The weather on the Creek has been beautiful – warm, dry, dwindling mosquitos. The traditional Memorial Day also was my birthday (remember holidays before they all became Monday holidays?). In the 1960s, a parade would march down Main Street. Whenever the flag would go by, my father would make me stop leaning and stand up straight. At the time it was annoying but now I understand. Both my father and most of his generation are gone now. However, it is important to remember the day by flying the flag and standing up straight. Afterwards we’d have a backyard BBQ. Of course that meant burgers, corn on the cob, and watermelon. Mr. Mike and I had a creekside cookout:

</

Sweet-and-sour sloppy Joes with sesame slaw (as decreed by Martha S.)
2 Tbsp Canola oil
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 pound ground beef
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup tomato paste
3 Tbsp brown sugar
Kosher salt and black pepper
½ small head cabbage, thinly sliced
2 carrots, grated
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 sesame hamburger buns, split
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and ginger and cook, tossing, until softened, 2-4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned, 3-5 minutes. Add the soy sauce, tomato paste, sugar, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ cup water and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute more.
2. Toss together the cabbage, carrots, cilantro, lime juice, sesame oil, remaining tablespoon of canola oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl.
3. Fill the buns with meat and serve with the slaw and lime wedges.
Now really. This is the kind of recipe that makes fussy assumptions about your cooking. But this is the Scroungelady, and I have 20 minutes to make this stuff because I have a conference call. Plus I hate unnecessary steps. Do this instead:
1. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat, adding no-stick spray if you like. Add the beef, onions, and ginger and cook until browned (a bit of crust is even better), about 5 minutes. If using regular ground beef, drain any excess fat. I recommend using ground chuck or round because the fat will be sufficient to cook the onions without having to drain any excess fat. Why use canola oil when the beef has all the fat needed? And why use scallions? The green parts will turn a nasty olive green if you cook it as the recipe describes. Just use regular onions, chopped (about ½ cup). The onions are supposed to turn brown and that’s fine. And what’s with slipping the water into the directions and not in the ingredient list? Actually, I doubt ½ cup water will be sufficient for the ¼ cup tomato paste. Use about ¾ cup tomato sauce instead. No need for water. If you don’t have fresh ginger, about 1 teaspoon ground ginger will get you by. The meat mixture thickened up in about 1 minute using the tomato sauce.
2. Proceed as directed, although giving specific amounts of vegetables ( i.e. 2 cups) would be helpful to the average person. One person’s 2 carrots could feed an army of rabbits while mine might be sufficient as scrounge cat toys.
3. Suggest toasting the buns.