A Twist On A Favorite

My friend, Jane, suggested this recipe to me and I am making it for dinner this evening. We love Sloppy Joe's (especially when made from scratch) and I really like the idea of the smaller portion size. We have a lot going on this evening- Caitlynne has crew practice, I am the crew carpool driver and Christopher has basketball practice - so this recipe will be perfect. I will make it at about 6:00 pm (right before I leave to drive the carpool) and leave on the stove. Christopher can eat his dinner well before before his 7:30 pm practice and Caitlynne and I can eat when we return about 7 pm. We never really know what time Kevin will be home but it will be ready for him when he does get here. I will probably just serve a green salad on the side.

Photo by: Photo: John Autry; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

Sloppy Joe Sliders

Cooking Light NOVEMBER 2011

• Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: 2 sliders)
• Hands-on:17 Minutes
• Total:17 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large carrot
• 10 ounce lean ground beef
• 3/4 cup prechopped onion
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup ketchup

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 8 slider hamburger buns

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. While the pan is heating, grate carrot. Add carrot, beef, and onion to pan; cook 6 minutes or until beef is browned and vegetables are tender. Add garlic powder, chili powder, and pepper; cook 1 minute.

3. Combine 1/4 cup ketchup and the next 5 ingredients (through tomato sauce) in a small bowl. Add ketchup mixture to pan, stirring to evenly coat beef mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes or until thickened.

4. While sauce thickens, arrange buns, cut side up, in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Place about 1/4 cup beef mixture on bottom half of each of 8 buns; top each slider with top half of bun.

I have to share this photo of the sweet floral arrangement that one of Jan's friends sent to her to welcome Ridley.

Caitlynne took a selfie of she and I Saturday morning before we left for her crew event. I was so not excited about driving her to Alexandria at 8 am on Saturday and then picking her up four hours later. I hate the Beltway with a passion and having to drive it twice in one day was not fun. 

Christopher and I in our Denver gear before going to watch the game with our friends.

We had the storm that wasn't yesterday. The forecast predicted 6-8" of snow, beginning about 7 am. I think I saw (maybe) 6 - 8 flurries about 1 pm. We had a lot of rain but it never got cold enough to transition over to snow. And, after seeing the photos of the massive quantities of snow that fell in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York and farther North, I am so relieved. All of our snow finally melted this weekend and it would be nice to not have any for a while. 

I have heard that my references are being checked but nothing else on the job opportunity. I made a list (because that is what I do!) of the pros and cons of going back to work right now and both sides are pretty much equal so whatever decision is made, I think I will be fine with it. 

Have a great Tuesday!