Color Scheme

Subscribe now

Sloppy Joes Easy To Make, Economical

Merri Lou Dobler Correspondent

Julie McDowell has a family recipe that’s so simple, everyone in her family can make it.

Grace’s Sloppy Joes, which has only five ingredients, came from McDowell’s grandmother, Grace Norgaard of Valley City, N.D.

The origin of the recipe is unknown, as are many family recipes. McDowell, a Medical Lake resident, surmises it may have been even on a Campbell’s Soup label (actually, there’s a version of the recipe on the Campbell’s can right now). Whatever its beginnings, the recipe has found a place in McDowell’s home.

McDowell’s husband, Don, makes the meal when he’s in the woods hunting with friends. And McDowell’s two girls, Shannon, 9, and Amanda, 11, know how to prepare it as well.

McDowell remembers making the recipe for a group of theater people when she was in junior high school. Several other students made their favorite recipes, but McDowell’s was the winner.

“Some people used Manwich, which was popular at the time,” says McDowell. “I was so proud of myself.”

McDowell remembers her mother making the sloppy Joes for her and her brother when they were growing up.

“It was a quick meal, it’s easy and it’s economical,” says McDowell, a home economics teacher.

McDowell likes to do lots of cooking. When I spoke with her, she was in the kitchen with a neighbor making peach jam; last week, they made raspberry jam.

“I like to try different things,” says McDowell, who admits she’s one of those lucky ones who doesn’t have to measure ingredients exactly to have her recipes turn out.

You can throw this together without too much accuracy in measuring and come up with a great meal. It’s a family pleaser that’s on the table in no time.

Grace’s Sloppy Joes

1 pound ground beef, lean or extra lean

1 (11-ounce) can chicken gumbo soup

3 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon mustard

4 hamburger buns

Brown ground beef and add soup, ketchup and mustard. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve on hamburger buns.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 387 calories, 14.7 grams fat (34 percent fat calories), 55 grams protein, 62 milligrams cholesterol, 21 grams carbohydrate, 241 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes MEMO: The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, RECIPE - Five and Fifteen

The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, RECIPE - Five and Fifteen