Sloppy Joe

One of the few meals I can prepare without following a recipe is Sloppy Joes' (Joe's? Joes?). This is also one of the first recipes I ever found on-line. My husband loves him some Sloppy Joe's and I had no clue where to begin to make them. Did you know that they are not listed in many cookbooks? I guess they are so far below the gourmet meter that chefs don't bother including them. So, to the internet I went and printed the first recipe that appeared. Lucky for us it was a great one! Anytime I ask Adam if he wants anything special for dinner, these are what he wants. Pretty simple to make and very delicious. We prefer ours sweet, so I add a lot more brown sugar than most people would probably like. You can change it based on your preference.

I made a few rookie mistakes tonight concerning Jackson eating. I knew that we would be eating dinner later due to baseball practice, so snacks were given about 3:30pm. Now, most kids would still be hungry enough for dinner at 7:30 (case in point-Wrigley cleaned his plate), but Jackson can function off of small doses of food for long periods of time. He will make a great Survivor contestant if that show is still around in 12 years. Second mistake: Jackson was doing homework while I was cooking which left Wrigley without a playmate. I gave up trying to entertain a hungry 3 year old while trying to cook, so I turned the TV on in hopes of getting 30 minutes to get dinner on the table. Of course, when it came time for dinner, Spectacular Spiderman was in the middle of a show and I knew I would be fighting Jackson to eat, so I didn't want to fight over turning the TV off. What I didn't consider in my equation was that the TV was a huge distraction and Jackson was able to avoid eating by watching the TV! (for those of you wondering, our kitchen is practically part of the living room, so the TV can be seen from our kitchen table). Third mistake (not really a mistake, more of a circumstance): my husband was umpiring tonight and I was left to face the picky eater alone. I knew I was doomed and Jackson could smell the fear.

Even before the dinner was placed on the table the whining began. He negotiated a smaller portion, was able to get Doritos as a side dish (I thought it would give me leverage. One bite of sandwich, one chip. Apparently, Doritos are not as enticing as I thought), and ended up never taking a bite. I was left telling a 6 year old that he needed to thank me for the time and effort I put into dinner and when his father got home, thank him for earning the money to make the meal. I know, real mature of me:) I also told him he would be going to bed hungry and would not be allowed Fruit Loops for breakfast. He responded that he was going to ask for eggs anyway. When did he turn into a teenager with that attitude?

Here is the recipe for those of you out there who will actually eat it:

(I would love to give credit to whoever put this recipe on the web, but it was like 5 years ago that I printed it and I lost that piece of paper about 3 years ago. Luckily, I have made it so often I have it memorized. Just know that I did not create this. A food genius in the cyberworld did and we are forever grateful)

1lb ground beef (I normally use the lower fat variety, but it really is better with the higher fat content)

1/2 cup diced sweet yellow onion

1 tablespoon flour

1 cup water

1 cup ketchup

3/4 cup brown sugar (you can reduce or increase based on taste)

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

Brown meat with onion on medium heat. (I drain access fat, but again would be super good if you didn't)

Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in flour. Add in all other ingredients and simmer until thickened.

I would taste test and add ingredients based on flavor preference. I typically always end up having to add in more brown sugar after Adam tastes.

Enjoy!