Sloppy Joe Night...

Tonight we were able to have dinner as a family (see 7/22 post). One of our family favorites is Sloppy Joes. Now, I'm not talking about the Manwich brand of Sloppy Joes. These are homemade, which is probably why I think they taste so good. In my opinion, there is just something about making a dish from scratch. Some things I just can't compromise on. Sloppy Joes being one of them. I do know that this is probably one of the sandwiches which you either love or hate. My mom made Sloppy Joes (Manwich) a lot when we were growing up. There were two reasons. 1.) They go great with tater tots ( one of her favorites) and 2.) The sandwich was one of my dad's favorites. So, sloppy joes is one of those comfort foods for me. How many people would call Sloppy Joes comfort food?

I thought I would share my recipe with you. If you have never branched out and tried a homemade Sloppy Joe, this is the recipe to try. I will warn you that it does taste different than Manwich. This recipe isn't so tomatoey (I know that's not a word) tasting, it has some sweetness to it. Okay, I may have just turned you off from wanting to try it. It is very, very good though. I get compliments whenever I make it and people who haven't had Sloppy Joes (imagine that!) find out they love them.

I hope you give this recipe a try and love it as much as we do! It goes great with homemade french fries or potato chips.

Sloppy Joes (serves 4)

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/4 lbs. ground chuck

1/4 c. brown sugar

1 T. Montreal steak seasoning blend (McCormick)

1 med. onion, chopped

1 small red pepper, chopped

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 c. tomato sauce

2 T. tomato paste

4 crusty rolls, toasted

Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and meat to pan. Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up. Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning. Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine. When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, red peppers, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with meat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook mixture until completely heated.

By the way...

Ben spilled his drink tonight.