We have always had 'White' sloppy joes. 1 pound gr. beef (or other..., we used alot of ground lamb back on the farm) 1 small onion finely diced 2 stalks of celery finely diced 1 can of low sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup (or cream of celery) up to 1.5 cups of milk Salt Pepper Sweat the onions and celery in a large skillet with a little oil. When the veggies are soft, add the gr. beef, or turkey, stirring to break it up and brown. When the beef is brown drain off the fat, reduce heat to med-low and add the mushroom soup, stirring it into the meat and veggies, add up to 1 and a half cups of milk until it reaches the consistency that you like. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve. We always served it spooned over a thick slice of bread, with pickles on the side. augie

In case there's any interest, the generic term for a "Bobcat" loader is a "skid loader". When I make a more traditional "sloppy joe" I like to add celery, green peppers and onions. Occasionally I'll add more onion close to the end or a little for topping for the extra crunch. I don't use a real recipe. I forgot the old recipe I used to use - I just experiment. Much depends on what I have on hand, how much I'm making and time constraints. Sometimes I'll cheat a bit and use some Manwich or canned/jarred spaghetti sauce or mix some tomato paste with beer. Sometimes I like a more "pizza" flavored one so I go heavy on Italian seasoning and put in some pepperoni. I like to mix sausage with the hamburger. Hot sausage picks up a bit of zest without being too hot for people. Mix in any kinds of meat you have left, much like when I make chili. A shredded beef or pork makes a great addition or substitution. I usually add a touch of Louisiana Hot Sauce, Worcestershire sauce, possibly Teriyaki, steak and BBQ sauces on occasion. Lemon pepper, garlic or garlic powder and bacon bits add a lot to it. What DOESN'T bacon help? I seldom add sugar, but some add a touch to cut the tomato bitterness and I like just a touch of mustard but not much. Dry works well. Vinegar is great although you could put some lemon juice in there too. Or both. An easy one that is very different is what I just refer to as "Taco Joes". I use basically a taco meat and if you really want to cheat, use the seasoning packet. I like them better with less "slop". But I like the sauce well-infused. BTW, some places call sloppy joes "Maid Rites" or loose meat sandwiches although they usually are less wet. Roseanne Barr used to call them sloppy joes without the slop. If it's nice and thick they're great as sort of a dip. Pick the meat up with chips and eat or mix with cheese for a dip. I think letting them go in the roaster (or crockpot if you don't have a roaster) helps blend the flavors. Be careful to not over-season. If it drys out too much add some beer, water, V8 juice, tomato juice or something and mix in. The last suggestion I have for a better sandwich: A good bun or at least toast the bun (fry it in butter to brown it). Makes a much better sandwich. Top with cheese if you like. Or toast some bread or buns, top with the meat mixture, top with cheese and broil it until bubbly.

Sloppy Joes are all about improvising. Start with ground beef....or pork...or chicken...or lamb, veal or turkey....and start adding things. Break the meat up as it browns and add "stuff"...chopped veggies.. tomatoes, onions, peppers, corn....whatever. Then add juicy things...like catsup, tomato sauce, pizza sauce, BBQ sauce, a can of soup of one kind or another, wine if you like...even beer...seasonings...salt and pepper unless you have added a lot of soup or soup seasonings...herbs...oregano, basil, sage, parsley, cilantro....and cook slowly until as thick as you wish. It's fun to do things like Mexican sloppy joes, or pizza flavored with lots of cheese, or greek with veal and lamb seasoned with oregano and lemon with chopped mushrooms, onion, garlic and tomatoes with some bread crumbs to hold it all together... Pork with onions and BBQ sauce is good. Really anything goes! Linda C

I also wanted to give you a recipe which we love here. My measurements are sloppy but have my faithful pumpkin seeds included! 1.5 cup or so ground pumpkin seeds 1/2 cup or so ground flax 4 eggs 2 finely shredded medium carrots large handful unsweetened coconut 1/2 cup applesauce 1.5 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cardamom, 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 cup or so raisins 1.5 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup olive oil or any oil any addition of chia seeds, nuts, etc I think that is it. I add contents as I remember them as it isn't fussy like regular recipes. I bake at 350 from 35-45 minutes. Not sure what happened with the spacing here....