Church Sloppy Joes

Church Sloppy Joes

I grew up in a small farming town in rural Illinois. My family went to the Methodist Church every Sunday. All throughout the school year on Wednesday afternoons we had choir practice followed by Youth Club followed by dinner. It was a long afternoon. Really, though, I looked forward to it. So many friends went to our church. And the ladies of the church knew how to make the BEST sloppy joes. It was a good Wednesday night that included those sloppy joes. (Granted it was like every other Wednesday night, but when you're young that seems like a long time.) Those ladies went on to publish the "Treasured Recipes" of our church. Now, we already know that I despise random cookbooks, but I have owned this one even longer than the Williams-Sonoma Complete Pasta. Granted, I have never dared to try "Hobo's Delight" (which ironically sounds good with just potatoes, onions and eggs), the "Kraut Salad" (made with canned sauerkraut and mango??) or any of the various "Ham Loaf" recipes. No, I do believe the only recipe I have ever braved is the "Church Sloppy Joes." I could write it down of course, but the slim, spiral bound book conjures up such nostalgia. We always cherish the things that hearken back to our youth. Plus it contains such witty metaphorical favorites as "Elephant Stew" (supposedly made by spending three months cutting up a real elephant and was meant to feed our entire town) and the "Happy Home Recipe." I'm absolutely certain that making the recipe from something I scrawled in a notebook would not taste nearly as fine as the one on page 41 submitted by the Mrs. Susan Elkins. So, I save it, and it almost always falls open to the spatter-stained page containing "Church Sloppy Joes" (and of course "Crock Pot Pizza?"--Hmmm, keep an eye out for that one!). Hopefully my reminiscing will make it taste just as good for you. (And yes, you should make all 3 pounds worth. It freezes beautifully!)

Church Sloppy Joes by Susan Elkins
as found in "Treasured Recipes of the Casey United Methodist Church"
3 lb. Hamburger
3 onions
Pinch of garlic salt
Salt and pepper
1 (24 oz) bottle ketchup
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1/4 c. Water
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp vinegar
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestshire
Dash of Tobasco
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dry mustard

Brown meat, onions and garlic (salt). Drain. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer very slowly, 30 to 40 minutes. Note: scorches easily.

"This is an old recipe that my family originally got from the women of our church." -Susie Elkins