As is my custom, I asked y'all what you were fixin' for supper last night on Facebook. I get so inspired by all the different meals that pop up there in the thread. One reader, Susan, was inspired by my meal of homemade sloppy joes and she wanted my recipe. See how being a community of fabulous, frugal folks works? Here I am on Tasty Tuesday, cranking out that post for Susan and anyone else who has a hankering for this much yummy-er version of plain old, middle-class middlin' manwiches.

Sloppy joes are an every other month kind of meal for us. The Teenager doesn't care for it (never has), so I don't keep it on the menu. However, sloppy joes are such an easy, tasty supper that even my mister and middle-Little can make, I am sure to have the mix on hand for them. The thing I like best about my sloppy joe recipe is it even appeals to my vegetarian friends who gobble this up when I make it with tofu crumbles. 

Peace, B.

12 ounces tomato paste*
1 cup water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup  white vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons dehydrated onion flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 bay leaves

*I use this recipe for making tomato paste. I like it very much just as it is written on the link. However, if you are using store bought tomato paste, you can also add one minced bell pepper to this recipe.

Mix together ingredients in a sauce pan. Add bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.

You can add the sauce directly to cooked ground meat or you can cool completely and can. (I use a hot water bath, 16 ounces per jar with a 1/2 inch head space, processed for 10 minutes.)

Easy peasy and so much better than the store bought stuff!