Bad Day Band-Aid

Have you ever had one of those days when you wish you could just crawl back under your cozy covers and dream it never happened? Yeah, I had one of those days today. Two hours and counting until it’s officially over.

Guess who didn’t care that my day completely sucked from start to finish? My insatiably curious, sweet-natured, laughter-loving masterpiece of a little man. Today, I had to rise to the occasion of being his Mommy. And I am so grateful.

Before I had my son, I would find solace by taking a long walk along the beach, watching a solo matinee, or a ingesting piping hot pizza (or all three, depending on how bad it was).  Since Mommyhood pretty much makes “me” time obsolete, I had to grapple with today’s sh*tstorm with him in tow. Lucky for me, he turned out to be the best bad day band-aid ever created.

I can’t help but smile when he comes at me with his mouth wide open trying to imitate a kiss, or giggles in anticipation of me reading his favorite book, or looks to me for encouragement in his quest to master new skills. Add to that a few unexpected “I love you” text messages from my darling stepdaughter (who had no idea of my bad day), and I am one hopeful Mommy…on any given day.

My eagerness for a new day inspired me to try a new dish. I made this Rachipe (Rachael Ray recipe) tonight, and it was a winner! Here’s hoping tomorrow will be, too.

Sloppy Joes are a perfect match for a Sloppy Day.

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds lean ground sirloin or ground turkey (Mommy Dish note:I made a vegetarian batch of Sloppy Joes as well; just substituted the Morningstar veggie crumbles for beef and it was delish!)

1 packages beef or pork hot dogs, sliced 1/2-inch thick (Mommy Dish note:I was reluctant to incorporate these, so I only used one half of a package; family loved this unorthodox addition to traditional Sloppy Joes.)

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon steak seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)

1 tablespoon chili powder

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 (14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce

9 soft burger rolls – like at the ballpark

Method

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan, in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat and crumble as it browns. Add chopped hot dogs after 3 to 4 minutes then cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Add the onions to the pan and cook to soften, 5 to 6 minutes more. In a bowl mix the spices, sugar, Worcestershire and tomato sauce. Pour sauce over the meat and simmer a few minutes to combine flavors. Slop onto buns and serve.