National Sloppy Joe Day - Recipe Video

This is the leanest Sloppy Joe you will ever eat. On this auspicious day in celebration of National Sloppy Joe Day, I have my version that is for the diet-conscious who uses ground chicken or turkey. And ground poultry seems to be a buck cheaper than ground beef these days.

Sloppy Joes are typically made with ground beef, and depending on the fat content, you will have a gallon of grease after browning the beef. So, not only is my homemade poultry Sloppy Joe Burger delicious, but it also fits into almost any dietary regimen.

I found a package on sale!

Hi, I am The 99 Cent Chef, and I am a tightwad. I seldom cook with ground beef anymore. Since I created this blog in 2007, I've weaned myself off this artery-clogging but oh-so-tasty protein and learned to love ground poultry. 

The kind I use is mechanically separated and typically found in the frozen deli case. It's more watery than fresh ground chicken (or turkey), but I've found that it firms up fine during baking or sauteing. Of course, use your favorite local ground turkey or chicken, mechanically separated or not.

My Ground Chicken Sloppy Joe Burger is loaded with flavor, using sauteed fresh veggies, pungent chili powder, ground cumin, and brown sugar -- all in a thick sauce of tomato and ketchup. 

Upon the first bite of my homemade Sloppy Joe, you will flashback to your childhood: when Mom put the steaming meaty bowl of goodness on the dinner table, and you piled on the sloppy mess between a bun -- then dribbled it all over your fingers, while staining the front of your tee shirt, as you scarfed it all down as fast as you could.

I used a pound of ground chicken for this recipe, so the end result will easily and cheaply feed your hungry brood -- just make sure to lay out extra napkins. Prices have increased since I originally made the recipe 10 years ago. I find ground turkey more often than chicken these days.

Condiments like Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and chili powder still show up cheaply.

You could conveniently buy a couple of cans of Sloppy Joe sauce, but you will still have to fry up some meat, so you might as well go the extra step and make my much more delicious homemade Poultry Sloppy Joe. 

And like two of my earlier video recipes, Beanie Weenies, and Chicken Stroganoff, I used stop motion animation -- it makes following cooking directions so much more fun!

Poultry Sloppy Joe's - Video

Play it here. The video runs 3 minutes 18 seconds. 

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients (about 6 - 8 servings, depending on how sloppy you like it!)

• 1 pound of ground chicken, turkey, or beef - I used packages of cheaper, frozen (and thawed) mechanically separated, ground chicken.
• 1 whole small onion - chopped
• 1 stalk of celery (optional) - chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper - green, red, or yellow, chopped.
• 1 tablespoon of garlic - chopped, from a jar or fresh.
• 1 can of tomato sauce (about 15 oz.) - okay to use crushed, whole, or chopped tomatoes. Just break apart into smaller chunks when sauteing.
• 1/4 cup of ketchup
• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar - or your favorite sweetener (may need less, depending on sweetener potency).
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin (optional)
• 2 tablespoons of oil - 1 tbsp. for sauteing chicken, and 1 tbsp. oil for sauteing veggies.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on hamburger buns

Directions
In a large pan or pot, add a teaspoon of oil over medium heat, then add ground chicken. I spread out the chicken to cover the bottom of the pan and just sit back and let one side brown. You don't need to brown both sides. It should take about 7-10 minutes. 

Turn over meat and break apart into bite-sized pieces -- like you would for a spaghetti meat sauce. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan. You can add chopped celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the same pan -- or you could have been sauteing the veggies, at the same time as the chicken, in another pan -- it's up to you. Stir and cook veggies for about 5-10 minutes, until onions begin to turn light brown and caramelize.

When veggies are done, add cooked ground chicken. Pour in a can of tomato sauce and a 1/4 cup of ketchup, and mix well.

The final additions are the seasonings, including Worcestershire Sauce, ground cumin, and chile powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix the Poultry Sloppy Joe sauce well.

Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 - 15 minutes. Check during the last five minutes and stir. You want a thick chili consistency -- not too watery. Uncover and let sit a couple of minutes, and the sauce will thicken even more.

Get out the hamburger buns and load them up -- but don't forget the extra napkins!

2026 Oscar Party - Recipes

And the Best Oscar Entree goes to...YOU! Come and accept your award-winning chow and pass it around to your party guests so everyone has a taste of Oscar. Sit back and watch the Best Picture Oscar-nominated movie trailers below, paired with my Best Oscar Entrees, which are a feast for your eyes.

Click on any Best Oscar Entree nominee names to be directed to the original blog post for all the award-winning recipe prose and cinematic culinary imagery.

Do try any of my Oscar Party Entrees - you're sure to get a Standing O. So have your acceptance speech ready because the golden statuette for Best Entree at an Oscar Party belongs to you, the host with the most.

*****

For the First Best Entrée Oscar nominee, one must ask the question: "Do we need another Frankenstein movie?" If it's done by visionary Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, it's worth a look-see. Check out the trailer below to see if it's worth resurrecting this horror classic.

1. Turkey "Frankenstein" Carnitas - Use any turkey body parts for this spin on typical fatty pork Carnitas. My succulent recipe is lighter with lean turkey and sweeter with the addition of Mexican Coca-Cola. Any dormant taste buds will rise again after the first bite!

The second Best Oscar Entrée is a sweet stir-fried recipe that pairs with the movie plot involving kidnapping,  bees, and an alien! This dark comedy called "Bugonia" is directed by the always unpredictable Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. Watch the trailer below.

2. "Bugonia" Sauteed Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry - has a dollop of honey to make the Tofu go down easy.

The next Best Oscar Entrée nominee flick is about a flamboyant, sharp-dressed, Ping Pong hustler/champion known as "Marty Supreme" from New York City, and is based on a real person. I loved playing Ping Pong in my high school days and could slam that ball past my opponents. Trailer is below.

3. Cream Cheese "Marty Supreme"  Spread with Chopped Boiled Egg -  When I visit NYC, the first thing I get is a Bagel, and the big decision is what Spread to get....Hmmm, I think a chopped Hard-Boiled Egg with Cream Cheese would pair with this fast-paced picture.

The fourth Best Entrée Oscar nominee is a visual feast called "Train Dreams", which takes place in eary 20th Century, and is about the life of a Great Northwest logger.

 

4. Lox "Train Dreams" - Salmon is king in Washington state, and I like my Salmon raw in Sushi, or Cold-Cured like my version of Lox, below.

The fifth Best Entrée Oscar nominee is a Falafel Pita Sandwich. "F1" means Formula 1 auto racing. It looks like a typical hot rod flick, and a bit formulaic. The exciting finale takes place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, in the Middle East. The high-speed trailer is below.

5. "F1" Falafel -  My crunchy Falafel with a Cucumber Yogurt Sauce will bring down the red checkered flag. 

The next Best Entrée Oscar nominee is a  Sausage Po' Boy for the movie "Sinners".  A mindbending mélange combining blues musicians, Jim Crow South racism, and vampires...whew.

 

6. "Sinners" Sausage Po' Boy - My spicy Southern sandwich is made by the Swamp Chef, and you can't get more low down than his recipe. 

The seventh Best Oscar Entrée nominee takes place during Carnival in tumultious 1970's Brazil. Check out the trailer for "The Secret Agent" below.

7. "The Secret Agent" Moqueca  - is a Brazilian fish stew, made with coconut milk, lime juice, and a medley of veggies.

Get out the hankerchiefs for my next Best Entrée Oscar nominee. The movie "Hamnet" follows the family of Shakespeare in turmoil, creating art from tragedy. Trailer is below.

8. Hamnet "Beanie Weenies" - To eat, or not to eat whistle-berries, that is the question.  Not sure if Shakespeare had  Baked Beans in his day, but they are now served on your typical British breakfast plate.  

Revolution is on the big screen with my next Best Entrée Oscar nominee. The lauded director, Paul Thomas Anderson, or PTA, to us cinema insiders, lobs all manner of visual ordinance at the screen with this pitch-black dramedy. Check out the unhinged trailer for "One Battle After Another" below.

9. "One Battle After Another" Pineapple Salsa" - Hand grenades were called "Pineapples" in WWII. And revolutionaries on the Mexican border would take a battle break to try my cool Pineapple Salsa...get out the tortilla chips and hot sauce!

This combustible family drama of father vs daughter gets high marks from the critics, just like my Mom's Best Entrée  Oscar nominee recipe. Check out the trailer below for "Sentimental Value" to see the fireworks.

10. "Sentimental Value" Gumbo - Every family has its drama, and my Mom's Gumbo heats the pot to a boil when her daughter starts telling her how to cook!

I'll leave you with a video I made a while ago when the Academy of Motion Pictures had an exhibit with a podium on which a real Oscar stood. All you had to do was stand in line and take a picture with it -- well, you can be sure I showed up for that! Just check out the video below:

May the Best Entree win!!

Christmas Leftovers - Recipes

Hold on a sec, don't throw out that baked ham bone or turkey carcass yet! It's leftovers time at the Cheaps$kate Chateau, so read on for flavorful recipes I like to make that use up every tasty morsel of your holiday meal.

Click on any recipe name for the recipe.

If you are the Christmas Baked Ham type, soup is the best way to use up any ham pieces and the ham bone too. New Year's Day is right around the corner, so it's time for traditional Black-eyed Peas made my cheap$kate way using the leftover Christmas ham bone for extra flavor.

What I especially like about a pot of  Black-eyed Peas is that they cook in half the time of regular pinto, red, or white beans. So you can serve them in just a couple of hours.

Do check out my recipe video below to see how quick and easy you can make your own and ring in the New Year with a fragrant bowl of legumes, and don't forget to make some rice too, for a Hoppin' John version.



GreenSplit Pea Soup is next up, and it cooks quickly as well. I like to add a lot of extra veggies to my version, including carrots, celery, and onion. Cook Green Split Pea Soup with a few extra chunks of ham, and even your most picky kid will go for this recipe.

Other legume recipes you can ham bone-size are Pinto Beans, Cuban-style Black Beans, Mexican Charro Beans, and Texas-style Beans.

Adding a slab of ham is always a welcome addition to any sandwich. One of my favorites is called a Cuban Sandwich, which is comprised of ham, roast pork, Swiss cheese, and a slice of pickle. And it's served pressed, hot off the grill, all melty and warm.

Cuban Sandwich

A French Ham Sandwich is simply made with ham slices, real butter, and crunchy French Bread. It's perfect for a picnic. I did one once, but cheaply, with margarine instead of butter. If you have the extra bucks, do use real butter, especially at a picnic party.

French Ham Sandwich

Ham with pasta? You bet, just try out my Ham, Peas, and Cream with Penne. And lately, I've been adding cubed ham, instead of sausage, to my Mom's Jambalaya recipe.

Mom's Jambalaya

I grew up with ham added to my plate of fried eggs with Breakfast Potatoes. Diced ham adds heft and flavor to a Cheese Omelet.

A McDonald's Egg McMuffin uses Canadian Bacon, which is very similar to ham. I am so cheap that I've come up with an inexpensive homemade one. Check out the video below to see what I mean.



When I'm on a roll, that is with dice, I head for the Vegas buffet table for a gambler's Eggs Benedict, made with poached eggs, ham, and creamy Hollandaise sauce over a toasted English muffin. You've hit the jackpot when you try my cheap$kate version.

Eggs Benedict

The easiest and quickest use of a Leftover Christmas Turkey is to just pile it between 2 slices of bread or a bread roll. I like mine with stuffing, cranberry sauce, warm gravy, and turkey.

Click on any photo to see larger.

But to kick the sandwich up to an Ultimate Turkey Sandwich, just crisp up in the frying pan some of that uneaten soggy turkey skin.

It is a decadent and tasty addition to a classic Turkey Sandwich. Check out my recipe video below for a little culinary decadence.

A most popular leftover for the coldest days of winter is a warm and soothing Turkey Soup. I hope you saved the poultry carcass?

For the tastiest soup, it's best to boil leftover roasted turkey bones and turkey bits in a pot of seasoned water. Once the water is simmering on low, just step away for an hour, and meanwhile, do a little veggie and leftover turkey chopping to add with strained turkey broth.

My Turkey Soup recipe link here is based on a typical Chicken Soup, so just substitute it with cooked leftover turkey.

My Chicken Soup recipe starts with uncooked chicken, so this Turkey Soup spin-off will be done in less time -- just simmer long enough to tenderize the chopped carrot, onion, and celery. This soup is easier with cooked turkey.

If you feel a bit more ambitious, then rustle up a Cajun classic, Leftover Turkey Gumbo.

My Mom lives in Louisiana, and she sure knows how to do a Gumbo. This is another cold-weather dish. Serve Mom's Turkey and Sausage Gumbo over rice. Again, you can reduce the prep time because the leftover turkey is already cooked. And another shortcut is using a pre-made Gumbo base called a roux, which is often stocked in regular grocery stores.

Check out my video below for all the tasty details.

A pot pie is the most soothing of winter meals, and my Turkey Pot Pie made with Christmas leftovers will have you returning for seconds and thirds!

For my simple recipe, I used a grocery store frozen pie crust that cover the leftovers. And all you do is load up a deep baking dish like you would a lasagna - layering mashed potatoes or yams, veggies, stuffing, turkey, and gravy.

My video below lays it on thick, that is, with plenty of delish leftovers.

I hope you had a great gathering of family and some friends for Christmas. And do check back for more 99-cent cheap$kate deliciousness.

Christmas Cheap$kate Recipe Roundup!

It's the busiest and most overwhelming cooking day of the year -- well, don't fret, The 99 Cent Chef wants to take the stress out and make it a bit easier for you. 

I got it all here: my holiday recipes, along with a cupboard full of money-saving tips for you during this Christmas Season. So read on and take a few tips from the grinchiest tightwad around.

Below is everything you need to serve a sumptuous and cost-saving dinner table feast. And make sure you bookmark this page because Christmas is right around the corner -- yikes!

First up, if you live in Los Angeles, the Cheap$kate Chef would recommend getting fruits and veggies at any Superior Grocers -- just click here to see the great deals to be had, it's incredible. They cater to a Latin clientele, but everyone is welcome.

In the recent past, Superior Grocers has sold a whole celery stalk for 79 cents, fresh corn 3 for $1, and Russet potatoes at 2 pounds for 99 cents - oh boy!

My late in-laws always served Roast Duck for Christmas. They slathered it with the packaged Orange Sauce as the duck roasted. For my Roast Duck recipe, I left out the Orange Sauce, but you can add it. 

If a Baked Ham is your dining table centerpiece, be sure to save the ham bone. It will flavor the broth of my recipe for Split Pea Soup. 

And, right around the corner is New Year's Day, so any leftover ham is added to my Hoppin' John's Blackeyed Peas recipe, here. 

My simmering pot of good luck will warm you on the first day of the New Year.

I'm sure there are Turkey deals to be had wherever you are during the holiday, so this week, check out those grocery flyers in the mail before you give them the heave-ho.

This holiday, my local Ralphs Supermarket is offering Young Turkeys for 79 cents per pound with their Rewards Card! And, you don't need a $25 minimum purchase this time.

The main event is the centerpiece, a fat turkey overloaded with stuffing. Now, wouldn't it be great if you could get away with just setting out a stack of heated Banquet Turkey Dinners? That really is the cheapest way to go.

Well, I know that won't fly, but one year in my bachelor days, I had one. My wacky review of this frozen fiasco poultry dinner is a click away here.

But seriously, I posted my version of a Turkey with Stuffing recipe, and click here to read all about it. My blog post also features my Mother-in-law's decadent Sausage Stuffing. I shot a video below for you, and it's done in my movie technique of stop-motion animation to boot.



Gravy with Mashed Potatoes is a favorite part of the holiday meal. Hey, I'll end up dragging everything on the plate through the Gravy. Check out the most pungent holiday recipe you'll ever taste, my Giblet Gravy recipe video, below. 

You may find a whole turkey too much to handle, or your guest list is just yourself and maybe one or two other guests. In that case, it is easy to bake a whole Turkey Breast.

The last time I cooked a Turkey Breast, it took about 2 hours at 350 degrees to roast. I simply seasoned it with salt and pepper, leaving it uncovered. You can also add some herbs, or do it with your own family recipe way.

Check with a thermometer for a reading of 165 degrees. I usually just slice into a thick part of the  Turkey Breast and make sure there are no pink juices. And, when done, remove from oven and let stand for about 5 minutes so juices settle back in the meat.

The same goes for Turkey Legs. They may cook a little quicker, though, so start checking for doneness after an hour and a half. For a change of pace, I made a tasty recipe called Mexican Cola Turkey Carnitas. I just covered and braised a couple of Turkey Legs for about 2 to 3 hours in Mexican Cola with herbs. I shredded the cooked Turkey Legs, but you can serve them whole for a centerpiece presentation. Check out my sweet recipe in the video below.



To add some South of the Border Christmas tradition, serve a steaming bowl of pork, chile, and hominy stew called Pozole. Along with tamales, Pozole is a Mexican culinary holiday tradition.



Setting out a platter of plump Tamales is an edible holiday package of deliciousness. And while I don't have a cheap$kate recipe yet, I can point you to a local L.A. fave purveyor called Tamales Alberto. If you are in the 'hood do get a dozen.

My recipes are stuffed with cooking tips and cheap shopping sources like my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree. They have stepped up their holiday food deals as well. Dollar Tree items now start at $1.25. Each carries boxes of stuffing and Hormel Bacon & Pork Sausage Links on the cheap. Right now, they are selling everything but the bird!

Click on any photo to see larger.

Come take a walk on the wild sides with The 99 Cent Rebel With a Cause Chef. And you can be sure the following links will go over big with your hungry family and visiting neighbors. 

 

You've never seen stuffing made like this: Stuffing Cupcakes with Cranberry Topping & Gravy. To get the step-by-step directions for this most deliciously unique savory and sweet stuffing recipe, click here. It's easy and quick to make; all you need (to borrow) is a cupcake pan. Stuffing Cupcakes are portable for an office party or a potluck dinner. If you are like me, stuffing, next to roasted turkey, is the main event for my ravenous taste buds.

Stuffing Cupcakes

Make your own Homemade Cranberry Sauce by simmering two cups of fresh cranberries in a simple sweet syrup. My original recipe uses fresh strawberries, but you can use almost any fresh fruit, including cranberries.

Everyone knows how to make Mashed Potatoes, right? Well, if you are a newbie to pulverizing tubers, I've got your back! And you gotta have gravy to go with Mashed Potatoes. My Turkey with Dressing link has a Homemade Gravy recipe, too.

Mashed Potatoes

Boring Creamed Spinach is a typical Christmas side, but I have a Hindi twist. One of my favorite Indian restaurant side dishes is Saag Paneer, which is just like creamed spinach, but with cheese and the added spice punch of ground cumin. My version is made with easy-to-get (and lower-fat) cottage cheese instead of Indian Paneer (cheese) and Ghee (butter). Once you and your family try my cheesy and creamy Saag Paneer, you won't go back to Creamed Spinach. And the recipe is a click away, here.

If you are looking for traditional sides, I have the old-school French Fried Onions and Green Bean Casserole, which is right out of the 1960s-themed Mad Men TV series. Yeah, all you need is a can opener for the green beans and Campbell's Mushroom Soup. This is a classic recipe where Betty Crocker has it right -- creamy, crunchy, and so satisfying. Click here to see the Cheap$kate Chef's version.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts are edible Christmas ornaments that you can add to the oven during the last 30 minutes of roasting your turkey. Just drizzle them with oil and dust them with salt and pepper. It couldn't be simpler to do, and here is my stop-motion animated video to prove it.



Of course, I have some more sides for you, just click on any of the following names: Green Beans with Almonds,  Whiskey Yams with Brown Sugar Pumpkin Seeds, Squash, Tomatoes and Onions, Brussels Sprouts in Sour Cream, Roasted Potatoes with Carrots, Honey Orange Glazed Carrots, Collard Greens with Molasses, Asparagus and Red Potato Salad,  Pear and Spinach Salad with Creamy Dressing, Fresh Fruit Salad.

Green Beans & Almonds

And don't forget the appetizers like: Warm Artichoke Dip, Black Olive Tapenade with Crostinis,  Bacon Wrapped Dates with Cream Cheese, and Roasted Asparagus Wrapped in Salami.

Warm Artichoke Dip

And if that isn't enough -- it's dessert time! After you push yourself away from the table and waddle to the couch to catch a holiday game on the TV, be sure to grab a handful of my wife's Cranberry Orange and Coconut Cookies (click on the name for the recipe).

But you can't do better than desserts made by Mom. They know what makes a family happy, and mine has been generous enough to show me how she does it. Here are a couple of videos I made of her homemade Pumpkin and Mini Pecan Pies.

Now is the time to hit up your local grocery for cans of pumpkin or, if you are cheap like me, less expensive cans of sweet potato. You can use either, as the taste is identically delicious (that is, when canned yams are in a sweet syrup.)

Read the recipe details of my Mom's luscious Pumpkin Pie by clicking here. And watch the video below to see how she does it.

Every Christmas holiday, I eagerly await a package from Mom of her famous Mini Pecan Pies. A dozen of them travel well inside a shoebox from Louisiana to Los Angeles. These small pies are the tastiest present one can receive, and I got her recipe for you -- all you have to do is click here.

This is a great Christmas party dessert, but make sure to give your host a few, as they will disappear way too fast. If you don't believe me, just check out the video I made of Mom setting out a plateful -- and watch my relatives devour them in no time flat! (By the way, I think you will be impressed with how the Chintzy Chef gets around paying typically exorbitant pecan prices.)



I hope you all have a great holiday. Keep checking back here for more budget recipes and loads of new food videos. And I'll leave you with my Homemade Eggnog recipe and wacky tree-trimming video.