Sloppy Joes

Happy April Fool’s Day everyone!  Hope there were successful pranks in your day – either pulled off by you or pulled on you.  Everyone needs a day of jokes and pranks to put a smile on your face once in a while.  What’s not so funny is that I just realized Easter is in one week and I haven’t thought at all about it until now!  Uh oh, crunch time….. 

We have hunters in this family. So, I am always trying to think of ways to use up the venison we have stocked up in our freezer. Who doesn't like sloppy joes right? This is a great recipe for the ground venison - and if you aren't a fan of venison, you can of course substitute ground beef.  Either way, this is a sloppy joe recipe that everyone will enjoy, no matter what kind of meat you use. We always serve sloppy joes with Doritos – not sure why exactly, but they really do go well together. YUM!

Venison Sloppy Joes

1 lb ground venison or beef
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tomato puree
1/4 - 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped

In large skillet add a little olive oil to coat pan. Sauté the chopped onion and pepper until onions are translucent. Add meat and cook over medium heat until no longer pink, and drain off any excess fat. Stir in ketchup, tomato puree, water, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder and salt. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat and simmers for about 30 minutes. Makes 4 servings.