Tailgate Tuesday: Sloppy Joes

(note: Tailgate Tuesday posts are special features written for the SideLion Report from us gals of The Thrifty Table. Check in every Tuesday for a new recipe perfect for that week's tailgate party!)

Sloppy Joes are a great tailgate food. It is easy to make the meat ahead and throw it in a crock-pot then serve with buns once you get to your tailgate. I made them with turkey but you can of course use ground beef or even some Italian sausage in them if you want an extra kick.

Tailgate Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
  
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1 T brown sugar
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Tailgate Tuesday: Tailgate Chili

(note: Tailgate Tuesday posts are special features written for the SideLion Report from us gals of The Thrifty Table. Check in every Tuesday for a new recipe perfect for that week's tailgate party!)

Fall is the perfect time of year to make chili. I think I have made this thrifty dinner 3 times already this season! This is my latest version that I based off of my mom's recipe. I usually change it each time, so add whatever ingredients you like! You cannot go wrong with making chili. This is a great meal to take in a crock-pot to a tailgate on a chili day!

Tailgate Chili

Ingredients
1-2 lbs. ground beef
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 diced onion
1-2 cans diced canned tomatoes (a kind with chilies adds a spicy flavor)
1/2 diced green pepper
ketchup
Worcestershire sauce
paprika
chili powder
cumin

Directions
Brown meat in a pan until done. Add to slow cooker along with beans, onion, tomatoes, and green pepper.

Add several tablespoons of ketchup and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Season with paprika, chili powder, and cumin. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 1/2 cup of water if needed.

Cook on high for 3-5 hours until all ingredients are cooked and it is full of flavor. Serve on noodles or Frito chips and top with sour cream and shredded cheese. Enjoy!

Tailgate Tuesday: Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

(note: Tailgate Tuesday posts are special features written for the SideLion Report from us gals of The Thrifty Table. Check in every Tuesday for a new recipe perfect for that week's tailgate party!)

For Tailgate Tuesday this week we are featuring another great dessert. These Whoopie Pies are the perfect fall treat for a tailgate or any other get together. They are a great dessert to take on the go and would be perfect for your next fall party or tailgate. Enjoy!

Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (adapted from Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies on allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• Cookies:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  
• Cream Cheese Filling:
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1. For cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or line four baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract; beat until smooth. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Drop by heaping measuring teaspoons onto prepared baking sheets. (A total of 72 cookies are needed for the recipe.)
3. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until springy to the touch. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
4. For cream cheese filling: Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Spread a heaping teaspoon of filling onto flat side of one cookie; top with flat side of second cookie to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Rice Noodle Stir-Fry

A new thrifty option for Meijer shoppers is mPerks. You can go to their site and clip electronic coupons. No scissors required! You can have your "coupons" printed or emailed to you, and when you check out at the store, just type in your phone number and they will be applied to your purchase. Catherine told me about this and now I use it all the time. Maybe someday soon all coupons can be electronic...how nice would that be?

One thrifty purchase I made was Thai Kitchen Rice Noodles (combined a manufacturer's coupon and mPerks coupon!). I never made rice noodles before, but my husband loves to get them when we go out. Now it is time to try it at home!

I followed the basic recipe on the box, adding in chicken and the veggies I had at home (carrots and green beans). A few cashews added on top really make this meal delicious!

Rice Noodle Stir-Fry

1/2 box of rice noodles
2 T vegetable oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1-2 cups of vegetables (I used 1 cup sliced carrots and 1 cup fresh green beans)
2 T soy sauce
dash of sesame oil (optional)
handful of cashews (optional)

1) Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Remove from heat and immerse 1/2 package of rice noodles. Let stand for 8 minutes. Immediately drain and rinse with cold water (or they will become sticky).

2) In a large frying pan cook chicken in oil until done. Add the vegetables, soy sauce and sesame oil. Heat for a few minutes, then add the cooked rice noodles, adding more soy sauce or water as needed until the vegetables and noodles are tender. Serve with a few cashews or chopped green onion. Serves 2-4. Enjoy!

Tailgate Tuesday: Cream Puffs

(note: Tailgate Tuesday posts are special features written for the SideLion Report from us gals of The Thrifty Table. Check in every Tuesday for a new recipe perfect for that week's tailgate party!)

Catherine, a true baker at heart, always wanted to try making homemade cream puffs. Since Lions are playing the St. Louis Rams this week, we thought they would be a great fit for this game!

We were nervous at first, thinking that the cream puffs would take too much work. By following our adapted recipe from allrecipies.com, we had no problem! As long as you have all ingredients ready to go, you can make these in no time.

It may be interesting to adapt the filling by changing the flavor of the pudding. We did the traditional vanilla, but feel free to be more creative! Enjoy!

Cream Puffs (adapted from allrecipies.com)
~Makes 12 cream puffs~

* 1 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1/2 cup milk

* 1/4 cup butter
* 1/2 cup water
* pinch of salt
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 eggs
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 1 tsp. sugar

Directions

1. Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
3. In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs, mixing immediately. Continue mixing for 2-3 minutes until it has an elastic texture. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet lined with parchment or silpat.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry. Immediately after removing from the oven poke each with a toothpick to allow the steam to vent.
5. When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.