Tonight, as a special treat, I made Sloppy Joes for dinner.. (pan seared buns with half a slice of extra sharp cheddar on top and bottom..) It was a BIG hit.. (Even one of the neighbors came over and refused to leave until she ate TWO sammiches..)
I DO confess it was NOWHERE near as messy as Taco Thursday where the same neighbor was SWIMMING in the grease I had not strained properly.. But STILL.. It hit the spot and was raved over by E/everyone..
Sloppy Joes from scratch (for those calling for recipes in blogs)
1 pound of ground beef, browned.. Season with several shakes of worcestershire sause, add garlic powder and onion powder then flip the ground beef and season it again before breaking it up.. Drain the fat as best Y/you can (Tilt the pan to the side and scrape the meat to the top, then use a spatula to soak the grease up works far better than it sounds..)
1/3 green bell pepper
1/3 onion (BOTH diced)
squirt or two of mustard (YELLOW, not dijon, or it throws the flavor profiles off)
2/3 cup of ketchup for a base
3 or 4 pinches of brown sugar
2 tsp minced garlic (I disregard, this since I add garlic powder to the meat as it cooks)
(Tonight I added a small circle around the outside of the drained meat after it was drained of A-1 Steak Sauce, but this is optional)
After draining the grease, add beef back to the pan, add the onions and green peppers for a few minutes.. Let them absorb excess grease not drained or still present in the meat.. add ketchup mustard and brown sugar to taste.. stir to mix, over medium heat then serve. As I stated.. I browned the buns (mini hoagie rolls) and as they came off the stove, put half a slice of extra sharp cheddar on top and bottom to melt into the bread.. add sloppy joe and eat.. (BEST with a dill pickle spear.. the contrast is amazing and makes the entire flavor profile POP..)
