sloppy joes

this is how the geek eats his sloppy joes. he's quite neat about it. i, on the other hand, like to eat them as open-faced piles of sloppy goodness.

i first made these for the geek back when we were dating. yes, i know- this is probably the most unromantic thing to make someone. it's messy and not at all sophisticated. elementary school cafeteria lunch anyone? it's probably the equivalent of showing up for a date wearing sweatpants and an old t-shirt - totally not fashionable, but oh so comfortable.

but the geek is a man of simple tastes. up until these, he thought sloppy joe filling only came in a can. so upon his first bite, he was impressed. he loved it!

he still requests this on a regular basis and he's even learned to make it himself.

and despite my earlier elementary school lunch comment, i love these too. it's saucy, satisfying tastiness on a bun.

adapted from a recipe one of my former bosses gave me. i was in college, in an apartment for the first time and she didn't want me (or my roommates) to starve.

ingredients
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 cup ketchup
1 (8oz) can tomato soup
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard (the geek likes yellow mustard, i prefer brown)
1 teaspoon chili powder
8 hamburger buns

directions

• in a large skillet, brown the hamburger and onion. drain the excess fat/liquid.
• add the remaining ingredients and cook over low-medium heat for 10 minutes or longer to allow the flavors to meld.
• serve on toasted hamburger buns- neat like the geek or open-faced like me.

serves 4.

notes
i think this tastes better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to combine and mellow.
this freezes well, so you could easily double the recipe.