Wow...what a couple of weeks we have had. Not much time for cooking because we were busy with life. I bet most of you can relate. For the 4th of July we had a great time with our kids and family. Spent a lot of time in the pool with my mom and Walt and kids. Grandbaby Connor went in and was kind of freaked out at first, but with patience from his daddy who sat on the step and played with him, he eventually chilled out and started splashing and having fun..Of course we had to light off some fireworks and I'm excited to say that the new law in Utah totally rocks...Basically it's like lighting off several artillery shells at once. Our favorite was the "Whoa Daddy". It shook the whole neighborhood. If you like that kind of thing I guess and we do... I have friends who aren't fans at all and Connor wasn't a big fan either...I really hope he grows to like them because he is from a family of pyro-maniacs.
Glen had some mechanical problems with the van (or the tongan cruising vessel as I lovingly call it..yes, it's one THOSE vans. Big ole captains chairs, bed in the back, airplane style running lights down the center of the interior...I love the van, but the rest of the family wants to drive it off a cliff...)
It sprung a leak in the cooling system so he replaced the hoses. He is so great with things like that. I'm happy to say that our son Jeff follows in his footsteps.
It was also my annual trip to Chicago for the pampered chef national conference. All in all it was great. Over 50 new products were announced to the over 5000 consultants who attended. We stayed at the Sheraton by the river and Navy Pier this year. It was great because we were so close to all the great food options. Had to go to Portillo's twice for Chicago Dogs and shakes..and our annual trek to the Grand Lux was heaven, Bubba Gump's and it wouldn't be a trip to Chicago without pizza. This year we did Gino's East..Yum! Hopefully next year we will have a few more consultants make the commitment to come with us, because the training was exceptional this year. Usually once they get home, their income will double, so it's really worth the cost.
Today we have a little family reunion with my mom's family. I'm really excited because we don't see them very often at all. We are pot-lucking the dinner so it's sure to be good. I am bringing my sloppy joes because they are yummy and I know I will like them..lol...I usually eyeball the recipe but I will try to nail it down and list it here for you. They really are the best I've ever had. I got the recipe from my sister in law Lynette over 30 years ago. The difference is the brown sugar and tomato soup with ketchup instead of just one or the other...I usually am cooking for a crowd, so it makes a lot. Enjoy it and feel free to share. Remember what Paula says...try it first with the actual recipe, then experiment and make it your own...Have a great week!
Yummy Sloppy Joes
4 lbs lean ground beef, browned (drain and rinse with hot water) with onion and green pepper
1 small onion - chopped
1 green pepper - chopped (or less if you want)
After rinsing, return to pan (make sure it's a large skillet or large sauce pan-I use my 8 qt stock pot to combine it all) and add the following and heat through.
1 large can tomato soup (or three cans small)
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup of ketchup
1 cup of brown sugar (or more if you like it sweeter)
Heat it through, put it on a bun and enjoy!
