Turkey Joes

I made a conscious effort this week to not buy any new food, but to use up what I had. Great idea on a Sunday, not so great by Thursday when the cupboards are getting bare. My original idea was to make tacos but had none of the accompaniments. Turkey Joes it is.

I grew up eating the following Sloppy Joes:

Ground Beef
Ketchup
Mustard
Brown Sugar

Don't get me wrong, I love love love them like that, but they are a little sweet and are probably an acquired taste. Tonight's version was a modified recipe of Rachel Rays.

Brown some turkey/beef/whatever floats your boat. While browning, add some brown sugar and some steak seasoning. Once mostly cooked, add 1 chopped onion and one chopped red pepper. Let that cook for a little bit, then add some vinegar (I used balsamic, it was closest to the stove) & worcestershire sauce to taste. Cook for a minute or two, then add a can of tomato sauce and a can of diced tomatoes. Simmer until thickened. The original recipe mentioned something about toasted buns, but that's too fancy for a weeknight.

They turned out yummy...a little sweet, tangy and hot.

Puffy Pancake

The kids and I made this Puffy Pancake for dinner the other night. I'd made this recipe once before in muffin tins and thought it might be easier to make in a 13x9 pan. That picture is at about the halfway point. The kids LOVED the goofy shapes it puffed into. Here's what it looked like when it was done (or overdone perhaps.)



It was easier than muffin tins, but it ended up cooking pretty unevenly. I'm not sure if that was due to my pan, my oven or the recipe. Next time I make it I think I will go back to the muffin tins.
I originally found it at Make and Takes, but Catherine Newman has another version here.
Here's the recipe with the changes I made:

Puffy Pancake
makes 24 muffins or one 13x9 pan

1 cup milk
1 cup flour
2 Tbl sugar
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
3 Tbl butter, melted
dash salt

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 13x9 pan or muffin tins.

Mix all ingredients together with a whisk or in the blender. Bake until puffy and golden on top (about 15 minutes for muffins or 20-30 for 13x9 pan.)

My favorite way to eat this is to top it with butter, powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon. Or you could spread your favorite jam on it or eat it with regular old pancake syrup.

Glitter and then some...

This is my glitter collection. I call it a collection, see, because I keep buying glitter but never use it.

My goal for January is to actually glitter something. I've picked up some sweetgum balls from my yard and once they've dried out, they will become my first glitter-experiment.

Nothing says Christmas like some glittered sweetgums on your tree!!!

Clementine Votives

It's clementine season! I saw this cute votive at apartment therapy and had to try it. Just cut a clementine in half across the center and gently peel out the flesh without tearing the pith. You should end up with a long wick sticking up from the bottom. If you have no wick, feed that clementine to your kids and start again. Fill the bottom with about a teaspoon of olive oil and let it soak for a minute while you cut a cute shape in the top half with a paring knife. Alternatively, you could cheat and use a tiny cookie cutter for a less rustic look. Now, light the wick and place the top back onto your clementine. You gotta love a 5 minute craft!