Recipe on Demand

Normally I don't blog twice in one day, but I've had numerous requests for this one, and I may not have time to blog tomorrow. I don't want to leave my faithful readers hanging, so here I am... blogging.

I love cooking. I also love sharing recipes. Moreover, I love when people ask for my recipes. In the wise words of Tiana's father, "You know the thing about good food? It brings folks together from all walks of life. It warms them right up and it puts little smiles on their faces..." He also believes that, "A gift this special just gotta be shared." He said both of these things in regards to Tiana's Famous Gumbo. He's got it right- a good recipe needs to be shared... what good does it do others if it's kept a secret?!

Anyways... Onto my blog...

Andrew loves sloppy joe's. When all else fails, they are the answer. BUT, he's a fairly selective sloppy joe eater. To put it bluntly, he only likes homemade sauce. Not the silly canned kind.

So, I set out to create the perfect sloppy joe sauce. It only took me two tries before he insisted that I never try another one again. The problem was- I didn't write it down. OOPS!!

So, the next time I made the sauce, I based my ingredients off of the color of the sauce. Yes, I'm a freak like that. Mom used to take me to match paint because I have such a good eye for color. Anyways, it paid off. Once again, I had created the perfect, Andrew approved sloppy joe sauce.

I made these for dinner tonight, and many people have asked me for the recipe. So, here goes...

Abby's (Almost!) Famous Sloppy Joe's

Ingredients:

3 pounds ground beef

1 small vidalia onion, chopped

1 1/4 cups ketchup

1/2 cup Maull's barbeque sauce

1/2 cup Bullseye barbeque sauce

1/2 cup worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup mustard

Sprinkle of garlic sauce

Splash of hot sauce

Splash (very small!) of balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Combine ketchup, barbeque sauces, mustard, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, balsamic vinegar, and garlic salt into a large bowl. Cover and chill for at least one hour.

Once the sauce has had time to co-mingle (yes, that's my word for it), it's time to move on!

Next...

Brown the ground beef and onion in a LARGE skillet.

Drain.

Pour sauce in. Mix well.

Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes for full flavor. Stir often.

Serve over extra large buns!

This main dish is best served with a small side dish since it's so hearty. My dish of choice tonight was parmesan yellow squash.

The squash, along with many other homegrown delicacies, came straight from my client's garden! Yum!

Anyways... Here is how I prepared the yellow squash:

Cube squash.

Spread out evenly in a greased baking pan.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Add fresh cracked sea salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with parsely flakes.

Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes or until tender.

Tip: I sometimes cover the pan with foil for the first 15-20 minutes of baking time.

Viola! The end result is an easy, husband approved meal!

Seriously, it's simple to whip up, and it is a huge hit any time I grace the dinner table with this meal. Try it, and let me know how it goes!