Despite what you might think, I’m no super mom and sometimes all I can muster up after a long day of work is something easy like sloppy joes. This quintessential American dish was one of the first I ever cooked at the young age of 10 when my mom gave me a Klutz brand cookbook for kids. All it called for as I remember it was ketchup, mustard, onion and garlic powder and maybe salt and pepper.

My grown-up version has the same base as my kid version, but I decided to spice it up a little. All of these measurements are estimated, as I usually toss everything in without measuring.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1/2 medium onion, chopped

5 mini bell peppers, chopped

5 baby portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 Tbs. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. soy sauce

1/4 cup red wine

hamburger buns

 

In a large saute pan, heat up the olive oil. Add the onion, peppers and mushrooms and cook till onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook till beef is brown. Drain. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. Add the ketchup, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and red wine and stir occasionally until there is a saucy mess in the pan. Slop onto toasted buns.