An ad on Twitter -- whose name the company's new owner, Elon Musk, inexplicably changed to "X" but it'll always be Twitter to me -- popped up this morning, announcing that today is "National Sloppy Joe Day."
Sponsored by Prem Meats, a Wisconsin-based "state-approved meat processing facility with a retail meat market," the ad had nothiing to do with honoring our President who is doing a fantastic job.
Its purpose was to remind readers of the critical role the Sloppy Joe has played in the development of American cuisine — indeed, of our democracy — and to encourage them to consume one or more of these beloved albeit messy sandwiches on this most sacred of holidays. That, in turn, spurred me to share my world-famous Sloppy Joe recipe with you, my loyal readers.
Disclosure: I can’t take credit for this recipe. That goes to my sister-in-law, Nancy. I have it courtesy of my sister, Judy (not to be confused with my wife Judy or grandmother Judy), who included it in a book of hand-written recipes she compiled and gave to us as a wedding gift 40-some years ago. The recipe book, in a three-ring binder, contains dozens of recipes Judy knew I loved made by people I loved — gems like "Aunt Margaret’s Pineapple Salad" (made with my all-time favorite ingredient, Velveeta) and childhood Sunday School teacher “Mary Alice Moore’s Popcorn Balls.” Its pages are stained with splatters from ingredients that popped out of skillets and mixing bowls over the years as we faithfully re-created the recipes for our own family. The most-splattered page of all is the one containing Nancy’s recipe for something Sloppy Joes were known as in 1960s rural Missouri where we all grew up. The ingredient that binds all the others together will come as a surprise but trust me, it makes the dish.
These Sloppy Joes are particularly delish with a slice of Velveeta on top of each sandwich or, if you're feeling experimental and can fathom consuming Sloppies tinted an unnatural shade of yellow, you can stir chunks of Velveeta into the skillet just before serving until they melt.
Here’s a photo of Nancy’s recipe in Judy’s handwriting. (Click to enlarge and please disregard the stains.)
For those of you under 40 who can’t read cursive writing, here it is in Ariel:
Nancy Dryden’s Juicyburgers
1 lb. ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup hot water
1 can chicken gumbo soup
1/2 cup catsup
3 Tbsp mustard
Dash worcestershire sauce
Pepper
Cook ground beef, chopped onions and pepper in skillet until meat has lost its pink. Then add hot water and chicken gumbo soup. Add rest of ingredients and stir well. Bring to a boil and then simmer.
From my family to yours, Happy Sloppy Joe Day. And in case I don't write another post before Sunday, have a nice Easter, too.
