Sloppy Joes

This lockdown has taught us and made us experience so many things. It had made us appreciate the little things that go unnoticed in our busy lives and to be happy and content with it and explore more joy with whatever little we have. It has given us the time to be with the family, the entire day, which otherwise would have been spent at office or school. We used to eat out once a week, or once in two weeks atleast. But the lock down and fear of corona has made us give it up completely, which made us try different recipes that we had never tried before. It has taught us, that you need not have to go to a beach or park to do the picnic and have fun. You can absolutely enjoy a picnic in your own little patio, while staying home and adhering to the instructions by the governing officials, and help curb down the ever rising number of people infected by covid-19. 

This sloppy joe was one of items that we had on our picnic menu. It was delicious. Juicy with all the sauces that go in it and with the ease with which it all comes together, makes it a perfect item for your grill parties or picnics. So grab the recipe and make it for your family patio picnics :)

Ingredients

1. 1 tbsp of oil
2. 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
3. A pound of ground beef
4. 1 green bell pepper, diced
5. 1/2 cup of chopped onion
6. 3/4 cup of tomato sauce
7. 3 tbsp of ketchup
8. 2 tbsp of hot sauce
9. 1 tsp of mustard sauce
10. 1/2 tsp of chilly powder
11. 2 tbsp of brown sugar
12. 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
13. Pepper to taste
14. Salt to taste
15. Butter - to toast the buns
16. Hamburger buns

Method

• In a pan, take the oil. Once hot, add the chopped garlic and saute it. Add the ground beef and mix it well trying to break it apart. Continue to cook the beef on medium heat, untill its no more pink. Keep stirring the beef while cooking. Once brown, drain away excess fat that would have now been released from the beef. 
• Add the onion and green bell pepper and stir it to combine. To it add, add about 1/2 cup water, and ingredients 6-12. Stir it all well. Add the pepper and salt. Cover and cook it for about 15- 20 minutes, untill everything comes together, while you stir, occasionally. Switch off the heat.
• You could choose to toast the burger buns or just spread it on plain buns. To serve the sloppy joes, place scoop of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the burger buns and then top it with the other half. Yo could pair the sloppy joes with some chips and coke. It makes a perfect menu item to be served for summer grill parties.

Tips

1. There are lot of sauces that go into this recipe and eye balling the ingredients as per your families taste preferences, would be best.