Hi there! Happy Tuesday! And it’s a Tasty Tuesday, too! And oh do we have a classicdish for this time of year, Sloppy Joes! But these are not your ordinary Joes… these are rich and full of decadent flavor! We are calling these “Ultimate Sloppy Joes” because frankly they are that good!

Whether you are having folks over to watch the game, or feeding the troops after raking the leaves, or having the family gather on Sunday evening, these hot and hearty sandwiches are going to get rave reviews.

Honestly, I took the photos for these sandwiches this week, and it was a sweet agony to smell that delicious aroma and have to hold off devouring one… I finally couldn’t stand it. Photos went on hold temporarily for a “sloppy joe break”. This is a scene that plays over and over on photo day at my house. It is the price I pay for you, dear reader (that is until I can’t take it anymore and I have to dig in!) So, without further ado, let’s begin!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1 stalk celery chopped
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 c ketchup
• 1/2 c barbecue sauce
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 2 good shakes of liquid smoke
• 2 good shakes of worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp prepared mustard
• pepper to taste
• sandwich rolls/butter  (go ahead and get some really nice rolls- this is a special sandwich!)

Chop your onion, green pepper and celery.

Brown in a large skillet in the olive oil. Add in the minced garlic.

Add in your ground beef, breaking it apart so it is crumbly in small pieces.

Add in your liquid smoke. Brown your ground beef thoroughly and then drain off the excess fat, (I use a colander) and return meat/veggies to pan.

Add in your tomato sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, worcestershire sauce, mustard and pepper…

Stir and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. This is sooo good!

Take a sandwich roll, butter it and heat in a small skillet (butter side down) until it just begins to get golden brown.

Load up that sloppy joe… hey… it’s a little bit sloppy!

Now I love adding a piece of cheese to my sloppy joe sandwich. I prefer colby jack.

There you go! Now let’s put a hat on it!

Bingo! and load up that plate with all the trimmings!

Some corn on the cob, perfect! How about some fruit and veggies? Yes! and what about potato chips? Absolutely!

Are you hungry? How about some dip to go with those chips? For sure! I definitely want to give thanks for this meal! Yum!!!

I’m so hungry I may have to have seconds!

Oh and pickle slices, chips and pickles are kind of non negotiables with this meal… I don’t know why but they are sort of the trifecta. Sloppy Joes, Pickles, and Chips.

The sky view…

These kinds of meals take me back to when I was a child… we would have sloppy joes and maybe the youth group from church over, or all the aunts and uncles and cousins… boy those were good times! We had a large family to start with, with 6 kids and a 16 year span between us all. But there was always room for more at our house. And an excitement would build as more trickled in through the door! Card tables and folding chairs set up and food was served buffet style. Such good memories!

When I went to college, I would stay weekends with my grandmother. I wish you all could have known her, she was the kindest person I ever met in my entire life. She did not have a fancy home or lots of money, but she gave the best that she had and it was a thrill to her to be able to do it. When I lived with her, my boyfriend (now husband of 34 years) would come to visit, and she would offer to make him something to eat as soon as he walked in the door. You could see how tickled she was to be able to offer him a sandwich or anything she had. She would say, “Now let’s open up these nice chips for you.” During the week she would eat the older, less fresh food in the house, but when we were there, she put out the finest she had to offer. She treated us to the very best every single time, and she really did need to watch every penny. But she delighted in doing it!

When I would get to her house on the weekends I could hear her as she came to open the front door, “Who’s that on my front porch?” She would open the door and smile with the biggest smile chock full of love and excitement, and exclaim “Come here Ducky and give me a hug, Oh you look so good to me! I’ve got duck lumps!” Oh how I treasure those memories and that feeling of someone who loves you and adores you so much they want to shower you with the very best they have to offer. That feels pretty amazing!

We can do the same thing with those people in our lives too! We can go ahead and bring out the very best for them when they come! And we can make a fuss over them! Imagine how you can make their day, and make them feel so secure in your love! To pump someone up like that is a gift you will never regret giving, and you can see it has stuck with me for a lifetime. You may have impact and influence beyond what you ever dreamed in those little acts of kindness.

Whether its rich decadent sloppy joes or offering up the freshest potato chips and a big hug and a smile and look in your eyes that they know you are their biggest fan, these are priceless gifts, and the giver is the one who gains most!

I hope you have a fantastic rest of your week!

I’ll be back Friday for another Fashion Friday!

Love Always,

Amy

It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.   ~Mother Teresa