"Sloppy Jan's" ~ Real Homemade Sloppy Joe's

 

Growing-up I used to think that my mother made Sloppy Joe's from a can...oh, I was so very wrong.  I bought a can and it was  NOTHING like my Momma's version and definitely as good as her Sloppy Joe's.

 

So, since my Momma's name is Jan, we're making "Sloppy Jan's". Only 9 ingredients, and 6 hamburger buns. A very simple one to do...and I guarantee you won't want to go back to canned Joe's ever again. (You can't pay me to)

 

One of the added benefits of this recipe is that you are ready to eat in less than 30 minutes! Perfect for busy moms & dads who are just too worn-out to think about dinner...or singles who like to cook once and eat leftovers for 2-3 days.

 

 

Here we go! I start by preheating my skillet (a deep skillet) over medium high heat. Add my 1 1/2-2 pounds of lean ground beef. (the sauce can be adjusted for thickness if you are in the 1 1/2 to 2 pound range, simply by adding water to thin it, or cooking a little longer to reduce it)

 

 

After allowing my meat to brown and render off some fat, I add my garlic salt and ground black pepper. Then it just simmers for about 5 more minutes. I always check to see that there isn't any pink in the meat before spooning off the rendered fat.

 

 

Grabbing my trusty tablespoon and a spare tea cup, I remove the rendered fat leaving approximately 2 tablespoons worth in the skillet. Let's face it, a Sloppy Jan needs a little fat.
 

I then add in a couple of cups of ketchup. Sometimes I just dump in the full 24-oz. bottle. (Tip: when you see ketchup on sale, grab 4 or 5 24-oz. bottles for future use) 

Now I add my favorite onion soup mix...Lipton Onion Soup Mix! I love this stuff! It's good for so many things other than just soup, but we'll get into that at a later date. Give it a little stir to make sure that the soup mix is well distributed in the skillet. 

Allowing my soup mix to combine with the ketchup, I go grab the next several ingredients out of the pantry. First I add the rice vinegar. Apple cider vinegar can be used too, the amount of it and the total sugar added would just have to be tweaked, but I've gotten the best results from plain old rice vinegar.

Then I add the light brown sugar. I like this better than dark brown sugar, because it just seems to be easier to make tasting adjustments if necessary.   
 

 

Now for the kicker...Worcestershire sauce! You may not be able to say it, but this sauce is an amazing addition to so many recipes. And necessary to get just the right flavoring in this one. Without it, there is a huge void. Let everything simmer for just a bit longer...then grab your plate, hamburger bun and start serving it up!

 

I am forever teased by Charming for the fact that I eat "sloppy" food with a fork...I just would rather avoid orange stained fingers and face.

**Also great alone in a big bowl with Fritos**   


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Stuffed Burger ~ Gorgonzola Style!

Just because I'm on a diet doesn't mean that I can't enjoy a great burger from time to time.

So here's one of our favorite burgers...I just eliminate the bun to reduce my carbs and calorie count. And I'm telling ya, you don't need a bun with this burger. It's full of great flavor...don't mask it with a bun. (but if you must, choose a whole wheat bun)

I start with 85/15 ground chuck meat. 1 pound of meat will make two very meaty hamburgers.

View complete posting: Stuffed Burger ~ Gorgonzola Style!

Sheppard's Pie With Cheesy Potatoes

I love not having to throw things together in the evening for dinner. Having something in the fridge or freezer that is ready to just be placed into a preheated oven just seems like heaven to me.

So, I came up with this version of Sheppard's Pie with a cheesy potato topping. My husband absolutely loves it and it is perfect for those nights when you really don't feel like cooking. Make it 1-2 days ahead and then just pop it from the fridge to the oven to the table. The beauty of this recipe is that it serves 8, which means that you could split it and have two dinners for 4 ready with the same amount of effort.

Start by taking 10 medium sized potatoes (or 5 large russet potatoes),

peeled and cut into halves so that the pieces are relatively all the same size.

Place the potatoes into a pot filled with 8 cups cold water. Then crank the heat on the stove up to high to get things boiling. When the pot is boiling, turn the heat down to medium and allow the potatoes to cook a total of approximately 20 minutes. Check the tenderness of the potatoes. If they are not easily pierced by a fork, then allow them to cook an additional 5 minutes, or until tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, I take 3 pounds of lean ground beef and place it in the largest skillet I have. Again, turn the heat up to high to start rendering off the fat. Then add a bit of black pepper to get things going flavor-wise.

As the meat simmers, my multi-tasking abilities get put to use and I peel & cut the carrots.

Try to grab the ones that are about the same size, then cut them into 1/4" rounds.

I like to keep the carrots as close to the same size as possible, so the larger pieces get sliced in half. Tip: If you like to avoid the peeling process, pick-up a bag of the pre-peeled baby carrots the next time you're at the store.

Check on the meat and give it a good stir. The more fat that is rendered off now the better. I don't want it to be dry, so there will be some left in the pan, but trust me, you don't want to have a cup of beef fat in this dish. *Bleh!*

Take the time to stir the meat around the skillet occasionally. Pink meat is not wanted here, we want everything to be nice and browned.

Alright, after about 15 minutes go ahead and start spooning out the rendered fat into a heat resistant cup or bowl. Be sure to leave a little in the pan so that the meat isn't too dry.

Time to add in my onion soup mix. I used to make this dish with fresh onions, but then discovered that the onion soup mix brings out a much richer flavor in the meat.

Now I add in my carrots, a couple cans of diced tomatoes (not drained), and a bag of frozen corn. Stir it around, getting everything well mixed together.

Although this is really starting to look good, not to mention smell extremely appetizing, there still needs to be a little bit more simmer time, about 15 minutes.

And just to kick it up a notch I like to throw in 3 tablespoons of Cabernet Sauvignon. This gives the dish such a great flavor...very much like the sauce for Salisbury Steak.

Oh, I almost forgot to add one more ingredient! Sea salt, just a touch (well, 1/2 teaspoon) to help bring out more flavor.

While the meat continues to simmer, I take the potatoes and drain them. Then pour them into my mixing bowl. Time to put my mixing paddle to work. I set the speed on 2 and pour in the whole milk. This helps make these potatoes nice and creamy.

After the potatoes have been broken down a bit, I turn up the speed to a 6 and watch these steaming hot potatoes become light and fluffy.

Time for my hubby's favorite...colby cheese. I can't even begin to tell you just how amazing this makes the potatoes. 

Add a bit of sea salt and butter. Then the topper...finely shredded colby jack cheese! Oh yeah, we have some seriously cheesy potatoes happening here.

Back to the meat...take it off of the stove and start spooning it into a large 5 quart baking dish. I smooth it out so that everything is nice and level.

Now to spoon on the potatoes. Same thing with the potatoes...smoothing them out to make it level and equal for all parties who will be enjoying this dish later.

Now this is optional, but why on earth would you deny yourself the extra touch of cheesy goodness?

I like to top off the sheppard's pie with another 1/2 cup of shredded colby jack cheese. Then just cover it with aluminum foil and place it in the fridge until it's time to get it in the oven.

A few hours later....I preheat the oven to 375°F and start off with the dish covered for the first 15 minutes.

Then remove the foil for the remainder of the cook time (15-30 minutes depending on oven) so that the cheese gets melted and browned and the center is nice and hot. (If baking right after assembling the dish, then bake for 15-20 minutes uncovered until the top is toasted golden brown.)

Onto a waiting plate and we are ready to ENJOY!

Ahhh...this is comfort food at it's finest.

And then it's gone.