Thursday, March 3, 2011

Mom's Sloppy Joes


I remember way back in middle and high school the great food that was served....just a bit of sarcasm.  Sloppy Joes especially with the meat in some red sauce steaming in the tray waiting to be spooned onto a small, flat, tasteless bun by the lunch lady.  This song reminds me of it oh so well.  I never let my taste buds anywhere near that chow.
Now on the other hand my mom's Sloppy Joes were fantastic.  With my dad working long hours and my mom going back to school we had these regularly because they are really easy to whip up and delicious.
When I was home last my mom gave me a copy of the family cookbook.  We have a large Italian-American family and it was my Aunt Loretta's idea to compile a list of everyone's favorite home made recipes to share and put them into a little book.


This has some great recipes in it.  No it's not for sale, just something that was passed around the family...but that gives me an idea for a future one!  So this is where I got the Sloppy Joe recipe from.  This recipe actually came from a cousin about 30 years ago and has been passed around to many family members but I call it mom's. 

Mom's Sloppy Joe's
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp mustard
1 cup ketchup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
About 1 tbsp Olive oil
Shredded cheddar cheese to top it off

Heat oil in a large skillet and saute the onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes.  Throw in (not literally) the ground beef and cook through.  Add the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, S+P and give a good stir.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Since I like to do everything from scratch I even made my own rolls.  I've visited and tried many dishes from this site many times and have never been disappointed.  This is a great recipe for home made buns/rolls.  I tested one right out of the oven because I had to see how it tasted, I let it cool of course but just a little.  It was really good so I scarfed the rest of it down.  No more store bought buns for me.
I like mine with cheese but you can leave it out if you want.  I also served it with some chips (that's what they call them here in England)/potato wedges and a nice cold gin and tonic.  Be sure to have plenty of napkins...why else would they call them sloppy?

5 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing your family recipe. That looks so so good, the sloppy joes mounding on the bun. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love your mom's Sloppy Joe's recipe. These old recipes are the best kind. I've been looking for a really good old fashioned sloppy joe recipe, and I'm so glad to have found yours.
    You made it so yummy, sloppy perfect. The potatoes on the side look tasty, as well!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love old family recipes and most families love Sloppy Joes. Mine is no exception. This is a really nice recipe for them. I'm so glad you enjoyed the lemon chicken. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

    ReplyDelete
  4. You're so lucky to have your family recipes book. That sloppy Joe doesn't even look sloppy at all. Looks truly monthwatering actually! Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.
    Cheers, Kristy

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think it's really cool that your family has a recipe book! The joes look great - and so do the rolls!

    ReplyDelete