What Janna likes to make when she actually cooks...

Usually I'm not much of a domestic diva. I think Martha Stewart should be placed on a deserted island with nothing but a microwave (and no electrical outlets). The sad thing is that even with that, she'd have the place looking like a 5-star resort in a couple weeks.

But it's ok.
I'm not bitter.
Much.

The reason I bring this up is because I have a recipe I'm about to share with you. I got it from my cousin MANY years ago. We were having some sort of family party/gathering at her house, and she made these amazingly delicious sloppy joes in the crock pot. They were SO good. Italiany and pizza-like, sort of. Very flavorful and savory and bursting with yumminess.
I asked for the recipe.
She wrote it down for me, (from one of her cookbooks), and it's been attached to my fridge door ever since.
Just in case I ever lose that piece of paper, I want to have another record of it somewhere, which is why I'm copying it here.

Behold, the most delicious sloppy joe I have ever eaten:
(with my running commentary written in blue)


Italian Sloppy Joes

1 lb Italian sausage
1 lb Hot Italian sausage (I just use 2 lbs of the hot sausage and don't bother with the mild stuff)
1c. Green Pepper (ordinarily I'm not a fan of cooked green pepper, and I DON'T like it on pizza, yet somehow here it works).
1/2 c. onion (I leave the onions out, because I hate onions. Even when I first had the recipe at my cousin's house, I fished out the onion bits).
4 garlic cloves (Heck, use five. You'll thank me. Either mince it or cut it into slivers.)
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
2 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp oregano (I sometimes use a little more.)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp fennel seed (I sometimes use a little more).

Brown the meat, with the peppers and onions. Drain.
Add rest of ingredients and let simmer for 30 minutes.
(You could also put it in the crock pot if you wanted).

Serve on buns with mozzarella cheese, if you want.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Note: Originally the recipe called for adding the garlic in with the raw meat and vegetables, cooking them all together at the beginning. I strongly disagree with this, because when you drain the meat, a huge portion of that garlicky flavor is getting wasted. So I add the garlic AFTER the meat is drained, letting it sizzle a bit before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Like I said before, I am not a domestic diva. I rarely cook anything. I know how to cook, I just usually don't. But this recipe is something I really love to make.
.