ZJ is so dang sick. Not amused! She's coughing non-stop and congested and achey. Apparently, there were three others who came home from camp sick as well. One of the girls came with strep. She's not showing any signs of improvement yet and she hasn't eaten for three days. In the meantime, we've been enjoying watching old movie favorites. She's had a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon, watched Chocolat, Mr. Mom and a few other oldies. She sleeps through most of them, but it's passed her time. Reading kills her eyes! She is majorly stressed about missing out on our fun weekend ahead. My heart hurts when one of my kids are sick!
I keep meaning to share two recipes. I can't believe how insane this summer has been! We wake up, run all day and crash latenight. It's been anything but a relaxing summer, but it's been fun! Anyway, here's a new recipe for sloppy joes. My family are not big sloppy joe fans when it's a can of Manwich. But, this recipe is simple enough that you will never want to open another can again! It literally takes about ten minutes to put together from the start.
Best Ever Sloppy Joes
2 pounds of ground beef
1 medium onion (we use purple), diced
1 large green pepper, diced
2 or 3 stalks of celery, diced finely
1-2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
2-3 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
1 can tomato sauce
tabasco sauce (I used 3-5 shakes)
salt and pepper, as desired
Brown the beef with the veggies. As the beef is browned and veggies are tender, add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for about fifteen minutes and serve!
Also, we have gotten into French fries lately. I didn't eat a fry for the past several years, until a few months ago. We have discovered this "oven baked" recipe and it's fantastic! And simple, once the fries are cut. I use a large crinkle type cutter and it simplifies the process.
Amazing Baked Fries
Cut your potatoes into 1/4" strips, then cut those strips into 1/4" squares. (Ours are never quite that thin. We do them more into flat wedges.) Soak in a large bowl of ice water for 30 minutes. (Make your sloppy joes while they soak!) Grease a baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Set it aside. Pour the water off the potatoes and drain them well, then pour them out onto a towel or paper towels. Dry them off for a few minutes and dry the large bowl. (I use the large Fix and Mix bowl from Tupperware because it has a lid.) Put the potatoes back into the bowl, then drizzle about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top. Cover with lots of salt and pepper. Put the lid on the potatoes and shake them until all are covered well. Pour them out onto the baking sheet in one single layer. Do you stack the potatoes. Use two pans if necessary. Cover them in foil and bake in a 475* for about five minutes. Remove the foil then lower the temp to 425 for about fifteen - twenty more minutes. You can stir them a bit, but we like them crunchy, so we leave them be. Remove from the oven and cover in parmesan cheese. The cheese will melt onto the potatoes like a coating. Oh my! SOOOOO tasty and really not a lot of work!
Carol had been out of town for a few days and came into town this afternoon, so we made a fast plan for Cokes at Roadhouse before we went to dinner at Black Pearl with our good friends, the D's and the Burns', who moved to Tennessee a few years ago. We had a great time gabbing and laughing and catching up. Todd had to leave early to get to Young Mens, but we loved every second together. We'll be getting together with the kids once before they go back east again. As we drove away, my heart was filled with gratitude for lifelong relationships, which I know these are!
Aaron and Ginn's daughter, Cassie was with us for a bit and she brought her sweet baby, Charles. Oh my heck, he's adorable! I've never seen a baby laugh so hard! He is a doll!
My foot has been giving me fits this week! Too much going on! Just got out of the hottub with Doug. Another thing that I'm thankful for tonight!
Missing Quayd. But, we get to see him tomorrow night for a dinner. Very happy!
I'm tired! Life is good! Goooooood night!
Saying a prayer for ZJ. Bless her heart (and yours!)
Posted by: Laura | Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 07:28 AM