blog - Mom's Dinner

Classic Midwest Homemade Sloppy Joes

January 8, 2018 by Susie Weinrich 13 Comments

There’s no need to buy that can of sloppy joe sauce at the store to have Sloppy Joe Sandwiches for dinner. You can make your own Homemade Sauce with a few condiments from your fridge door and pantry. Then mix it up with 1 ½ lbs. ground beef, onion and garlic for an amazing weeknight dinner. This is a fast 20 minute recipe and you will have delicious sloppy sandwiches that are the perfect balance of saucy (but not too saucy), tangy, sweet and savory!

Ground Beef Sloppy Joe's being spooned onto a bun

I grew up in Iowa where Sloppy Joes are not only a common weeknight dinner, I believe they were also invented there, somewhere in Sioux City (where I was born!).

You may have also heard of a Sloppy Joe referred to as a Maid Rite, Tavern or Loose Meat Sandwich. They are all basically the same thing.

How Much Sloppy Joe Filling Per Person

If you are feeding your family or you are trying to feed a whole picnic then you may need to calculate how much Sloppy Joe Filling to make.

Since this is a sandwich that gets HEAPED with the ground beef filling you want to make sure you have enough for everyone.

If you plan about ½ cup of filling for each sandwich you will have more than enough.

Calculation

Plan on ½ cup (approx. 4 oz) of Sloppy Joe filling per person. That is equal to about ¼ lb. of ground beef. So 1 lb. of ground beef will serve around 4 people (I would plan on 5 people if you are feeding kids).

10 people = 2.5 lbs. of ground beef

25 people = 6.25 lbs. of ground beef

50 people = 12.5 lbs. of ground beef

Obviously the sauce ingredients will also need to be adjusted.

Recipe card tip: The nice thing about the Mom’s Dinner recipe card is that you can hover over the “serving” portion and then move the slider that appears to increase the amount of people you plan on serving!

Ingredients

You only need really simple ingredients to make Sloppy Joe Sauce and Sandwiches for dinner. You probably have most of the ingredients in the door of your fridge and your pantry!

Pictured below are the ingredients to grab, plus some tips on a few items:

Ingredients for sloppy joes — Clockwise: Ground beef, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, oil, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, garlic, onion

Ground Beef: I recommend using an 85/15 or 90/10 ground beef. It will have enough fat to be flavorful, but not so much that it is greasy. Save the 80/20 ground beef for Amazing Grilled Burgers. You can also use ground turkey but make sure you buy 93/7.

Mustard: This is not the time for fancy Dijon or stone ground mustard. Just a straight yellow mustard is exactly what you want to use.

Brown Sugar: don’t be nervous about the amount of brown sugar. It is just enough to balance the tart/savory flavors in the ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire. I always use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar should work too.

Onion: We recommend using either yellow or white onion.

Homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce

You absolutely DO NOT need a can of Manwich or store bought sloppy joe sauce for these sandwiches. In fact they will be SO much better if you make your own sauce.

You just need:

2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoon brown sugar
½ heaping cup ketchup
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
pepper to taste

Stir or whisk all that together in a bowl or liquid measuring cup.

Then when you are ready to use, mix it in with cooked/crumbled ground beef or ground turkey, onion and garlic. Let it all simmer for a few minutes and it’s time to eat.

Step by Step Instructions

Super simple dinner to make. Follow these easy steps:

In a large skillet over med heat add oil. Sauté onion for about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and ground beef, crumble and brown until it is cooked through.
Drain any excess oil/grease.
Add in the Worcestershire, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, kosher salt, and black pepper.
Simmer for a few minutes.
Taste for seasoning.

a skillet full of ground beef and onions with sloppy joe's sauce — Perfect Sloppy Joe mixture… not too saucy!!!

Serve heaped onto buns, we love to use a brioche bun or sesame seed bun. Sliced pickles also make an excellent addition.

How Long to Simmer Sloppy Joes

The answer to “how long to simmer sloppy joe’s?”, is it depends….

The time you let the ground beef and sauce simmer together will vary from recipe to recipe.

If you find that your ground beef is overly saucy and will make your buns soggy you will want to simmer for longer to reduce the sauce, maybe around 15-20 minutes.

However, with this Sloppy Joe recipe below you do not need a long simmer time because these are not OVERLY sauced. Once the whole dish comes together you will just simmer for about 4-5 minutes to warm everything together and then it’s time to eat.

Flavor Troubleshooting

Maybe you remember eating Sloppy Joe’s when you were little and you want it to be exactly the same. Here are some ideas for troubleshooting the flavor… if you find that your Sloppy joes are:

Too Saucy – simmer for a bit longer and it should thicken up.
Too Dry – add a little water, a small squirt of ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire. Taste for seasoning.
Too Salty – add a little more brown sugar and maybe a tablespoon of water.
Too Sweet – pour in a dash or two of Worcestershire, but note that will add a little saltiness too.
Too tangy – add a little more brown sugar and ketchup.

Side Dishes

Sloppy Joe’s are a super casual weeknight dinner that does not need to be paired with anything fancy. We like to just think about side dishes as adding a starch and veggie.

Tater Tots, Crispy Skillet Potatoes, or French Fries are a great addition with some raw veggies and ranch dip! These Parmesan Truffle Fries are also a favorite!

a pickle slice being placed on a sloppy joe sandwich — Pickles go great on Sloppy Joes!

In the summer Sloppy Joes go great with chips, a cold pasta salad and corn on the cob,

Whatever you serve on the side just make sure to have A LOT of napkins!

Storing & Reheating

Your Sloppy Joe mixture will be good in the fridge in an airtight for up to 4-5 days.

To reheat add a little water to a skillet over medium/low heat. Add the beef mixture and stir to combine with the water. It will help reconstitute the sauce.

Freezing Sloppy Joe Meat/Sauce

This Sloppy Joe recipe is PERFECT for keeping in the freezer. Make the recipe completely and then let it cool.

Place in a freezer safe baggie or container, label it with the date, and keep it frozen for up to 4 months.

To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight and then add a little water to a skillet and sauté/stir over medium-low heat.

Variations

Lighten things up by using ground turkey instead of ground beef.
Want just a hint of BBQ flavor? Reduce the ketchup to ¼ cup and add a ¼ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce.
If you like spice you could add a few pinches of red pepper flakes with the onion.
Melt a slice of provolone or American cheese over the top.

Other Ways to Eat Sloppy Joes

Eating your Sloppy Joe’s as a sandwich is not the only option! You can think of it as a sweet/tangy/savory meat filling. Here are some other options:

Heap into a Baked Potato then top with cheese or sour cream.
Stuff into bell peppers and bake.
Instead of using a Hot Dog Chili you can use this Sloppy Joe recipe over hot dogs!
Serve over nachos with cheese melted on top.
Make some killer chili cheese fries.

More Ground Beef Recipes

If you landed on this recipe because you have some ground beef to use up, here are some more traditional dinner recipes to check out:

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Aldi Holiday Shopping Guide

December 10, 2017 by Susie Weinrich 2 Comments

It’s Here, It’s Here…Aldi Holiday…..Hurry! Run to your nearest Aldi and stock up on all the amazing specialty products they have for the holidays! Only available during November & December or while supplies last!

This is one of my favorite times of year to go to Aldi. The store is full of new and exciting items that are not available any other time of the year. Somewhere in mid-November you start to see hints of all the amazing Aldi holiday products- specialty cheeses, crackers, popcorn, spices, nuts, dips…… By mid-December the store is completely stocked and aisles are fully devoted to these products. You will find a mix of black and red packaging, the black packaging are the Specialty Select items, and the red packaging are the German holiday items.

I went to my local store recently and it is bursting with new exciting items. Here are a few that you will want to check out to make your holiday entertaining easier and cheaper!!

((Maybe consider getting in your car and driving to the store IMMEDIATELY… before they are gone!))

Aldi Holidays- Crackers & Chips

Mini Rosemary Artisan Crackers

The perfect addition to a cheese board. These are thin and crispy with a hint of rosemary. Perfect to go with a vintage white cheddar or goat cheese.

Lattice Cut, Aged Cheddar & Black Pepper Kettle Chips

Lattice Cut Aged Cheddar Chips from Aldi

The flavor of Aged Cheddar and Black Pepper Kettle Chips is wonderful. They are slightly cheesey mixed with a hint of black pepper. However the real standout quality is the lattice cut. They are crispy because they are a kettle chip yet they are delicate because of the unique cut. Moms- think Chick-fil-a french fry in a chip with cheese and pepper! YES

Baked Cheese Bites

These little nuggets are flavored with green olive, cheese, and rosemary. If you are entertaining for the holidays they would make the perfect addition to a meat, olive and pickle tray or they would be a great item to put on a bar where cocktails are mixed. If you are having one cocktail with friends before going out to dinner they are the perfect little savory bite to put in a bowl for munching. At $2.99 per bag they will not break the bank.

Black Truffle & Olive Oil Kettle Chips

THIS IS IT- if you buy nothing else on this list buy the Black Truffle & Olive Oil Kettle Chip!!!!!! This is the product I wait for all year. Come November I put people on alert to look for these chips so I can run to the store the minute they are in. I always buy 4-5 bags, and at $1.99 per bag it’s no big deal! If I thought they would stay fresh a year I would buy an entire box- or 2.

Black Truffle & Olive Oil Kettle Chips have the most amazing garlicky, truffle, salty, earthy flavor mixed with the crunch of a kettle chip. Last year at Christmas we quickly went thru 2 bags in one night. Our guests could not believe they were from Aldi. They for sure thought it was a specialty item from somewhere like Dean & Deluca.

They make the perfect crunchy addition to a cheese tray or as a side dish to burgers, or just to munch on with cocktails… really they go anywhere, they are PERFECTION!!!!!!!

Bagel Chips

We love these little bagel chips. They come in three flavors: everything, sea salt and I think cinnamon sugar. They make a great snack as is or topped with cream cheese, or the perfect addition to an appetizer tray that has dips or sauces. They are usually only available this time of year so I stock up when I see them.

Aldi Holidays- Dips & Sauces

Olive Tapenade

I love including a few dips and sauces on a cheese and meat board. This Olive Tapenade is the perfect addition when paired with a bagel chip or crostini. This dip also comes in a Red Pepper Tapenade if olives are not your thing.

Pepper Jellies

If you have not had cream cheese topped with a sweet & hot jelly you are missing out! It is the most delicious and easy appetizer you can make. If you do not feel confidant in the kitchen this is your product! Just leave a block of cream cheese on the countertop to come to room temp, just a couple hours. Next, top it with one of these pepper jellies and serve surrounded by Ritz Crackers. Perfectly Easy!

Caramel Dip

The hand in this picture is my 5 year old son saying “This stuff is the business!”. We love this Creamy Caramel Dip. No heating required, open the tub and it is ready to go. Last time we had a friday-after-school-mom-and-kid-happy-hour we put this out with some sliced apples and pretzels… it was gone in a flash and the kids LOVED it! It is not a sticky caramel dip, it’s more creamy – like the name indicates. At $1.99 per tub it is something you want to stock up on when you spot it in the store!

Aldi Holidays- Beverages

*** Quick Note: Unfortunately my local Aldi stores do not carry wine, beer, or liquor. I know, it’s terrible : ( Otherwise this section would be 3 times as long. Heck, I would probably have a completely separate article for Aldi Wines!

Nespresso

I do not have a Nespresso machine so I am not totally familiar with this product. But, I thought it was good to let those of you that do have one know this product is available at Aldi! I believe the Nespresso pods can be pretty expensive. However at Aldi you can get these three flavors, 10 count each, for $3.49 per box. Ristretto High Intensity Level 10, Apulia High Intensity Level 9, and Lombardy High Intensity Level 8.

Mulling Spices

Obviously this is not a beverage but it most definitely belongs in the beverage category. It makes the most delicious drinks AND whole house potpourri!

To use as a potpourri: Simmer a few tablespoons of mulling spices in water over low heat in a small pot. If you have a small crockpot it does the trick too. It provides the most delicious scents of apple, cinnamon, orange, and clove. What could be more festive!? And it perfumes the WHOLE house- delicious!

To use in drinks: There is a great recipe for Apple Cider and Mulled Wine on the side of the tin. But if you want a “MOM’S DINNER” drink treat try using these mulling spice in my Winter Sangria.

Chai Tea

Do you love a Chai Latte from Starbucks? I do! But it definitely tastes like a “treat” because it is so sweet. With these easy Chai tea bags you still get those strong Chai flavors without the sugar. Sometimes I will add a little milk to make it more latte-like. If I want that sweet-treat flavor I will add a little sweetened coffee creamer.

Aldi Holidays-Nuts & Popcorn

Marcona Almonds

This is another “if you buy nothing else from this list, GET THIS ITEM!!”. Marcona Almonds are the delicate, sweet, and buttery cousin to a traditional almond. Aldi carries three flavors during the holidays- Rosemary, Truffle and Sea Salt. AND THEY ARE ONLY $4.99 PER BAG. This is a huge treat and a great item to include on a cheese and meat board or in a holiday gift basket with some red wine and cheese.

Nut Trio Tins

These nut trios come in the cutest silver tins and definitely seem gift worthy- think Sunday school teacher, preschool teacher, mailman, neighbor. At $9.99 each it makes the perfect $10.00 gift. For a little larger gift they can be added to a gift basket:

Savory Nut Trio, Bottle of Red Wine, a Holiday Kitchen Towel, and a Fancy Kitchen Hand Soap
Sweet Nut Trio, Bottle of Red Wine, Tin of Mulling Spices, Box of Assorted Crepe Cookies (see below)

You can choose the Savory Tin (rosemary almonds, chai spiced almonds, and roasted/salted deluxe nuts) or the Sweet Tin (cookies and cream almonds, cinnamon creme almonds, and honey glazed pecans).

Aged White Cheddar Popcorn

If you know me then you know that I LOVE popcorn!! When we go to the movies I will always get popcorn, even if I am busting full from dinner. This aged white cheddar popcorn does not disappoint. Make some hot chocolate, open a bag of this Aldi popcorn, and curl up to watch a little Polar Express. Perfect Friday Night!

Aldi Holiday- Cheeses

Assorted Cheese

Vintage Cheddar cheese and Truffle Cheese from aldi

When I am entertaining one thing you will always find in my kitchen is a board full of assorted cheese, crackers, dips, olives, nuts, and meats. I think that is the same for most people. It is an easy appetizer to put together and usually satisfies everyone.

During the Holiday season Aldi has a wonderful assortment of cheese- gruyere, cheddar, goat cheese, brie, blue, camembert. A couple of my favorites are the goat cheese – they usually have different flavors or toppings, vintage english cheddar, and the truffle cheddar. They all run from $2.99-$3.99 each.

Aldi Holidays- Sweets & Treat

***Quick Note- This is a SMALL sampling of the sweets that they have during the holidays! You can find an abundance of cookies, chocolates, german sweet treats and a plethora of unique candies that make amazing stocking stuffers and Christmas treats.

Gingerbread House Kit

It is tradition at our house to put together and decorate gingerbread houses during December. I LOVE IT!!!!!!! Everyone gets so excited to decorate the houses. We buy extra decorations, assemble the houses, make hot chocolate, and organize all the candies into their own little bowls. It’s beautiful! Half way thru I am the only one left decorating, there is candy all over the table and the floor and the kids have turned to eating the candy. Now that’s real life… but I look forward to it every year!

These houses at Aldi are great! They are big kits, come with candy and frosting, and run $6.99 per kit.

Muddy Mix

At our house this is called “Puppy Chow”. It is a delicious sweet snack to have out during the holidays. At a traditional grocery store the name brand product can be pricey and comes in a SUPER small bag. This is a good sized bag (I don’t know the exact weight) and is only $2.29 per bag.

Double Chocolate Cookies

We love these cookies! They are similar to a Milano that you would find in a traditional grocery store. They have a creamy chocolate center sandwiched between two sweet butter cookies. They make a great addition to a dessert tray.

Florentine Cookies

Florentine Cookie Tin for the holidays from aldi

Another item that would make a great addition to a dessert tray. There is an assortment of almond and nut clusters coated with milk chocolate, white chocolate and dark chocolate. A great treat at only $2.99 per box.

Assorted Crepe Cookies

Another item for a perfect dessert tray. These crepe cookies are delicate wafer rolls with assorted chocolate toppings. They would be perfect with an after dinner coffee.

Vanilla Creme Brioche Rolls

Will you have a house full of guests for the holidays? Don’t forget to plan breakfast! You can make it super easy with these Vanilla Creme Brioche Rolls. Add a fresh fruit bowl and my Make Ahead Sausage Egg Cups put on a pot of coffee and you are done!

North Pole Express Chocolate Bars

North Pole Chocolate bars from Aldi they look like a santa, an elf, and reindeer

OK! Are these not the cutest chocolate bars EVER! OMG.. I couldn’t resist. They would make the greatest gift topper or stocking stuffer. Some of the flavors are super unique: Crispy Caramel Popcorn, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Peanut Butter Filled, and 2 Milk Chocolate. They are a little pricey at $6.99 for 5 bars but they are so dang cute.

Aldi Holidays- Paper

Wrapping Paper

I just happened upon this last time I was at Aldi and I’m guessing it will not last long because it is too good of a deal! They have HUGE rolls of QUALITY wrapping paper for $1.99 per roll, yup you read that right! And the prints are cute to boot.

Parchment Paper

This is a stock up item!! Aldi only carries parchment paper during the holiday months. That is when I buy at least 4 rolls to keep in the pantry for the year. Of course you can get this in a traditional grocery store, but it is super expensive!

I like to use parchment when I bake sweets, especially cookies. It guarantees that your cookies will not stick to the pan and helps from them over browning in the oven. I also have a recipe for BBQ chicken in parchment. ((I haven’t transferred the recipe from my You Tube channel to my web site so if you are interested here is the link for that recipe. BBQ Chicken in Parchment with Sweet Potatoes, Peppers, and Onions))

Winter Sangria

December 7, 2017 by Susie Weinrich 7 Comments

Winter Sangria is a delightful twist on the classic Spanish punch, typically enjoyed during warmer months. Infused with the cozy flavors of the season, winter sangria incorporates ingredients like red wine, pomegranate juice, citrus fruits like oranges and lemons, and warm spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and star anise.

red wine winter sangria on a table with twinkle lights in the background

This cold-weather rendition offers a comforting and festive beverage perfect for holiday gatherings or cozy nights by the fire.

What is Sangria

Originating from Spain, classic red wine sangria is a traditional alcoholic beverage crafted from a base of red wine and brandy, steeped with citrus and an assortment of diced fruits. Variations of this cocktail may include white wine, juices and occasional additions of bubbles like sparkling water or prosecco.

Ingredients

Most of the ingredients in Winter Sangria are things you either have on hand or are easily found at the nearest grocery or liquor store.

Red Wine- Since you are making a spiced red wine I highly recommend NOT using a super expensive bottle of red. A mid range or even cheap bottle will be totally acceptable here. Something in the $5-$10 range will be great. A Merlot is usually what we use. But since this is Sangria (Spanish) a Tempranillo or Garnacha would be great too!

Sugar- Just 2 tablespoon of sugar is all you need for this recipe. It doesn’t really make things sweet, it just balances the flavors.

Pomegranate Juice- A perfect winter juice, this adds a depth of flavor to the red wine that is perfect for a Winter Sangria. We also love to use this in a pomegranate martini or pomegranate margarita.

Apple Juice or Apple Cider- A little apple juice adds a bright note to the Sangria. If you want to add extra spice a Cider would be great too.

Triple Sec- Orange liqueur brings a citrus note to the Sangria. I usually use Cointreau because it is what I have on hand for making Margaritas, but a Grand Marnier would be excellent too.

Garnishes- use the fruit that is in the winter sangria. You can also add fresh fruit like lemons, oranges, pomegranate arils, or spices like cinnamon sticks or star anise, even fresh herbs like rosemary sprigs are great.

Mulling Spices

I cannot tell you how much I love simmering Mulling Spices during the fall and winter. It perfumes the ENTIRE house with the most festive scents of cinnamon, clove, apple, and citrus. My kids say it makes our home feel cozy.

If you do not have time to order Mulling Spices and you cannot find them in the store, you can pull together similar ingredients from your spice cabinet.

Homemade Mulling Spice Mix

2 Cinnamon Sticks
½ teaspoon Whole Allspice
½ teaspoon Whole Clove
2 Star Anise
Optional- 1 slice of Fresh Ginger

More Cocktails Perfect For Winter

winter sangria with red wine in a glass garnished with rosemary

Red Wine Winter Sangria Recipe

A super delicious Red Wine Winter Sangria that is full of the flavors of citrus, apples, pomegranate, star anise, and cinnamon. This is a great cocktail for a party or just a casual dinner at home. It can be served chilled, over ice, or at room temperature.

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 45

Servings: cups

Author: Susie Weinrich

Ingredients

▢ 2- 750 ml Bottles Red Wine - (Merlot, Tempranillo, or Garnacha are great)
▢ 1 cup Apple Juice
▢ 1 cup Pomegranate Juice - I use Pom Wonderful
▢ 2 tablespoon Mulling Spices - (store bought or make your own, see notes)
▢ 2 tablespoon Sugar
▢ Orange Rind Peeled from 1 Orange
▢ ½ cup Triple Sec
▢ Fruit cut into small wedges: 2 oranges, 1 lemon, 1 granny smith apple

Optional Garnishes

▢ lemon wedges, orange wheels, cinnamon sticks, star anise, rosemary sprigs

Instructions

In a large pot combine the wine, apple juice, pomegranate juice, mulling spices, sugar, and orange rind.
2- 750 ml Bottles Red Wine, 1 cup Apple Juice, 1 cup Pomegranate Juice, 2 tablespoon Mulling Spices, 2 tablespoon Sugar, Orange Rind Peeled from 1 Orange
Warm over LOW heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. DO NOT LET IT BOIL!!! (You shouldn't have to worry about it boiling if you keep it over low heat.)
Turn the heat off and let the wine mixture cool on the stove for 10 mins.
Strain the wine mixture thru a colander into a large pitcher. Dispose of the mulling spices and orange rinds.
Stir the triple sec and fruit wedges into the pitcher of wine.
½ cup Triple Sec, Fruit cut into small wedges: 2 oranges, 1 lemon, 1 granny smith apple
Put the sangria in the fridge for 5 hours up to 24 hours. The longer it sits in the fridge the more flavorful it becomes.

Garnish

Spoon some of the fruit from the Winter Sangria into each glass.
Garnish the glass with fresh fruit like lemon wedge, orange wheel, pomegranate arils, or spices like cinnamon sticks or star anise, even fresh herbs like rosemary sprigs are great.

Serving Options:

Cold- Serve it straight out of the fridge over ice. Add a little fruit to each glass.
Room Temperature- Take the wine out of the fridge an hour before serving and let it come to room temp. Pour into glasses and add a few pieces fruit from the pitcher.
Hot- Keep the Sangria on the stove top over low heat and serve in mugs for a hot mulled wine cocktail.

Recipe Tips and Notes:

**Inexpensive wine is totally acceptable! Something in the range of $5-$10 is great!

HOMEMADE MULLING SPICE:

- 2 Cinnamon Sticks

- ½ teaspoon Whole Allspice

- ½ teaspoon Whole Clove

- 2 Star Anise

- Optional- 1 slice of Fresh Ginger

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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Verde Chicken Enchiladas

November 30, 2017 by Susie Weinrich 10 Comments

This Verde Chicken Enchilada recipe is a delicious and crazy easy enchilada to make at home. The filling is the perfect blend of tender chicken, fresh cilantro, black beans, onions and green chilies mixed in a delicious cream sauce all wrapped in a warm tortilla. Then they are smothered in verde (green) enchilada sauce and pepper jack cheese which gives this recipe just the right amount of heat!

a white casserole pan full of verde enchiladas

RELATED: ENCHILADA SUIZA

Ingredients

Cooked Chicken- we love to use a rotisserie chicken to put these verde enchiladas together. If we don’t have chicken already cooked the preferred method is to poach the chicken.

Easily Shred Warm Chicken

Place WARM or HOT cooked chicken breasts in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on to low speed and let it run for 20-30 seconds, or until the chicken is shredded to your desired consistency.

Tortillas- you can use yellow corn tortillas or flour toritllas. If you use flour there is really no prep needed. We find that yellow corn tortillas have the most flavor, but they do need a little prep before you use them. Yoli Tortillas are our absolute favorite!!!

Prepping Corn Tortillas

To use corn tortillas make sure you prep them ahead of time by wrapping in damp paper towels and microwaving for 30 seconds. Or pan fry for about 10 seconds per side.

Black Beans- a can of black beans adds flavor and texture to your verde enchiladas. Some people have told me that they also add a little corn too!

Green Chilies- A can of diced green chilies adds nice flavor to your enchiladas and compliments the verde sauce.

Cilantro- A little chopped cilantro in the enchilada filling is such a fresh and delicious flavor. If you are among the group of people that find cilantro to taste like soap, you can skip it!

White Onion- has a crisp and clean flavor perfect for Mexican food. Mince up the onion and you won’t need to sauté it first, it adds a little sharp crunch to the verde enchiladas.

Cream of Soup- this may seem like an odd ingredient but it makes the filling nice and hearty and a little creamy.

Pepper Jack Cheese- we always reccome3nd that you shred your cheese instead of buying it pre-grated. It will melt up creamier and more flavorful.

Feel free to sub a different type of cheese or use what you have on hand. Monterey Jack or a Colby Jack works too!

Verde Enchilada Sauce- Use your favorite store bought verde enchilada sauce or homemade recipe.

How to Make Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Start by mixing the filling in a medium sized bowl:

Cooked chicken
black beans
cilantro
green chilies
onion
cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken soup
1 cup cheese

Pour 1 cup of the verde enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan.

Divide the chicken filling between the tortillas, this recipe will make between 10-14 enchiladas. Lay them, seam side down, into the prepared baking dish.

verde enchiladas rolled up and topped with shredded cheese

Top the enchiladas with the remaining verde sauce and then the cheese.

Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Dinner’s ready!

Variations on Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Here are a few ideas if you want to change this recipe up to fit your taste:

Use Monterey jack cheese instead of pepper jack for a little less spice.
Add sauteed jalapenos or jarred jalapenos for a little extra spice.
Try using carnitas (pork) or barbacoa (beef) instead of chicken.
Use pinto beans instead of black beans.
Make it vegetarian! Omit the chicken all together- instead use a mixture of black beans, pinto beans and rice.
Top with fresh sliced avocado.

verde enchiladas in a white casserole pan

Verde Chicken Enchiladas for Dinner

During a super busy night we may just eat these enchiladas with chips guacamole and salsa. But if we are having a sit down dinner kind of night I will make Cilantro Lime Rice and Refried Beans to go along side. Citrus Herbed Pineapple or a Cilantro Lime Slaw would be great on the side too.

More Enchilada Recipes

All Enchilada Recipes

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Easy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

November 9, 2017 by Susie Weinrich 8 Comments

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce is a great way to update your weekly pasta night without a lot of extra work! Using jarred roasted red peppers makes this sauce come together in a flash! Toss it with some cooked pasta and a little cheese and dinner is ready in about 10 minutes!

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Why it Works

No roasting, sautéing or baking required to make this sauce. Here is why it works so well:

The store bought peppers are already roasted and softened for you. Take the kitchen help where you can get it!
Since they are so soft, the peppers blend up perfectly!
The basil and garlic add enough aromatics to give it extra layers of flavor.
Balsamic vinegar is the perfect acid to add, balancing out the sweetness of the roasted red peppers.

Ingredients

You only need 6 ingredients to make Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. The nice thing is you probably already have half of the ingredients in your pantry!

Jarred Roasted Red Peppers – make sure you get the roasted red peppers packed in water, not oil. You can use anywhere from a 12 oz jar to a 16 oz jar.

Olive Oil- you can use olive oil or extra virgin olive oil in this recipe.

Balsamic Vinegar- a little balsamic vinegar adds just the right amount of tang to balance the sweetness of the roasted red peppers.

Garlic- fresh, plump garlic cloves make this sauce SO good!

Basil- about 10 fresh basil leaves give this red pepper sauce another dimension of flavor. Not enough to make it taste like Pesto, but just a hint of basil to compliment the red pepper flavor.

Kosher Salt – enhances flavors.

Uses

Our very favorite way to use this red pepper sauce is tossing it with cooked pasta. However you can pour it over cooked chicken or fish, use it as a garnish over a rice bowl, or dip some crostini right in… the uses are endless.

Storing

Store your leftover Roasted Red Pepper Sauce in the fridge for up to a week. It may thicken a little in the fridge.

Other Great Sauce Recipes

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Five Star Reames Chicken Noodle Soup

November 1, 2017 by Susie Weinrich 61 Comments

One of the earliest recipes I shared here at Mom’s Dinner was this Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, because it’s been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. The thick Reames egg noodles, the super flavorful and hearty broth, and of course tender chicken make it a soup you can have on repeat. It’s one of those recipes that have Mom’s Dinner cooks coming back again and again. I have even had some say they get excited for cold weather JUST so they can make this chicken noodle soup.

Chicken Noodle Soup in a crock bowl with egg noodles

I have been making this “chicken and noodle” soup for the past few years! Hands down it is the best chicken noodle soup recipe out there. My toddler grandbabies call it “Grammy’s noodles” and they devour it when I make it. I follow the recipe to the letter and usually double it so I can freeze some! Thanks for this recipe -Rachel

RELATED: Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

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Seven Secrets to the BEST Chicken Noodle Soup

There are seven ingredients and methods that make this the best chicken noodles soup you will ever make! I will talk more in depth about some of these below. But I wanted to put them all in one place for you to see why this recipe is unique.

Start with butter instead of oil.
Add flour to make a little roux, this slightly thickens the broth and gives it “weight”.
Use a flavorful stock, instead of broth.
Add chicken base, it’s like a huge punch of chicken flavor!
Thick frozen egg noodles, not dry noodles from the pasta aisle.
Shredded chicken, not chunks of chicken.
A little apple cider vinegar added at the end will wake up flavors (you won’t be able to taste the vinegar, promise).

Flavorful Chicken Stock

There is nothing worse than digging into a bowl of chicken soup and the broth looks like water and the only chicken flavor comes from the actual pieces of chicken.

The stock in this Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is not homemade chicken broth, but it is bursting with chicken flavor! We start with a good store bought chicken stock and then add something called chicken base.

photo courtesy of Better Than Bouillon

The “secret” to getting a bold flavored chicken noodle soup without making your own stock is a tablespoon of chicken base. It adds that intense chicken flavor you want in the the broth of your chicken noodle soup. We love the Better Than Bouillon Brand.

If you are not familiar with chicken base it is similar to a chicken bouillon but it comes in a tub and is paste-like. You can find it in the soup aisle of your grocery store.

Most of the soup recipes on Mom’s Dinner call for chicken base or beef base. It is worth having in your fridge or pantry!

Frozen Egg Noodles

Another secret to this being the best chicken noodle soup recipe are the Reames frozen egg noodles. They are SO much better than the traditional dry kluski noodle or dry egg noodles.

The Reames noodles are thick and have a big hearty bite and actual FLAVOR. When they cook in the flavorful chicken stock/chicken base they absorb some of that flavor and are knock-out delicious!

If you can’t find the Reames brand, any similar frozen egg noodle will work.

And once you LOVE the frozen egg noodles you need to make this Creamy Chicken and Noodle Recipe.

Turmeric

This spice is another secret ingredient to a really good chicken noodle soup with depth of flavor.

It doesn’t add a super noticeable flavor that you can pick out in the soup. But it adds a deep warmness and umami to the soup that can’t be beat!

It is also a vibrant yellow color so it punches up the color of your broth!

Turmeric is also a great anti-inflammatory food. It is activated by black pepper, so make sure you crack some pepper in your soup to get all the benefits.

Cooked Chicken

This recipe calls for cooked chicken to be added to the soup. There are a few ways we recommend you make or buy the chicken.

Easiest: buy a rotisserie chicken and use both breasts and maybe some of the dark meat. Save the bones to make Chicken Stock in your Instant Pot!
Instant Pot: either make all purpose chicken or a rotisserie chicken in your Instant Pot.
Poach: cook two or three chicken breasts in simmering water, poaching is a great way to make plain chicken!
Baking: coat 2-3 chicken breast with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Then bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Make sure it reaches 165 degree internal temp before removing from the oven.

Then you can shred or chop the chicken before adding it to the soup. But we HIGHLY RECCOMEND SHREDDING THE CHICKEN. It adds a really nice texture to the soup.

To easily shred your chicken while it is still warm, pop it in your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on low for about 30 seconds.

Watch The Recipe

How to Make Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup With Egg Noodles

You are only a few steps away from the best chicken noodle soup you have ever had!

Melt the butter in a large pot and sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic until the veggies soften and onions become translucent- about 10 minutes.
Add the chicken base, turmeric, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper and bay leaf and stir to coat the vegetables with all the herbs and spices.
Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
Add the frozen egg noodles and cooked shredded chicken. Cook over medium- low heat for 20-25 minutes until the noodles are cooked through.
Turn the heat to low and add the vinegar, cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

What to Serve With Egg Noodle Chicken Soup

At our house we just serve this with saltine crackers or a large warm baguette, and that’s it. This is a pretty hearty soup that fills you up on it’s own!

A loaf of this 4 Ingredient Beer Bread would make a great side dish too!

Some type of tea sandwich could also be great. Use smaller buns or slider size buns, add some ham or turkey, provolone cheese, and then a mayo/mustard mixture.

Raw veggies with ranch or blue cheese dip also makes a great side.

How to Store This Chicken Noodle Soup With Egg Noodles

This recipe makes quite a bit of soup, so plan on leftovers! Which, just like chili, is even better than the first go-around. YUM

Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It will thicken as it sits in the fridge so you may need to add a little broth or stock to reconstitute when reheating.

You an also freeze a batch of this Chicken Noodle Soup for easy dinner on buys weeknights. It will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Simply thaw in the fridge overnight and then heat on the stove. Or place the frozen soup in a large pot and reheat.

You can also use these amazing souper cubes to freeze individual portions of the soup.

More Popular Chicken Soup Recipes on Mom’s Dinner

If you love having chicken soup for dinner then check out some of these other comforting soup recipes:

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I would love to hear your review, especially if you have tips and tricks to add! Pop down to the comment section and connect with me

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Southwest Sweet Potato & Turkey Bowl

October 18, 2017 by Susie Weinrich 6 Comments

Southwest Sweet Potato and Turkey Bowls are a healthy and delicious dinner! Sweet Potatoes and Ground Turkey are seasoned with southwest spices and mixed with corn and black beans. Serve it all over rice or quinoa and top with diced tomatoes, cilantro and a chili lime crema.

southwest ground turkey bowl with sweet potatoes

Ingredients

There is a longer list of ingredients for this recipe, however they are all easy to find ingredients.. and honestly you might have the majority of them in your kitchen already!

Sweet Potato & Turkey Bowls

Rice or Quinoa– Serve this over white or brown rice, or make a Mexican Rice (or Instant Pot Mexican Rice), or Quinoa.

Chili Lime Crema

Step by Step Picture Instructions

Start with a large skillet (that has a lid), over medium heat. Add the water and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the peeled and diced sweet potatoes.

Cook them for 15 minutes, slightly covered for the first 10 minutes. They will steam and soften the first 10 minutes, and then sauté and brown for the final 5 minutes.

Remove them from the skillet to a plate and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the now empty pan and saute/brown the turkey for about 5 minutes. If it released a lot of grease/juice, drain before moving on.

Add the onions, peppers and garlic to the pan and sauté for another 5 minutes.

ground turkey, peppers and onions in a skillet

Then add back in the sweet potatoes, all seasonings, the corn and black beans. Give it a good stir to coat with the seasonings. Let the frozen corn warm through, about 2 minute.

turkey, corn, black beans and spices in a skillet

In a small bowl make the chili lime crema. Whisk together the sour cream, water, lime juice and all the seasonings.

Assembly

To assemble your bowls lay down a layer or rice or quinoa in a bowl, top with some of the turkey/sweet potato mixture, drizzle with a generous amount of chili lime crema, then finish with diced tomatoes and chopped cilantro.

Other toppings that are great on these bowls are guacamole, fresh avocado, pico de gallo, salsa, pickled jalapenos, green onions, or queso fresco!

Variations

One great thing about this dinner is that it’s easily modified to suit your family’s preferences OR to what you have in your kitchen. Here are a few ideas to try:

Use ground beef instead of ground turkey.
Sub in pinto beans for black beans, or use both if you really love beans.
Add fresh chopped jalapenos for a little kick. Add them in when you sauté the turkey/onions/garlic/peppers.
Make it meatless and take out the turkey all together.
If sweet potatoes aren’t your jam, leave them out and increase the beans and corn.
Top the bowl with a little guacamole or chopped fresh avocado.
Add a 4oz can of chopped green chilies to add another layer of flavor. Add them in when you sauté the turkey/onions/garlic/peppers.
Omit the rice and serve as a salad over lettuce tossed with your favorite southwest dressing or salsa.
Wrap it up in a tortilla for a sweet potato and turkey burrito.

Basil Pesto with Walnuts

September 14, 2017 by Susie Weinrich 7 Comments

Over the years I have made pesto every which way; with pine nuts, with walnuts, with lemon, without lemon, adding cheese, no cheese, and the list goes on and on. I finally found that THIS Basil Pesto Recipe is my absolute favorite! The walnuts are a little heartier than a traditional pine nut, the lemon is a must (for color and flavor) and the extra virgin olive oil adds it own layer of flavor. You are absolutely going to love this recipe. It is the perfect way to enjoy fresh basil!

Every summer I plant basil, just in a pot, on my patio. And every summer I have an overwhelming abundance of basil. More than I could ever use by randomly plucking a few leaves for my pasta. That is where this Basil Pesto Recipe comes in handy. It is a great way to use up all that fresh basil, making sure it doesn’t go to waste. Extra Bonus… it freezes really well so you can have garden fresh pesto all winter long!

RELATED: If you want a smaller batch of pesto for one dinner, pop over to this recipe for Pesto Pasta. or Pesto Cream Sauce. Or if you make this recipe, give it a try in this delicious Pesto Lasagna Skillet Recipe.

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Listen To This Recipe

You can listen to the full recipe on the podcast “Let’s Make Dinner“. I share all the tips and tricks plus recipes to use your fresh pesto!

Why You Will Love This Pesto Recipe With Walnuts

It is easy to make and ready in minutes.
Only uses simple ingredients, most of which you probably have!
Freezes perfectly for later use.
It is a bright and healthy sauce.
Great way to use up an excess of fresh homegrown basil.

What is Pesto?

If you have never had Basil Pesto, it is a traditional Italian sauce, made from fresh basil leaves. It is a blended herb sauce that is great on chicken, seafood, or pasta.

It has a strong flavor of basil mixed with a tartness of lemon and nuttiness from the olive oil and nuts.

Tips on growing a healthy, long lasting basil plant:

As the basil plant grows pinch off a few of the new, tiny, itty-bitty leaves growing in the center of the larger leaves. This allows the plant to grow wider and bushier.
Do not let your basil plant go to seed. As the plant grows taller and older it will form flowers at the top. Pluck those flower buds off, down to the nearest basil leaves. This will allow the plant to grow longer and not dry out.
If your plant does flower at the top this is the time you can harvest most of the plant. Cut each stem towards the bottom; count up two or three leaf patterns and cut just above the second or third set of leaves. This will leave just enough plant to regenerate.

By tending and cutting your plant you will allow it to regrow 1, 2 , or even 3 times thru the summer! Giving you a ton of pesto for your freezer!

Walnut Pesto Recipe Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make fresh Basil Pesto.

Basil– lots of basil! You will need 5 cups of basil.

Garlic- lots of garlic too! The recipe calls for 7 cloves, which I know sounds like a lot but it adds amazing flavor. If you are nervous about what 7 cloves of garlic will taste like, dial it back to 4-5 cloves.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – make sure you use extra virgin olive oil, it is the one with FLAVOR. Regular olive oil doesn’t have the bite that EVOO does. The EVOO is also the blending liquid for all the ingredients and makes your pesto saucy.

ingredients for making fresh basil pesto

Lemon- The lemon has three jobs in the pesto; it keeps t he basil nice and green, it adds liquid to help blend the ingredients down, and it adds amazing flavor. I always say recipes need a “high note” (or an acid) and the lemon does the trick in this recipe!

Walnuts – Add a heartiness in texture to your pesto sauce. You can also sub toasted pine nuts for the walnuts, like I did in the You Tube Live Video.

Parmesan Cheese – Fresh grated parm is totally optional here. If I know that I am going to use my Pesto in a pasta recipe that already calls for a lot of parm I might skip it. But just use your tasting preference here.

How To Measure Basil

I am adding this section after I had a reader ask about measuring basil…

What is the best way to measure out 5 cups of basil? How many ounces is that? Seems a little ambiguous.

– Theresa, Reader and Pesto Maker

I couldn’t agree more, Theresa! I recently made pesto live on You Tube and when it came to measuring the basil I thought that stuffing it in a measuring cup is really a flawed system.

Also trying to weigh basil doesn’t seem practical.

So what I decided was the best, unscientific, method is using your hands lightly cupped together filled with basil = roughly about 1 cup. It worked great and my pesto turned out perfect!

How to Make Walnut Pesto

Pesto is truly a really easy sauce to make, and it is perfect during a hot summer when you don’t want to simmer or boil a sauce all day!

Start by adding the nuts and garlic to a food processor or strong blender. Pulse about 20-30 times to start breaking them down.

Add the basil, lemon juice, salt and parmesan cheese if using. Turn the processor on and begin to break down the basil.

After about 10 seconds, start to slowly add the extra virgin olive oil through the feed tube on the top. Note- if you don’t have a feed tube you can add all the olive oil in the step above and it will work just fine.

Pro Tip: You may need to stop and scrape the sides to make sure everything gets blended together.

Once it looks pretty smooth, open up the blender and give it a taste to see if you prefer more lemon or want more salt.

Walnut Pesto Recipe Tips

Go ahead and make more pesto than you need, it freezes beautifully!
Don’t skip the lemon, it really brightens up the flavor of the pesto. It also helps the pesto keep its bright green color.
Use extra virgin olive oil and not olive oil. The “extra virgin” olive oil is the one with amazing flavor.
To measure the fresh basil lightly cup a handful of basil leaves, this will be roughly a cup.
If your pesto looks too thick add a little more EVOO.
If your pesto looks too thin, add more basil leaves, walnuts and or parmesan cheese. Then taste for seasoning.
Give the pesto a taste before adding to pasta… customize the flavor to your liking; more garlic, more lemon, more salt??

How to Store Basil Walnut Pesto

Store your fresh basil pesto in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. You can also freeze your pesto so it can be used for longer!

Fresh Basil Pesto in a bowl on a cutting board

Freezing Pesto With Walnuts

You can absolutely freeze homemade pesto! This recipe makes a large batch of fresh pesto so it is great to plan on freezing at least half the recipe.

After making the fresh basil pesto recipe pour it into an ice cube tray- in 1 ½ tablespoon portions. Top each cube with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Put the ice cube tray in the freezer.
After a couple hours the pesto cubes will be frozen, pop them out and store them in a freezer safe bag.
You can keep the cubes in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Pull out the delicious homemade pesto 1, 2, or 8 cubes at a time to add to your recipes.

Using Walnut Basil Pesto

You can use fresh pesto in so many ways! Here are a few recipes to get you started:

Pesto Pasta
Pesto Lasagna Skillet
Drizzle over a Caprese Salad (tomatoes and mozzarella).
Serve as a sauce for grilled chicken.
Drizzle over Roasted Fennel.
Spoon over Crispy Oven Potatoes.
Use as a dip for Roasted Shrimp.
Make a salad dressing for an Italian Salad.

Other Great Basil Recipes

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Pesto With Walnuts

Homemade Basil Pesto comes together in minutes in your food processor or blender and only requires a handful of simple ingredients: basil, walnuts, lemon, extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt.

Watch Susie make this delicious Pesto Recipe on a 30 minute Pin TV Episode.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate Save

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 0

Servings: cups

Calories: 2237kcal

Author: Susie Weinrich

Equipment

▢
Food Processor or Blender

Ingredients

▢ ⅓ cup Walnuts - – can sub pine nuts
▢ 7 Garlic Cloves
▢ 5 cups Fresh Basil Leaves - – see notes about measuring
▢ 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
▢ 4 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
▢ 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
▢ Pepper to taste
▢ **Optional ⅓ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a food processor with the blade attachment, blend the nuts and garlic for about 20-30 pulses.
⅓ cup Walnuts, 7 Garlic Cloves
Add the basil, lemon juice, salt, and parmesan cheese (if using) to the walnut mixture.
5 cups Fresh Basil Leaves, 4 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice, 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Pepper to taste, **Optional ⅓ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
Start the processor and slowly add the extra virgin olive oil through the feed tube until the pesto comes together and is blended smooth.
Pro Tip: You may have to scrape the bowl down while you are processing to make sure that all the bits and pieces get blended in.
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Basil Pesto can be stored in the fridge, in an air tight container, for about a week

Freezing Pesto

Spoon 1½ tablespoon portions into each compartment of an ice cube tray. Top each cube with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Place the tray(s) into the freezer and freeze for up to 12 hours until the cubes are frozen. Pop them out and store in a freezer safe bag, up to 6 months.
You can use the frozen cubes 1, 2, or 8 at a time for your pastas, soups, side dishes and dips.

Recipe Tips and Notes:

MEASURING FRESH BASIL:

I recently made pesto live on You Tube and when it came to measuring the basil I thought that stuffing it in a measuring cup is really a flawed system. Also trying to weigh basil doesn’t seem practical.

So what I decided was the best, unscientific, method is using your hands lightly cupped together filled with basil = roughly about 1 cup. It worked great and my pesto turned out perfect!

For a smaller batch of pesto, good for one dinner, pop over to this recipe for Pesto Pasta!

Or use some of this pesto in this recipe for Pesto Cream Sauce or Pesto Lasagna Skillet.

Drizzle over Grilled Chicken or serve on Roasted Fennel for a great side dish!

LISTEN TO THIS FULL RECIPE ON THE PODCAST “LET’S MAKE DINNER” . FIND AN AUDIO PLAYER HERE.

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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ALDI Back-to-School Snacks & Lunch Packs

August 18, 2017 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

Back-to-school is right around the corner, if you’re not back already! Back to routines, full schedules, nightly activities, and homework. Back to packing lunches 5 days a week!!! Are you dreading it or looking forward to it?

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BWCA Annual Family Vacation

August 8, 2017 by Susie Weinrich 5 Comments

I dream of a place where my family can connect, willingly drop their phones, ipods, and internet connections, listen to stories, have meaningful conversations, and sometimes just enjoy a little silence together. A place that is hard to come by these days. For my family that place is Kawishiwi Lodge in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Northern Minnesota. A remote place about 4.5 hours north of Minneapolis. It is void of motor boats, cell coverage, internet, phones or television. But full of laughter, love, uninterrupted family time, and memory making.

The beauty of the BWCA is so unique and peaceful. It is sweeping landscapes of towering pines, boulder faces covered in moss, beautiful wild flowers, chalky white birch trees, glimmering waters, raging waterfalls, and the song of the loon at dusk. It’s a vast scene that you cannot capture on film. However, I hope I can give you a little peek into how special and beautiful this place is thru my photos and stories.

Kawishiwi Lodge & Outfitters

Every year in July my family makes the 12 hour trek to this wonderful place in solitude and Kawishiwi Lodge is where we land. It is a remote resort about 30 miles from the nearest town, Ely MN. It is situated on Lake One, the starting point to the most popular canoe routes in the BWCA.

The grounds of Kawishiwi are natural and untouched besides the 19 cabins nestled into the wilderness and the one lane gravel road you drive to your cabin. The accommodations are rustic, simple log cabins with just enough room for a small kitchen, beds, and a screened in porch to enjoy the Northern Minnesota weather and keep the mosquitos out. Each cabin comes with a fire pit, canoe and/or kayaks and a private dock. What you will not find: clocks, internet, tv, or radios… perfect!

Flora & Fauna

Gone are the days when we would be warned upon check in “beware of the bear lurking around the trash cans at night, make sure you lock your doors”. When I was little you could take a canoe ride at dusk to see moose in the reeds near the water or lay in bed at night and hear the wolves howl. It’s seems those days have past.. yet we still get a small glimpse of the wild each year. Now it seems to exist in the sighting of an eagle soaring, or a huge prehistoric looking snapping turtle, or the cry of a loon at dusk.

Last year my Mom and I took a morning paddle board trip. We enjoyed the silence, the beautiful scenery, and were treated to a show of two loons fishing. In the clear shallow waters of a channel between lakes we were able to see their every move. We sat on our boards and watched the birds dart and trun underwater chasing their breakfast. The speed and accuracy at which they swim underwater is AMAZING! It is something I will never forget.

This year we were treated to what seemed like the constant presence of this terrifying little snapping turtle. Our “friendly” turtle, Clettuce (pronounced clet-us), was lovingly named by the kids. One morning I decided to take a kayak ride, upon turning my kayak over we discovered a little frog sitting in the seat. My nephew grabbed the frog, because I wasn’t about to touch it, and threw it in the water… two seconds later Clettuce emerged and gobbled that little frog right up! Needless to say that kept me out of the water for a few days!!!

The jumping cliffs on Lake One. I won’t say too much- I talk about it a little later in this post.

During one of our hikes this year we ran across this little black and yellow snake. I haven’t seen a snake in years- thankfully- because I HATE SNAKES!! But, I was able to gain composure long enough to take this pic. Honestly he was super peaceful and slow (but it still gave me the willies).

Wild flowers abound! Even the ditches are filled with these beautiful flowers.

Family Tradition

As far as I know Kawishiwi has been a family tradition since my mom was a little girl, somewhere around 60 years (I won’t give away your exact age, Mom). It was a tradition my Grandparents started when they had a young family. Back then the entire 30 miles from Ely to Kawishiwi Lodge was a one lane unpaved road with the forest creeping in from the sides. I have heard stories of my Mom and her sisters having such horrible car sickness they had to get out and walk in the beams of the car’s headlights. The road is of course paved now… until you get to the Kawishiwi turnoff, then you are on a one lane gravel road for a few miles.

There are stories of the time we stayed for 2 weeks and ran out of food by the last day and my Mom and her sisters fought over the last carrot. Stories of how I cried endlessly when I was a baby (will I ever live that down?!?). Memories of my Dad, Uncle, and Grandpa canoeing out for 3 days to somewhere called South Wilder (sounds dangerous, doesn’t it) where the fish seemed to jump right in the boat. Upon their arrival home we set up a “camp spa” for them and rubbed feet, cleaned nails, and shaved beards while we were treated to all the details of their trip and big fish stories (read fables). My parents even honeymooned at Kawishiwi Lodge! And my son’s first trip to Kawishiwi was when he was just 1.5 months old.

We are now 4 generations into this vacation my Grandparents started. This family tradition runs deep and I hope we continue the tradition into 5 and 6 generations.

Family Time

A week of uninterrupted family time is priceless and hard to come by today. Even if you do get away for a family vacation it seems to be full of scheduled activities. In the BWCA we take it day by day. All activities are planned by the weather and nature. If it’s a hot sunny day you will find us swimming in the lake or cliff jumping. If it’s a windy day it is perfect for blueberry picking. Overcast cool days are great for a hike or canoeing a picnic lunch out to an island. If it happens to be raining we stay in and play board games, do crafts, and nap. At night we all come together for dinner, up to 20 at a time, have a campfire, roast some marshmallows, have log splitting contests and possibly play a game or two.

It is the perfect place to reconnect with your family and recharge your battery before the lazy summer ends.

Hiking

There are quite a few hikes around the BWCA. They can be just as intense as a Colorado mountain hike and definitely as scenic and beautiful. The trails are lined with fallen pine needles that perfume the air, huge ancient looking pine trees and birch trees, scenic overlooks to lakes, and access to beautiful waterfalls. Here are a few of our favorite hikes we have taken in the past few years:

Bass Lake Trail

Kawishiwi Falls

Blueberry Picking

These sweet little berries grow wild in Northern Minnesota. “Hunting” for blueberries is an activity that we love, well, most of us love. If you are not much for thick forest and bugs in the name of few berries this is not the activity for you! But there is nothing more rewarding than 4 cups of berries for a blueberry pie or enough berries to add to a Summer Berry Cobbler! or to make a Blueberry Crumble or Blueberry Margarita.

We go to Kawishiwi at the peak of wild blueberry season, late July. Some years, especially when I was little, the forest floor would be colored a hue of blue from all the berries. There have also been years that because of the weather we have missed the season completely. This year was somewhere right in the middle. There were berries but you had to go deep into the woods to find them.

Cliff Jumping

Sounds crazy, I know! It looks crazy too! A 15 minute canoe ride from our cabin there is a set of flat faced cliffs with deep waters at the base. Perfect for cliff jumping- only for the brave at heart. The pictures do not do the height justice. I went one time and that was it for me. On the other hand my nephews love doing flips and all sorts of daredevil jumps from the rocks!

I love this first picture of my 9 year old niece taking the plunge while my 9 year old daughter runs for her life!!

*sorry for the picture quality here- they are taken with my phone on an island across from the cliffs.

Those are just a few little nuggets from our trip. I hope you enjoyed it!

If you have questions about Kawishiwi Lodge or camping and canoeing in BWCA I would direct you to contact Frank and Nicole at Kawishiwi Lodge. They are the sweet family that owns the resort. Click here to be redirected to their contact page or here to find out more about their resort.

Love, Susie

My Aldi Must Haves

May 24, 2017 by Susie Weinrich 12 Comments

I love Aldi! Maybe bordering on obsession. I get antsy if I haven’t been there in a while. Last time we went on a week and a half vacation I couldn’t wait to get home and go to Aldi. I’m so weird: )

The first time I shopped at Aldi I was blown away by the prices! It has changed my pantry and fridge completely. I am able to buy better quality food within my weekly budget (more organics and better produce), yet it has probably cut my grocery bill by ⅓, and I am able to buy more variety because of the lower cost. If you haven’t shopped at Aldi- GO! And if there isn’t one near you, they are expanding this year, so keep an eye out!

Few things to remember before you go:

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Honey Mustard Lemon Couscous with Chicken & Peas

March 15, 2017 by Susie Weinrich 12 Comments

You will love this Honey Mustard Lemon Couscous with Chicken and Peas. It is easy to make and full of bright flavors….

It sure is a mouthful, Honey Mustard Lemon Couscous with Chicken and Peas! But it is oh so delicious and so easy to make.

Honey Mustard Lemon Couscous with Chicken and Peas in a bowl and a glass of wine

Have you ever used couscous? It is actually a very tiny “grain” of pasta. If you have not cooked with it now is the perfect opportunity. You will be addicted! It couldn’t be easier. Just boil the water, add the couscous, pop the lid on and remove it from the heat. Just let it sit for 5 minutes then fluff it with a fork. DONE! For reals, that is it. Now of course you will want to add some yummies (aka- honey mustard lemon vinaigrette, basil, onions, peas and chicken!). It makes a great side dish or in this case the main course.

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