Road trip

This past Friday afternoon at about 12:30, The Gidge and I embarked on a nearly 4 hour journey to visit the place of my birth.

Boy, that sounds pretentious.

Let me rephrase that. We went to visit my family.

I haven't been home since Dad had his bypass surgery nearly 2 years ago. I am a very very bad daughter. It was a last minute decision to go because The Man was on call and couldn't leave.

To prepare, I baked a loaf of bread on Thursday night so I could take some along. I also brought some GF pretzels and apple chips. I relied on the local stores for everything else.

All in all, it was a good trip. I didn't get sick, I got to see my parents, some relatives on Mom's side, my sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, and the dogs. And The Gidge got to meet her canine cousins, Oliver and Sampson. I was proud of her; she behaved very well all weekend and didn't piddle in the house once. Or chew shoes. Although I must admit that she got into a garbage can to shred paper on Sunday morning. The turd.

I am on vacation this week. The Haunted Barn opens this coming Saturday at noon, so I need to complete the final details inside the barn, as well as clean the house - my last opportunity until November. So after this coming Friday, posts may be slim until after the last weekend of October.

Since I was visiting, I thought about another family recipe I haven't had in a while. Mom used to make this all the time and it's popular at family gatherings. Most people know this as sloppy joes, but in my family, it's...

Hamburger Goo

1 pound ground chuck (I used turkey tonight because it's what I had in the freezer)

1-6 oz can tomato paste

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 to 1 tsp ground mustard (to taste)

1 cup ketchup

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp distilled vinegar

2 tbsp cornstarch

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground chuck, onion, and celery. Cook until the meat is cooked through (10 to 15 minutes). Add the tomato paste, ground mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and cornstarch. Stir well, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Stir occasionally; simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with hamburger buns.

This is one of those foods that my family would eat "weird."

Try a few potato chips inside the sandwich. Really.