To kick off the new series, "Meals as a Mrs.", how did I come up with the name? Well, now that I have to think about preparing meals for two instead of just myself (and let's face it, in the past, I would skip meals or just throw a Hot Pocket in the microwave and call it a day), I have to be more intentional. I have to plan out the meals, make sure there are enough ingredients, and try not to burn the house down in the process. ; ) For many of you this is nothing new I know but for me, it's a process as I learn to embrace this new vocation. Throw in there the geographical differences and personal tastes (Adam being from CA is used to fresher more authentic Mexican type food while I dig the richer, creamier casserole type dishes) and I'm also used to thinking about feeding more than two mouths with having recently lived with my older brother, his wife, and their four children and having grown up in a household of six. So, it's also been an adjustment making meals that don't necessarily result in leftovers now that Adam and I are married and planning out dinners which comes back to the thinking about meals as a Mrs. I thought of calling the series, "Meals from Meg's Table" but it's not just my table but also Adam's. Now that I think about it, technically, it IS Adam's table since he brought it with him from California but you catch my drift. ;) Plus, I didn't want to take from my friend, Emily's food blog, not that that could ever happen as I'm not in her league at all....seriously, if you haven't already, go look at her blog and be inspired by her awesome recipes. I've tried my hand at many of them and none have disappointed. She's amazingly artistic in the kitchen and out of it! My personal favorite thus far was the Lamb and Sweet Potato Stew I made back in January (that Adam LOVED which does not happen very often when I'm cooking but I hope that with practice I can improve!) and I can't wait to try to make the No Bake Cashew & Salted Caramel Ice Cream Cake. Pardon me as I wipe off the drool on my laptop keyboard.
So, now that you know how I came to the name, Meals as a Mrs., here is the first entry! Tonight's dinner called for three main parts: beef, carrots, and rolls. Upon googling what I could do with beef, I found this recipe for "Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes". It is surprising I settled on this recipe as I was never a fan of Sloppy Joe sandwiches as a kid. At all. So why would I choose to make that for the first beef meal as a Mrs.??? First, I was intrigued by the title containing cheesy. I have never had cheese on my sloppy joes. Second, I saw that the recipe called for barbeque sauce and any chance I get to have sweet honey BBQ sauce on my food is acceptable for me to try. Third, we already had Texas toast in the freezer and cheddar cheese in the fridge so off we went to the store to pick up the remaining ingredients. I substituted one 10 oz. can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles for the 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes and 2 tbsp. of pickled jalapeno peppers. Perhaps that was why the sloppy joes tasted sweet at first but then slowly had a bit of a kick to them the more we ate. I also only had a package of 1 lb. of beef rather than 1.5 lbs. as called for in the recipe. Finally, since I forgot to shake the bottle of Worcestershire sauce beforehand, I added some more to the skillet directly after stirring in the majority of the ingredients.
The end result? A delicious sloppy joe that I actually really really really liked and it didn't take long at all, maybe 20 minutes tops! I preferred eating my sandwich open-faced while Adam ate his as a sandwich. I loved how the thickness of the Texas toast prevented the sandwich from getting soggy as I remember the buns becoming when a child eating this meal. Our side dish with the Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joes were carrots marinated in butter and brown sugar and we polished our meal off with a glass of Conundrum California white wine. This bottle was given to us as a wedding gift but we have no idea who gave it to us! If you're reading this please know that it was a delicious pairing with our meal tonight!
So, my question for you is how else do you like to eat your beef other than in a sloppy joe recipe? Please do share your ideas!
"Allow me to draw your attention to the value and beauty of marriage. The complementarity of man and woman, the vertex of the divine creation, is being questioned by gender ideology, in the name of a freer and more just society. The difference between man and woman is not meant to stand in opposition, or to subordinate, but is for the sake of communion and generation, always “in the image and likeness of God. Without mutual self-giving, the two cannot even understand the depth of what it means to be man and woman. (General Audience April 15, 2015) The sacrament of marriage is a sign of the love of God for humanity and Christ’s self-giving to his Spouse, the Church. Take care of this treasure..." - Pope Francis, June 8, 2015, to the bishops of Puerto Rico, ad limina visit
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