Sloppy Joe's!

Sloppy Joe's, slop sloppy joe's.

How can you think of sloppy joe's without thinking of Billy Madison? Well, I guess it depends on when you were born, but us kids of the '90s know what's up.

Here's what you'll need
1 lb ground beef
1 red pepper
1/4 of an onion
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbs worchestire sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4-1/2 cup ketchup

I didn't feel like chopping my onion and red pepper, so I let my food processor do it for me.

Set that aside and start browning your ground beef on medium-high heat.

You don't want any pink showing. It should look more like this. Now add your brown sugar and mix evenly.

Then push the meat to the side, turn your heat on medium and add your pepper/onion mix.

Cook for a couple minutes until that is softened. Then add your worchestire and red wine vinegar.

Mix that all together and let it cook for about 5 minutes. The liquid will absorb into the meat.

Now add your ketchup.

I added a little more than a 1/4 cup. Mix that all together, turn your heat on low and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Then boom, sloppy joe spectacular! Serve with some kind of steamed vegetable because those are good for you :)

Simple Rigatoni and Chicken Sausage Pasta

This one actually is simple. And it's still from scratch, sort of...you don't make the chicken sausage...you just buy it.

Here's what you need

1 package of chicken sausage-go with whatever flavor sounds tasty. I recommend something with garlic or tomato.

1 lb rigatoni pasta

1 red pepper

2 tablespoons tomato paste

6 basil leaves torn

2 teaspoons olive oil

First grab your chicken sausage. You can remove the casing or leave it on if you're feeling lazy. I recommend removing it. Just make a small slice into the sausage and use your finger to pull the casing off. It kind of seems like plastic, but you can leave it on and eat the whole thing, it's just slightly chewy.

Here's the sausage I went with.

Now boil your water and cook your rigatoni according to the package directions.

While that's doing it's thing, chop up your sausage and pepper. Add your oil to a pan and cook the sausage on medium high heat. Technically, it's already cooked, but I like to cook it more.

 Once it's a little browned, add your pepper.

 Once your pasta is cooked, turn down your heat and add your tomato paste and basil. Mix it really well because the tomato paste is very thick.

Sprinkle with some cheese if you want.

That's all!

Amazing Moroccan Chicken

Do you want someone to say, "That blew my mind!" after they ate your cooking? Then make this dish. It's a mix of citrus and spice and everything nice.

Here's what you need
1 whole chicken cut into pieces (you can usually buy it this way or ask the butcher to cut it up for you. I attempted cutting it up on my own. It was interesting and very primal)
2 lemons
1 lime
1 small orange
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon colliander
1 1/2 cups israel couscous
1 tablespoon chicken soup base
1 can garbanzo beans or 1/2 cup dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup wine

Let's do this

First toss all of your chicken pieces in a plastic bag. Juice the lemons, lime, and orange. Toss in the skin chunks too. Then add all of your spices. Close the bag, make sure it's sealed, and toss it around to make sure everything mixes well. Put it in your fridge and marinade for a few hours or over night.

Now cook your garbanzo beans according to the package directions. These are also called chick peas and it's actually what hummus is made of. If you're going canned, skip this step.

 I forgot to take a picture of the couscous, but start that too. Meanwhile, consult your sous chef about fashion or movies.

 Next get a big pot and turn it to medium high heat. Add the olive oil and butter and let the butter melt. Here's what it looks liked melted.

 Now it's time to brown your chicken pieces. Don't over crowd your pot so you can actually get to the chicken. I like to wiggle it with some tongs to keep it from sticking. It will crackle and bubble and your kitchen will start to smell amazing. Once the chicken is golden, flip it and cook the second side until it's also golden. This takes about 5+ minutes per side. Cook all of your chicken pieces this way.

 See I flipped it.

 Look all my chicken pieces are golden. In my struggle to chop up my own chicken, I couldn't divide the breast into two pieces. So I just have one giant breast here.

 Now add your chopped onion to the grease that's left in your pan. Scrape the skin pieces that got stuck from the chicken.

 Once the onion is cooked, add your wine, couscous, and beans.

 Then add your chicken. I added some kale, but I think I'll skip that next time

 Now put a lid on it and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until all the chicken is done all the way through.

Then here it is. Juicy, salty, citrusy, spicy, mind blowing chicken. You will have seconds. You will brag about what you just made. You may send pictures to your friends to make them jealous of the pure joy your taste buds are experiencing.

Enjoy!