Homemade Hamburger Help'r

This is super tasty & easy, and a better option than a box I suppose. Makes a big meal - was about 5 larger servings. Cut back to 1/2 lb ground beef if you're cooking for 2 and don't want leftovers.

Ingredients

8oz. elbow noodles
1lb ground beef
~1/4 medium onion
salt & pepper to taste
1 green pepper, chopped
8oz. can corn, drained
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon oregano
8oz. tomato paste
3/4 cup bbq sauce


Directions

Boil noodles according to package directions.

Brown ground beef with onion in large skillet. Salt & pepper to taste.

Stir in green pepper, corn, chili powder, oregano, tomato paste, and bbq sauce. Simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you have room in your skillet, remove from heat and stir noodles into beef mixture. Otherwise, transfer both noodles and beef mixture to a large serving bowl and stir to combine evenly. Serve & yum.

Mid-Atlantic Crabcakes

These crabcakes are pretty hastle-free. I was out of Old Bay so I used a hot salt instead - gave it a pretty similar flavor...

Ingredients

2 cans fancy chunk crabmeat, well drained
2 Tablespoons mayo
2 Tablespoons dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons parsley
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay or a hot salt, more if desired
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Dash hot sauce
Pepper to taste


Directions

Preheat oven broiler.

Mix together all ingredients well and form into patties. Place patties on lightly greased baking sheet and stick this in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to let them harden a bit if they're falling apart.

Broil for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.

Makes 4 crabcakes.

crabcakes with pesto & garlic red skin potatoes

Notes

-I used Italian seasoned bread crumbs because I was out of regular - this worked fine, tasted good.
-I also use low fat Helmann's mayo, which is pretty tasty.

Beef Tamale Pie

Use a pie pan or an 8x8" casserole for this dish.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning mix (try a jalepeno & onion mix)
1 (15oz) can black beans
1 (11oz) southwestern-style corn (corn, onion, bell peppers)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup or so Mexican cheese blend
Sour cream, if desired
Crust ingredients:
1 (8.5oz) box Jiffy corn muffin mix
3/4 cup sour cream


Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Brown ground beef, drain, and return to skillet. Stir in taco seasoning mix, black beans, corn, and water. Simmer about 5 minutes, stirring ocassionally.

While the above is simmering, mix the crust ingredients until moistened. Spread about half the mix lightly across the bottom of the baking dish and up the sides - it's fine that it doesn't completely coat the dish.

Pour the meat mixture into the baking dish, and spread the rest of the corn muffin batter around the outer edge of the dish. Top with cheese now, or when it's done baking.

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Turkey Cornbread Skillet

This is a light and tasty recipe that is best prepared & baked in an 8x8” cast iron skillet. If you don’t have one, you can prepare the meal in a non-stick pan and transfer to an 8x8” casserole dish for the final step.

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey
1/4 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped in chunks
1 (15 ounce) can baked beans (I like the beans seasoned with brown sugar and bacon)

Fajita seasoning – make your own with a variation of the following:
~1/2 teaspoon of each:
Cumin
Crushed red pepper
Garlic salt
Onion powder
Oregano
Pepper, fresh ground

1 (8.5 ounce) package Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 egg
1/3 cup milk


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

On stovetop, brown ground turkey in cast iron skillet with onion and a little oil to prevent sticking. Drain if desired - using lean turkey doesn't leave much to drain. Add red pepper, baked beans, and seasoning mix; cook and stir until heated through, about 5 minutes or so. Pat into an even layer on the skillet (transfer to casserole dish here if not using a cast iron skillet) and turn off heat.

Mix the package of corn muffin mix according to the directions using the egg and milk. Spoon over the ground beef mixture and spread evenly across the top.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake 20-25 min (or until toothpick inserted in the cornbread comes out clean). Serve!

Easy Beef Empanadas

While, yes, I love to cook, I will generally cut corners whenever possible. I should probably call these 'lazy empanadas' because I didn't feel like making my own dough or cutting the puff pastry into circles to make this delish pocket of meat.

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 medium russet potato, diced
1 teaspoon cumin
2 large pinches crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed


Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

In large skillet, cook the potato with a little oil and the onion. When potatoes are close to cooked, add the ground beef and brown. Drain and return to skillet.

Stir in cumin, crushed red pepper, paprika, white vinegar, salt, and pepper until evenly seasoned.

Now, the puff pastry sheets that I purchase come in 2 rectangular sheets that are tri-folded. When you unfold them, they may seperate. This design of pastry sheet doesn't make it easy to create the traditional half-moon empanada shape. Instead, I break the sheets apart into a total of 3 smaller sheets consisting each of 2 tri-folded sections - you will have to press together the long ends of 2 sections to create the third one. If you're patient and don't mind a little mess, you could break these all apart into 6 sections - they will just be a little narrow, making it harder to contain the meat well.

After separating into 3 smaller sheets, fill each halfway full with the meat mixture, keeping in mind that you will be folding one end to the other. Fold one edge over to the other, and press to seal the edges well.

Bake ~20 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 3 large empanadas, which is about 6 servings.

Pesto & Meatball-Filled Crescent Rolls

This is an easy, silverware-optional meal. One can of crescent rolls should make enough for 2 or 3, but is easily doubled.

Ingredients

1 (8oz) can Pillsbury crescent rolls
1/2 of an 8oz jar of Classico basil pesto
20 or so frozen meatballs, halved - I use Rosina Italian-style, yummm
Parmesan and/or mozzerella cheeses


Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook meatballs for about 20 minutes in covered skillet on stovetop - add a little olive oil at the beginning so they don't stick. Stir occasionally. Once cooked thoroughly, cut meatballs in half.

Unroll the crescent rolls and lay them flat on a baking sheet. Spread a layer of pesto on each crescent roll. Top with meatball halves - you'll eventually need to roll the smallest/pointy end to the bottom of the roll, so place about 4 halves in the body of each roll. Top with parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese(s).

Roll the small end to the bottom of the roll and press to fuse (see photo below).

Bake about 11-13 minutes, until crescent rolls are golden brown.

Mexican Manicotti

Yummmm!! This recipe makes 14 manicotti shells. Cooking for 2, I personally only fill 7 shells and use the rest of the ingredients to make a hot 5 layer dip. Good size for a family, though!

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 clove minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1-1/2 (24oz) medium picante sauce
1 (16oz) can refried beans
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 (8oz) package manicotti shells (uncooked)
1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend
Sour cream for topping


Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Brown ground beef in large skillet with garlic, salt, and pepper. Drain and return to skillet.

Coat the bottom of the casserole dish with a thin layer of picante sauce.

Stir refried beans, oregano, and cumin into the ground beef until mixed evenly.

Once mixed, spoon the mixture into the uncooked manicotti shells and place in casserole dish. Cover with remaining picante sauce.

Bake about 40 minutes until shells are cooked.

Top with cheese and sour cream and serve.

Sloppy Casserole

This is a homemade sloppy joe casserole topped with biscuits - yum! 2lbs ground beef make this a good size meal for a family :)

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
2 cloves (or more) minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 large pinch crushed red pepper
2 cans (10.75 oz) condensed tomato soup
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1 package of 8 Grands biscuits


Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet with garlic, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Drain and return to skillet.

Stir in soup, water, and worcestershire sauce. Simmer about 10 minutes.

Pour beef mixture into a large casserole dish/pan. Top with biscuits near the outer edges of the casserole.

Bake 10-15 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.

Tasty Tuna Melts

I'd never had a tuna melt in my life before I tried this recently by combining ideas from several tuna melt recipes. Baking the melts on crescent rolls gives them a warm, flaky base - hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

8 pack crescent rolls
2 6-ounce cans of your favorite tuna, drained
3 tablespoons mayo (more if desired)
1 celery stalk, diced
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic, or to taste
Dash of hot sauce, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Tomato slices
Sliced muenster cheese


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Combine tuna, mayo, celery, parsley, lemon juice, salt, garlic, hot sauce, and pepper in a medium bowl.

3. Important: spread crescent rolls into rectangles (2 triangles, un-separated for each melt) and place on baking sheet. If they get seperated, just pinch the seam back together.

4. Spread 1/4 of the mixture mixture on each roll. Top with tomato slices if desired and bake approximately 7 minutes.

6. Remove from oven, top each melt with a slice of cheese, and bake another 7 minutes until cheese is melty and bubbly. Makes 4 melts.

Notes:

-I use reduced fat Pillsbury crescent rolls and low fat Hellman’s mayo to make this lighter.

Layered Burrito Casserole

You'll need an 8" square baking dish for this recipe - a bigger casserole dish can work though, especially if you're doubling the recipe for your family or preparing for leftovers (you'd just spread additional tortillas to cover the size of the dish).

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/4 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic (or ~1tsp minced garlic)
1 (16 oz) jar medium taco sauce
1 (16 oz) cans refried beans
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
1 (4 oz) can diced green chili peppers
1 pinch of crushed red peppers, if desired
5 (8") flour tortillas
Mexican blend of cheese (about a cup)
Sour cream, if desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the onion, garlic, and crushed red peppers. Salt & pepper to taste. Drain. Stir in the green chile peppers, tomatoes, taco sauce, and refried beans. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

3. Spread a thin layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of the 8" square baking dish. Place one tortilla over the meat, and cover with more meat. Repeat until all tortillas are used - meat on the top.

4. Bake uncovered for approximately 20 minutes. Top with cheese & sour cream and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Notes:

-The cheese does melt nicely over the hot dish, but you can bake the casserole with cheese on top if you'd like.

I love to cook!

I usually make dinner about five nites a week and am really into experimenting with different recipes. It's pretty fun, and I love hearing my sweetie tell me that dinner was delicious.

I'm not a master cook or anything, but I know sometimes it can be hard coming up with fresh ideas for meals. I’m always looking for different ideas in magazines, cookbooks, online, or just a bit of brainstorming. I try them out regularly and will share the great ones here.

If you have a yummy recipe you’d like to share, please send it to me! I can give it a shot and post for others to enjoy.