....and what to put on them

My last post concerned the yummy rolls we make at our house.  We love to use them for burgers....we all have our favorite combinations.  My hubby's is a bacon cheeseburger with freshly-made onion rings and barbecue sauce.  It's truly delicious, but my favorite is a bacon cheeseburger with smoked Gouda and sauteed mushrooms and onions.  Yumm-o, as Rachael Ray says.

They are also fantastic the next morning sliced with butter and jam, or with a fried egg, cheese, and a sausage patty.  So much better than anything you can get at a familiar fast-food restaurant.

A family favorite is to make Sloppy Joes.  Not the kind from the can (which is perfectly acceptable in a pinch!), but homemade.  It's very simple, so don't worry.  This recipe comes from Cook's Country.

Sloppy Joes

1 onion, minced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, minced or put through a garlic press
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 lb 85% ground beef
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup tomato sauce (you could use puree, or paste that you've watered down a bit)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add onion and salt and stir until covered with oil.  Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 10 minutes.  If onion begins to burn after 5 minutes, reduce heat to low.

Add garlic and chili powder and cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until just pink, about 3 minutes.  Don't cook too long, or the meat will be dry and crumbly later on.

Add black pepper, brown sugar, tomato sauce, ketchup, water, and hot sauce.  Simmer until the Sloppy Joe sauce is slightly thicker than ketchup, about 8-10 minutes.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.  Serve with the buns.  We usually slice them in half, and kind of scoop out some of the middle so they're less "sloppy".

We serve these with raw veggies and dip, so we can use our fingers for everything!