Sloppy Janes

My favorite place to find cookbooks is garage/rummage sales. There's a great one that happens twice a year (in the spring and fall) called the B.A.R.K.S. Garage Sale. It's HUGE, and all proceeds go towards B.A.R.K.S., which is a local animal rescue. 

People just kind of show up at this abandoned amusement park, dump the junk they want to get rid of, and then other people show up and pick through it. It's a mess. Everything is kind of jumbled together in a really vague sense of order (furniture is here, clothes/shoes are there, books are there, etc). There's like, NO supervision (except for the area where the really expensive stuff, like crystal and jewelry and collectibles) and people bring their dogs all the time, many of which are B.A.R.K.S. rescues. Anyway, the best part of going to the B.A.R.K.S. Garage Sale is that everything is dirt cheap. You show up with your own bags, go to town (with me, it's the books), and then at the exit, a little old lady peeks into your bag and says, "How about $5?" 

Ummm, yes. Yes, that is quite fine. 

How I feel on the inside...

So, yup. This is where I find a treasure trove of used cookbooks. YAY! This fall, I came out with about three new cookbooks, one of which has become my New Favorite: 

This is "Desperation Dinners" by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross - two busy journalists and moms who were overworked and underfed and desperate for fast, easy recipes that would satisfy their picky kids and finicky husbands. Holy shit, this is the best recipe book I have EVER encountered. Every recipe in this book - every. Single. One. - takes TWENTY MINUTES or LESS!

Do I seem overly excited by this? Yes, I am. I have raved about this book for so long and so much that my boss actually ordered it from Amazon while I was sitting next to her. But seriously - when you come home from work and you've had a rough commute, the very last thing you want to do is think about what the heck you are going to do for dinner. 

I like this cookbook because they are true to their word - they are simple, nutritious meals and they have already done the "healthified" replacements so you don't have to worry about the taste being modified by fat-free or low-sodium substitutions. 

According to Ross and Mills: "Sloppy Joes were a favorite childhood treat for both of us, and since we thought they'd be an effortless meal, we started sampling the major brands of commercially prepared mixes. We were sadly disappointed. They're quick, but we're spoiled. The reality of those cans and packages just wasn't as wonderful as we remembered. So, we decided to create our own perfect sauce - just the right vinegar pucker; thick and rich with tomatoes, with a hint of garlic and onion. The result was so flavorful, we thought our sandwiches deserved something to set them apart. Hence the name: Sloppy Janes."

Matthew also loves Sloppy Joes, and the first time I attempted a similar recipe, it was done in the crock pot and took 6 hours. The result was great, but it just took too damn long to make again. When I saw this recipe, I knew that I had to try it. The first attempt was a success; and since it's such a popular, homey favorite, I am revisiting it  for blogging purposes. 

SLOPPY JANES, courtesy of Desperation Dinners

Makes 6 servings

YOU WILL NEED:

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds of extra lean ground beef

1 teaspoon vegetable oil 

1 large onion (for 1 cup chopped)

1/2 medium green or red bell pepper (for 1/2 cup chopped)

1 tablespoon dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed 

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar or cider vinegar 

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic 

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce 

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste 

Salt and black pepper, to taste 

12 slices of bread, preferably French bread

Miller and Ross suggest French bread because it "elevates these sandwiches to a slightly more sophisticated level", but assure us that any old bread or bun or roll will do. I used potato bread, because that's all I had.

Let's get sloppy! 

1. Turn on the broiler. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Peel and coarsely chop the onion, adding it to the skillet as you chop.

2. Add the beef (fresh or partially defrosted) to the skillet and raise the heat to high. Cook, turning and breaking up the meat occasionally, until it's crumbled and browned, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, seed and chop the bell pepper, and add it to the skillet. 

3. Add the brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, and garlic, then stir in the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook 5 minutes more, stirring until all of the tomato sauce is incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. While the mixture simmers, place the bread slices on a large baking sheet and toast in the broiler on both sides until crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Place two pieces of toast on each serving plate, spoon the meat mixture on top, and serve.

....and enjoy! 

Now, of course, you can eat this on a bun and I gotta say, it tastes damn good spooned over mashed potatoes too! This is a really fast and easy way to remake an old classic. 

Hope you all enjoyed this quick and easy meal. I'm going to be featuring quite a few recipes from "Desperation Dinners", so if you liked this one, keep a lookout! 

Eat, drink and be merry!