Hamburger Steak

Hamburger steak is one of those classic, 50’s diner lunch special type of meals. It is so comforting and reminds you of dinner at your grandma’s house. This recipe is something my mom came up with and is super tasty. The kiddos love it. Serve with mashed potatoes and a veggie of your choice. Yum! Don’t forget to put some of the extra gravy on the taters!

Hamburger Steak

2 lbs. ground beef

Seasoning salt and garlic pepper

1 large onion, sliced

2 pkgs. brown gravy mix

2 1/2 c. water

Season ground beef with seasoning salt and garlic pepper to taste. Form into patties. In a large skillet, brown patties on each side, just until brown, not done all the way through. Mix gravy mix and water together until smooth. Place onions on top of hamburger patties, then pour gravy mixture over all. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for an hour. Add more water about halfway through cooking, if necessary.

*You can do this one in the crock pot as well. Brown your patties, and then follow the directions in the recipe. Just put everything in the crock pot instead of a saucepan. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours, or until patties are done.

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Sloppy Joe, Sloppy, Sloppy Joe!

I wonder how much money we could all save if we made a lot of those things that we buy in a packet, jar or can from scratch? I’ve tried lately to make a few of those things that I buy pre-made from scratch. Sometimes it’s cheaper and sometimes it’s not, but it’s amazing how much better things taste when they are made at home. It doesn’t take that much more work; measure, mix and done. It might take a couple more minutes than tearing open a bag or opening a can, but the final outcome is worth it. These sloppy joes are a great example of a little extra time for a huge payout. These are fantastic! I don’t know if I’ll ever use the canned stuff again.

Again, for those of you who like to cook once a month, or make double batches so you can put one in the freezer for another time, this is a great freezer meal. Put it in a large freezer bag and freeze, and when you’re ready to serve, thaw and reheat. Also, a great tip is to buy hamburger meat on sale in large quantities and then come home and brown it all. Separate it into approximately one pound portions and freeze each in a freezer bag or tupperware container. You can either put the meat in the fridge the night before to thaw, or thaw it enough in the microwave to where you can break it up and then finish thawing and reheating it on the stove. Having the already cooked meat in your freezer saves so much time. If you meal plan, you’ll know to thaw it beforehand and then half the job will already be done when you get ready to cook dinner.

To make these sloppy joes in the crock pot, either brown your meat or use your already thawed pre-cooked meat and add the other ingredients together with it in a crock pot. Cook it on low for at least four hours or all day. I think cooking it slow in the crock pot will allow the flavors to blend even more, and might even make for a tastier sloppy joe!

Sloppy Joes

2 ½ pounds ground beef, browned and drained

½ large onion, diced

1 or 2 bell peppers (any color), diced

5 cloves minced garlic

1 ½ cup ketchup

1 cup water

2 T. brown sugar

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. dry mustard

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

1 T. worcestershire sauce

2 T. tomato paste

salt and pepper, to taste

Brown and drain ground beef. Add onions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, or until vegetables begin to get soft. Stir together ketchup, brown sugar, chili pepper, dry mustard, tomato paste and worcestershire until smooth. Add this along with the water to ground meat and stir to combine. Simmer for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve on warmed or toasted hamburger buns.

Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

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Chicken Chili

Though it is spring, we are still having a few days where it is nippy outside. It’s been rainy and overcast, and the spring wind still has a cool bite to it. Therefore, I think chili is not out of season just yet. This chili is a little bit more “springy” with all the tomatoes, fresh bell peppers and black beans. This is a great recipe to do in the crock pot so it will be ready when you get home. The kids loved it and the hubby and I did too. Andrew (my six-year old) asked for another bowl of this instead of dessert an hour after dinner, and that’s saying A LOT. As most chili goes, this gets even better as the flavors meld, so it’s great left over. Next time I make this, I’m going to make a double batch and freeze half. You can put the frozen chili in the crock pot on low in the morning and let it simmer all day.

Chicken Chili

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 cups chopped yellow onion (2-3 onions)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 each of a yellow, green, red and orange bell pepper
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes in puree, not drained
2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes, not drained
2 (15 oz.) cans beans, drained and rinsed (I used 1 can black and 1 can pinto beans)

Directions:
Place the bell pepper, onion and chipotle chile in the food processor and pulse until all are diced. Place in the crock pot. Place the whole tomatoes in the bowl of the food processor.  Pulse briefly so the tomatoes are cut to large chunks.  Add the tomatoes with the puree and the fire roasted tomatoes to the crock pot.  Add the garlic, spices and beans to the pot and stir everything together. Place the chicken breasts on top and cover. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Remove the chicken breasts and shred, then return to the chili. 

Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats

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Kid Friendly: Meatballs, Mac and Cheese and Mashed Potatoes

I saw the recipe for these meatballs on The Pioneer Woman’s website the other day, and it looked like it would be really good. I continued to think about it over the next few days, so on Saturday, I made them for dinner. Jason said the meatballs tasted a lot like my meatloaf, probably because the sauce was a little bit sweet. They were definitely more time consuming and messy to make, but they were really good. I thought the meat could have used a little more seasoning, so I’ll take that into account next time I make them by maybe adding some chopped garlic and seasoning salt or switching out the oatmeal for stuffing mix or seasoned bread crumbs. I think I could also use some of the meat when I make my meatloaf again to make meatballs and then freeze them before they are cooked (another time saver – cook once, eat twice.) I’ll just make the sauce when I’m ready to cook them. I will double the sauce next time I make these. I prefer them drenched, but that’s just a matter of personal preference. The thing that surprised me most about these meatballs was that the kids asked for them for meals over the next few days. Have you ever had your kids ask for leftovers? It doesn’t happen very often.

The mac and cheese was delicious. It was rich and creamy, with just the right amount of cheesy flavor. I used mild cheddar, because that’s what I had in my fridge, but like the Pioneer Woman says, you can use whatever you have on hand. I also used whole wheat macaroni and you’d never know the difference. This recipe makes a lot, but mac and cheese is a side dish that pairs well with many different foods. We’ve re-run this as a side dish for the last few days, and the kids have cleaned their plate every time. It also makes a great meal all by itself, and would be even better as a separate meal if you added some ham or steamed broccoli.

As for the perfect mashed potatoes, the secret is evaporated milk. To make these, I used russett potatoes. The best potatoes to use for creamy mashed potatoes are rusett or yukon gold potatoes because of their high starch content. If you prefer a lumpier mashed potato, you can combine these with red potatoes. If you like a more rustic mashed potato, leave the skins on. The russett mashed potatoes keep their texture when microwaved, so you can make more than you need and use them for another meal later in the week to save some time.

Here are the recipes!

The Pioneer Woman’s BBQ Meatballs

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

3/4 c. oats

1 c. milk

3 T. very finely minced onion

1 1/2 t. salt

ground pepper, to taste

1 c. flour

3 T. oil

Sauce:

1 c. ketchup

2 T. sugar

3 T. white vinegar

2 T. Worcestershire

4 to 6 T. finely minced onion

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine meat, oatmeal, milk, onion, salt and pepper and mix well. Form into small meatballs and place on a cookie sheet. Once all meatballs have been formed, placed them in the freezer for 5 minutes. Place flour in a dish and roll each meatball in flour. Heat oil in a large frying pan and brown the meatballs until just brown. Place in a greased 9×13 pan. Mix all sauce ingredients together until smooth and pour over the meatballs. Bake for 50 minutes or until meatballs are done throughout.

Macaroni and Cheese

4 c. dried macaroni

1/2 stick butter

1/4 c. flour

2 1/2 c. milk

2 heaping t. dry mustard

1 egg, beaten

1 lb. grated cheese, any variety

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. seasoning salt

1/2 t. ground black pepper

Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop it from cooking futher. In a small bowl, beat egg. In a large  pot, melt the butter over medium low heat and prinkle in the flour. Whisk together and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Don’t let it burn. Pour in milk and mustard and whisk until smooth. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 c. of the sauce and pour into the beaten egg while whisking the egg constantly to temper it. Pour the egg mixture back into the sauce and whisk until fully incorporated. Add all but 1 cup of the grated cheese and stir until melted. Add salts and pepper. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings accordingly.

Pour in the macaroni and stir to combine. Pour all into a greased baking dish and top with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Mashed Potatoes

5 russett potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 stick butter

evaporated milk

Lawry’s seasoning salt

ground black pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and return to pan. Mash with 1/2 stick of butter. Continue to mash while pouring in evaporated milk until potatoes reach desired consistency. Season with Lawry’s and ground black pepper, to taste.

Source: Meatballs and Macaroni and Cheese from The Pioneer Woman

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Chicken pot, chicken pot, chicken pot pie!

Did you ever see that episode of “Just Shoot Me” where that guy kept singing the little song, “chicken pot, chicken pot, chicken pot pie!” I know, totally random, but Jason usually sings this little jingle when I’m making chicken pot pie, so that’s the first thing that always comes to mind when I make it. This is a really easy and comforting recipe. I like to make the filling in advance and freeze it in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. When I’m ready to make dinner, I thaw the filling and make the topping. It saves a little time and makes it a great addition to your once a month cooking freezer meal rotation. To make this an even quicker meal to put together, use store-bought rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own. Another thing you can do with this recipe to make it heartier is to add one cup of frozen cubed potatoes to the filling. If you do add potatoes, I would suggest adding another can of cream of chicken and a little more broth so you have enough sauce for all the veggies.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 c. cooked chicken, chopped

1 c. frozen peas and carrots

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. chicken broth

1 1/2 c. Bisquick

3/4 c. milk

garlic salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 stick melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer chicken and peas and carrots in a 2 qt. greased casserole dish. Mix cream of chicken and broth together and season with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the chicken and vegetables. Mix together milk and Bisquick until smooth. Spread over the top of the filling. Drizzle melted butter over all. Bake for 45 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and done all the way through.

Source: Adapted from Paula Deen’s Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie

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Comfort Food

A while back some people I work with and I went to Feldman’s in Canyon for lunch. I thought I’d be good and order the lunch special of a salad and broccoli cheddar baked potato. The potato was anything but healthy, but it was really delicious. I thought, “I wonder how they made that cheese sauce?” Well, last night I was browsing the food blogs and found this recipe for a broccoli cheddar dip. That recipe was for a type of broccoli queso that you served with chips. When I saw the recipe, I got an idea of how to replicate the baked potatoes from Feldman’s, so this was dinner for tonight. It was AMAZING! Matthew kept saying, “this is good!” None of my boys could stuff their face fast enough. I think that this would also be great as a dip or mixed with cooked macaroni, for a kind of souped-up macaroni and cheese. It would also be good over grilled or baked chicken. Try this…I guarantee it will be a huge hit. It is the definition of comfort food. (Again, please disregard tacky paper plate! Pretend it’s on the good china!)

Broccoli Cheddar Tater Topper

1 lg. block Velveeta cheese (I used 2% Velveeta)

1 8 oz. block jalapeno jack cheese

1 medium onion, chopped

2 boxes frozen chopped broccoli

3 roasted red bell peppers, diced (you can buy these in jars at the grocery store)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 c. milk

Saute the onion over medium high heat until tender and translucent, about 4 minutes. Dice the Velveeta and jalapeno jack cheese and place in a crock pot. Add the onion, broccoli, red pepper, cream of chicken and milk. Cook over high heat until melted, stirring occasionally as the cheese melts, and then turn to low. By the time your potatoes are baked, the cheese will be smooth and creamy. You can also cook this in a pan for faster cheese melting, if you’re in a hurry or already have the potatoes baked.

Source: Adapted from A Southern Fairytale

 

Baked Potatoes

Russett potatoes

Kosher salt

Olive oil

Wash the potatoes well. Poke holes in potatoes with a fork, rub them in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender.

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