CONFESSION: I just can’t keep anything simple. Even something as basic as sloppy joes I have to play around with, find a way to make it more interesting, usually by adding more vegetables and some herbs to a prepared sauce.

That said, I also make the best sloppy joes on the planet. My secrets?

• Sauté an onion, a red pepper and a green pepper in some olive oil and set aside. Add it in when everything else is done cooking for the strongest vegetable flavor
• Penzey’s Northwoods Fire seasoning blend adds a great smokiness
• Gouda cheese. I buy mine at Aldi and keep it handy for shredding on random things, but for some reason Gouda+Sloppy Joe is like magic!
• I always serve it up with Milwaukee Midget Dill Pickles, hands down the best pickles in the galaxy. Seriously, there’s nothing better, and I’ve tried many to compare. Buy them online from the Willy Street Co-Op in Madison. and try them yourself!

CONFESSION: We’ve eaten out every day for nearly a week. Crunch time at work means not a lot of cooking gets done in this house lest my husband cooks for himself. So when my craving for great buffalo chicken got the best of me today, a bottle of Buffalo Wild Wings Spicy Garlic sauce kept us eating at home.

Even better than the Naked Tenders (grilled strips of chicken) are the chicken breasts that I grill up on my Mario Batali Cast Iron Grill Pan. I add a bit of Penzey’s Southwest Seasoning, grill it up and slice it into strips. I serve this alongside the Spicy Garlic sauce for dipping, and some bleu cheese on the side.

I also sautéed some fresh spinach with onions and mushrooms and made some Whole Grain Garlic Texas Toast (in the oven for 5 minutes and it’s done!). Not the healthiest meal of all, but definitely a step up from fried chicken fingers and french fries. When the sauce is what I’m truly craving, it’s great to be able to buy my absolute favorite buffalo sauce in a bottle from the restaurant.