A "Manly" Sandwich even Chicks will love -- Sloppy Joe's

As a kid, I loved Sloppy Joe's. My mother would mix up the burger with the packet mix (she never did buy the prepared canned version of it), and we kids would gobble it up with joy.

I have been making Rachael Ray's version of Sloppy Joe's for several years. It is so easy to make! In fact, it only took 15 minutes to make the meat filling-- perfect for night's when I want to plan ahead and make an extra dinner that I can just reheat. I use ground beef, but you can use ground turkey-- and call them "Sloppy Toms". Or, you could use ground chicken and call them "Sloppy Chicks"... as for the three of us... we like traditional "Joe's".

The seasoning ingredients are, most likely, right in your pantry. For you Rachael Ray fans, you know that she's a fan of big Montreal Steak Seasoning; I have to admit, I've grown pretty fond of it as well. You'll also need brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. A little bit of red wine vinegar gives a nice balance of sweet and savory.

You'll need chopped onion and red bell pepper (my favorite part, and lots of pretty color, too)



Tomato sauce and tomato paste gives a rich, red color to the mixture.


Yes, I have a Rachael Ray oval non-stick pot, and I do like it a lot! You can have the sauce ready in less than 20 minutes

My favorite way to serve this dinner is on a quality Kaiser roll, lightly buttered and grilled. Personally, we don't need tomato and pickle, but that's up to you! If I have time, I make my own hamburger buns-- but that's only during the summer, when I'm not working at my school.

For this meal, I settled on ordinary hamburger rolls (I'm a bread lover, and therefore a little too picky, I admit). I much prefer a roll that is hardy enough to hold a LOT of meat filling. My boys aren't as picky about bread as I am, so I didn't hear my boy's complaining one bit-- they were happily devouring these, and asking me to make these more of often. Sometimes, it's the simple things I cook that are the most appreciated. I don't mind, after a hard day's work.

As a side dish, I peeled a few sweet potatoes and cut them into large fries-- a little olive oil, sea salt & fresh ground pepper at 425F for 20 minutes-- we were good to go! I had to very, very happy men at the dinner table. Grown or young, this is a meal that never fails to deliver a lot of "thanks"!