Ground Meat Mix

Ok, I will be the first to admit; this sounds weird. However, once you read what this recipe is all about, you're going to be happy! I like having meals in the freezer, especially in the summer when we've been swimming all day long. I usually want to take a nap! This recipe will give you 3 meals in your freezer. How easy is that? To make this even easier; you can place all the meals, ready to eat, into freezer containers (I use aluminum foil pans with lids). Make all 3 meals ahead of time. Enjoy!

Ground Meat Mix Yields 3 meals - 6 servings each meal

3 lbs. ground beef or turkey
2 1/2 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce
3/4 c. water
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t. pepper

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a Dutch oven; cook until meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain.

2. Add tomato sauce and remaining ingredients; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool.

3. Put 3 c. mix each into 3 freezer containers, leaving 1/2" headroom; freeze. You will have 9 cups of mix when finished. If you don't have freezer containers, use freezer bags; gallon size.

Sloppy Joe's

Thaw 3 cups ground meat mix, and heat thoroughly, add 1 T. ground mustard, 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar and 1/4 c. sugar (or less to taste). Serve on buns.

Chili

Thaw 3 cups of ground meat mix, add 1 (15 1/2 oz.) can Mexican-style beans, undrained and 2 t. chili powder. Simmmer 10 - 15 minutes. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and oyster crackers.

Pasta Bake

Thaw 3 cups ground meat mix; add 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce, 1/2 t. dried oregano, and 1/2 t. dried basil. Simmer 10 minutes. Cook 1 box of rigatoni, drain. Place rigatoni and sauce into a large saucepan over low heat; sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese, cover and allow cheese to melt for 10 minutes or so. If you don't have a pan large enough, place into a 9 x 13" baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. You are just looking to melt the cheese.

Chocolate Malt Bars

I am always looking for a new bar cookie for the bakery. Sometimes I find the most interesting things inside old books. My Mother borrowed a cookbook from my Granma and there were pages marked in the cookbook. I decided to have a little look through it and found many of the pages were marked with other recipes. Now I know where I get this love of tearing out recipes and bits of information. Rob says I drive him crazy with all my little tear out recipes, photos and blurbs from magazines. I wonder if my Granma was slowly driving my Grandfather crazy too? Here is a recipe from Better Homes & Gardens, dated September 1964. I wasn't even born yet! I thought it sounded delicious and just a bit different from the ones I have seen in the past. Here is another little thing about this recipe, notice that they are baking it in an 8" pan, yet you're yielding 32 bars. Those are small bars ... that is probably why we're a weight gaining society now; the portions that people were eating in 1964 were much smaller. So, to my friend Jackie (who thinks I am putting weight on her with all my recipies, Hi Jackie :) ); just cut smaller potions of all my yummy treats. She will love that I mentioned her in the blog; she's hilarious!
I think you're gonna LOVE these bars.

Chocolate Malt Bars Serves 32

1 - 1 oz. square unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 c. sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 c. malted milk powder (chocolate if you can find it)
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. chopped California Walnuts

1. Melt chocolate; cool.

2. Cream together shortening, sugar and vanilla extract until fluffy; beat in eggs. Blend in the melted chocolate.

3. Sift together the dry ingredients; stir into creamed mixture. Fold in nuts.

4. Spread into a greased 8 x 8 x 2" baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes; cool. Frost with Malt Frosting (recipe below).

Malt Frosting

1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. butter, softened
1/4 c. malted milk powder (again, chocolate if available; if not, use 1/2 malted milk and 1/2 unsweetened cocoa powder)
1 - 2 T. half and half or whole milk
dash of salt

1. Cream butter, malted milk powder and salt. Slowly beat in 1 c. powdered sugar and enough of the half and half or milk to make a spreading consistency.

Spiced Honey Citrus Muffins

Who doesn't love a muffin. Really ... love cupcakes? Just a muffin without frosting. Let's think for a moment about muffins: light, fluffy, delicious with jam or butter only. Fruit filled, chocolate with chocolate chips ... large, mini ... papercup or no papercup .... you can grab them while running out the door ... you can sit down with a muffin on a plate. Why not a muffin? Carbs ... who cares. It's a treat, it's a muffin. This one you're going to LOVE! honey, whole milk, cinnamon ... lemon ... what's not to love about this recipe.

Spiced Honey Citrus Muffins Serves 12 medium or 24 mini

3/4 c. whole milk
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. honey
2 t. grated lemon peel
1 egg
2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground allspice

Honey Citrus Glaze
2 T. honey
1/4 t. grated lemon peel
2 t. lemon juice (from a fresh lemon)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottoms only of muffin tin / cups, or line with baking cups.

2. Beat milk, oil, honey, lemon peel and egg in large bowl with spoon. Stir in remaining for muffins, just until moistened. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

3. Bake medium muffins 20 minutes, minis 10 - 13 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from pan and cool for a few minutes on cooling racks set over a piece of waxed paper. Pour glaze over slightly warm muffins.

4. Glaze: mix all ingredients until well blended. This glaze is also delicious on a lemon pound cake.

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie

Happy Monday to everyone! We had a very rainy weekend here in southwest Ohio, but that's ok. I got my parent's kitchen painted and started on their familyroom. I completed a very cute jean skirt from a damaged pair of jeans (look for that to be posted on my craft blog http://www.smittenkittencrafts.blogspot.com/) and I did spend some quality time with the husband and kids. Now I am ready for a full week of work at home ... here's an easy "throw together" pie for a Monday night. Just a few ingredients and you're on your way to a delicious summer treat. You could exchange the chocolate chip ice cream for anything. I would LOVE to try a raspberry chip (Graeter's here in SW Ohio is the best). Can you imagine this pie with raspberry chip ice cream and some chocolate drizzled fresh raspberries ... well, I was running out to pick up basil and pesto for a casserole tonight, might as well grab some other things too, right? ENJOY!

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Pie Serves 8

1/2 c. chocolate syrup
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 c. crisp rice cereal
1/4 c. sour cream
1 quart chocolate chip ice cream, softened

1. Coat bottom and sides of an 8" pie plate (deep dish is best) lightly with butter.

2. Combine chocolate syrup and chocolate chips in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high until hot, about 45 seconds. Stir until smooth. Reserve 1/4 c. of this chocolate mixture.

3. Combine remaining chocolate mixture and cereal in a medium bowl and mix to coat cereal. Press mixture over bottom and up the sides of prepared pie plate. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

4. Combine reserved chocolate mixture and sour cream in a small bowl and mix well. Spread half the ice cream over the chocolate / cereal mixture in the pie plate. Drizzle with half the sour cream mixture. Top with remaining ice cream and drizzle with remaining sour cream mixture. Freeze pie, covered until firm, about 1 hour.

TIP: To cut this pie, keep a glass of warm water near you when slicing. Dip your knife into warm water before and after each cut. This warms the ice cream, just enough, to cut easily. **