That is a homemade Sloppy Joe—the best you'll ever eat. I grew up in the Ozzie and Harriet - Father Knows Best era. June Cleaver-type moms cooked in kitchens with linoleum floors, metal cabinets, and Formica tables with chrome legs.
No microwaves, no immersion blenders, no crockpots, let alone any instant pots! But man, oh man, I'm telling you, the food cranked out of those kitchens was amazing. Best ever!
I was a skinny, nerdy kid who lived for my dad's company picnic every Fourth of July. I reveled in wearing my baggy old orange bathing suit with white bias-tape shoulder ties from morning until bedtime.
We played in the warm, shallow water of the slow-moving river, catching minnows and toads. The annual affair was held on a little sand bar island in the middle of the Platte River in south-central Nebraska, and the day lazied along from late morning until the last s' mores were eaten and the fireworks all faded away.
There was a pint-size cabin with electricity, and all the company wives brought food. Just outside the cabin door was a shanty-like picnic area constructed of tall fence posts and chicken wire, shaded by a jungle of five-leaf ivy. There had to be mosquitos, ticks, and flies, but if there were, I don't remember any.
My mom always made her famous homemade clover leaf rolls and brought them in a fabric flour sack. Everyone was waiting to snatch one and slather it with margarine when she arrived.
There were all kinds of salads and pickles, potato chips, pies, and cakes, but my favorite was the electric roaster full of Blanche Matthews' sloppy joes! Blanche's husband, Merle, was the lumber company president. I'm sure Blanche used vegetables to stretch the hamburger, the thrifty woman she was.
That time was decades before cell phones, and I don't think I ever saw a single photo from those treasured summer days, but the images in my child's mind are indelible.
I still have the handwritten recipe card in my mom's careful handwriting. You need this recipe, too.
In all my years of eating sloppy joes, maid-rites, taverns, yum-yums, barbecues, Manwiches, and loose meat sandwiches-of-many-names, there has never been anything to compare to how delicious Blanche made them.
Sloppy Joes have been around even longer than I have! They are an uncomplicated but iconic sandwich born in Sioux City, Iowa, way back in 1924. I was born in Iowa, too, but not quite that long ago!
The story is about a line cook named Joe, who created the first loose meat sandwich in the tavern where he worked. Instead of forming beef into a patty, he broke it up on the flat-top grill and browned it. This method was probably faster, so he tried it.
Then, he scooped up the juicy (probably greasy) glob of crumbled meat and served it inside a hamburger bun with no sauce. People squirted mustard or ketchup on it and gobbled up the sandwiches. The creation became known as a "tavern," a name still used in parts of the Midwest.
Later on, someone added tomato sauce to the ground beef, and that's when it became a Sloppy Joe, an item on school lunch menus that students actually liked. Notorious for staining white tee shirts, it's still a beloved sandwich.
Clever mommas like Blanche began sneaking vegetables into the meat mixture for two reasons: It got kids to eat vegetables without complaints and made it economical to stretch a pound of hamburger into six tasty sandwiches.
Finally, in 1969, Hunts (the ketchup people) and Conagra Foods introduced Manwich sauce in a can. The marketing slogan "A sandwich is a sandwich, but a Manwich is a meal" gave the sandwich a whole new commonly used name. The product is still strong, selling over 50 million cans annually.
They are so easy to make! Begin by browning the ground beef and crumble it finely. Next, add onions, thinly sliced chopped celery, and peppers.
Then add the tomato soup, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Cook everything until the veggies are tender and the sauce is reduced enough that the meat mixture is scoopable.
Simple but amazingly good. If you want to push it right over the top, be sure to choose a really great bun and add a slice of cheddar cheese!
Sloppy Joes are a great sandwich any time of year! Make a crockpot full and serve it when everyone is enjoying the football get-togethers! Here are some of my favorite sides for occasions like these! Jiffy Corn Casserole, Cole Slaw Pasta Salad, and Snickers Salad!
A classic sloppy joe recipe chock full of veggies in a slightly sweet tangy sauce.
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Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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Can this be made in a slow cooker? If so how long?
Sure, once the hamburger is browned. It can sit in a slow cooker on low for several hours. Check to make sure it doesn't get too dry. Can add a little water if it does.
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