Best Ever Sloppy Joes

Okay here we go folks. This is without a doubt the best recipe I have for Sloppy Joes which comes from my mom. Even better than the Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes, which are convenient but I will admit, these just taste better. I love to add a slice of American cheese to my sandwich or if that doesn't strike your fancy, a tiny spoonful of of sour cream. For the purists, it is delicious just on its own. Ready for the recipe?

Ravioli with Italian Cheese & Herb Cream Sauce, Chicken and Veggies

Happy Saturday peeps! Today I have a throw it all together dinner recipe that my mom came up with. It is so tasty, let me tell ya. It isn't baked, so no need to heat up the kitchen by using your oven. The combination of the roasted bell peppers and sun dried tomatoes really adds a ton of flavor so I highly recommend using both if you can. Enjoy!

Ready for the recipe?

Shredded Beef Nachos

This weekend I have a special treat for you guys. Flavorful and delicious Shredded Beef Nachos. The recipe for the shredded beef comes from Epicurious and originally, Texas Cooking. While the ingredient list may seem a little long, it is broken up into three sections. The marinade for the meat, the ingredients added and simmered with the meat until it is falling apart, then the garnishes to serve it. It is amazing with a spiciness that isn't overwhelming but still packs a little bit of a bite. Ready for the recipe?

Teriyaki Avocado Pineapple Burgers

If you haven't lived in California you may have never heard of the delight that is the Teriyaki Avocado Burger. It used to be available from a food joint named Spike's Teriyaki Bowl which have closed down. I have heard rumblings that one of Spike's children has opened a place, B-Man's Teriyaki & Burgers that serves similar food items.

Anyhow, back to the burgers. They are so delicious! When we lived in California we would make quite a long trip to get Teriyaki Burgers and Teriyaki Rice Bowls.  Now that I live very far away, making it at home is a great substitute. This is more of an outline of ingredients than a recipe per se, but I hope you enjoy it. Onto the recipe!

Bacon-Corn Chowder with Shrimp

As it turns out, bacon does make most things better. Today we have a lightened up recipe for Bacon-Corn Chowder with Shrimp, recipe courtesy of Cooking Light. It is delicious and light while still being filling. Ready ready?

Addicting Sweet Potato and Black Bean Freezer Burritos

If you have not had the pleasure of eating a sweet potato & black bean burrito, the time is now folks! I love making freezer burritos just for the fact that you can spend one session of time quickly preparing them, then store them in the fridge or freezer and they are ready to grab when you are rushing through the week.

The spices I have included to add to the bean mixture are just a guide. Whatever sounds good to you, use it! I would just recommend that you taste the two components of the sweet potatoes and the bean mixture to check for any needed seasonings before you assemble the wrap. Ready for the recipe?

Orange and Balsamic Chicken

Okay folks today I have a very special treat for you. This Orange and Balsamic Chicken was dinner last night and let me just say, I have not enjoyed a chicken recipe this much in a long time. It was divine.

This recipe has only a handful of ingredients which is always a plus in my book. You start by cooking chicken thighs skin side down in a pan. The reason this is important is it lets the skin get really crispy. If you have ever cooked chicken in the oven and the skin is still fatty and gross, this is the solution!

Once the skin is crispy, transfer the chicken to a roasting dish and throw it in the oven to finish cooking. While it bakes, you make a super fast sauce and you are done. Amazingly tasty and easy. Here we go!

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

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This recipe comes from my mom. It utilizes some shortcuts, like a roaster chicken and frozen broccoli spears.  It is ultra comforting and a delicious meal I loved growing up.

Stuffed Burger Bundles - You will have to just trust me.

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A few days ago on the Jam Hands facebook page I asked my fans if I should post a totally fugly but DELICIOUS recipe that my mom has been making forever.

Everybody said yes and that they trusted me, so here it is. I am doing something I normally never do, which is making the picture small because believe me, making it big to fill the screen is not going to help. Hehe.

So here is the scoop on the Stuffed Burger Bundles, which my family calls Burger Pods. Why pods? Well, they sort of look like alien pods and it was our way to poke fun at the ugly but so tasty dinner meal. This is my favorite meal that my mom makes and I hope that you will trust me. Ready for the recipe?

Cowboy Casserole

Lisa at The Cutting Edge of Ordinary inspired me  to make this dish after reading her hilariously titled post "Cowboy Casserole - looks like dog food - tastes delicious." I put my own twist on it to suit what I had in my pantry and in my freezer, but the basic idea is the same. It may not sound like much, but believe me, it is comforting and seriously delicious.

If you are anti canned soup, by all means, you can make homemade cream of mushroom soup at home. All you have to do is google a recipe. I for one have always liked them and I do not look down on anyone else who uses them. No food snobbery here! Okay, with that out of the way, are you ready for the recipe?

Cheesy Garlic Sticks

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All righty. Cheesy Garlic Sticks. I make them all the time. They are delicious, they only take a handful of ingredients, and often they are filling enough to make a meal out of on the cheap. I've tried a bunch of little tweaks to come up with what I think is the most delicious recipe for Cheesy Garlic Sticks. Ready for the recipe?

Chloe's Grilled Tomato and Cheese Sandwich

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As I mentioned previously, The Kitchen Reader chose The Sugar Queen as the book selection for July. A few reviews already have mentioned the Grilled Tomato and Cheese sandwich described several times in the book, and I was inspired to create it.

Using the description in the book, here is my take on Chloe's Grilled Tomato and Cheese Sandwich that the main character Josey enjoys so much. Ready for the recipe?

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

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Talk about taking my time. I made these Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps several years ago during the football season and I'm just now posting them. Sheesh!

These are a simple and delicious appetizer. Perhaps a bit less chili powder and I'd be more of a fan. Either way, they'd be a tasty addition to your next party or family get together.

Ready for the recipe?

My Favorite Veggie Sandwich

Day 2 of Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables Week is here. Dun dun dunnn. I haven't mastered the layering technique for this sandwich quite yet. Apparently it is more important for it to look pretty than to ensure that it doesn't fall apart in your hands. C'est la vie.


This sandwich is sometimes called a 'California' or something to that effect. You can always add a little turkey or roast beef if you are in the mood for it. I like the taste of the veggies by themselves so I don't add any meats.

PS - The day I made this, I ate it for breakfast. I make no apologies. Ready for the recipe?

DIY Lunchables by Jen at Domesticated Nomad

Happy Friday Guys! I am so excited to have my very first guest poster today. The extremely talented Jen from Domesticated Nomad is in the house today to share her DIY Lunchables.  

Technically, we are doing a blog swap. I'm posting a new recipe over at her blog, and she is posting over here at Jam Hands. Be sure to drop by her site and say hi. Take it away Jen!   -Ali

Hi Jam Hands readers! I adore Ali's blog and I'm so excited she let me take over today. I'm Jen from Domesticated Nomad. I typically blog about home DIY stuff and kids' art lessons, but today I'm going to talk to you well, write about DIY Lunchables.

Out in blogland, I wish I could remember where, I saw the idea of making a menu for the kids to deal with the summer lunches. I thought this was a great idea. But I wanted to make the lunches "ready-to-go" so I created my own, much tastier and healthier, lunchables.

I made up my menu. This is posted to the fridge so they can stand there and ponder it as long as they want, and I don't have to stand there and repeat their choices until they decide. I can go about my business.

So, what are their choices?

Pizza: homemade flatbreads, mozzarella, pepperoni, and tomato sauce with carrot sticks and jello. Just use your favorite recipes or brands.

For the Jello cups, it is a huge money saver to make your own. I bought 4 oz. mason jars. With one package of Jello, I was able to fill eight jars.

If the boys pick a lunch with a Jello cup, they can grab one and eat it right out of the jar. So easy.

Meat, Cheese and Crackers:

Um, it's what it sounds like. But if you do it yourself, you control the quality. And I include fresh fruit.

Boiled Egg Box:

My youngest doesn't eat much meat, so this box is about meatless protein. A boiled egg, celery with peanut butter, and a Jello cup.

Butter Noodles:

Butter noodles, peas, cheese and applesauce

After boiling the noodles and draining I add butter or margarine and a dash of garlic salt. Stir it up and add it to the box.

Also, add peas, sliced cheese and an applesauce cup. (Again, money saver, buy a large jar of applesauce and pour into small mason jars. Huge savings, little work.)

When you serve this box, take out the applesauce and cheese and add a tiny bit of water. Loosely cover with the lid and pop in the microwave to reheat. The tiny bit of water will steam things so the pasta isn't dry.

I will just make up several boxes on the weekends to stock up the fridge for the upcoming week.

I will probably have some other options on occasion too. It's not that I mind cooking; actually, I love to cook. It's that I hate the daily drama of deciding what to have for lunch. Now there is no guess work. I think this will be great for packed lunches for school too.

If you want the PDF of the menu, send me an email and I'll send it to you. 

Cornflake-Crusted Baked Chicken

Pretty, right? (sarcasm) This is such an old picture...I really should update it. Maybe someday, but not today. Anyways, crunchy cornflake chicken! It is delicious, it is crunchy, it is better than breadcrumbs.

Shrimp Etouffee

Like I mentioned a couple days ago, I'm on a Cajun kick. I have always wanted to try shrimp etouffee, which it turns out is delicious! There are apparently two schools of thought on etouffee. Some believe that it should not have a tomato component, while others say it should. My mom made this for dinner a few weeks back and she went with the tomatoes. I made a corn spoon bread to go with it and while it was edible, it wasn't as good as my cornbread supreme.

Smothered Cajun Cube Steaks (Aka Smothered Swiss Steaks)

I've been on a serious Cajun kick lately. Anything and everything Cajun, yes please, give me more. I have a huge playlist of Cajun & Zydeco music (some of it is even sung in French), recipes in my recipe box, and a bunch of new food blogs, like Cajunlicious, Cajun Delights, Real Cajun Cooking, that I am subscribed to.

I'm a happy girl living vicariously though these websites. (Go check out those sites, by the way, they rock! If you know of any other great Cajun sites, please leave a comment with the address)

I wanted to try out a few recipes that normally I'd never try. I'd had Shrimp and Crawdad Po'Boys before and an amazing bread pudding, but that was about it. Those were items that I'd ordered from a great little restaurant in Montana of all places (warning, music on site), so I hadn't even tried cooking anything I would consider Cajun.

The first dish I made was a Smothered Cajun Cube Steak Dish, which is also known as Smothered Swiss Steak. I don't really care for that name, though, because if you aren't familiar with the dish it just makes you think it is covered in cheese, which it isn't. The Swiss in Swiss Steak is the term used to describe the way the meat is tenderized.

Flat Bread Taco Supreme

Taco time! If you love tacos but are getting tired of the same old flour tortilla, give this recipe for Flat Bread Taco Supreme a try. For a time saver it utilizes canned biscuit dough that is dry cooked in a pan until browned. If making dough from scratch is your thing, by all means feel free to Google a recipe, but dough is one thing I don't have much patience for, not to mention my oven is possessed by the devil, so I either buy my bread products or buy raw/frozen dough.

Smokey Marinated Drumsticks

This recipe for Smokey Marinated Drumsticks is a dinner my mom made a lot growing up.  It has a delicious smokey flavor with the addition of lemon juice, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. You can dip the chicken in the marinade if you'd like.