Recipe: Sloppy Joes*

Just as for most holidays, favorite traditions abound at Easter: egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, new dresses—and colored eggs.  There’s something about dipping boiled eggs into all those pretty pastel colors that is just plain fun for all ages. Eggs will peel better if they’re not as fresh, so hopefully some of you purchased yours last week like I did. See my instructions here.

Probably lots of you make baked ham for Easter dinner like I usually do, but more important than the ham is my Grandma’s potato salad, which it wouldn’t be Easter without.  I won’t try to tell you how it’s made, because first of all, everyone prefers their own family’s version of potato salad, and second, the recipe is only in my head, passed down from Grandma to Mom to me. But this year instead of our traditional family dinner on Sunday, we are all going on a Saturday picnic, as we will be busy helping with Easter dinner at my husband’s student ward Sunday after church.  But rest assured that the Saturday picnic will include potato salad, Dad.  (He almost had a heart attack just now when he read this—the promise of Easter potato salad is the only thing that gets the guy through the winter!) 

Since man cannot live by potato salad alone, our picnic will also include my favorite homemade Barbeque.  I have a hard time calling it “Sloppy Joes,” because back when I grew up everyone called it Barbeque, so that just sounds weird to me.  But you get the drift.  The recipe I’ve relied on for the last 25 years (and made in huge batches for up to 300 people at a time) can be found at the end of the letter, which I’ve graciously cut down to a manageable amount for you and your family.  Although you probably won’t be making Barbeque for Easter dinner, I hope it will come in handy when you are put in charge of the family reunion (or ward party) this summer!

Founders Day Barbeque

2 lbs Ground Beef

1 large chopped onion

1 large diced Green Pepper

1 cup diced Celery

2 (8 oz) cans Tomato Sauce

½ cup Ketchup

2 Tablespoons vinegar

2 large Tablespoons Brown Sugar

3 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

2 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoons black pepper

  1. In large skillet, brown ground beef until about half done, then add vegetables and cook until the meat is browned through and the veggies are tender.  Drain this mixture well.

2. Place in slow cooker. Mix the sauce ingredients together and pour over the meat mixture. 

3. Cook on high about an hour, then on low 3 or 4 more hours or until ready to eat.

4. This is enough to fill about 12 small hamburger buns.  It’s easy to increase the size of the batch to make as much as you need.

 NOTE:  If you don’t want to cook it in your slow cooker, just simmer on stove 2-3 hours on low heat, stirring occasionally. It also works well to make it a day ahead and rewarm.

*Originally distributed April 2014