sloppy joes, sloppy, sloppy joes...

A few weeks ago, I won three spice blends from a company called The Zesty Moose....a contest on another blog I follow.  It's such a rare occurrence that I win anything-- so getting this package in the mail one day was super exciting.

With school keeping me pretty busy, I kind of forgot about these in my pantry.  Until yesterday.

I came back from a shopping trip with a ton of veggies....it was a chilly, rainy day and I was in the mood for making soup. 

After making the minestrone, I had a few leftover ingredients and started brainstorming what to do with them.  I decided on sloppy joes....because (a) I bought some ground meat on sale, (b) it gave me a reason to try one of my spice blends and (c) I just love sloppy joes.

As seems to be the requirement for blog recipe posts, here is the requisite photo of ingredients:

 

ground meat (my package was just over a pound)

onion

orange bell pepper (you could use any color)

garlic

tomato paste

can of crushed tomatoes (about 15 oz.)

dry red wine

worcestershire sauce

broth or stock (beef or veggie)

salt

pepper

seasonings (more about that later)

 

A few things I've used in the past but weren't in this recipe...

carrots

mushrooms

parsley

ketchup

mustard

 

My first step was to chop the veggies.  This is always my favorite step.  I have a crazy love for chopping.  If I ever decide to take on a second job, it will probably be as a sous chef.  :)

 

First, I chopped the onions.  And took a break halfway to wipe the tears from my eyes (and take this picture).  If you have any suggestion for how to cut an onion without tearing up, do share!

 

 

Next was the garlic.  Which, if you read my last post, is another one of my loves.

I grated a few cloves.  Don't forget to scrape the back of the grater!

 

 

For the bell pepper, I learned a new method of chopping it to waste less.

First, you chop off the top and bottom.  Then you cut out the middle ribs/seeds.  That way you can chop all of it without throwing away any of it with the stem/ribs!

 

 

 

After chopping the top and bottom, slice the middle section into thin strips.  Turn these and dice to the desired size.  I chopped mine pretty small for this recipe, to match the size of the onions.

 

 

 

Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil in a pan, and add the ground meat. 

 

 

Brown up the meat, and depending on what kind of meat you use, you may need to drain the extra fat.

 

 

I learned this great trick on Pinterest for draining fat with an easy clean up.  Line a bowl with some foil, and pour the fat into the foil.  Once it hardens, all you need to do is take the foil out and throw it away! 

 

 

Add the chopped veggies to the meat, and saute up a little while (I added another drizzle of oil). 

 

 

I buy my tomato paste in a tube when I know I won't be using an entire can.  I just squirted about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste into the pan and stirred it up until it was fragrant.

 

 

Next, I poured about a half cup of dry red wine in the mixture and cooked it out for a minute.

 

 

Next, a little worcestershire sauce...

 

 

And then the spice mix.  I started with a heaping teaspoon of it. 

This mix has a ton of fantastic flavor:  garlic salt, onion granules, minced garlic, chili powder, jalapeno powder, cilantro, cumin, lime powder, and tomato powder.

 

 

(I added another half teaspoon-full of it later....it needed an extra kick!)

 

Finally, to give it that "sloppy" consistency, I added a can of crushed tomatoes.

 

 

 

I also added about a cup of veggie broth I had leftover from last night's soup.  To make sure I had every last bit out of the can of tomatoes, I "rinsed" out the can with the broth.  No picture of this....sorry.  I did take a picture of how sloppy it looked after all the ingredients were added:

 

 

Leave this simmering on the stove for as long as you want-- basically, until the consistency is what you want it to be.  This is what mine looked like when I was ready to eat.

 

 

(Oh, and I did add a few squirts of mustard and ketchup at one point.  I just couldn't resist adding a couple more ingredients!)

 

After toasting up a couple hamburger buns, I topped my bun with some sloppy goodness.

 

 

And just couldn't help myself.....a little shredded mozzarella was necessary.

Okay, not necessary.  But a really, really good idea.

 

 

With a side of some lightly salted potato chips (love them more than the regular-salted ones!), my comfort-food fix for the day was complete. 

 

 

Thanks again to Mom Colored Glasses for the giveaway, and to The Zesty Moose for the freebie!

I'm looking forward to trying out more new recipes with these fun spice mixes!  :)

 

 

 

keeping the vampires away tonight...

I have a love of....an obsession with....and a inability to go easy on....garlic. 
Among other things.

Tonight's recipe is exhibit A.

My breath is exhibit B.

Luckily for you, you can't smell my breath right now. 
Also luckily for you, I'm going to share my bruschetta recipe.   And when I say "my bruschetta recipe" I really mean my interpretation of a few different recipes I've looked up recently, along with my own little twists on them.

It all started when I realized I bought an extra pint of grape tomatoes, and my sister brought a baguette to my house when I invited her to have some of my leftovers last night.  I knew I didn't want either to go to waste....and what is more obvious with those two ingredients than bruschetta?

I don't have a recipe with measurements (what's new, right?), but I will take you on a step-by-step photo journey through this impromptu dinner.  And literally.....with as many of these as I ate tonight, it was dinner for me.  :)

 

I first assembled all of the ingredients:

2 pints of grape tomatoes (I used red and yellow-- just because, it's prettier that way)

crusty french baguette

fresh basil

garlic

butter

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

salt

pepper

 

 

I halved the tomatoes....but you could of course chop them in whatever size/shape you want.

I love the big, chunky style of bruschetta.

 

 

Next, I used one of my favorite "knife skills" that I've learned over the years....the chiffonade.   I love to say "chiffonade", I love the rolling of the basil, I love how it looks so pretty when it's done.

And....I love fresh basil.

 

For those who haven't been introduced to this method....it's super easy.

First, make a nice healthy stack of basil leaves.

They're so pretty, aren't they?  Even on a messy cutting board!  :)

 

 

Roll them up tight:

 

 

Lay down the roll and cut across the roll, working your way down the length of the roll until you've cut it all into very thin strips.  I didn't take a picture of this step.....because, well....I'm not that talented.  I can't chiffonade and take a picture at the same time apparently. 

But here's what it looks like when you're done:

 

 

 

Next step....I peeled a good, healthy amount of garlic.

More than the average person would probably use.  But.....that's how I roll.  You can adjust this to your own taste.  You'll probably want to halve the amount that I used.  Unless you're a garlic freak like I am.  Which, if that's the case.....welcome to the club!

 

Two cloves for the garlic-infused butter, and four (yes, I said four) for the bruschetta.

Please don't judge. 

 

I cut a couple cloves in half and heated them up in a mixture of butter (a couple tablespoons) and oil (a few tablespoons) for the baguette slices.  I'll get to that step later.

 

 

The rest of the garlic was grated (yes, not chopped....grated....it's such a time saver) into a pan with some oil and garlic.  This was the base of the "glue" for the bruschetta.

 

 

I didn't think it was enough oil for the amount of garlic I used (shocker!), so I added a little butter to the pan to have a "saucier" feel to it.

 

 

Once the garlic was fragrant, but NOT burned, I poured the garlicky-butter-oil mixture into a bowl.

 

 

Added the chopped tomatoes and basil.

 

Along with some balsamic vinegar (1-2 tablespoons), salt, and pepper to taste.

I saw a warning on a recipe to be careful to not oversalt this, so I just put a pinch of salt to start.

 

 

Definitely taste it at this point to see if your seasonings are right.

Then, cover the mixture and leave it in the fridge for as long as you can stand it.

 

Or at least for as long as it takes you to make the bread.

 

 

For the bread.....I first cut it at an angle to make large slices. 

 

 

Lay the slices out on a baking sheet.

 

 

Brush each slice with your garlic-infused butter/oil mixture.

 

 

And put the tray under your broiler set on high.

Make sure to watch them so they don't burn--- it won't take long!!

 

 

Here's what they'll look like when you first take them out.  Warning: it may be difficult to not eat the entire pan of toasted garlicky bread.  But don't forget about the delicious bowl of goodness you have waiting in the fridge!  That just sets it over the top.

 

 

Luckily, this is a pretty healthy snack....or in my case, meal.

I think it would be even better with a little parmesan cheese freshly grated on top.

But I was all out of that. 

Sadly.

I think that this made up for the lack of cheese:

 

 

 

Well, I'm off to brush my teeth a few times.  Maybe by tomorrow the garlic smell will be gone.

For the sake of my 28 fourth graders, I hope so!

thirty days...

I'm a magazine hoarder. 

Okay, so not in the "I have piles stacked everywhere that date back to the 70's and I have to build a path to find my way through my house" sense of hoarding.

More like a "I don't really need to subscribe to another magazine because I don't read them all but it was such a fantastic bargain that I couldn't help myself" kind of hoarder.

Luckily, I am getting better.....I decided I'm only going to keep two subscriptions renewed.  That's progress.  I also spent some time this summer going through a portion of my magazines, ripping out articles that I may want to refer back to, a recipe that I wanted to try, or design ideas for my house.  I even created a filing system for these pages-- so I'm on the road to Operation Magazine Declutter entering its final stages.

If you can't tell, I'm pretty proud of myself.

So....during this process of ripping and recycling, I found an article on sleep issues.  You know, the usual.....Americans are sleep-deprived, our health is affected by this, etc.   I'll be the first to admit that I know I'm sleep-deprived, I know I stay up too late, and I know that it's all going to "catch up to me".
Which is why I ripped out this article and didn't file it away.....I read it.  

One of the things that stuck out to me is how technology is having a negative effect on our quality of sleep.  It makes sense, right?  Staring at a computer screen or at my iPhone right before bed.....probably not helping my brain and my body relax. 

And I was guilty-- of emailing, going on Facebook, Pinterest browsing, Instagram-checking, and playing games on my phone.....all up until the point I turned off my nightstand lamp and closed my eyes.    It is no wonder I had trouble falling asleep right away.....even though I was exhausted, it was late, and I knew my alarm was going to go off at 6.   

I decided to try something new-- stay off technology after 11.  For some of you, this may seem late.  For me, it's early.....but that's another challenge in the works.   I thought if I can do this for thirty days, it will be a habit.  And honestly, I have been really strict about it.  Yes, I "fell off the wagon" a couple times, mostly on the weekends or because I lost track of time-- but I got right back to it the next night.  It's actually been over thirty days, and I'm still sticking with it.  I'm a little more lenient on the weekends (hence the time I'm finishing up this post), but I also don't need to wake up so early.

So this leads into my next thirty day challenge-- to start going to bed five minutes earlier every night until I get to the point where I get at least seven hours of sleep a night.  That's going to require an adjustment in the technology rule.....I'll need to stop at 10:00 instead of 11:00.....gasp!   I can do this, I can do this......:)

A few benefits I've noticed since I've started this challenge:

**I started reading regularly again- right before bed, I have read a chapter or two. During the school year, I've never been a book-reader (for pleasure) because of how late I stayed up. With this added amount of time before bed, I've made it a habit to read......and I just finished a book last night!
**I'm not as tired in the morning.  It used to be that when I was driving to work, I would have a hard time keeping myself awake (okay, so not like falling-asleep-at-the-wheel tired, but definitely drowsy).   Now I'm much more alert during that morning drive.
**I am more alert and aware of things going on in my classroom.  Definitely a bonus for classroom management!  :)
**I've been able to fall asleep earlier-- which will help with my next challenge as well.
**I haven't had any issues with waking up in the middle of the night....well, except for the first day of school.  But that was just because I was afraid I wouldn't hear one of my three alarms and I'd be late for the first day! 

I'd encourage you to find something in your life that you need to change into a healthy habit......and try it for thirty days.  If you do, let me know how it goes! 

wake me up when september ends...

Okay....so I was pretty good at writing frequent posts since I began my blog this summer.

And then September happened.

School started.
I got busy.
End of story.

Now that September has come and gone (hence the nod-to-Green-Day title of this post), I realize how much I missed writing.  There are so many topics I could have written about, but I just didn't made the time to sit down and do it.

So I decided to brainstorm a list (because I just love lists) of some possible posts I could write.  I thought maybe I'll hold myself more accountable if I commit this list into print.....a promise to myself that I will dedicate some time.....at least once a week....to writing.

Here's what I have so far...
*Pinterest projects in the classroom- update
*Starting off a school year- my new and old favorite ideas
*My first experience with a student teacher
*Organization in the classroom
*What I've learned from fourth graders

and just so you don't think I'm totally obsessed with my job....
*Finishing up my guest room
*Crafty/DIY projects I've done recently
*30 day challenges- I've completed one, and am starting a new one
*New recipe post
*These Are My Confessions....part 2

Please....if you do follow this blog, and I fail to follow through with this, hold me to it!   And feel free to let me know if there are any topics you'd be interested in me writing first.  It will give me even more motivation to get started!  :)

I can say this for certain.....I won't wait until November to write my next post.  Promise.

tag....you're it!

I came across this post during my Pinterest-induced coma that I was in one day this past week....... 

http://fasttimesofamiddleschoolmathteacher.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-02-20T17:46:00-08:00&max-results=7

This blogger had a great idea to connect herself to other bloggers she follows.  I'm going to switch up the "rules" a little....because that's how I roll. 
But the basic reasoning is there.....a just-for-fun, get-to-know-each-other-post, to create a better sense of community.

Here were her rules:

1. You must post the rules.
2. Post 12 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 12 new questions for the people you tagged.
4. Tag 12 people and link them on your post.
5. Let them know you've tagged them

To make it easier on myself and those who I "tag"....I'm going to change the number to five.  Teachers are so busy at this time of year, but who doesn't have time to answer five questions and come up with five to ask?  Especially all in the name of fun. 

So....here are my revised rules:

1. You must post the rules.
2. Post 5 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 5 new questions for the people you tagged. 
4. Tag as many people as you'd like, and link them on your post.
5. Let them know you've tagged them-- I'm guessing the best way would be to send them an email (if you know it) or comment on a blog post with the link to your post.  :)

**Since I'm the first one in this game of tag, I'm just going to answer five of the questions this blogger used.

If you are tagged, and don't have the time to do this....I completely understand.  But maybe put it on your "to do" list......for a rainy day, when you're bored, have absolutely nothing to do, and just find yourself sitting around twiddling your thumbs.  Yeah, that would be no one.  Ever.  So just someday, when you have time.  :)

If you are NOT a blogger, but are reading this.....never fear--- you can participate, too!
Just comment on my post below with five fun facts about you, and five questions for me. 
I promise I'll answer them as soon as I have a chance.  You know, on that rainy day when I have nothing to do.  Or maybe sooner.

Here we go....

Five Fun Facts About Me
1.  My mom gave birth to seven kids...one on each day of the week.  I'm Saturday.   And I love that I was born on my favorite day of the week!
2.  When I get a new Sudoku puzzle book, I start at the back (the toughest ones) and do those first.  I love a challenge, and I'm a self-proclaimed nerd when it comes to puzzles.
3.  I'm notoriously late to things.  It's either that I don't figure in the travel time, that I get distracted when I'm getting ready to go, or that I just don't have great time management.  Who am I kidding--- it's all of the above!
4. I have a VERY hard time not changing fonts when I get a document that someone shares.  It's a bit of an obsession I have with fonts.  I really think I need an intervention, or at the least to join a support group.
5.  There are some foods that I used to say (when I was a kid, mind you) I didn't like, but actually never tried.  And now I love them.  Guacamole....Sour Cream....Hummus....Spinach.....Broccoli.....Cheesecake.   Really, most of those were because they either looked or sounded gross.  I'm just so glad that I grew up and gave them all a try. 

Five Questions....
1.  What is a scent that triggers a memory for you?
Strawberries.....reminds me of Strawberry Shortcake, one of my favorite toys growing up.   Apple Pie.....reminds me of Thanksgiving at my mom's house.   The beach.....one of the best smells ever.  Lake Michigan, minutes from where I grew up, always has this smell of "home".   Okay, I couldn't choose one!

2.  Do you drink Starbucks?  What's your usual order?
This is a tough one, because I love the smell of coffee, and I love the taste of many coffee drinks. But for most of them, I can't drink them without it upsetting my stomach.  Usually the "sweeter" ones aren't as tough to drink, so I'd say when I do get a drink there it's either a frappaccino, hot cocoa, or sweetened iced tea.  The one that I can always drink with no issues is the Iced Capp from Tim Hortons.....it's probably mostly sugar.  :)

3.  What's your favorite recipe you like to bring to parties?
I usually look to Pinterest for new ideas whenever I have the time, otherwise my old stand-by is a cheesy crab dip (with toasted baguette slices) that I first had at a Pampered Chef party years ago, and it's often requested when we have family get-togethers over the holidays. 

4. What's a TV show that you loved growing up?
The one show that I can remember watching every single episode of was "Who's the Boss?".  It's so cheesy, but I will still watch it if it's on TV when I'm flipping through the guide.   In fact, a few years ago they were replaying episodes of every season and there were parts of them that I could literally quote word for word because of this obsession.  And I'm not ashamed to admit-- I own season one on DVD. 

5. What is another job you have had besides teaching?
Well, since I have been teaching ever since I graduated college, I have to go back to my high school and college jobs, which were very illustrious, let me tell you......I was a cashier at Burger King and a gas station, I was a lifeguard/ride attendant at a waterpark, I worked in the office of the college newspaper at U of M, I was a nanny one summer, and the best one.....I put labels on the spines of books at the library in college. 

Alright....now, onto my five questions for you.....whether you're tagged or not, you can answer them! 

1.  Where is your favorite store to shop for clothes, and why do you love shopping there?
2.  What is one (or more) of your guilty pleasures?
3.  If you could go on vacation anywhere (and money wasn't an issue), where would you go?
4.  Who is your go-to person for advice about life?
5.  What is the best, or most memorable, meal you've ever eaten?

So here's who I'm tagging....you're up ladies!

Jackie at mysunnymoments
Melissa at The Athlete's Foot
Maggie at Pink Shoes
Lindsay at A Boy, A Brunette, & A Baby
Calli at Living My Best Life

I'm also tagging the original blogger that I got this idea from.....Liz from Fast Times of a Middle School Math Teacher, thanks for the inspiration!

kitchen update....part three

About a month ago, I wrote two posts on the progress I've made in redoing my kitchen.

I had meant to write part three soon after, but there were a few small things I needed to finish first.

 

So.....here's part three of my kitchen remodel series. 

Subtitled.....what I did this summer.  :)

 

Here's what my kitchen looked like back in Fall 2009:

 

Here's the update I did last summer.....first, painting the cupboards white.

To learn about this process, read this post. 

 

Then, late in the summer, I got new black countertops. 

You can read about that process in this post.

 

 

This leads us to this summer, and my goal to do the following:

 

repaint the walls of my kitchen and dining room

purchase new appliances

install a tile backsplash

replace the outlets and switches

install curtains in the kitchen and dining room

decorate the dining room wall

add a few more kitchen "accessories" to coordinate with my vision

 

 So, I started right away in June so I wouldn't run out of time.  I also wanted to get the painting part done before the heat wave came.  I learned my lesson from last year!

 

Some people asked me why I decided to repaint my kitchen after it had been that color for less than three years.  The reason was simple.....with the bright white cupboards and dark black counters, the green I had picked seemed too drab and muted.  I wanted something bright and cheerful to match with the changes I had made.

 

First, I had to tape plastic tarps everywhere.....over the cupboards, over the counters, over the sink, over the hanging light, over the appliances.  I was taking no chances of the paint getting on any of my hard work from last summer!

 

 

Here's the new paint color.....I picked the blue because it was a complementary color to the bright accent colors I had in my kitchen- like my orange Kitchenaid mixer.

 

 

The second change of the summer was the most expensive.....by far.  In fact, I think it's the most expensive change I've made to my house since I bought it.  But it just might be one of my favorites. 

 

I got three new appliances!

*My sister, who just moved out, needed a refrigerator at her new house.....and my housewarming gift to her was my old fridge, which still works great but the beige color didn't match the look I was going for with my remodel. 

*My stove had been acting up for a while, taking forever to preheat, and not cooking food all the way through.  Perfect reason to get a new stove!  

*Since the stove hood matched the old appliances and I was going to need to replace that, I decided to go with a over-the-stove microwave. 

 

Here's what the dreary old appliances looked like:

 

 

And here are my fancy-dancy, stainless-steel, beautiful new appliances!

 

With so many other projects going on this summer, and not having any experience in tiling, I decided to go non-DIY for the tile backsplash.  (Is non-DIY a word?  If not, I'll make it one!)

 

A friend of mine has a handy husband, and after I went and bought all of the supplies, I hired him to do the work for me.  Smartest decision I made this summer.

 Really, that's hard work.  I don't know if I could have done it without messing up....a lot.

I'm so glad I swallowed my pride and didn't do it myself.

It's JUST how I wanted it to look!!

 

 

 

 

With the new bright white backsplash, I knew I wanted white outlets and switches.  My multi-talented Mom helped teach me how to install new ones....and let me tell you, it's a great skill to learn! 

You can read about the process in this post when I did it myself in my guest room.

 

Old beige outlet:

 

 

New white outlets:

 

 

 

And a last few other details that I made.....

 

Taking down the ugly vertical blinds and installing new curtains in the dining room

 

 

Kitchen window curtains:

 

I found this sweet vintage spice rack at an antique store, and knew it was meant for my kitchen!

 

New wall art for my dining room....described more in this post.

 

Accessorizing my new counters with bright colors is so much fun now that everything else is how I envisioned it!

 

What a difference a couple summers and a lot of hard work makes!

 

And I think I'll finally be done next summer.....new flooring in the kitchen/dining room and changing the ugly dark paneling in the dining room are the plan. 

But for now.....I'm just enjoying the "new" kitchen that I pictured in my head coming a few steps closer to being complete.