for ladies who lunch in lunchlady land

You may have noticed that I don't post a lot of savory recipes, mostly because I tend to eat the same meals over and over again. Plus, they're boring anyway and usually not post-worthy. Whether sloppy joes are exciting enough to feature or not, I've decided that it's their time!

Aside from the obvious association with Adam Sandler's Lunchlady Land("...hoagies and grinders, hoagies and grinders, sloppy joes, slop-sloppy joes...")(yeah, that one'll get lodged in your head and stick there for days!)(you're welcome), the dish known as sloppy joes* also happens to be quite delicious.

It's a fairly versatile recipe too--you can make it with whatever meat you want/like/have on hand/need to use up, and you can season it exactly as you please. I like mine a little sweeter than most and happen to be a fan of oregano, so there you go.

Note: Napkins and/or bibs are totally necessary. Just embrace it; after all, the word sloppy is in the name.

*Incidentally, I went through a stressful and upsetting time thanks to a fella named Joe, so for a couple of years, I changed the name of these to sloppy josephines. It didn't stick, but that doesn't mean I've forgiven Joe. This gal holds grudges. :)

Slop-Sloppy Josephs
Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
Reduce heat to medium and cook onions, peppers, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, and oregano with meat for 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to simmer and cook mixture 5 minutes longer.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve on rolls, sliced bread, or buns.