Sloppy Joe's...

I have friends and family that just won't eat sloppy Joe's. I don't understand how there is anything about sloppy Joe's that is possibly offensive. I personally love them and think that if you are having a group of friends over for an impromptu dinner, they are the easiest thing (next to Papa Murphy's Pizza) to do. Grab some chips and a veggie tray to add to the sloppy Joe's and you are set.

I start out by sauteing a large onion chopped up into 1/4 inch pieces. I'll also add about a clove of garlic.

Then, I add the ground beef. I think the leaner you go on the ground beef, the better. If you get the really lean, you don't have to drain it. But anything with more than 7% fat will require draining.

After the meat is brown I add a half can of tomato sauce for every pound of ground beef. Then I add barbecue sauce. I typically get the small bottle and I like the brown sugar flavor or the spicy honey. I'll add enough sauce that it is a little too runny for sloppy Joe's. It will thicken while I simmer it. I like to add about a tablespoon of brown sugar.

Once I've added everything and stirred it well, I let it simmer until it is time to eat. The longer it simmers, the better.

When we lived in Kentucky, and I was a stay at home mom, Scott would call around 10 in the morning and ask if he and his team could come over for lunch. We always had chips, ground beef and onions on hand. Typically he'd run by Kroger's on the way home to grab buns and we'd have a party. I loved doing it and it is one of the things I miss about being 3 minutes from Scott's office and being a stay at home mom.

I think my sister's husband thinks sloppy Joe's are the only thing I know how to make. I do make other things, just not when I want to make sure something is fast, yummy and easy.