Quick And Easy

The days are still warm outside, but the mornings and evenings are quite cool by now.  Autumn is on its way.  YAY!  I love this time of year.  One of the best things about cooler temperatures (and the downright cold ones of winter) is that I can start making hot and savory foods like hearty soups and stews.  The oven can be on for hours and my hot flashes won't even mind. 

However, spring and autumn fall in a gray area.  Daytime can bring on temperatures in the 80s, so I don't really want to be working in a hot kitchen.  One of my favorite things to make this time of year is the tried and true Sloppy Joe. 

Sloppy Joes come in many varieties.  I've never gone so convenient as to buy the stuff in a can (Manwich et al) but there's a recipe I use when I'm craving a warm meal but don't want to spend the time chopping onions, peppers and celery.  Lucky for you I'm going to share it today.  And guess what?  You probably won't even need to write it down because its so easy to remember.  Here we go:

1 pound hamburger (as fat or lean as you like)
1 can chicken gumbo soup
3 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp yellow mustard

Ta Da!  Yep, that's it.  Brown the hamburger, drain the fat, add the soup, ketchup and mustard and simmer for a little bit.  Quick and easy, perfect for this time of year.  Easy to make into bigger batches too.

The sides for a meal like this are easy too.  Some chips (I prefer Fritos with this meal), carrot and celery sticks, and pickles. 

For this meal I got really fancy and put out some Top The Tater, a great dip for chips and veggies.  Although I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't put it in a dish instead of having the container out there on the table.

So when you're in a hurry or are just feeling lazy, this is a great autumn meal.  The Sloppy Joe ~ a Minnesota favorite.