Week 5 Redux - The Sloppiest Joes Ever

With Wes's teeth now firmly back to 6 year-old normal (meaning a big gap in the front) it was time to return to our normal schedule.  That meant that our delayed attempt at homemade Sloppy Joes was back on!

First we started with a quick and simple cole slaw.  Pre-shredded cabbage went in a big mixing bowl with a couple of large spoonfuls of mayo.  A shot of apple cider vinegar, milk, and a squeeze of lemon juice went on top.  Add a dash of salt and a teaspoon of sugar and we were set.  Wes mixed everything up with a big spoon and after 3 big "tastes" he declared success. 

I, of course had to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on this one and added a palm-full of fennel seeds.  Sounded like a good idea at the time but big mistake.  The fennel seed was too strong (I might try ground fennel another time).  I spent the rest of our prep time trying to pick them out the seeds one at a time...

On to the Joes.  We started with one yellow onion, one red pepper and a couple stalks of celery or as Wes now knows it by: the Holy Trinity (I only feel slightly guilty that he knows three diced veggies together as a the Holy Trinity but doesn't know what the actual Holy Trinity is; that's another post some day...)  On the exciting side, Wes is getting much better with his knife skills.  He broke down the celery almost by himself and he's really starting to get how to curl his fingers under on his off-hand to avoid cutting his finger tips off.

While Wes sauted all the veg I prepped the sauce; it's funny that six weeks in I'm already comfortable with him at the stove without having to hover.  The sauce was straight forward.  One can of tomato sauce, half a bottle of ketchup-style chili sauce, worcestershire sauce (hilarious watching Wes try to pronounce from the bottle!), a little djoin mustard, a little apple cider vinegar, and a splash of water to thin it out.

After Wes browned the ground beef for about five minutes, we added the sauce over the top.  The sauce simmered for about 20 minutes or so until the whole mess was fit to be spooned on to the buns.  Wes toasted the buns in our toaster oven and set the table while we were waiting.

The Sloppy Joes were a big hit!  A little tangy, a little sweet, and a little salty all at once.  The fresh vegetables had a much better consistency than what you normally get out of the can.

We added pickle chips and crinkle cut potato chips to round out the meal.

And after, we ended the meal with chocolate ice cream and brownie sundaes!  Two happy kiddos and a belated successful dinner (excluding my fennel nightmare at least!)

Next week, my cheater fish tacos!