Creating a fun meal
Today is “I want you to be happy day.” That may not be a big deal to some folks, but I find this as a great opportunity to shamelessly promote one of my favorite websites!
The site www.thingstobehappyabout.com was created by Dr. Barbara Ann Kipfer, author of 14,000 Things to be Happy About.
What makes this website so special? The design is totally cartoon-based, which makes you smile just looking at it. Pages include things for kids to be happy about, things to be nostalgic about and, of course, the Happy House, with a list of things to be happy about.
In the schoolhouse, you can find questions to ponder, suggested lesson plans for teachers and word trivia. You can also visit the meditation hut, karma cabin, idea bank and the wisdom well.
And don’t forget to create your own happiness lists and send them out to friends and family.
One of the fun features I really like is the weekly happiness list sent to my e-mail box, as well as the picnic park with its list of menu items. I have lots of favorite recipes and I enjoy sharing them with readers of Table Scraps every week.
That’s why I’m always on the lookout for new recipes and appreciate comments and suggestions from readers. If you have a favorite recipe, send it to me at reading_frenzy@yahoo.com and I’ll feature it in a future column. Please include a couple sentences about the recipe – where you got it, what makes it special to you, etc.
A couple of my favorite menu items are biscuits and sloppy Joes. So, imagine how happy I was to come across a recipe that uses both of those foods.
These sloppy Joe biscuit cups are easy to make and very tasty. They are also a fun change from regular sloppy Joes on a plain hamburger bun! Not only would they make a great meal entrée, I think they would be great as a buffet item at a party.
Sloppy Joe biscuit cups
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 can (16.3-ounce) homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (i.e. Pillsbury Grands)
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a 10-inch skillet, cook beef, onion, garlic and bell pepper over medium-high heat until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and brown sugar.
Separate dough into eight biscuits; place each biscuit in ungreased regular-size muffin cups. Firmly press dough in bottom and up side of each cup, forming a 1/4-inch rim.
Spoon about 1/3 cup beef mixture into dough-lined cups. Sprinkle each biscuit with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese.
Bake 17 to 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and cheese is melted.
