Sloppy Joes

   I decided to make Sloppy Joes for dinner the other night. I began the process, but when I went to get those nifty sloppy joe seasoning packets from by cupboard... there were none. I've never made sloppy joes except from a ready made can or package of seasoning. I decided that there had to be a recipe for making them from scratch, so I did a google search. Lucky me! My "fix" turned out to be fantastic!! We will never use those seasoning cans and packets again for sloppy joes. Here is the recipe I found that we all loved.

Sloppy Joes
   1 pound lean ground beef
   ¼ cup chopped onion
   ¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
   ½ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
   1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
   ¾ cup ketchup
   1 Tablespoon brown sugar
   salt to taste
   ground black pepper to taste

In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Notes:

• I doubled this recipe for my family of six.
  
• I like to brown my ground beef before I freeze it, then I just defrost it in the microwave when I need it.
  
• I sauted my onions and peppers in some olive oil and then added them to the defrosted beef.
  
• I also used frozen chopped onions and green peppers which made this a super easy and fast meal to prepare.