Sloppy-Joes on Homemade Rolls and Potato Salad (Recipes 7 and 8)

Recipes seven and eight were made for the sole purpose of complimenting recipe six – the Strawberry-Rhubarb pie. I knew I wanted to make that and have people over to eat it, but I felt weird about just offering dessert. So, I scoured the web (i.e. the food section on Pinterest) until I found something that caught my eye. Sloppy-joes. It has been ages since I've had sloppy-joes and I've never made them from scratch so it was the perfect chance to make a new recipe, plus it was a Summery dish that would go well with the pie. 

I began the morning by looking for a good hamburger bun recipe. After comparing recipes I have with recipes I found online, I ended up going with one online. But it was a good start to the morning. Read some in the Psalms, some C.S. Lewis, my recipe book and drank some strong Zambian coffee. Mmm. 

Next, I set to work peeling the potatoes for the potato salad and boiling some eggs for it as well. Helpful tip: if you are boiling a pot on the stove and don't want it to boil over, place a wooden spoon over the pot. I don't know how it works, but it keeps it from boiling over. 

I would post the recipe of the potato salad on here, but I really don't know how to make it. I throw in some mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, onions, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, and whatever spices sound good at the time. I mix it up until I think it tastes right. There really is no recipe for it. Just do what suits you best. 

Ah! The hamburger buns. Bread for me is a hit or miss situation. Either the bread turns out perfectly fluffy and wonderful, or it is dry and crusty. These rolls were thankfully on the fluffy and wonderful side. 

The Recipe: 

• 1 cup Milk 
• 1/2 cup Water 
• 1/4 cup Butter 
• 4 1/2 – 5 1/2 cups Flour 
• 2 1/4 teaspoons Yeast 
• 2 tablespoons white Sugar 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 Egg

Mix together the warm milk, sugar, and yeast to proof. After proofing mix together with the other ingredients. Knead well. Let rest in a greased bowl for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes divide into rolls and place on a greased baking sheet for another 30 minutes rest. 

Bake at 400ºF for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. 

And last but not least to complete the meal: the Sloppy-joes!

The Recipe:

• 1 Onion, diced 
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced 
• 1 and 1/4 lbs Ground Beef 
• 1 and 1/3 cups Ketchup 
• 2 tablespoons White Vinegar 
• 1 heaping tablespoon Brown Sugar 
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder 
• 1 teaspoon Paprika 
• 1 teaspoon Salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper 
• 2/3 cup Water

Sauté the green pepper and onion in a skillet.  

Mix all the ingredients together with the cooked ground beef. (I also put a little bit of mustard in mine). 

Serve it up on the rolls with some potato salad and veggies. 

And enjoy it with some friends. 

The verdict: the eaters for this meal were Jimmy, Sonya, Faith, Megan, Matt, and Damarise. I think it turned out well. It was a simple Summer time meal with leftovers! Yes! And as always, great fellowship. We even played some Fffbasketball after dinner. I have great friends!