Sloppy Turkey Joes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 1 package, 1 1/3 pounds, ground turkey breast or lean ground turkey
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: McCormick Montreal Grill Seasoning or Mrs. Dash seasoning for poultry)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup tomato sauce,( 8- ounce) can
• 4 crusty sandwich rolls, split
• 12 celery sticks, available in produce department or Grown Helper can chop
• 12 carrot sticks, also available in produce department or grown helper can chop
• Cheese Fries, recipe follows

Directions

Have a GH (grown helper) place a big skillet over medium high heat for you. Use some kitchen scissors to cut the turkey package open. Add some extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a nice, slow stream. Have the GH add the ground turkey to the pan, in case it spatters. Break the turkey up with a big wooden spoon as it starts to cook. If anyone touches the raw turkey, they should go wash their hands.

If you are a really good chopper, using a small, sharp knife chop up some red onion. Remember when you are chopping to keep the fingers that are not holding the knife all tucked in and curled under. Have a GH help you. You need half a red onion chopped up small. Pull the seeds and white membrane and the top out of a half red bell pepper and chop that up small too. Add the veggies to the cooking meat and stir it all together.

Next, mix in a small bowl: grill seasoning blend, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and the tomato sauce. This will make your special sauce. When all the ingredients are combined, pour the sauce evenly over the meat and stir everything together really well. Turn the heat down to simmer and cook the sloppy mixture for 10 minutes. Blow on a spoonful until cool and taste it to see if you need to adjust the seasoning.

Have the GH help you serve. Place a bun bottom on a plate. Use a big ice cream scoop to get a pile of sloppy meat onto the bun. Put bun top in place and serve with vegetable sticks on the side and Cheese Fries.

Cheese Fries:

1 sack frozen French fries, any brand or shape - crinkle cut, thin cut, steak cut, waffle fries - prepared to package directions

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

2 1/2 cups, (10-ounce) sack shredded yellow Cheddar

3 squirts ketchup, about 1/4 cup

Have your GH (Grown Helper) put fries in oven on a cookie sheet. While fries are baking in the oven, have a GH place a sauce pot on the stove and heat it over medium heat. Add butter and melt it. Add the flour and stir. Cook butter and flour together for 1 minute or so. This is called "roux" (like Tiger and Roo with Pooh Bear) and it helps to thicken up sauces. Use a whisk to stir as the milk goes into the pot. Keep stirring until the milk gets thicker. Use a wooden spoon or heat-safe spatula to stir in the cheese. When all of the cheese melts, take the sauce off the heat and stir in 3 squirts of ketchup. This is your SECRET ingredient. When everyone asks what you put in your cheese sauce that makes it taste so good, just say milk and cheese, you can NEVER tell what secret ingredients you add! Tell your GH to keep the secret, too or they can never help you again!

Pour the sauce over the fries or serve the sauce on the side if you like to dipping better.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Ease of preparation: easy