Sloppy Joe's

                 Sloppy Joe's are an all American dish, as far as we know.  The origins are a bit obscure, as with so many food dishes.  It's possibly began in the 1920's by an Iowa restauranteur who combined beef, with some sauce, spices, and placed it between two pieces of bread.  During the 30's, recipes with ketchup and tomato sauces were added.  It was found to be a great way to make ground beef go further during WWII, by adding sauces and vegetables.

                  Of course, to make things easier, you can now get Sloppy Joe sauce in a can.  I say no to the can, and say it's not so hard or time consuming to make this all American dish on your own.



Ingredients

1. 1 lb of ground beef
2. 10 oz. tomato puree
3. 2 Tbl tomato paste
4. 1/2 Cup barbecue sauce(use your favorite, I use mine which you can find here).
5. 2 Tbl brown sugar
6. 2 tsp onion powder
7. 1/4 tsp garlic powder
8. 1/2 tsp salt
9. 1/4 tsp pepper

First, brown the ground beef in a pan with 1 Tbl oil.

Once the pink is gone, add the rest of the ingredients and allow to simmer and reduce.  Cook on low for 15-20 minutes.  If there is still too much liquid, let it reduce a little more.

When it comes to serving this is where it is versatile.  We have eaten it traditional style on a bun, used it as topping for spaghetti, and as meat for nachos.  So if you have leftovers, now you know what to do with them.