Sam always helps me when I make these Sloppy Joes.  I think he enjoys the fact that you don't really need to measure the ingredients.  I just let him add a little of this and a little of that until it tastes good to him.

 

1 1/2 pound ground beef
Ketchup
Mustard
Brown Sugar
Worchestershire Sauce
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Allspice

Brown the ground beef, breaking up into a fine crumble.  Add a healthy squirt of ketchup (about 1/2 to 1 cup) and a large squirt of mustard (about 1/3 cup).  Season with remaining ingredients until it tastes right.  This is the most fun part for a young cook! 

So I've been in my new-old house for three days now, and I've cooked four meals on the AGA.  I am loving it!  I was afraid I'd need special lessons or, at a minimum, that I would ruin the first few things I tried.  Everything has turned out looking and tasting great.  First of all, the thing is hot, really hot.  The burners are not some dinky hot plates, they put out some serious heat, even the simmer plate.  I cooked French toast directly upon the simmer plate Saturday morning, no muss, no fuss.

I have only used the roasting oven, but I have cooked pork chops, macaroni and cheese, bacon, baked potatoes, biscuits and asparagus in it.  I especially like the AGA roasting tins.  They are shallow baking pans that fit so perfectly in the oven that you don't need to use a rack.  The pans slide right on the ridges that would hold a rack, so you can position them anywhere.  Sadly, the movers who packed up the previous owner's belongings packed up nearly all of her AGA pans before she was aware what was going on, so we only have a few of the accessories.  She promises to send them to us once she gets unpacked.  I can't wait!

I know a little bit about kids, and I think it's kind of funny that my little guy does this arranging of his letters on the fridge.  Notice how he separates the upper and lowercase letters into arrays?  My little cutie pie Rainman!  God love him.

Here we go.  Almost all packed up.  We've been living this way for the past few weeks and I'm ready to go!