The House Sloppy Joes

We had a full house last Sunday night for dinner. We were celebrating an early birthday for my sister-in-law and I. We share the same birthday!

Not only did I want to spread the love for Grany Annie's Sloppy Joes, this is the fastest and most delicious recipe to feed a crowd. Besides my daughter who changes her mind about what kind of food she likes from day to day, I haven't met anyone who didn’t adore Granny Annie’s Sloppy Joes.

This is not your grocery store Manwich, which by the way, I grew up on. Michael and I even ate the stuff out of a can when we first got married, 16 years ago. It was over 10 years ago, Granny Annie introduced us to her Sloppy Joes. We have been hooked ever since. Lucky for me she shared her recipe and lucky for you all Granny was more than happy to help me share it with you.

We served the Sloppy Joes on rosemary focaccia rolls. Click Here for the  focaccia roll recipe.  Put it this way, all the kids ate a second roll with their dinner. The buns are that good. Lucky for the kids, they will burn off that extra bun before they go to bed. We adults are a different story. We'll have larger "buns" before bedtime if we enjoyed a second bun with dinner.

We paired the Sloppy Joes with a Greek spaghetti squash. Some people topped coleslaw onto their Joes. I have included the recipe for the Greek spaghetti squash.

GRANNY ANNIE SLOPPY JOES:

Serves 6-8 (We doubled the recipe for Sunday night dinner.)

2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1-12 ounce Heinz Chili Sauce

1 cup ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons yellow mustard

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons (or to taste) Franks Red Hot Sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Over medium high heat, brown the beef and the onion.

Drain the beef once thoroughly cooked. Dump in all the sauces and sugar. Bring the Joe mixture to a simmer. Give it a taste. Add salt and pepper and taste again. I love the punch of the vinegar and sometimes finding myself adding a touch more. However, this is pretty darn close to perfect the way it’s written here.

PREPARATION TIP: The Sloppy Joes are even better the next day. Make the Joes up to three days in advance. You can also freeze the leftovers!

GREEK SPAGHETTI SQUASH:

1 spaghetti squash

Olive oil

1 pint of heirloom cherry tomatoes (We love the ones from Trader Joe’s.)

A handful of Feta cheese

2 Tablespoon of Penzey’s Greek seasoning

2 Tablespoons of water

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/3 cup of red wine

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Split the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush some olive oil over the flesh of the squash and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Turn the squash flesh side down and pop them in the oven. You will roast the squash until you can easily stick a fork through the skin of the squash. Could take 25-45 minutes, depending on the size of your squash.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, soak the Greek seasoning in the water for about 5 minutes. Add the red wine and slowly pour in the olive oil while vigorously whisking.

Slice your cherry tomatoes in half and put into a large bowl. When your squash is tender, scoop out the flesh and add to the cherry tomatoes. Pour in enough of the Greek dressing to coat the squash. Give it a taste, add more dressing if you like.

Add a heaping handful of the Feta cheese and serve along side the Sloppy Joes.

PREPARATION TIP:The dressing can be made up to 2 weeks in advance. Store the leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.