Tonight I made Sloppy Joes for the first time since I was a kid. I’ve had Sloppy Joes since then, but I’ve just never made them.
At the supermarket in the evening I picked up a pound of ground beef and an onion. My plan was to make burgers on my cast iron grill and have them on English muffins with cheese, tomato, onions, and ketchup. It’s a nice way to have a grilled burger, and the English Muffin adds a delicious twist.
I also got ham, salami and cheese from the deli, and a half pound of red skin potato salad. I figured I’d had my deli needs covered for a few days.
I bought a gallon of Poland Spring water, a 2-liter of Coke Zero, 3 plum tomatoes, two bananas, a pound of Starbucks Dark Roast Espresso, and a box of Equal.
I finish my shopping, pay for my groceries, and head home. When I get to my apartment, I unpack the food, sit on the couch, and flip on the Met game. I figure I’ll cook the burgers in a little while.
But then a thought hits me out of the blue. I have diced tomatoes, I have an onion, and I have tomato paste. Why not make Sloppy Joe’s? I have absolutely no idea where this idea came from, but all of a sudden the idea of eating Sloppy Joe’s sounds like the most delicious experience one could have in the known universe.
Eventually I head into the kitchen to start cooking. I pull out my phone and use the Pinterest app to find recipes for Sloppy Joe’s. There’s one called “Grandma’s Sloppy Joes” that has 110 five-star reviews. It sounds delicious, so I decide to go with it.
I pour two tablespoons of olive oil into a large saucepan. Then I cut an onion in half and dice it. I put the ground beef in the pan and begin to heat it, then add the diced onion, and let the two ingredients heat and meld together. It smells great.
When the meat is browned, I add a can of diced tomatoes, some ketchup, Dijon mustard, tomato paste, water, sugar, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, vinegar, sugar, and chili powder.
I put a lid on the pan and let the whole thing simmer for about twenty minutes, checking it and stirring it every five minutes or so. I taste it while it’s simmering, and man is it fantastic. It totally brings me back to my childhood, and to the days of eating Sloppy Joe’s in the school cafeteria.
I add a little more salt and pepper, more garlic powder, and even more ketchup to give it that sticky sweetness.
I sample it again and it’s perfect.
I dig in, eating some of the meat and tomato dish on a hot dog, and some on its own. It really does taste great, and when I’m finished I feel an exquisite sense of contentedness.
Wow. That was incredible.
I put the dishes in the sink, pour myself a whiskey on the rocks, and head into the living room. I flip on the TV and turn to the Mets game. Jacob Degrom is pitching. He’s had an absolutely incredible year, so I’m happy I get to see him pitch.
I reflect on my evening cooking adventure. I chose to take a risk instead of making burgers for the nine millionth time. I love burgers, don’t get me wrong. But the Sloppy Joe was a new thing, and you never know how new things will turn out.
Lucky for me, it turned out great.
So here’s to taking risks, and trying new things, be it in the kitchen or life in general.
It’s a cliche to say that without risk there can be no reward. Sounds like a line from Gladiator, or maybe a Lexus ad.
But tonight risk really did bring reward. And that’s a great feeling.
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