Sloppy Joes

I've been making these Sloppy Joe's since I was about twelve years old.  I was give a kid's cook book and the recipe started to evolve from one that had been printed inside titled, "Not So Sloppy Joes."  Well, over the years, I have created my own special blend and while it's not really an exact recipe I can share, I thought I would try. 

You start, or course, with ground beef.  Last night I was cooking for eight so I had three and a half pounds to work with.

You want to sear the meat but not cook it all the way through.  While you're searing it, go ahead and throw in some green onions and whatever color bell pepper you'd like.  I didn't really understand the workings of green onions as a child so I use a lot of the white bulb part at the bottom and about half way up the green stalk.  Is this the correct way to cook with green onions?  Who knows; it's just what I do.  Last night I used a whole red pepper and half of a yellow pepper I had sitting in the fridge.

Excellent!  Now you're ready to start seasoning.  The bulk of what I use to season is ketchup, yellow mustard, and water.  Very simple, I know, but that's what the kid's cook book instructed me to do.  Actually, they just tell you to only use ketchup and mustard (hence the not so sloppy) and my grammy suggested I add some water to loosen it up making these very sloppy. 

I buy cheap ketchup because my palette is not discerning enough to distinguish between Heinz and Best brand.  I squeeze in a whole lot of ketchup, swirl around some mustard, and add some where between a quarter to a half cup of water depending on the amount of Joe's I'm making.  The ketchup to mustard ratio is about 3/4 to a 1/4 respectively. 

I also like to add in, salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder.  You can add these things or whatever else you like to your specific tastes.  It should look something like this when you're done adding to it.

Looks kind of like chili, no?  Once it tastes how you like it, you let is simmer for awhile.  I say for at least 30 minutes but you can let it bubble on a low hear setting for as long as you'd like; it lets the flavors seep in that way. 

Last but not least you're going to want to eat that yummy, sloppy, goodness!  I serve mine on a white bun with a side of Lay's to scoop up what you're bun drops, and a cold dill pickle.  It's the perfect meal for anytime of year.  It's reminiscent of a backyard bbq in the summer time but it also warms you up with it's comfort food quality in the winter.