Mmmmm... Sloppy Joes

My husband loves sloppy joes but the only kind I've ever had are the ones where you brown ground beef and add a can of sauce and it heats and you put it on a bun and dinner is served. I am not a fan of this meal. The only nights we had it were the nights that I had dinner plans so I wouldn't have to eat it. Until I decided to go on a hunt for a delicious sloppy joe recipe.

I love the internet. You can type in something as basic as Homemade Sloppy Joes and you get hundreds of websites. Thank you to AllRecipes because I now love sloppy  joes.

I made my own hamburger buns (recipe to follow) and they were delish.  Quick and easy. Plus they were so nice to take as leftovers. It is also a great freezer meal just reheat over med-low heat so it doesn't burn.


Sloppy Joes
adapted from AllRecipes

*The recipe calls for  smoky BBQ sauce but all I had was Sweet Baby Rays so I added a teaspoon of liquid smoke and it was amazing.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
2 ½ pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2/3 cup smoky BBQ sauce
½ cup ketchup
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
8 to 12 potato rolls

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until it is finely crumbled, the liquid boils off and the meat begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Drain the grease off the meat and onions. Stir in the tomato paste, and keep stirring until the meat is coated. Add the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. You can make the sloppy joe meat up to 2 days in advance and reheat it over low heat or in the microwave.

Wrap the rolls in aluminum foil and warm in the oven for about 10 minutes. Serve the sloppy joes hot with the warmed rolls.

My Mama's Meatloaf

Meatloaf. I can't believe how many different kinds of meatloaf there are. Some with ketchup. Others with barbecue sauce. Also with gravy. I hate to admit it but I am kind of a meatloaf snob. I don't even try any that has ketchup or barbecue sauce. It's just not right. This is the only meatloaf I make and I refuse to try any other recipe. So maybe you should try it.

Meatloaf
from My Mom

1/2 lb. ground turkey
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion (chopped)
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1 egg
1 Tbs. worchestire sauce
3 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients and mix either with hand or a spoon but I think you can mix it up better with your hand. Put meat mixture into a pan and bake for 40 minutes covered. Uncover meatloaf and bake for 10 minutes more. Take it out of the oven and let the meat rest for 5 minutes. Cut and serve.

*I use a corningware pan but I have also used a pyrex dish but I have never used a metal dish.

*Leftovers are amazing. Cold on a sandwich. Yum!

Yummy Delicious Hamburger Soup

Every Sunday we head out to Sam's Parents' house for dinner. It is something I think we all look forward to. The kids get to play with Grandpa and Grandma. I don't have to cook dinner. Sam can watch tv in peace (most of the time).

I also love going over there for dinner because of all the different recipes. One of my favorites and easiest meal is hamburger soup. It is warm, hearty, and so good.

Hamburger Soup
Lennay Crockett

1 jar of spaghetti sauce
2 cans beef broth
1 can tomatoes
1 med. onion
3-4 stalks of celery
1 can corn
1 lb. ground beef
2 bay leaves
Noodles (Egg noodles or pasta works)

Put spaghetti sauce and broth in to a large pot. Fill sauce jar 1/2 full with water and add to pot. Chop onion and celery and add to pot with the bay leaves and tomatoes. Heat until it begins to boil and reduce it to a simmer. Brown the ground beef and add to the pot. Add corn and let simmer for one hour. In a different pot cook your noodles. and add 5 minutes before serving or if you are wanting some for leftovers leave the pasta and soup separate so the noodles don't get too mushy over night.