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?!

Christmas in July

Oh, the weather outside is frightful!  But instead of harping on how hot it’s been outside, I wanted to take you on a trip down memory lane.  I’ve been wanting to share these pictures with you for a while, and I thought Christmas in July would be the best time to do it! 

Have you ever seen snow on the beach?  That had always been on my bucket list, and this past Christmas, I finally got to see it.  It came at a price… we got snowed in for a few days after Christmas, but when we finally dug out, we were rewarded with some sparkling snow! 

Grab your favorite mug of Christmas Tea (I prefer Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Green Tea), and transport yourself into a land of snow and sand!

This is what we saw when we walked out the front door…

People couldn’t make it back to their houses, so they just ditched their cars on the median!

We finally made it to the beach, and it was so worth it.  Isn’t this breathtaking?!

The snow froze the sand, and where you thought you could stand… you just sank! 

So beautiful…

This guy decided to brave the snow too

One of my favorite shots. 

I super heart Rockaway!

And this is what we would have had to drive home in!  So… we waited an extra day.  There was no way this was happening.

Upon returning home, we were greeting by the best fur-niece on the planet.  What better way to warm back up from visiting the frozen tundra than cuddling with the sweetest bulldog ever?!  And what better way to reward ourselves for shoveling out our cars the next day than the best  New York pizza ever?! 

We might have been snowed in, but it was a fantastic trip.  We played lots of board games and card games, and generally had some sibling bonding time.  I love my newly extended family, and it was nice to spend some time snowed in with them… but I have to say the beach walk was the highlight of that visit.  The beach was so peaceful and serene, and it was a wonderful way to cure the cabin fever!

Did you get snowed in this year?  Do you wish you were still snowed in instead of sweating buckets in July?  Personally, I prefer the warmth, so I’m trying not to complain too much!  Snow is pretty in pictures… but I can wait a while longer to see it again in person!!

Bow-hat Maker, Extraordinaire

 Ok guys, so in the spirit of powering through – here come some long over-due posts!   For the sake of fewer posts, and because SERIOUSLY how interesting can a bridal shower really be – I’m combining two of my friends’ showers into one post. 

My MOH K got married in September, so her shower was last July (yes almost a year ago, hush.)  The shower was held at her now mother-in-law’s house, and it was gorgeous!  The spread of food was amazing…

The decor was creative:

(We each wrote down advice to make K a bouquet!)

The gifts were plentiful:

And I got to put my bow-hat making skills to good use:

My friend (and bridesmaid) M’s shower was held this March.  I had never been on the planning end of a shower before, and Jesus was it stressful… and expensive.  But at the end it was so worth it!  This was also the first shower I’d been a part of where it was completely a surprise – and she sure was surprised.  It was great!

The favors were these intricately designed cookies in the shape of wedding cakes.  Each cake was different!  We also played bridal shower bingo as M opened up pressies… and if anyone wants the template, I should be able to find it somewhere to send you!  Just email me

And just as with K’s shower, I got to make the bow hat again!  I love how it turned out.  A lot of people think that showers get boring – but if you’re the one creating a bow masterpiece, it flies by! 

The bridesmaids all came together to put on a great shower for M.  She got tons of gifts, and I think she had a great time.  

Have you ever planned a bridal shower?  Tell me it was stressful for you, too?!