Alphabet Soup

Every time I make sloppy joes for the family, I get the same question: “Why are they called sloppy joes?” Good question. An internet search will give you several different answers. I prefer to stick with “because they're sloppy to eat.” Awesome answer, I know. I never know if the kids will eat sloppy joes or not, even when I use a recipe that's been a hit before. This one is a slightly different twist on the traditional sloppy joes, borrowing pizza flavors. Everyone liked them, even the baby, except he didn't like the pepperoni. The zucchini fries were a slightly different story. I thought they were really good, but everyone else preferred the zucchini crisps that I usually make. My mom made the zucchini fries a few days later, using some changes that I had suggested to her and I think they turned out better. The recipe below reflects those changes. I still think it's great, and I'll try it again at my house and see what my people think. :) Pizza Joes adapted ...

Why look!  It's an actual blog post from me.  Shocking, I know.  No excuses or apologies.  It's just life!  :) A couple of days ago I found a recipe on allrecipes.com and after reading through the comments, I got some ideas on how to adapt it.  This is my interpretation.  The original recipe can be found here . I also made some salsa that night.  Some Pioneer Woman Restaurant Style Salsa , which I actually found through Good Life Eats .  Salsa, like most food, is very personal.  What works for me may not work for you.  But here's how I changed the recipe up to suit my family (and I may still tweak it a bit!).  Note:  I started with the adaptation of the recipe from Good Life Eats, except I used two cans of original Rotel.  I mixed my salsa up in the blender.  If you want it slightly chunkier, I'd go for the food processor instead.  Next time, I will drain the cans of Rotel, and maybe the tomatoes too....

Okra.  You either love it, or you hate it.  Or at least it seems that way.  I've noticed that people tend to have very strong opinions when it comes to okra.  I, personally, love it.  Apparently so does Sprout.  He's eaten it fried, raw, and even pickled.  He hasn't had the chance to eat it boiled yet.  I like it all of those ways.  So, when I saw some at the grocery store, I decided to make okra fritters with it! This is a pretty simple recipe and quick to whip together.  I pan fry my fritters instead of deep frying.  Although, if you don't deep fry it, would it still be considered a fritter?  Either way, these are good!  D's response was "surprisingly good".  I'm not sure how to take that... I realize the picture I am using is not the greatest -- it was one of those snapped super quickly while a crowd of hungry people were hovering, waiting to eat supper! Okra Fritters adapted from Everyday Fo...

I first saw these Zucchini Parmesan Crisps posted by Pamela of Cookies with Boys . They looked so good, that I had to print the recipe to try. I made these tonight while my one-pot spaghetti was cooking. Sean wouldn't try them (shocker) but Kade did, and D and I decided this is the only way to cook zucchini from now on...they're that good!! Really, you should try them. They are not that hard to fix, and quite tasty. I loved the crispiness that they got. I've tried doing something similar before, and they just got mushy, not crispy, so this recipe is definitely a keeper in my house! Enjoy!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. Ours has been nice. I perhaps overdid it a bit, but that's no big surprise. :) I thought I would share the menu I served today. Lasagna (yes, frozen; sue me - I'm pregnant and exhausted!) Pioneer Woman's Sweet Potatoes - made this last year; I love it! The only thing is I add cinnamon to both the sweet potato mixture and the topping. (Sorry Christi -- forgot to tell you I did that!) Browned Butter Pecan Pie - hmmm...new recipe for me. Smelled delish. Tasted good. But it didn't set up well at all. Not sure what the deal was. And my mom brought: Spicy Brown Sugar Carrots - I'll be honest. I didn't like this one. I don't really like my carrots sweetened and spiced in this way. Just my preference! And of course, there were other things served, but nothing I can link to. :) In other news, the Sprout decided that my grandmother is not so bad after all!!