gift basket or theme gift for the holidays, birthdays or anytime!

If you would like more information on True Lemon or Lime products you can find them on their website here: http://bit.ly/Truelemon

If you would like to see the salad I made using this seasoning, you can find it here: http://bit.ly/1SlqBjA

I hope you give this simple three ingredient chili and lime seasoning a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

Get the recipe here:

http://bit.ly/1rdGCl8

You can see how I made this in my YouTube Video!

Strawberry Lime Slush! Sipping Towards Summer! Torani Friday

Today I am making an awesome strawberry lime slush for Torani Friday!  Super easy to make and super delicious!  I have use Torani strawberry syrup and Torani lime syrup along with fresh strawberries and fresh lime.  In this case I put an entire lime wedge in, peel and all, to really get that lime flavor in the slush.

My goal here is to mimick the strawberry and lime slushy at Sonic and I came so close that I made it better!  The secret is the fresh fruit.  Instead of ice cream topping, the fresh berries and the fresh lime really take this to the next level as far as flavor goes.  

I have used my Nutri Ninja blender to make this but you can use any drink blender or a regular blender, I will say though, if you are using regular ice cubes, you should crush them first to make the process of the "slushing" easier.  If your fridge has a crushed ice option, then use that.  If not, simply crush your ice first.

Add the syrups to the crushed ice as well as the fresh fruit then top it all of with club soda or sparkling water or lemon lime soda.  Whatever is your choice, just make sure to pour enough water to come to the same level as the amount of crushed ice you have.

Blend until everything is nice and slushy, this will only take a few seconds.  Then pour into a serving glass or just pop a straw in the blender cup and enjoy!  I like to add more sliced lime and a fresh strawberry garnish if I am feeling fancy!

Don't limit yourself to strawberry and lime!  You can make slushes of any flavor you like!  You can even use whipping cream and vanilla and caramel syrup to make a creamy version of this slush.  Let your imagination be your guide and your collection of Torani is your only limitation!

I hope you give this strawberry lime slush a try and I hope you love it!

You can find Torani syrups on their website!

http://bit.ly/ToraniHome

You can see how I made this in my YouTube Video!

Happy sipping!

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Homemade Sloppy Joes, An All American Favorite!

Sloppy Joe's are an American favorite and in our house that is no exception.  Hands down this is probably one of Rick's all time favorite dinners.  He goes to great lengths to get this for dinner on a regular basis.  It is usually his go to birthday meal.  

Many of us grew up with a popular canned version of the sloppy Joe sauce and my mom made that a few times, but then she started making it from scratch and I have to tell you.  If you are going to eat a sloppy Joe (incidentally not one of my all time faves), this is the one you want to eat!  My mom makes hers a bit different, but mine is the one Rick and the girls love.  Full of ground beef goodness, onions, bell pepper, celery and mushrooms.  Yes, I put mushrooms in mine, but you can leave them out if they are not your jam.    Then I build a sauce from condiments you already have!  Ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire and then I toss in a small can of diced tomatoes and green chilies, otherwise known as Ro-Tel, for good measure.  Don't forget some spices to round everything out!  Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and paprika will give this the over the top flavor you will fall in love with.

This get simmered over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes and then load into some warm hamburger buns and you are off to the races!  Leftovers are even better because these flavors just meld and marry into an amazing taste sensation.  I have even seen Rick eat this warmed up with just a spoon like a bowl of chili!  Yes, it's that good!

Leftovers are easily saved in the fridge in an airtight container.  These should be eaten inside of a week.  If you want to make a big batch you can portion this out in containers and freeze for easy meals later on.  This will keep frozen for up to three months, so bulk cooking this is an excellent idea. To reheat, you can thaw on the counter during the day or in the fridge overnight or you can do what I like to do and place the frozen sloppy Joe "brick" in the slow cooker on low and let it simmer during the day and you are good to go for dinner, just add buns and a salad an voila!  Dinner is served!

The history of the Sloppy joe is a bit murky but there are several theories of how it came to be.  In the 1920's the loose meat sandwich was created in a small Iowa restaurant by a man named Floyd Angell this was nothing more than cooked ground beef in a loose sauce with spices served on white, sliced bread.   In the 1930's and throughout, the addition of ketchup and other seasonings and vegetables is seen in many recipes.  During World War 2, rationing was in place.  Meat was a scarcity, so the Sloppy Joe was on many a table since it could be made with little meat and stretched with vegetables and even potatoes or rice to make sure everyone had enough.

The most likely source of the Sloppy Joe, however comes from a little place in the Florida Keys, incidentally called "Sloppy Joe's".  The name spread far and wide during the depression.  There were many restaurants with this name.  There is also a line of thinking that the name simply stems from the fact that a hobo like man named Joe, was seen eating this sandwich and the name of the dish stuck.  Like many an American tradition, we may never no the true origin of this delicious and flavorful family staple!

I hope that you will give these homemade Sloppy Joe's a try and I hope you love them!  

Happy Eating!

Get the recipe here:

http://bit.ly/1pfdZSO

See how I made these Sloppy Joe's in a somewhat vintage YouTube video on my channel