Sloppy Joes 4 College Cooking

Start off the semester with some incredibly simple meals reminiscent of summer and home! (Plus, I always love recipes that only requiring a skillet, stirring and eating). Set the tone for eating good food on a tight college budget with quick meals like this classic recipe from decades ago! Make it even better by sharing it with friends!

Found this recipe from The Pioneer Woman's Frontier Cookbook, but decided to substitute ground turkey for beef--less fat and lighter, but just as delish! Other than knowing how to dice a pepper and onion, there is really no skill required--simply add one ingredient after the other--really!

Make sure you use a sturdier roll, slightly crusty, i.e. Kaiser Roll when eating these tasty sandwiches--something that won't sag into mush upon contact with meat mixture! 

Sloppy Joes 4 College Living

Equipment:

Large non-skillet

Wooden spoon

Ingredients:

1 tsp butter

2 tsp olive or grapeseed oil

1 1/4 lb ground turkey breast

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup water

1 Tbls brown sugar

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1-2 tsp worchestershire sauce

Tobasco to taste

Salt & pepper to taste

4 Kaiser rolls

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands. 

2. Prep your ingredients and get equipment ready!

3. Heat skillet with butter, olive oil and brown meat. 

4. Add green pepper and onion.

5. Add garlic. 

6. Add ketchup and 1/2 cup water. If you like it "sweeter", add more ketchup. 

7. Add brown sugar, chili powder, dry mustard, pepper flakes, and Worchestershire sauce.

8. Stir and let flavors simmer over low heat. Adjust salt, pepper and flavor to taste.

9. Toast your rolls with light butter. 

10. Assemble and dig in.

These sandwiches will rock any college apartment living and off-campus dining. 
Nice on the wallet!
Minimal skills required!
Easy to double the batch!
Under 20 minutes from start to finish!

Make it this week, then share it!

On The Run: Cinnamon Apple Snack Attack

Sometimes days get overwhelming between classes, studying, meeting up across the Quad, or headed to practice. And, it is super easy to resort to high carb junk food from the vending machine or cafeteria as a filler between meals. Move along!

Keep a few simple ingredients in your pantry for 'On The Run' moments during your busy college day! The Pioneer Woman recently posted one of her family's 'go to' snacks while hitting the ski slopes this winter. 

See what you think! Simple. Tasty. Filling.

Cinnamon Apple Snack Attack

Equipment:

Regular, or toaster, oven

Ingredients:

English Muffins

Peanut Butter, crunchy or smooth

Apple, thinly sliced

Cinnamon Sugar (1/2 c sugar plus 2 tsp ground cinnamon)

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands and the apple.

2. Preheat toaster oven to 350F degrees.

3. Core & slice apple. Cut into thin slices. 

4. Spread peanut butter on each muffin half and layer with apple slices.

5. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. 

6. Bake for 10 minutes. Sugar will begin to melt and apples will brown slightly.

7. Turn oven to Broil and bake x 5-8 minutes.

8. Allow to cool before chow-ing down and burning the roof of your mouth.

Easy Peppermint Fudge: Not Rocket Science

I couldn't believe this post from Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman...and had to try it.
Really, no rocket science or culinary skills or genius involved with this one! I did modify the recipe a smidge to include heavy whipping cream and Karo syrup for that glistening appearance. And I skipped the double-boiler for the microwave.

Few ingredients. Decadent outcome. Perfect college recipe for the holidays and great one to take home for the family! Make some today and share with a friend with one of the gift certificates I have created for you to use this months!! It doesn't take a genius to make a difference either!

More Coupons

Easy Peppermint Fudge

Equipment:

8" x 8" Pyrex Dish

Aluminum Foil

Medium Mixing Bowl

Whisk

Measuring Cup

Ingredients:

3 cups of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk

8 Peppermint Candies or candy canes, crushed

1 Tbls Karo Syrup

2 tsp heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Prep your pyrex dish with foil.

3. Crush your peppermints.

4. Combine chocolate chips and condensed milk in a mixing bowl.

5. Heat the chocolate-milk combo in the microwave in HIGH for 30 seconds, stirring in-between each round until it begins to become smooth and fully melted, approx 3-4 times.

6. Add the Karo and cream.

7. If you still need to melt the chocolate, go to 15 second intervals of microwaving.

8. Once melted, pour into foiled pyrex dish and smooth the surface gently until smooth.

9. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint.

10. Chill in fridge for 2 hours before cutting into bite-size pieces to share, wrap, and give away!

Simple Sugar Cookies

Holiday baking is awesome! And the weekend is the perfect time to venture into some classic cookie recipes.  The only problem with baking, i.e. for college students, is that frequently additional (or special) equipment is needed which can be costly if you are not baking a lot.
Unfortunately, the sad truth is that if you are looking to fill your apartment with aromas of Christmas and holidays, cookies, sugars and spice...you will likely need (at least) a hand-held mixer in most holiday baking activities!

And you might as well consider one if you plan to do any cooking and baking long-term. Try to invest in a decent one which will last for several years with moderate use such as the 7-Speed Kitchen Aid Handmixer--compact, small, versatile.

In the interim,  if you don't have one...see if you can borrow one from a friend or neighbor until you can ask Santa to put it under the tree!  

So many good recipes are waiting to be made like this one adapted from Ree Drummond's first cookbook 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks'.  These cookies are light, buttery crisps of goodness that melt in your mouth. Almost anyone would love to have you drop them off with the coupon above!  

Make a batch. Wrap them up. Print my free coupon above. Write a note. And..surprise someone today! For no good reason other than 'doing good'! Make someone smile today!

Simple Sugar Cookies

Equipment:

Mixing bowl
Cookie sheets
Handmixer
Spatula
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
2 sticks (1/2 pound) of butter, softened
1 cup canola / vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar plus some for sprinkling
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla
4 cups of flour plus 2 Tbls
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar (this comes in a small container)
1-2 tsp Orange or lemon zest (my suggestion and optional)

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
3. Use a handmixer to cream the butter before adding sugars, eggs, oil and vinegar.

4. Add the salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add the zest here as well if you use it.

5. Begin adding the flour one cup at a time and mix well before adding the next cup.

6. Add the 2 Tbls of flour.
7. Once all ingredients are combined, cover and refrigerate for one hour.

8. Use a tablespoon to place golf-ball size dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

9. Use a flat greased flat surface (or your palm) to roughly flatten the cookie balls.

10. Sprinkle with sugar.
11. Bake x 9-10 minutes until just beginning to brown.

Awesome Fried Mozzarella Dippers

Settling in for next semester?

Planning on having everyone stop by later on? There are some great "crowd pleaser" recipes recently featured, so take advantage of them for sure, but...fried mozzarella with marinara will make everyone forget school is starting! 

I put this recipe off for weeks. Not really sure why, but the process--once you have everything set up--is very straight forward and worth the effort. Take the time to lay all your equipment out to proceed quickly.  You cannot step away from this once you start, so commit to making the best mozzarella sticks from the outset.

You can certainly make your own marinara sauce as I have posted in Simple Marinara Sauce from Mario Batali, but saving time is easily done with great options from Rao's, San Marzano, Paul Newman's line up or Mario Batali.

(Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Fontier--great cookbook for delicious comfort food)

Awesome Fried Mozzarella Sticks

Equipment:

Cast-iron skillet (worth investing in and fairly cheap at most supermarkets)

Chopsticks or metal tongs (that won't melt in the oil)

Ideally: Wire-rack (like you use for cooling cookies)

If you do not have wire-rack, use a plate or cookie sheet with papertowels

Ingredients:

16 pieces of string cheese, unwrapped and cut in half

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp cayenne

Pinch of salt and pepper

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 cups panko or Italian bread crumbs

1 Tbls dried parsley (if using Italian bread crumbs can skip)

Canola oil, enough to have 1/2" depth to whatever skillet you are using

Marinara Sauce

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Prep all of your stations in shallow bowls / plates with edges

    --cut your mozzarella pieces

    --combine flour, cayenne, and pinch of salt & pepper

    --whisk eggs & milk

    --combine parsley and bread crumbs

3. Heat your skillet with 1/2" layer of oil. It should sizzle / bubble when flour flicked on the surface.

4. Have your wire rack / plate ready and spray with PAM Spray.

5. Lay out all of your stations: cheese, flour, egg, breadcrumbs, oil, wire rack / plate

6. Carefully, dip each cheese stick in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.

7. Carefully, place the coated cheese into the hot oil, allowing to fry for 2-3 minutes before turning.

8. Once golden brown, remove cheese onto wire rack or plate, and quickly sprinkle with salt.

9. Have serving platter ready with a bowl of marinara sauce