A sloppy joe kind of day

[eleny]

I was going to make a spaghetti sauce with ground beef in it. But I didn't have enough sauce ingredients around here. So I put what I had in the crockpot with browned ground beef and will be able to use up my hamburger buns. Those have been in the fridge and they never have the right texture for burgers after they've been in there. But smother them and I'll never be the wiser.

It's snowing here, today. We've had some dreary weather this winter and then recently a whole bunch of beautiful days. They spoiled me. Sloppy joes should warm up my attitude.

Do you put anything special in your sloppy joes?

[WritersBlock]

1. A tablespoon of brown sugar. Don't laugh - it gives it a nice, rich carmel flavor.

Or maybe I'm just weird. I put it in chili, too.

Maybe a can of Campbell's tomato soup, but not always.

Cumin & ground coriander - just a smidge. Pinch of dried oregano.

Finely chopped bell pepper, but add only about 5 minutes before it's ready to serve; overcooked pepper turns bitter.

And take those hamburger buns, smear 'em with a little soft butter, & grill 'em, face down. When they're nice & brown, spread a dollop of mayo on and ladle on the sloppy joe stuff.

Nice cold glass of milk & you're good to go.

[NMDemDist2]

3. and vinegar (red wine if possible) and Liquid smoke. n/t

[eleny]

5. Liquid smoke sounds really good

[eleny]

4. Wow, that's a bun with a PhD!

[grasswire]

2. I'm trying to remember.

Hamburger, browned
Diced yellow onion
Can of diced tomatoes or stewed tomatoes
A little brown sugar
Chili powder
Bit of BBQ sauce just for a slightly smoky taste
Bit of frozen corn
Sliced black olives

But goodness, just about anything could go in. I recall that in college days, our sloppy joes were made with canned Campbells gumbo soup and catsup!

I'd like to see what a "kicked up" sloppy joe would look like.

[eleny]

6. I've got some black olives in the cupboard

That sounds good for adding chopped on top. I like diced onion on top and adding the olives sounds like a nice twist. Thanks!

[hippywife]

7. Mine are really simple

and they date back to when I was a kid experimenting in the kitchen with what little was on hand, wehn there were no real spices in the cabinet. I still love the taste of them that way, so even tho I have a cabinet full of spices, I still make 'em that way for the most part. I just brown the ground beef with salt, pepper, and garlic. For the sauce I use ketchup, a little yellow mustard, and brown sugar. Now I do add a splash of Franks Red Hot.

Hope you warm up soon, eleny!

[eleny]

8. Thanks, h!

[eyesroll]

9. I use apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and yellow mustard for the sauce.

For the meat, I use onion and ground beef, and I'll shred in a zucchini or some carrot to sneak past Ms. "Eeeew, there are THINGS in my food."

[TygrBright]

10. Heh. And I thought I knew where my esposo's sister was...

Clearly, he has another, separated at birth from the "Eeeew, there's VEGETABLE MATTER in there" clan. (Also known as the "The color green is a sign it wasn't meant to be eaten" family.)

Anyway, I use my gran's sloppy joe recipe, which is

ground beef seasoned with Lawry's seasoned salt
chopped onion
chopped bell pepper (red AND green is best)
ketchup
dash of cider vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
brown sugar
fresh ground black pepper

When she was feeling fancy she'd add ground veal or (when we stopped eating veal) turkey.

hungrily,
Bright