I have been meaning to share this Ancho BBQ Sloppy Joe recipe for ages. Then yesterday, Nate was clicking around Instagram and I could hear Adam Sandler and Chris Farley serenading us. It’s a sign. It’s time for Sloppy Joe.

This recipe for Ancho BBQ Sloppy Joe was one of the recipes that I adopted back from when we were ordering meal kits from Hello Fresh on a regular basis. My kids had never had Sloppy Joe sandwiches before – despite the fact that Manwich was my favorite meal in first grade, I somehow didn’t continue with cooking this food into adulthood. When this particular recipe turned up in our Hello Fresh box, I was unsure the kids would go for it. In the end the kids, Nate and I all loved this dinner and now the recipe is part of our rotation, even without getting the Hello Fresh kits.

Not only is this recipe delicious, it is easy to throw together without any fancy ingredients. And now for the Ancho BBQ Sloppy Joes…

Ancho BBQ Sloppy Joe Recipe

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Originally tried this recipe from Hello Fresh and have added it to our regular rotation!

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 4 tablespoons classic BBQ sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons beef concentrate
• 2 teaspoons Ancho chili powder
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 20 ounces ground beef
• sliced pickles
• hamburger buns

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together ketchup, BBQ sauce, water, cornstarch, beef concentrate and chili powder.
2. In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of cooking oil in pan and heat to medium-high. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add ground beef, sprinkling evenly with salt and pepper. Break meat up and cook until browned, 3-5 minutes.
4. Reduce heat to medium and add sauce mixture to the pan. Cook, stirring regularly, until sauce thickens and beef is cooked through, around 20 minutes.
5. Serve on toasted hamburger buns with pickle slices.

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Ages ago when I kicked off my {now sorely-neglected} podcast, one of my first guests was Tracy Benjamin of the food blog Shutterbean. First off, Tracy is one of my favorite people and I love her episode, so go take a listen if you haven’t already! One of the recipes Tracy shared in that episode was for Thai Beef with Basil, a recipe her family loves that utilizes ground beef. I’ve had it on my to-try list ever since and last week it finally happened.

The result? A really great go-to recipe that my kids devoured. All three of them said they want me to make it again and I am definitely planning to. I must admit that I wasn’t sure I was going to love this recipe – serving ground beef over rice just, I don’t know, didn’t capture my interest. Well, I’m glad I tried it anyway as I loved the recipe, too! The carrot slaw is key to why I love this dish so much. I also cooked the rice in coconut milk instead of water, which gave a nice, subtle flavor to the dish overall.

As is my M.O., I changed the recipe, both on purpose and on accident. I am writing my version up below, mostly so I don’t forget what I did but also so I can share it with you, in case you think my changes seem like a good idea. Enjoy!

Update! This is one of our new favorite go-to meals. The last time I cooked this dish I made a discovery – it is awesome if you had a handful of greens to the bowl. This adds a nutritional punch and tastes awesome. I just put the rice and beef in the bowl, then topped it with greens and finished with the carrot slaw. The dressing from the carrots mixes in with the greens and it’s great. I just used prepackaged “power greens,” but any kind of darker greens will work well!

Thai Basil Beef with Coconut Brown Rice

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

Adapted from Bon Appetit recipe, as discovered by friend Tracy Benjamin from Shutterbean. This dinner is easy to make and all three of my kids (all ages!) loved it!

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup short grain brown rice
• 1¾ cup canned coconut milk (one 13-14-ounce can will work!)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (remove seeds for less heat)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 lb. ground beef
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• kosher salt
• ½ cup beef stock (or ½ teaspoon beef bouillon + ½ cup hot water)
• 3 cups fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade (measure basil before cutting)
• 4 medium carrots, julienned
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced (both white & green parts)
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• lime wedges for serving, if desired
• leafy greens (for example "power greens" salad mix), optional

Instructions

1. Add rice, coconut milk and ½ teaspoon salt to a pot. Stir then bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover pot and reduce heat to low. Cook on low for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit with lid on for 10 additional minutes.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and jalapeño and cook until onions have softened and start to turn translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add garlic, pressing it through a garlic press, to the pan. Stir then add ground beef. Break beef up, sprinkle evenly with kosher salt, then cook until no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
4. Add beef broth (or bouillon and water, if using) along with the ginger, cumin and cinnamon. Let simmer over low heat for 5-10 minutes, adding ⅔ of the basil a few minutes before serving. (Note: I removed about half of the jalapeño pieces before serving to reduce the heat for my kids.)
5. In a mixing bowl combine juice from 1 lime, 2 teaspoons oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, carrots, green onion and the remaining ⅓ of the basil. Stir well to coat veggies in the dressing.
6. Serve rice topped with beef and carrot slaw. Drizzle some of the dressing from the slaw bowl over the servings and enjoy! Optional: Add a handful of leafy greens to the bowl for extra nutrients and deliciousness!

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OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE:

• Lentil Rice Bowls with Lime-Tahini Dressing
• Asian Spinach Salad
• Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Thai Cucumber Salad
• Chicken Kai Pa Lo

EQUIPMENT I USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:

• Cuisinart 12-Inch Skillet with Glass Lid
• Wusthof Classic Chef’s Knife
• Epicurean Kitchen Series Cutting Board
• Cuisinart 4-Quart Saucepan

Last weekend when we were driving through Southern Utah seeing the beautiful sights, the kids and I stayed at my Uncle Mark and Auntie Barb’s house in St. George. We had been driving all day long and, when we arrived at their house, they had a big pan of beer brats on the stove. It was so nice to have dinner waiting, especially a dinner as delicious as this one!

Barbara explained how she and Mark cook their brats and I made them myself just two days later! This is definitely my new favorite way to cook brats. And it’s super easy, with just three ingredients!

There are few notes throughout the recipe with hints and tips. I figured it’s better to just put all that info right into the recipe instead of here in the blog post. Enjoy!!!

Mark and Barb's Beer Brats

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Mark and Barbara are my aunt and uncle and they make the best beer brats ever.

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 6 Brats (Barbara used Johnsonville; I went shopping at Sprouts this week and bought the brats at their meat counter, which were GIANT, so I only cooked 4. I actually preferred the Johnsonville brats.)
• 2 onions, cut in half then sliced into ½" - ¾" slices
• 24 ounces beer, or enough to cover the brats and onions in the pan (Barbara used Miller High Life; I tried the recipe with Negra Modelo. Both beers were delicious - the Miller has a lighter flavor, the Negra yields a darker, stronger, richer flavor...I don't have a favorite, they're both fabulous!)

Instructions

1. Place the sliced onions and the brats in a high-sided skillet. Pour beer over the brats and onions until they are covered.
2. Heat over medium-high heat to bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-60 minutes, until the brats are cooked through (internal temperature 170º F). Make sure brats are simmering, not boiling, but you don't want the heat too low so that they're not cooking.
3. Remove the brats from the pan and set aside on a plate.
4. Cook onions until beer is almost completely cooked off, leaving you with saucy onions.
5. Add brats back to the pan, raise heat to medium and keep them on the heat until they are hot again.
6. Serve brats smothered in the onions on buns of your choice with mustard of your choice.

Notes

Barbara mentioned sometimes they'll make these ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze them. When it's time to eat them, if frozen be sure to defrost, then heat the brats up on the grill and heat the onions in the microwave or on the stove.

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My mother-in-law Pat claims she’s not a good cook, but I wholeheartedly beg to differ. Some of my very best cooking tricks, tips and recipes have come from her. And some of my favorite non-recipe “recipes” come from her. Pat has a knack for making easy-to-prep food taste really good.

Today I’m sharing one of those non-recipe recipes. It is seriously beyond easy with only 3 ingredients. The recipe is a little old school, i.e. there is canned cream-of-whatever soup involved. I rarely buy canned soups, but I certainly do for this chicken recipe! The chicken comes out so tender and juicy, and the stuffing cooks perfectly, soft and yummy where it touches the chicken with a nice crunch around the outside.

(>> Find out more…)

A few months ago I was thinking that naan bread would make a good crust for quick pizzas. I wrote it on my “to try” list and then ignored the list all summer. Then, this week, I picked up the America’s Test Kitchen magazine “6 Ingredient Recipes” (which is on newsstands now until October 20 and it’s great!) and guess what they had as one of the recipes? Naan pizza! I decided to finally get my act together and give it a try.

This past Sunday I was planning to make homemade pizza. I have really perfected the pizza-making process (not to brag or anything) and was looking forward to having pizza for dinner. (Here is my crust recipe – I will also be doing a full post about making homemade pizza soon, so keep an eye out.) But Sunday ended up being really busy as well as ridiculously hot. I simply didn’t feel like turning my oven on at 550º F for 2-3 hours. So, I broke out the naan bread and fired up the grill!

Naan bread works perfectly as a pizza crust. Following the technique below, it gets nice and crispy on the bottom but still has some chew, and it’s just so quick and easy! Making the naan pizzas on the grill worked beautifully, but I also cooked one in the oven and that worked great, too. If I had to choose I would go with the grill, but you can’t lose either way!

Naan pizzas are also a great lunch option – I made one for myself yesterday in the toaster oven and it was quick and painless!

For the record, I love my homemade crust more. But these naan pizzas are still pretty amazing and are perfect for when you need a good homemade pizza cheat!

Pizza flavors pictured: Barbecue Chicken (BBQ sauce, chicken, cheese and cilantro tossed on after cooking) and Honey Goat Cheese with Caramelized Onion

(>> Find out more…)

Tacone is one of my favorite take-out food joints. They have great wraps and the best homemade potato chips EVER. Sadly, there are very few Tacone restaurants in the world and I hardly ever get my fix!

While I know I’ll never be able to replicate their potato chips, I can copycat my favorite Tacone wraps. My most favorite was always the Malibu Melt. It’s simple but oh-so-delicious. And the homemade version is just as good as the restaurant. Bonus: this recipe is super quick and easy, which is always my favorite kind of recipe!

Happy wrapping!

Malibu Melt Wraps

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Inspired by the restaurant Tacone, one of our favorites!

Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• Flour tortillas
• Cooked chicken breast, chopped, either grilled or breaded (I personally love the Bread Chicken Tenderloin Breasts from Trader Joe's in the freezer section)
• Chopped tomatoes
• Chopped romaine lettuce
• Shredded mozzarella cheese
• Avocado, cut into chunks
• Honey mustard salad dressing (click here for a homemade recipe; I also love the Ken's Steakhouse honey mustard from the store)

Instructions

1. Lay out the flour tortilla and spread some honey mustard dressing down the center. Add the chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and avocado. Top with another drizzle of honey mustard then wrap it all up like a burrito!

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Confession: Our family hardly ever eats fish. I cook it once every few years or so and that’s about it. There are a few reasons for this. First, Nate does not like fish, which is shocking since he comes from a long line of seafood-loving New Englanders. The second reason is I just don’t know the best ways to prepare seafood since I never do it. Practice makes perfect and there just isn’t any practice going on in my kitchen!

The Salmon Council reached out to me recently about doing a salmon recipe in support of American Heart Month (which is right now!) and I thought it would be a good opportunity to get some fish going on in our house. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends eating fish because it’s a good source of protein and high in omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon is at the top of their fish list and the AHA recommends eating two servings of heart-healthy fish TWICE A WEEK, which can reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack by up to one-third. I guess my twice a decade isn’t quite up to snuff!

I decided it would be fun to throw together a simple and delicious salmon recipe, in the hopes that my kids would go for it. As I was making dinner last night, Cate walked in and asked what we were having. I told her salmon, to which she replied, “I don’t like fish.” I asked her, “Well, what fish have you had?” She didn’t have an answer, so she said she would give it a try and as soon as the salmon came out of the oven, she asked for a bite. She was immediately converted. In fact she had three servings for dinner and exclaimed that it was “AWESOME.” She also said that the “salmon people” would be happy with my blog post because I could tell everyone kids love it. It was super, duper, crazy cute. She also asked if we can have salmon more often. Success! Anna wasn’t quite as enthusiastic, but she did like dinner and cleared her plate no problem! Nate is still on the fence – he said the recipe is good, but…you know, fish. But he promised he would never voice those opinions out loud in front of the kids since they like are really liking fish and it’s so healthy!

This recipe is so incredibly simple it’s surprising. Even if you’ve never cooked fish before you’ll have success! The leftovers were pretty good, but honestly, when the salmon is fresh out of the oven it is IRRESISTIBLE. So flavorful and moist with great texture, Cate and I were swooning!

Also, Cate told me I should take a picture of she and Anna enjoying their salmon. I obliged. How could I not?

In celebration of American Heart Month, the Salmon Council is giving away a fun salmon starter package! One randomly-selected winner will receive a $30 Visa gift card (to get your salmon!), a Hooked on Salmon Thermo-tote, and  1 pack of Weber Firespice cedar planks (visit Weber.com for recipes and tips including this step-by-step guide for perfect salmon planking). Here’s how to enter the giveaway! (Comments must be posted by Midnight PT on Tuesday 2/25. Winner must have a U.S. address.)

• Leave a comment on this post – any comment! Easy peasy!
• Bonus entry: Leave an additional comment with your favorite salmon recipe (either share the recipe or a link!)
• Bonus entry: Follow The Salmon Council on Facebook! (leave a separate comment indicating you’ve done so)
• Bonus entry: Follow This Week for Dinner on Facebook! (leave a separate comment indicating you’ve done so)

The giveaway winner was comment #77, Natahsa P. Congratulations, Natasha!

Without further ado, the super easy, even more scrumptious recipe for Maple Soy Glazed Salmon!

(>> Find out more…)

Today I have a super fast and easy dinner recipe for you that is also delicious and healthy. That’s the best kind of recipe, right?

But first, a confession. I love ramen noodle packs. You know, the 89-cent packages of ramen noodles paired with the sodium-rich broth that is oh-so-good. But…but. The sodium. Ah, the sodium. I haven’t bought ramen in years and years because of that darn sodium. Happily, today’s recipe will let us have our ramen and eat it, too!

You will need to buy one of those cheap-o packages of ramen for this recipe, but you’re going to throw the flavor packet in the trash where it belongs. Instead, we’ll use healthy, natural ingredients and just a bit of salt to create a yummy meal that’s perfect for kids, adults and college-kids alike!

This recipe is fast to prepare and should be eaten immediately, so plan accordingly!

Easy Asian Chicken Noodle Soup (a.k.a. Homemade Ramen)

 

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Cook time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Adapted from a recipe in America’s Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Main Dish, Soup, Poultry

Cuisine: Asian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded*
• 2 green onions, sliced thin with greens separated from whites
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced (I use my garlic press)
• 3½ cups low-sodium or sodium-free chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus extra as needed (a commenter mentioned that soy sauce can be high in sodium, so if you really want to cut back, try using low-sodium soy sauce or reducing the amount used)
• 1 3-ounce package ramen noodles, flavor packet discarded
• 1½ cups shredded coleslaw mix (I used a coleslaw mix made only with green cabbage)
• 1½ cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
• ½ tablespoon sesame oil, plus extra as needed
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped white green onions (reserving the greens for later), ginger and garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
2. Stir in chicken broth and soy sauce and bring to a simmer (you’ll want to turn the heat up to get it boiling gently, then reduce the heat to medium or so to maintain the simmer).
3. Stir in ramen noodles and coleslaw and cook for 4 minutes.
4. Add chicken and spinach and cook for 1 minute.
5. Stir in the rest of the green onions and sesame oil. Mix together, taste, then add salt, pepper, soy sauce and sesame oil to taste. Serve immediately.

Notes

*Cook the chicken however is easiest for you – grill, sauté, boil, whatever!

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Last week I decided to make white chicken chili for the first time, which involved using two ingredients I’ve never worked with before: hominy and poblano chili peppers.

Honestly, I was skeptical of the hominy. Like I said, I had never used it before and when I opened the can, the smell was reminiscent of corn nuts. I can’t stand the smell of corn nuts, by the way, so I was really hoping the soup would turn out! I am happy to report that the soup not only turned out but was very delicious and a big hit with every member of the family. In case you are wondering, it tasted nothing like corn nuts. PHEW! Nate came home from work, looked in the pot and declared that he was certain he was going to love this soup, even before he knew what it was. And he did!

I used the white chicken chili recipe from The America’s Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook. So far every recipe I’ve used from that book has been a winner. The recipes have all been delicious and quick! This chicken chili was no exception. This recipe was simple to prepare and was no problem to throw together on a busy weeknight. I will include my various notes on the recipe below!

White Chicken Chili

 

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From The America’s Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook, with my notes

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Main Dish, Poultry

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can white or yellow hominy (ATK recommends white because it has a deeper flavor)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (Jane note: I used two chicken breasts)
• Salt and Pepper
• 3 poblano chili peppers (Jane note: I only used 1) – de-seed and core the pepper, then chop
• 1 onion, chopped fine (Jane note: I only used ⅓ of a large yellow onion)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (Jane note: I used my garlic press)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander (Jane note: I didn’t use coriander b/c I didn’t have it in the cupboard and didn’t feel like buying it)
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (Jane note: I used ¼ teaspoon of black pepper because I am out of cayenne, which makes me very sad – I need to rectify that!)
• ½ cup tomatillo salsa or salsa verde
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (Jane note: I bought flat leaf parsley instead of cilantro, which I didn’t discover until I took it out to start chopping. I was SO bummed because cilantro would taste wonderfully in this soup, but I just went with the parsley because that’s what I had. I am happy to report that the parsley was also very delicious! So, feel free to choose the herb you like better and go with it!)

Instructions

1. Process the hominy with 1 cup broth in blender of food processor until smooth.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, season with salt & pepper then brown chicken lightly on both sides, about 5 minutes. (If you don’t have a dutch oven, a large pot should work.) Transfer chicken to a plate. Add remaining oil, poblanos and onion to the pot and cook until onions and peppers are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, garlic, cumin, corinader (if using) and cayenne (or pepper) and cook about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in remaining 3 cups broth, deglazing the bottom of the pan. I used a flat whisk here and it worked very well, but a standard whisk will suffice.
3. Stir in pureed hominy. Add chicken, along with any accumulated juices, and simmer gently over medium-low to medium heat until chicken registers 160 degrees, about 10 minutes. I highly recommend using an instant-read thermometer so that you don’t overcook the chicken – it will be super tender if you cook until 160 degrees. Remove chicken, shred then return to soup. Add salsa, cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 1 minute then serve!

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Spaghetti is definitely a go-to meal around here and my kids could eat it every day, much like myself as a kid. Once, when I was in 3rd grade, my dad and I found ourselves home alone for a week. We ate spaghetti every night. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. My dad was lucky I was a clueless 9-year-old.

While I am grateful to know that my kids will always eat spaghetti (it really is a good option on a busy night), I must admit that Nate and I are less enthusiastic about the dish. I don’t know, it’s just kinda boring. The razzle dazzle of spaghetti has finally worn off for me. Sorry, Dad! 😉

Last week, however, I decided to try to make spaghetti more interesting. The result was delicious! I used a recipe for spaghetti carbonara from Christina Ferrare’s Big Bowl of Love cookbook and it came out beautifully. The ingredients are simple, the taste is flavorful, and the sauce is creamy without using actual cream.

Nate and I both really liked this recipe. I actually loved it. The girls stuck with classic boring spaghetti that night, but I don’t think they even tried the carbonara, little stinkers. Owen, however, ate three servings and couldn’t get enough!

Easy Spaghetti Carbonara

 

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Adapted from Big Bowl of Love by Christina Ferrare (I changed a few of the ingredient amounts and also some of the technique based on my experience with the recipe)

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Main Dish, Pasta

Ingredients

• 2 cups peas (original recipe calls for fresh, I used frozen)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces diced pancetta
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallot (or regular onion if you don’t have a shallot on hand)
• 8 ounces spaghetti or linguine (fresh is yummier, dried is fine)
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1½ cups freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish

Instructions

1. If using fresh peas, remove the peas from their pods and set aside. For frozen, run warm water over the peas to separate them, drain, then set aside.
2. In a cold, large, heavy pot, pour the olive oil and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the pancetta, cook over medium heat until pancetta is crisp. Remove pancetta and set aside. Add shallot to the pan and saute until crispy. Remove from heat, add pancetta back to the pot and set aside. I am lazy, so I cooked the pancetta then just added the shallot/onion to the pan without removing the pancetta. I added the shallot before the pancetta got crispy then cooked until the onions were softened. Once cooked, turn off heat and set pan aside.
3. Cook pasta to package directions. Be sure to salt the water – 1 tablespoon salt per 3 quarts of water. Three minutes before pasta is ready, add peas. Drain pasta and peas, reserving 3 cups of the pasta water and set aside.
4. The original recipe tells you to add the pasta to the large pot with the shallots and then mix in the sauce ingredients. I did it this way and found that the cheese was very clumpy. It tasted good, but I didn’t get a smooth sauce. So, I am modifying the directions. Return the pancetta/shallot pan back to the stove and turn the heat on to medium-high. Immediately add ½ cup pasta water, ½ cup milk and ½ cup parmesan cheese. Whisk well. Add remainder of the parmesan cheese and milk and keep whisking. If the sauce is too thick or gooey, add pasta water ¼ cup at a time until sauce is creamy. Reduce heat to low then stir in the peas and spaghetti.
5. Serve topped with additional parmesan cheese and mint leaves if desired.

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