Make Your Own...Pepperoni

Over the winter, there were a few things I had wanted to learn to make myself. Pepperoni being one of them. I found this great recipe at Tammy's Recipes - Tammy's Spicy Pepperoni. It is really good. I have used it on pizza and in pasta so far. It is also so simple to make. If you can make meatloaf, you can make pepperoni!
I was able to find all the ingredients locally except for the TenderQuick. I ordered that from Leener's. Leener's is an Ohio company that sells alot of cool make it yourself kits. On Tammy's website, there were several people who commented that they used regular salt instead of the TenderQuick. Sounds like it may be worth a try just to avoid the nitrates. Regardless, this pepperoni tastes like the real thing and you can make it so much cheaper and healthier than that store bought stuff!

Angie's Chili Soup

1# ground beef
1/2c chopped onion
1 tbsp chili powder
dash garlic powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
dash salt & pepper
2 cans tomato soup
1/2 can Aldi's Mexican Chili Beans (more if you like)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
tomato juice to thin it out as needed

Put all into a crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

We like to sprinkle cheddar cheese over this and serve with crackers or cornbread.

I ALWAYS triple this recipe. We like it ALOT!

On occasion, I have put the beef in raw and let it cook that way. It turned out well. If you do this, you want to make sure that you are using very lean meat or else it will be greasy.

Sometimes I will pour this over nachos for a snack.

Sloppy Joe Sandwiches

1# ground beef
1 tbsp dry minced onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1c ketchup
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Brown beef in a skillet (I like cast iron). Drain fat if needed. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Serve between two slices of bread/buns or we like to dump it on one slice and eat it with a fork.

I like to serve this with baked taters and fresh fruit.

Leftover sloppy joe is versatile. I have used it as a taco filling, a topping for nachos and in the chili soup pot.

Lasagna

I have tried many lasagna recipes over the years, and for some reason either my husband or I didn't care for the results. Then this past spring I found a winner! I have not made any changes to the orginial recipe, so I will post the link to it and you can follow it from here. It is a very good, easy recipe.

Lasagna, from Mennonite Girls Can Cook Blog


Correction: on several occasions, I DID change one thing in the recipe! I omitted the cottage or ricotta cheese. It STILL turned out fabulous! We actually like it better this way!

Beef Roast

3 to 3-1/2# beef roast, any cut
4 - 5 potatoes, cut into chunks
4 carrots, sliced or small chunks
3c water
1 pkt onion soup mix (make your own here!)

Place roast, taters and carrots into a crock pot.
Sprinkle onion soup mix over top.
Pour water over all.
Cover and cook on low 8 - 9 hours.
Delicious and so easy!

This is a great meal in one pot. I often make this up early in the morning on very busy days and then I don't have to think about supper until we are hungry! Serve with applesauce (home-canned of course!) to round out the meal.

Angie's Meatloaf

1-1/2# ground beef
1 large egg
1/2-3/4c ketchup
1c oatmeal
salt & pepper to taste
couple tsp dry onion flakes (to taste)
sprinkle of powdered garlic

Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl. Dump onto a pan and shape into a loaf (or put in a loaf pan - I like to use those jelly roll pans). Place into an oven preheated to 400 and bake for 30-40 minutes. Slice and serve!