Author: Allie Zottola

Sloppy Joes

I love a good sloppy joe. My favorite kind is the type that is tangy and saucy, and well, sloppy! A few years ago, I learned how to make my own sloppy joe sauce and haven’t looked back since.

Sloppy Joe with corn on the cob and quinoa

Being able to make homemade sloppy joe sauce saves me a trip to the grocery store when I have a pound of ground beef and no idea what to make for dinner. I’ve tweaked my recipe over the years, and now I’m ready to share it!

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef or turkey
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
4 hamburger buns

Directions
1. Combine the ketchup, apple cider vinegar worcestershire sauce, honey, and mustard in a bowl and whisk until a smooth sauce forms. Set aside.
2. Brown the meat in a nonstick skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, or until cooked through.
3. Drain the meat in a strainer and add back to skillet.
4. Stir in sauce and simmer for about five minutes, or until thickened.
5. Place a large spoonful of the sloppy joe mixture on a bun and enjoy.

Five Things Making Me Smile Lately

1. Garage nights with Jimmy. We’ve both been working on some projects a few nights a week in our garage and I so cherish that time we spend together painting, sanding, sawing, and creating. I’ll share what we’ve been working on soon! Completing projects together reminds me of the time right before we got married, when Jimmy helped me make a shoe shine box for my dad. Good memories 🙂

Working in garage

2. Indy. My sister’s puppy, Indy is so sweet. Hannah, Indy, and I spent the day together this past week and it was such a sweet day of laughter, pet sitting, and catching up. Hannah and I filmed a vlog that day, too, if anyone wants to see Indy in action! He got along so well with Lola and the dogs I pet sat. He’s a good boy 🙂

Golden Retriever Puppy

3. Baking Projects. I’m on to my next baking project! I’m making Princess Leia cupcakes for Leia’s first birthday party! I can’t believe she’s going to be a year old already. Time flies when you’re having fun 🙂

Princess Leia Cupcake

4. Gardening. Jimmy and I both agreed that our zucchini is the biggest it has ever been before. I think it’s from all the rain we’ve been getting here in Pittsburgh this summer. It’s kind of hard to tell in the picture, but the zucchini plant is up to my waist! Crazy, but we are loving it. Something else we’re loving? The landscaping fabric we put down in the garden this year. We have done zero hours of weeding and it is glorious!

Garden with zucchini

5. Pet sitting. I think I’ve mentioned pet sitting in every one of my posts for the past couple of years, ha. Business is busy and fun and challenging. When I was a child, it was my biggest and wildest dream to be able to work with animals one day. Now, I’m with animals all day, every day. I know a lot of people probably think it’s silly that I’m pretty much living out my career dream by pet sitting, but that’s just who God made me to be 🙂

Dog walking

What has been making you smile lately?