Wonderful Sloppy Joes

I was home with a terrible sneezing cold when this recipe was featured on a local television channel by a local grocer.  I was too under-the-weather to write it down, but went to the grocer later to get it.  We’ve used it for years.

~Dana~

Wonderful Sloppy Joes

2 lbs ground meat (beef, pork, etc.)

1 chopped onion

½ t. salt

½ t. black pepper

1 cup catsup

½ cup water

6 T. BBQ sauce

3 T cider vinegar

2 T prepared mustard

4 t. Worcestershire sauce

4 drops tobasco sauce

Brown: meat and onion with salt and pepper.  Add: remaining ingredients. 

Heat through.

  May be placed in a crock-pot and kept warm for many hours on low.

Bean & Ham Soup

I searched the internet for the perfect Bean and Ham Soup recipe.  

This is a combination of several recipes that makes a soup we love.

Bean and Ham Soup

Ø 1 tbsp olive oil

Ø 1 yellow sweet onion

Ø 1 cup of carrots sliced

Ø 1 cup of celery, sliced

Ø 1 clove of garlic minced

Ø 1 1/2 cups of cooked diced ham

Ø 4, 14oz cans of white beans or navy beans (rinsed & drained) OR cook your own beans, 2 cups, dried

Ø 4 cans of chicken stock

Ø 2 bay leaves

Ø Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper (to taste)


Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook until tender, 5-7 minutes. Add ham and cook for 30-60 seconds before adding 3 cans of stock and 2 cans of beans (rinsed well), bay leaf, and pepper. Simmer over medium low heat for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove bay leaves and blend soup in pot with immersion blender 0r regular blender if you don’t have an immersion blender. Add the remaining 2 cans of beans and remaining can of stock. Simmer to heat beans through, 10-15 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary. (The ham often provides enough salt.)

We love this with crusty bread or good old fashioned soda crackers.

Brazilian Limeade

Our family LOVES this beverage.

Brazilian Limeade

4 – 6, limes (little ones with smooth skin make the best limeade)


1 c. sugar


6 c. cold water

1/3 cup (FULL)  sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

Blend water and sugar in blender till sugar dissolves.

Wash limes very well and cut in to eighths. {I soak them in a big bowl of water with a cup of white vinegar for 10 min or so.  They are squeaky clean!)

Place 1/2 of the cut-up limes in your blender with  2-3 cups of the sugar water. Pulse a few times to beat up the limes.  DO NOT puree them.  They will still be very chunky.  {If you do this too much your drink will be bitter and gross.} Pour the above through a strainer into your serving pitcher. Use a spoon to “juice” the limes, but don’t press too hard. Repeat with the remaining limes.  Add any remaining sugar water to the pitcher.

Add sweetened condensed milk. Stir well.

At serving time, serve over lots of crushed ice. (We like Sonic ice.... :)  Who doesn't?

This does not keep well, so don’t make too far ahead of time. A couple of hours is fine, but not a day ahead....

Makes 4-6 servings.