Sloppy Joe Sliders

While meal planning this week, I was trying to come up with a few things we hadn't had in a long time.  Sloppy Joe's popped into my mind and I couldn't remember the last time I had made them.   We've become quite fond of sliders, they are the perfect size for the girls and we have so much less waste.  So I whipped up a batch of hamburger buns, and when shaping them into rolls, I weighed them to be sure we'd have uniformity.  I used an ounce and a half of dough for each roll.  That seems to be the best size for sliders. 

The girls were thrilled, especially for the jell-o that I had them help me make earlier in the day, but whatever I can do to get them excited about being in the kitchen, I'll do it.  We whipped up a potato salad, and then finished off the meal with a bowl of ice cream.  Even though it doesn't feel like summer, around our dinner table you'd never know that it wasn't.  

Sloppy Joe's

1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef

1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
1 cup water
3/4 cup ketchup
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

Place ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Turn heat to medium and cook and stir the mixture constantly until the beef is browned and forms small crumbles, about 10 minutes.  Drain off any excess grease.
Stir in garlic and green bell pepper; cook and stir until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup water and stir, scraping the pan to dissolve any brown flavor bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Mix in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper. Add 1/2 cup more water and return mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick, about 30 minutes.
Season with salt , black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.