Sloppy Joes

Sunday night I felt restless. We had just returned from an open house at our wedding reception space, said goodbye to my mother, bickered a bit. I decided I would take the Barkers for a long W-A-L-K in the woods to tire us all out. I took my normal path down to the river. I love the sound of rushing water, the feeling of moisture in the air, the placidity of the river. As I walked down the stair-like steps of rocks near the river bed, enjoying David Gray n my ipod I slipped. I felt my ankle twist and pop. I landed on my back and gasped for breath. I watched Lorenzo wander off, and called him back. I realized if we didn't walk back as a pack, I'd be laying there for a while. I stood up, brushed the dirt off, put in my ear buds, and got back on the path. Jem's music played, the lyrics saying "God give me strength to keep on walking." I laughed. How tv sitcom dramatic.

When I got home, Nick had me do "ice bucket therapy." He fixed a bucket of ice full of cold water with ice in it to stick my foot in. Have you ever done that? Ice baths are intensely uncomfortable. As I squirmed around on the couch, I decided I should distract myself. Nick had been craving Sloppy Joe's. Meals in boxes did not exist in my house, so I had never seen a Sloppy Joe prepared in my life. I Googled a recipe for Sloppy Joes from scratch. I was quite impressed with them. I served mine on a Kinicknick's hamburger bun.

Nick only left one serving of Sloppy Joe in the fridge, so I know he loved them. I ate the leftovers today over GF shell shaped pasta. I think they were even better this way. And my ankle? I have a hairline fracture and a really fashionable boot to wear for the next 2-6 weeks.

Enjoy some sloppy good food!

Sloppy Joes Front Scratch

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced carrots (can sub chopped bell pepper)
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt
• 1 1/4 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 cups tomato sauce (or 1 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, puréed)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• Pinch ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 turns of freshly ground black pepper
• 4 hamburger buns

Cook it up

1 Heat olive oil in a large pan on medium high heat. Cook the carrots for about 5 minutes, making sure to keep them moving so they don't burn. Put in the onion and celery with the carrots. Move the food around in the pan with your spatula occasionally until onions are translucent, about 5 more minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Remove from heat. Transfer the veggies from the pan to a bowl and set aside.

2 Salt the bottom of the same pan. Turn the heat up to high to brown the beef. You may consider cooking the beef in 2 batches. Use a slotted spoon to help the beef brown on all sides. When the beef has browned, remove the extra fat juices.

3 Put the beef and veggies together in the pan over medium low heat. Add the ketchup, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and brown sugar to the pan. Stir to mix well. Add ground cloves, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes, then serve on GF buns.

Better Mexican

Wedding, work, work, work, wedding, stuff, improv, work, wedding...

Nick and I finally reconnected with Ali and Jason a few Sundays ago at La Fonda. I've been to La Fonda before, but have only had their pork chops (which are quite tasty). This time I ordered chicken tacos on corn tortillas. I was expecting a typical taco involving meat, veggies, salsa. This one came out with some sort of chipotle mayo. It really didn't do it for me. While the drinks (margaritas and mojitos) were quite good, my heart longed for a better Mexican food experience.

Monday I got to work on a quesadilla that would ease pain of bad Mexican. I turned to the staples or my refrigerator. They turned out quite well- crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.

Spinach Quesadillas & Corn Salad Using Fridge Staples
* Bag of shredded reduced fat Mexican blend cheese
* Corn tortillas
* Bag of spinach (or whatever you have left over)
* Chicken breast, cut into thin strips or squares
* 1 clove of garlic, crushed
* Can of corn
* Can or diced tomatoes
* 1 jalapenos, diced, seeding optional
* 3 tablespoons EVOO
* reduced fat sour (optional)

Preheat the broiler while you are preparing the remaining items.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the EVOO in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, and cook until cooked through, about 5 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, make the corn salad.

When the chicken has cooked through, set aside. Drain any remaining juices. Add 1 tablespoon EVOO. Add the garlic, crushed, and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook, turning it every so often with a spoon, until it is wilted.

Meanwhile, lightly brush each side of the corn tortilla with some of the EVOO, and place half of them on a baking sheet. Set aside the other half to use as the tops. Spoon the cooked spinach onto each of the quesadillas. Add the shredded cheese onto the tortilla to taste. Top the quesadillas off with the remaining tortillas.

Place the baking sheet in the broiler for 1 minute. Flip the quesadilla and cook for 1 more minute, or until both sides are crispy. Enjoy, seasoned with the corn salad or a salsa of your choice.

Corn Salad
Open the 2 cans. Drain the juice out of the corn, and drain the majority of the juice out of the tomatoes. Combine in a bowl with the jalapeno. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adding cilantro is a bonus.