Sloppy Joe

I just want to tell you how easy it is to make a red-haired boy smile. So easy. You need these few things.
-ground beef (I even used 92% fat free ground beef and he was still a fan)
-katsup
-yellow mustard
-brown sugar
-garlic powder

Cook the meat and mix those things together to your liking and you have one happy boy. As a matter of fact, he will lick the "sloppy" off his fingers the rest of the night just to keep savoring the joy. For real.
Brad and I have had two experiences with the Joes they call Sloppy. Many of you have heard the first instance and I can talk all about it and exaggerate as much as I want because we were engaged. What did we know?
The setting was a sunny fall day before the time had changed and before we said I do. The wife-to-be and unemployed soon to be mistress of the house liked at the time to experiment with dinners that her soon to be hubby might like. When I was growing up mama used to make Sloppy Joes when dad was out of town on a rare occassion. It was either eat out at the Publix deli - one of our favorite options or breakfsat for dinner because dad would never want that or the rare treat of Sloppy Joes. So, one afternoon around 4pm I thought it would be fun to play with kitchen things and make something for Brad and I for dinner. I made them good adn sloppy and even threw some cheese on top because cheese seems to be the lone-ingredient to top of a gourmet meal and turn it right back into something from the school cafeteria. And I figured Brad was more willing to eat familiar -school looking foods than anything that included goat cheese or capers! After the 3 sloppy joes - 2 for Brad and 1 for me - were done I placed them in the microwave and covered them with syran wrap. I went out around 4:30 to enjoy the afternoon for a long workout at the gym. THe whole time I was salivating at the mere thought of my beautiful buger-type concoction I had constructed. I was imagining the joy on my fiance's face as he dove into his two perfectly created sandwiches. I worked out faster and raced home. I wanted to get home in time to reheat and you know...act like it had taken no work or no thought. You know, I'm a natural domestic goddess, right Brad? Anyway, the sun is starting to peel behind the west side of the city and I think surely Brad is just pulling in to the condo but as I round the corner nearest our building I see Brad standing out front. This is not common but very cute. He seems giddy just to see me home and I think to myself that he should just hold all that excitement in because I have the treat of all treats on the 3rd floor - waiting to greet us. But as I get close enough to really decipher anything I see this yellowey mustard stain on his vlue t-shirt. Oh, how I remember the details so vividly. Then as I roll down the window I see that there is an orange colored mustache around his lips. Not the orange of Tang or anything but the orange of mustard mixed with katsup. Interesting. Brad leans in to greet me with a kiss and the whole story unfolds with one whiff of his breath. SLOPPY JOE! You smell like Sloppy Joes! Brad, why do you smell like sloppy joes? Suddenly a look of shame that I have yet to see again crossed Brad's face. "Because I ate the sloppy joes you made for me. They were for me, right?" I wasnt sure what to feel. The gut feeling was sheer dissappointment that it didnt cross his mind to wait for me or even save me one. There was also hidden joy and a sense of accomplishment that he had literally devoured my concotion with no thought as to the repurcussion. They were that good! Needless to say, this was one of those "this is how boys are different and marriage is a learning opportunity" type stories that I often like to tell other young women that are hopeful that they, too, can please their man with a little cooking in the kitchen.

So yesterday when I chose to re-do the one-hit-wonder from our engagement days I did it selfishly sort of. I wanted to feel like a good, cooking, domestic, thoughtful wife. And I did! Brad ate himself sick but still rubbed my bck and scratched my head as we enjoyed a night together. I tell you, ladies.....messy food with cheese on top is the secret to a man's heart. Anything to make a man feel younger or remind him of his more youthful days - that's the trick! We even drank Koolaid and ate Mac and cheese as a side. And we wonder why marriage has added some pounds on us????