Sloppy Joes

Photo and recipe from Simply Recipes

Sloppy Joes Recipe

The trick to this recipe is to brown the meat well, on high heat. Don't crowd the pan, work in batches, and don't stir the meat until it is well browned on one side. It helps to use a large cast iron pan, or an anodized aluminum pan, as these pans can handle the heat and are relatively stick-free.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced carrots (can sub chopped bell pepper)
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt
• 1 1/4 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup ketchup i use HP brown Sauce
• 2 cups tomato sauce (or 1 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, puréed)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 turns of freshly ground black pepper
• 4 hamburger buns

• Method

  1 Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. (If you are using bell pepper instead of carrots, add those at the same time as the onions.) Add the chopped onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent, about 5 more minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Remove from heat. Remove vegetables from the pan to a medium sized bowl, set aside.
  2 Using the same pan (or you can cook the meat at the same time as the vegetables in a separate pan to save time), generously salt the bottom of the pan (about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon). Heat the pan on high. Crumble the ground beef into the pan. You will likely need to do this in two batches, otherwise you will crowd the pan and the beef won't easily brown. Do not stir the ground beef, just let it cook until it is well browned on one side. Then flip the pieces over and brown the second side. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ground beef from the pan (can add to the set-aside vegetables), salt the pan again and repeat with the rest of the ground beef.
  If you are using extra lean beef, you will likely not have any excess fat in the pan. If you are using 16% or higher, you may have excess fat. Strain off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
  3 Return the cooked ground beef and vegetables to the pan. Add the ketchup, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and brown sugar to the pan. Stir to mix well. Add ground cloves, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Lower the heat to medium low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste.
  Serve with toasted hamburger buns. Serves 4.
   

Chocolate Cherry Fridge Cake

For the chocolate fridge cake:

• 200 g good quality dark chocolate
• 1 heaped tbsp golden syrup
• 120 g unsalted butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 90 g amaretti or digestives (also ginger nuts will do)
• 1 tsp kirsch
• 50 g Marcona almonds, coarsely chopped
• 50 g walnuts, coarsely broken
• 25 g shelled pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
• 50 g Morello cherries from a jar, drained of syrup, halved
• Line a 900g loaf tin with foil or greaseproof paper.  Melt the chocolate, golden syrup and butter together gently in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir to combine and take off the heat. Let cool slightly, then stir in the beaten egg. Break the amaretti into large chunks, place in a bowl and sprinkle over the kirsch. Add in the chopped almonds, walnuts, pistachios and cherries. Pour the warm chocolate mixture over, stir gently until evenly mixed and the into the loaf tin. Place in the fridge for 4 hours to set (or longer if you want to make it in advance). A quick cheat is to place it in the freezer for 30 minutes. When ready to serve, remove from the fridge (or freezer) and turn it out onto a board. Peel off the foil or paper and cut the cake into thin slices, using a sharp knife. It's lovely served with cream  or creme fraiche and red berries on the side.

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

Made these today, i used honey instead of sugar and thanks to Sonya for this recipe she uses
Makes 16 Servings

• One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed very well
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons canola oil (i dont use canola oil so used sunflower)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan or dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Place the black beans in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.  Add the eggs, oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, peppermint extract as desired, baking powder, and salt and process until smooth.  Add ¼ cup of the chips and pulse a few times until the chips are incorporated.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before slicing into 2-inch squares.

Slow Cooker Country Beef & Herb Bread

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large onion peeled and chopped
• 3 medium carrots scraped and sliced
• 3 celery sticks, chopped
• 750g (1½ lb) stewing beef, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2½ cm (1 inch) cubes
• 400g (14oz) can tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
• ½ cup beef stock
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bouquet garni

• Topping

• 40g (1.5oz) butter
• 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
• 6 thick slices of French bread

Steps:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion, carrots and celery and fry until they are lightly browned. Transfer to the stoneware pot, draining well.
   
2. Add the beef to the frying pan and brown on all sides. Transfer to the stoneware pot.
   
3. Add the tomatoes, stock and salt and pepper to taste to the frying pan and bring to the boil. Pour into the stoneware pot and add the bouquet garni.
   
4. Cover and cook on Low for 8-10 hours or High for 4-5 hours.
   
5. To make the topping, cream together the butter and herbs and spread on one side of each piece of bread.
   
6. Thirty minutes before the cooking time is completed, remove the bouquet garni. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Press the bread, buttered side up, into the liquid. (If your slow cooker has a removable stoneware pot the bread can be crisped before serving by placing under a hot grill for a few minutes.)

Slow Cooker Thai Red Chicken Curry

•  
• One kilogram of trimmed and cut in half chicken thigh fillets
• 120 grams of Thai red curry paste
• One cup of chicken stock
• One and a half teaspoons of vegetable oil
• 150 grams of halved fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 230 grams of sliced bamboo shoots
• One tablespoon of brown sugar
• 140 ml of coconut milk
• 1/3 cup of basil leaves
• Steamed jasmine rice
• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan using medium high heat. Cook the chicken in batches for about 1 to 2 minutes until each side turns golden. Transfer to a slow cooker.
• Reduce heat on frying pan to low. Add the rest of the oil into a pan. Add curry paste and cook while stirring for about two minutes until an aroma is released. Add stock then stir until the curry paste dissolves. Add the bamboo shoots and mushroom. Pour the mixture over the chicken and stir.
• Cover and cook on high for 3.5 hours. Use a jug to combine sugar, coconut milk and fish sauce. Stir the mixture into curry. Cover and let it cook for 30 minutes on high.
• Stir the food in basil and spoon over rice.

Slow Cooker White Bread

• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 1 (8 g) package active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 ½ cups bread flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil 
• milk
• 1. 
     
     Pour 1/2 cup of water into crock pot and preheat the slow cooker/crock pot on High with the lid on.
  2. 
     
     Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of the lukewarm water or milk with the sugar and set in a warm - not hot - place.
  3. 
     
     Put the flour in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt.
  4. 
     
     Make a well in the centre.
  5. 
     
     When the yeast is bubbly, pour the rest of the water or milk, the yeast mixture, and the oil into the well.
  6. 
     
     Stir with your fingers (I use a soup spoon) until all the flour has been absorbed.
  7. 
     
     Grease a deep metal or glass bowl and place the bread in it. (You can use a coffee can, a casserole dish or a loaf pan, whatever will fit inside your crockpot).
  8. 
     
     Brush milk with a pastry brush over the top of the bread.
  9. 
     
     Cover loosely with a plate and let stand for 5 minutes in a warm place.
  10. 
      
      Place on a trivet in the slow cooker, cover the cooker, and bake on High for 2 to 3 hours.
  
  
   

Sausage Rolls

These are From Paul Hollywood and the Great British Bake Off

Ingredients

For the rough puff pastry

• 225g/8oz plain/bread flour
  

• ½ tsp salt

• 200g/7oz butter, chilled and cubed

• 180ml/6fl oz chilled water

• 1/2 lemon, juice only

For the onion chutney

• 2 onions, sliced

• 2 tbsp caster sugar
  

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

For the filling

• 600g/1lb 5oz sausage meat

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
  

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the glaze

• 1 free-range egg, beaten

1. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and add the butter. Mix the butter around with a large metal spoon to coat it in flour. Be careful to keep the butter in lumps.

2. Mix the water and lemon juice together in a jug and gradually pour it into the flour and butter mixture.

3. Using a round-tipped knife, cut across the contents of the bowl several times, turning the bowl continuously as you chop the butter into the flour, until the dough comes together. The dough is very wet at this point.

4. Tip it onto a lightly floured work surface and quickly shape it into a rectangle about 30cmx20cm/12inx8in. With the pastry vertically on the board, fold the bottom third of the pastry up onto the middle third, then the top third down onto the other thirds. Wrap in cling film and chill for 10 minutes.

5. Bring the pastry out of the fridge and with the folded edge to the sides, roll the pastry again into the same proportions as the original narrow rectangle and fold in the same way again. Chill again. Repeat this twice more. After the last folding stage, wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge for two hours.

6. For the onion chutney, place the onions, caster sugar and balsamic vinegar into a medium saucepan. Cook gently, over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 – 20 minutes or until the onions are soft, translucent and lightly caramelised.

7. Place the sausagemeat, chopped thyme, salt and freshly ground black pepper into a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

8. When the pastry is ready to use, if it is very firm, allow it to warm in the room for a few minutes.

9. Pre-heat oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Cover a large baking sheet with baking parchment.

10. Place the pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll out to a rectangle about 36cmx30cm/15inx12in. Cut into 6 even rectangles measuring about 12cmx15cm/5inx6in.

11. On the short side of each small rectangle place a cylinder of seasoned sausage meat weighing about 100g/3½oz. Spread some onion chutney onto the remaining pastry.

12. Wet the short edge of the pastry with a little water and roll up the sausagemeat in the pastry. Place onto the lined baking sheet with the seam underneath. Repeat with the remaining sausagemeat and pastry.

13. Glaze each sausage roll with the beaten egg. Diagonally slash each sausage roll on the top seven times.

14. Cook for 30 - 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden-brown and the sausage is cooked through. Eat warm or cold.

Corned Beef Hash

(pic taken before it went into oven)
This is my Mums corned beef hash as we dont like the traditional one...
Its simple easy and cheap and is proper comfort food.

2 x tins corned beef...Princess is the best
1 large onion
teaspoon thyme
1 small tin tomato puree or more if you need it...do it by taste

Gently fry off the onions till translucent, then chop the corned beef into small pieces and add to the onions and cook gently till the corned beef cooks down to a thick mixture, season to taste with pepper dont add salt...this is the time you can add more puree, it should taste fresh and tomatoe'y.

Put into a pyrex dish and top with mashed potatoe and cheese...this can me made in the morning and put into the oven 180 degress till cooked. Cook as you would a cottage pie.

Lemon Bars

• 
  
• 
  
• For the base:
• 200g (7 oz) plain flour
• 75g (3 oz) icing sugar
• 175g (6 oz) butter, softened
• 
  
• For the lemon filling:
• 3 eggs
• 300g (11 oz) caster sugar
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons icing sugar for decoration
• 1.

  Preheat the oven to 190 C / Gas mark 5. Grease a 23x33cm baking tin.
  2.

  Combine the base ingredients and pat dough into prepared tin.
  3.

  Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until slightly golden. While the crust is baking, whisk together eggs, caster sugar, flour and lemon juice until frothy. Pour this lemon mixture over the hot base.
  4.
  Return to the preheated oven for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust the top with icing sugar and cut into squares.

Scones

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 1oz strong white flour (bread flour) plus a little extra for rolling out

• 80g/3oz softened butter plus a little extra to grease the baking tray

• 80g/3oz caster sugar
  

• 2 free-range eggs

• 5 tsp baking powder
  

• 250ml/8½fl oz mile
  

• 1 free-range egg beaten with a little salt (for glazing)

• Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan assisted)/425F/Gas 7.

• Lightly grease a baking tray with butter and line it with baking or silicone paper (not greaseproof).

• put 450g/15½oz of the flour into a large bowl and add the butter. Rub the flour and butter together with your fingers to create a breadcrumb-like mixture.

• Add the sugar, eggs and baking powder and use a wooden spoon to turn the mixture gently. Make sure you mix all the way down to the bottom and incorporate all of the ingredients.

• Now add half of the milk and keep turning the mixture gently with the spoon to combine. Then add the remaining milk a little at a time and bring everything together to form a very soft, wet dough. (You may not need to add all of the milk.)

• Sprinkle most of the remaining flour onto a clean work surface. Tip the soft dough out onto the work surface and sprinkle the rest of the flour on top. The mixture will be wet and sticky.

• Use your hands to fold the dough in half, then turn the dough 90 degrees and repeat. By folding and turning the mixture in this way (called 'chaffing'), you incorporate the last of the flour and add air. Do this a few times until you’ve formed a smooth dough. If the mixture becomes too sticky use some extra flour to coat the mixture or your hands to make it more manageable. Be careful not to overwork your dough.

• Next roll the dough out: sprinkle flour onto the work surface and the top of the dough, then use the rolling pin to roll up from the middle and then down from the middle. Turn the dough by 90 degrees and continue to roll until it’s about 2.5cm/1in thick. ‘Relax’ the dough slightly by lifting the edges and allowing the dough to drop back onto the work surface.

• Using a pastry cutter, stamp out rounds from the pastry and place them onto the baking tray. Dip the edge of the pastry cutter in flour to make it easier to cut out the scones without them sticking. Don’t twist the cutter – just press firmly, then lift it up and push the dough out.

• Once you’ve cut 4 or 5 rounds you can re-work and re-roll the dough to make it easier to cut out the remaining rounds. Any leftover dough can be worked and rolled again, but the resulting scones won’t be as fluffy.

• Place the scones on the baking tray and leave them to rest for a few minutes to let the baking powder work. Then use a pastry brush (or your finger if you don’t have a brush) to glaze them with the beaten egg and salt mixture. Be careful to keep the glaze on the top of the scones. (If it runs down the sides it will stop them rising evenly.)

• Bake the scones in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, or until the scones are risen and golden-brown.

• Leave the scones to cool, then split in half and add butter, jam and clotted cream to serve.