Visto's Zesty Sloppy Joe's

Summer is long gone, and with winter coming it is time to start making our favorite comfort foods. One of my favorites comfort foods, is sloppy joe's. I have always made them a little different than everyone, but they are always definitely a hit. So, I thought I would give everyone a chance use my own famous "Zesty Sloppy Joe's" recipe. If you try them out, let me know what you think and I will share more recipes from my days as a professional cook. Feel free to share and comment. Enjoy!

• 1 lb. ground beef or turkey
• 4 oz. finely chopped mushrooms
• 2 tbsp. EVOO or butter
• 1 tbsp. Montreal Steak seasoning
• 1 tbsp. original Mrs. Dash seasoning
• 1 tsp. Lawry's seasoned salt
• 1/2 cup original Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup honey or dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Bring EVOO, or butter, to medium heat. Add finely-chopped mushrooms, Montreal Steak seasoning, Mrs. Dash seasoning, and Lawry's seasoned salt. Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are fully cooked. Add ground beef or turkey and cook thoroughly. Drain grease from meat. Returned drained meat to low heat and add in the Sweet Baby Ray's, ketchup, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and lemon juice. If the mixture is not wet enough, add 1 or 2 more tbsp. of Worcestershire sauce or lemon juice. Simmer on low heat for at least one hour. Serve on a bun with or without cheese.

Prologue - Cooked

Excerpt from the manuscript "Cooked"

Cooking wasn’t just a job for Jason Miller; it’s a lifestyle. Jason loved everything about it. He loved the pub he cooked at. He loved the free drinks after a long shift. The girls were all a ton of fun. Jason’s coworkers were close friends, and they partied almost every weekend. Sure, he may not make much money, but all he really cared about was that he had enough to get by. Jason loved his life in every aspect of it. Being a cook was the shit.

            Every day Jason had the same routine. He would wake up, and before he was even out of bed he would spark up a cigarette. There was no better way to start the day off for him. While Jason smoked his first cigarette, he made a pot of coffee. Then he took his medication; which included medical marijuana. Jason loved wake and bake. It was Jason’s favorite time of day. After his morning ritual, Jason showered and got ready. He loved his routine. Jason loved the way his life was going for him. It was always fun. Jason pretty much did what he wanted.

            Jupiter Hills was a small town. Everyone knew everyone. The schools sucked. The people sucked, too. It wasn’t really the kind of place Jason wanted to be, but what could he do? It sure wasn’t his fault his parents decided to settle down in bum fucking Egypt. Jupiter Hills was like a black hole to Jason. No matter where he went, and what he tried to do with his life, he just came back home. Jupiter Hills just kept sucking Jason back in.

Jason’s dad was a prison guard at Jupiter Hills Penitentiary. Perhaps that had something to do with why he was always such a prick to Jason. His dad was always saying, “My job is the most stressful job in the country.” Bullshit. Jason’s dad never changed diapers for a living, did dishes, or waited tables for terrible tips. Jason could think of about a thousand different shitty jobs that were just as stressful as being a corrections officer, or more. Jason and his father didn’t get along much.

Jason’s mom was a professional medical marijuana caregiver; and a sweet one, at that. She was Jason’s caregiver. More so, she was Jason’s best friend. He was always close to his mother; partly because his father was always such an asshole, and partly because she treated Jason like her friend. It was never awkward between Jason and his mother. She was always there when Jason needed her. That was why it was hard for Jason to leave Jupiter Hills. Jason was a mommy’s boy.

            Jason was a cook at the Shamrock Pub. They had the best food, the best booze, and the best atmosphere in town. His boss was a bad-ass, too. Jason couldn’t even imagine working for someone else. Steve Phillips wasn’t the ordinary restaurant owner. He lived, ate, and breathed the pub. Jason had a lot of shitty cooking jobs in his day, and no one treated his employees as good as Steve did. Jason was making well over minimum wage. He got a vacation. The best part of all was that he always had a job. There were several times where Jason should have been fired, but Steve kept bringing him back. Jason loved his boss, and his job. He pretty much had it made.

            Nothing compared to life in the fast lane. That’s exactly what being a cook meant to Jason. There were the killer rushes, all the asshole customers, and shitty pay to put up with. All of it was worth being a cook to Jason. None of the bullshit that he had to put up with mattered. Those were the best days of Jason’s life, and he didn’t ever want them to end.