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nourishing & unapologetic 

9/6/2015 0 Comments

Last Minute Labor Day Cheeseburgers (no grill required!) 

Ahhhhh, hello, long weekend! When you're young, holidays were relished with enthusiasm. As an adult, holidays are still great, but I think a solid long weekend is perhaps more eagerly anticipated than Christmas. It's a bonus day for productivity or lack there of. 

If you've got a gathering to go to still, and are in need of a dish to take, consider these simple party cheeseburgers. Now, I'll concede cheeseburgers in their traditional form are incredibly easy, but these are lower maintenance and great for a group. Plus, you don't even need to fire up the grill. The original recipe is from one of my favorite bloggers, Kevin & Amanda. Their recipes are generally practical and approachable. 

I first made these cheeseburgers as the main dish for the teens we feed on a monthly basis at local organization.  These teens face hardship, including hunger, shelter, stability, safety, and a lack of clothing, daily. So we're always trying to provide a little bit of comfort through some great home-cooked food. Since we're cooking for a group, I try to find recipes that are teen-friendly, cost-effective and relatively quick. This one surely fits that bill. 

You'll need some pretty basic ingredients and about 35 minutes. If you take these to a party, I bet you'll bring home an empty pan!

I have to disclose: I don't have any pictures to share with you. I could have sworn I took a few but I can't locate them. Food blogger fail! My apologies! But they're so good, I can't not post. Luckily, Kevin and Amanda's post have excellent photos it you're a visual person. AND, I'll update this post when I make them again.  
Cheeseburgers for a Crowd
Original Recipe from Kevin and Amanda
1 pound lean ground beef (we had 90/10 on hand)
1 large onion, diced (I had a large sweet onion)
1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dry ground mustard
1 can of tomatoes with diced chiles, drained (i.e. Rotel)
sliced cheese
12 Hawaiian Rolls 

Glaze
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
  2. Brown ground beef in large skillet on high heat. Add onion at same time as beef. Season the meat. Add garlic. Stir mixture occasionally. When beef is browned, stir in the diced tomatoes and chiles. 
  3. Half the rolls. Place the bottom of the rolls in a prepared (sprayed) 9x13 pan. Pour meat mixture over buns evenly. Add cheese slices to each roll. Top with the other half of the buns. 
  4. In a sauce pan, combine all glaze ingredients. Melt and stir until well combined. Pour over top the buns.
  5. Bake for 25 minutes. 
Seriously, that's all there is. I told you they were easy. No one wants to waste time on a long warm weekend with involved recipes. Make them. Take them. Let your friends reap the rewards of your kitchen wins.

Now, go forth, and enjoy the extra day! I'll be back with some other great stuff soon.
Until next time!
xoxo
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11/18/2014 4 Comments

Election Reflection + Sloppy Joes

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Well, Dad's Election Day has come and gone. And, it didn't turn out the way we hoped. At all. It left us with a lot.  Shock. Disappointment. Frustration. And, an opportunity for reflection. It also made me exhausted and hungry. 

Politics, such a funny animal. It's you versus another human being. Somehow, this noble goal of serving your fellow citizens and community goes to the wayside. It seems the fact that both candidates are both spouses, parents, friends, etc. is often forgotten; the other side is just a barrier in the way of a mission. The 2014 political season, especially in Kansas, certainly brought out the worst in some. Intentionally, the Pope camp stayed out of the muck.

The summary of our first foray in politics goes like this : We outlined. We planned. We campaigned cleanly with no bashing, misinformation, harvesting of votes, or other games. We voted. We waited. And though the others are difficult, the waiting is the worst. My dad decided to run for County Commissioner in mid-to-late May. Campaign tasks kicked off in the summer and we pushed through to November 4th. It was a busy few months. The Subbie got a lot of miles on her, we walked in a number of parades, tossed a lot of candy, shook a lot of hands, and did our best to get the message of VOTE POPE out. The entire time we waited to see what the people would say at the polls. 

We were told to be confident. So many people wanted change. So many said they would vote, or that they'd vote for him if they lived in the District. We went into Election Day hopeful, but not overconfident. When we got notification that the votes weren't on our side, it was a big let down and frankly, quite surprising. But my Dad, ever the optimist with rich, constant perspective, accepted the results graciously. He said, someone wins and someone has to walk away disappointed. I kid you not. He was naturally bummed, but not bitter or disheartened. He knew what he'd invested and those who supported him. He took comfort in the fact that his integrity was intact. 

I, on the other hand, was deeply bothered and was for a number of days primarily because the loyalties I thought would carry through didn't all pan out. The enthusiasm and respect for the duty to vote was disgustingly low--only about 9,000 people in a county of 23,000+ voted. I also just couldn't believe that the people of our County didn't see how wrong they were. They wouldn't get the chance to experience fairness, genuine concern for others, experience, and sense of humor my Dad had to offer. 

All that said, what I know: this experience has reaffirmed that my dad is still as much of my hero as he ever has been. His integrity is uncompromising. His stamina doesn't wain. He's positive to a fault. His sense of duty is resolute. He is confident in his values, beliefs, opinions, and abilities. He is absolutely who you should want to serve you as he's not motivated by personal intention or personal gain, but by the desire for progress and protection. He is a character with character. 
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Remember I said this experience made me hungry...? Hungry for simple comfort food to be exact. So onward we go! But this recipe isn't one of my normal go-to comfort food dishes. In fact, this recipe makes something that I used to despise: Sloppy Joes. For many years, I had a love hate relationship with ground beef. It's a total texture thing. But, I'm working on it. This is my proof. 

I pulled this recipe from The Picky Palate Cookbook after Nick challenged me to make something I'd never made from one of my recently unpacked cookbooks. If' you've never heard of Jenny Flake from The Picky Palate, you should spend some time getting to know her blog and food.

This recipe is super simple and relatively quick. Skipping the can and creating it from scratch totally makes the difference. The flavors are richer and you know exactly what you're eating (including some vegetables!). 
No Can Sloppy Joes
Original Recipe in The PIcky Palate Cookbook, page 100
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped white or yellow onion
3/4 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (or sweet peppers)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
 1 pound ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup ketchup
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
Hamburger buns or kaiser rolls

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and peppers. Cook about 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. 
2. Add garlic and cook another minute. 
3. Add ground beef, salt, and pepper and cook until browned. Drain the grease from the meat and put back into pan. 
4. Add ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and salt to small bowl and combine. 
5. Mix sauce mixture with meat mixture. Stir until well combined.
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer the meat mixture.
7. Spoon on to buns and top with cheese or other condiments. Serve warm. 
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Now. that my belly is full and my head a little more clear... 

Many have encouraged Dad to run again in 2018. I think he's ruled that possibility out. But, perhaps the apple won't fall far from the tree and we can have another Pope in the ring  in the future, when I'm a little older, hopefully a little wiser, and more connected. Until then, I'll stay in the kitchen where I know the landscape, the priorities, and can call the shots. 
Later!
-xo
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