Sloppy Josés

These sandwiches are a twist off the traditional Sloppy Joe.  The addition of chile peppers, salsa, and beans gives them a kick and I "twisted" them even further and made them with lentils instead of beef.  (If you want to use beef instead of lentils just use 12 oz. lean ground beef.)  Super!  Austin originally found the recipe in a Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cook Book we checked out from the library.  I loved the way they turned out after the changes we made.  Definitely a keeper!

Sloppy Josés

1 cup dry lentils, rinsed and sorted
4 cups water
1/2-1 can refried beans, fat free (use more or less depending on how thick you want your filling)
1 (4 1/2 oz.) can diced green chile peppers
1/2 cup salsa
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
6 hamburger buns
Toppings:  lettuce, sliced olives, pickles, guacamole, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, and/or sour cream if desired

Rinse and sort dry lentils, removing any stones.  Place in a saucepan with 4 cups water.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to med-low and place lid slightly ajar over pan.  Simmer for 20 min. or until soft.  Drain off any remaining liquid when done.  Set aside (or go on to the next step while the lentils are cooking.)

In a large skillet, saute diced onion.  Add 1/2 can (about 3/4 cup) refried beans, green chilies, salsa, water, and minced garlic to the skillet.  Stir in cooked lentils.  Cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil.  Add more refried beans if desired.  Turn burner to low heat.  Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until mixture is thick and most of the liquid is gone.

Spoon mixture onto buns.  Top with desired toppings.  Serve.

Strawberry Cake

This is not my picture of this cake but this is what it looks like.  Mine was a giant strawberry shaped cake and somehow I never got a picture of the inside.  But this is the recipe I used so I'm going to get it down here in case I want to make it again.  It was really good and "strawberry-ish".  I think it would be great with my favorite Cool Whip Cream Frosting (but I think everything is good with that frosting!)  For the strawberries you can use fresh or frozen.  I baked my cake in a circle and a square pan.  To make the strawberry shape I cut the circle in half, placed the square on my surface at a diagonal, and put on half-circle on each side of the top of the diamond.  It looked like a heart.  I frosted it red, colored some coconut green and sprinkled it on the top for the leaves and made a stem with the green coconut.  To finish it off I used chocolate chips and put them pointy side down in the cake for the "seeds".  Of course you could also make this with two 8" or 9" rounds, a 9"x13", or cupcakes.

Strawberry Cake

1 (18.5 oz.) box white cake mix
1 (3 oz.) box strawberry jell-O
1/4 cup flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup strawberries, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously grease pan(s) and dust with flour.  Combine cake mix, jell-O, and flour.  Beat in eggs, water, and oil.  Stir in strawberries.  Pour into cake pan(s) and bake for 30 minutes (for two 9" circles).  Let cool for 10 minutes and then remove from pans.  Cool completely before frosting.

Two 8" rounds-30-35 min.
Two 9" rounds-25-30 min.
One 9"x13" pan-30-35 min.
20-24 cupcakes-20-25 min.