hold on to your hats, and a recipe

 Okay, folks. Hold on to your hats.

 Okay, not that...

 Or those - but aren't they gorgeous?

Look at this:

Oh, yes. Found at Frenchy's after all of the other great things I posted last week. The lid is also a small skillet. It's a sweet little Le Creuset pot that we've already used a few times, after a day's worth of scrubbing and soaking to bring it back to its beautiful self. A Le Creuset piece is something that I have always dreamed of finding at a thrift store, and now it's happened! (I know that you're secretly a little bit jealous, and I don't blame you at all. I would be too. Come over, and I'll make something for you in it.)

Tonight's leftover meal (being reheated in it in the picture) is one of our favourite meals. I posted the recipe back in 2009 - it's Lentil Sloppy Joes. The boys inhale them, we love them, and they only get better the next day. They're vegan, filling, delicious, and even healthy. The original recipes is from a book of vegetarian slow cooker meals, and I've lost the name of it. If you know, please tell me! Here's the recipe again:

Lentil Sloppy Joes

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 cups water, or more as needed - it tends to burn with too little water
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 cups cooked brown or green lentils, drained and rinsed
hot pepper sauce (optional)
toasted hamburger buns

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and cook, stirring for one minute. Stir in ketchup, water, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and mustard. Transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Add lentils and stir well.

2. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until hot and bubbling. Add hot pepper sauce to taste, if using. Ladle over hot toasted buns and serve immediately.


You can also bake this in the oven at 375 for an hour and a half or so, and if you're not set on it being vegan, you can top it with shredded cheese.

Enjoy!


After a full weekend, it's back to work tomorrow. We had an open house yesterday, and we're having another next weekend, so who knows? Maybe something will come of that. Have a good week!