sandwich – morestomach

years from now,
i hope i can recall
how it felt when the the world descended into madness.
that sounds dramatic,
doesn’t it?
but that is how i currently feel.
i don’t want to forget:
how my feet hurt from standing in a crowd,
arms raised, holding a sign,
flushed against my beloved
as he held me from behind.
or, how helpless i felt when
i heard about the ban,
sitting under warm blankets on our couch,
watching the news on low volume
as to not disturb my beloved in his slumber.
or, how infuriating and humiliating it felt
to witness 7 men sign documents
dictating a woman’s choices about her body.
never in this lifetime will there
ever come a time when the situation would be reversed.
and as angry as i am,
i would never want to be in that kind of situation.

years ago,
when i still lived with my grandparents,
after we immigrated to this country,
(actually, we were refugees. there is a difference),
and they scrounged pennies to pay for my school lunches,
hot lunches that fueled me for the day at just 65¢.
sloppy joes were always a favorite,
that salty-sweet kick,
served with tator tots.
this combination always takes me back,
back to a time when the debate on immigration
was more civilized.

Gochujang Sloppy Joes
dw made this up, i don’t know where, it just showed up on the table for dinner.
i also told dw i was going to edit his recipe but it seemed like a lot of work, so this is in his words.
also, he’s dreamy.

In a bowl, combine the following and stir to a thick paste:
1 T honey
½ T brown sugar
2 T Apple cider vinegar
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 heaping T Gochujang
1 T Dry Ground Mustard
1 t garlic powder
1 t smoked paprika
½ t kosher salt
½ t freshly ground black pepper

Caramelize a half or whole onion, sliced in bite-sized pieces, in a T of olive oil – Set aside
Brown 1 pound ground dark meat turkey
Add 1 diced red bell pepper and simmer until bell pepper is cooked to your liking
Add 16 ounces canned diced tomato with juices
Drain juices from turkey, tomato, and bell pepper to another saucepan and reduce until thick

Add caramelized onion, reduced juices, and seasoning paste to the simmering turkey mixture and simmer until hot, aromatic and delicious

Serve over toast, or on buns.