Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

So I’m addicted to Pintrest.  Absolutely obsessed.  (Follow me!)  I am collecting lots of inspiration for decorating our lovely apartment, but lately I’ve been salivating over lots and lots of yummy recipes.  I  came across this gem, and knew I had to try it.  It seemed to be a hit!  The original recipe was a little fancier than this, but since I’m lazy, this is my adapted version.  And also the first time I’ve played with my new camera in the kitchen!!  Hope you enjoy.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
At one point this was a Rachel Ray recipe, but not really anymore…

1 pound ground beef
1 quarter onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons bbq sauce
1 cup beef stock
Salt and ground black pepper
4 dinner rolls
A few slices of provolone cheese

In a large skillet, start browning your ground beef… until it’s all brown (usually 6-7 minutes, but just eye ball it!)  While it’s browning, start chopping your veggies!

Once the veggies are chopped and your meat has browned up, add the veggies into the pan.  Let them soften up in the pan… it’ll probably take 3-4 minutes.  You’ll be adding liquid to the pan in a minute, so you don’t need them to be too soft!  The liquid will help soften them up.

Add a cup of beef stock and a few tablespoons of barbeque sauce (or steak sauce if you have some on hand!) and let it simmer until it thickens for a little bit.

While your sauce thickens, throw a few rolls in the toaster oven and put some provolone cheese on top so it gets all melty and delicious.  Pile some of the sloppy joe mix on top, and enjoy!  Best served with some fresh, summery corn on the cob (unpictured), or even some yummy steak fries.  (I didn’t make fries this time, but I’m sure Robert will request them after reading this post!)

I was so proud of myself for making a new recipe – I get stuck in cooking ruts sometimes.  Have you made any yummy new recipes lately?!

Two Four Letter Words

1) Yoga; 2) Tofu

And I conquered both this weekend.  I’d mentioned how I bought a ton of yoga classes at Dana Hot Yoga, and I was too chicken to use them.  One of the deals expires on 3/24, so considering I leave everything to the last minute, it only seemed right that I start using them with 11 days left! (Oh sarcasm.)

I suited up and headed to Dana Hot Yoga to kick some ass.  As I was checking in, I ran into a good friend of mine from SJU and Big 4, Brianne!  Blog, meet Bri!

(Clearly this was NOT at yoga!)

Anyway, it was great catching up with Brianne before we started practicing.  Her last day at our old firm is tomorrow and I couldn’t be happier for her. 

The yoga class was great, and so was the studio.  A little cramped, but it was cozy, and it felt like I was in a ski lodge. It was hot, but I was close to the back door so whenever I leaned back I got a lovely little breeze.  Hot yoga cheating?  Maybe.  But it felt awesome, and I walked out of yoga class in a happy little daze.  I can’t wait to use up the rest of my classes… and then maybe go back for more.

Afterwards, I was craving tofu with no where to get it.  I took a leap and decided to make it myself!  I have heard amazing things about Gliding Calm’s tofu, so I gave it a shot.  I think I overcooked it a smidge, but I paired it with brown rice, tomatoes, carrots, and a fried egg and topped it with hot sauce…. a perfect after-yoga dinner. 

Sorry I hardly have any pictures for this post, but believe me when I tell you that I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone!

Growing something inside

No – not me!  There are no little babies growing inside of me.  An alternative title for this post could have been: “what happens when butternut squash sits on the counter for a month.”

So I got a Butternut Squash from the veggie box a few weeks ago, but between traveling to Cleveland, traveling to Boston, and working a bazillion hours in between, I hardly got a chance to think about it.  Tonight, though, I had my sights set on one thing – Leslie’s Butternut Squash Risotto.  Imagine my surprise when I cut open my squash to reveal this:

My squash was sprouting!  Look a little closer:

Look at all the little guys who made my squash home!  I would have been a lot more disappointed if they weren’t so stinkin’ cute!

Robert did some quick research for me, and we decided that the squash wasn’t really edible.  While I certainly wouldn’t have gotten sick or anything, Apartment Therapy told us that it would probably taste really bitter.  Since risotto takes approximately a year and a half to make, I didn’t want to spend so much time on something that would taste bad, so I tossed it.  *sigh* I do love me some butternut, so hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to get another one before the end of my CSA season!

Has anything like this happened to you?

PS in all of my non-blogging down time (yes yes, I’m sorry!  I’m like the bad ex-boyfriend that convinces you that “it won’t be like this anymore…”), I was somehow able to convince Robert to start a blog of his own!  If you’re interested in learning some financial math, head on over and check him out @ Rob’s Left Brain!  Leave him some love