Hi Friends! This week we are featuring sweet and zesty homemade Sloppy Joes!I don’t know if you had these growing up, but we did and we loved them! I remember sometimes the youth group would come over after church on Sunday nights, they called it “Sip ‘n Sing”. We would have lots of hungry teens and many times my mom would make Sloppy Joes! And we would have potato chips and pickles and soda pop and maybe some cookies or brownies! And the kids would laugh and joke and eat and just have a really good time! And yes, they would sing! I have to say, those were some really good memories!

So I got to thinking about “Sloppy Joes” and I thought, “What a fun and interesting name for such a great sandwich!” And I wondered where it came from. So, I checked it out! Now there are 3 or 4 theories out there, but the one that came up most frequently comes from a restaurant in Sioux City, IA called “Floyd Angell’s Cafe”. There, a cook named Joe came up with a new creation for the loose burger adding in tomato sauce. Whether that is it or not, one thing Is certain, once you have had a Sloppy Joe, you will fall in love! So without further ado, let’s begin!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped fine
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 shakes liquid smoke
• 2 tsp prepared mustard
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 shakes of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 package sandwich buns

Begin with putting the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in your chopped onion, green pepper and celery.

Add in your garlic and stir sautéing the vegetables and garlic.

Add in the ground beef. Crumble it well.

Add in the liquid smoke. Cook thoroughly. Then drain off the fat once the meat is cooked.

After draining the meat, add the tomato sauce, the barbecue sauce and the ketchup.

Stir together and add in your 2 shakes of Worcestershire sauce.

Add in the mustard.

Stir together and let simmer. Oh boy… this is so good!

Now take your hamburger bun and butter the inside of both halves.

Turn butter side down in frying pan, and cook until toasty.

Oh boy, look at those buns! Yummy!

Let’s load ’em up! Oh look! I’m already getting “sloppy”! That’s ok!

Oh yeah! and let’s add some pickles and cheese!

Wowza!

Well come on! Let’s load that plate up!

There you go! Now you’re talking! I served it with macaroni and cheese (I added a buttery cracker crumb topping in the oven) some corn on the cob, chips, fresh crisp veggies, watermelon and some pumpkin bread.

My husband comes home from work so hungry and he can hardly wait when it smells so delicious. So he got the first couple sandwiches before I even snapped any pictures. He kept saying, “Man, this is good!” Do you remember the canned sauce “Manwich”? It made me think of those commercials… “the sandwich that eats like a meal!”

It’s the kind of food you know is going to make you feel so much better when you are really hungry!

Wouldn’t this be great food to enjoy watching the football game? I think I would head back for seconds!

I can hardly take this! I just have to have one!

My son had to umpire a game and he walked in as I was snapping some pics so of course I told him to have a seat! Our dog Kasey can’t help herself, she loves good food! Do you see her?

I was thinking about how Sloppy Joe’s work. You have all of this cooked crumbled meat that offers sustenance, but just needs a little flavor and a little direction. In comes the magic sauce mixed of a little zesty, a little tangy, a little sweet and a little savory! It’s bursting with flavor, and it just coats over all that hearty meat and says, “Ok, now let’s go to work!” And it’s a power team! The secret is in the sauce!

You can be that “Secret Sauce” for your family, friends, anyone you see in your circles of life! That “Awesome Sauce” person that offers encouragement, makes life a little sweeter and zestier! Give them some hope and some direction just by being the encourager in the group! I was thinking this morning of just how powerful encouragement really can be! Think of a child trying to learn to ride a bike. Most of them are going to need some encouragement. They might never try if they didn’t have someone by their side giving a pep talk and a little guidance. And what seemed impossible all of a sudden is not only possible, but it opens up a whole new world! And its fun!

We all need a little encouragement in life, don’t we? I do! And when we get that, sometimes it’s just enough to give us the little extra energy to go out there and “try it one more time,” and that can make all the difference!

Have a great week!

I’ll be back this weekend with another post!

Love Always,

Amy

When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.”   ~Unknown