RR's Sloppy Maple-BBQ Turkey Joes

Last night I made this Rachael Ray recipe that I've been eying for awhile. It looked and sounded so yummy. And it was good, just not as good as I'd hoped it would be. I'd probably make it again, but I think I'd change a couple things. I found the sauce a bit too sharp - I think I'd use a bit less cider vinegar. I was also hoping it would taste more maple-y, but I only had a light maple syrup, so that might be why the maple flavour didn't really come through. As you can see in the picture, the mixture was a bit runny but it turned out okay because the bread sopped up the added moisture.

I didn't have any buns in the house, so I made my own by adapting this recipe from my sister. As I didn't need a lot of buns, I halved the recipe and made four large buns rather than one large round loaf. I also substituted fresh thyme for the rosemary, since I had it in the fridge and it's an herb that goes very well with poultry. I added a touch of cumin (about 1/4 tsp) in the dough as well and I liked how it tasted in the finished product. The buns turned out great and were a nice flavour complement to the sloppy joes.

The best part about this meal was how quick and easy it was (minus the time I had to wait for the dough to rise - but you can definitely just use store-bought buns) and for that reason alone I recommend it. As I said before, it has a good flavour and it's also quite nutritious, so you really can't go wrong making this for dinner one night.