Cheeseburger Casserole and more

I always said I wouldn't do it, but I did.

This morning we adopted a dog. Her name is Zoey and she is a Puggle (part Put, part Beagle). She is about 10-12 months old and an absolute sweetheart! Right now, she is snoozing on the floor, completely worn out after a day of exploring her new house, meeting her human grandparents, brother, and sisters, as well as 2 fur-brothers (2 cats). I think she is going to fit right in!

Anyway, since we were busy with our new fur-baby, I needed an easy dinner. I decided on a new recipe for Cheeseburger Casserole. According to the blog where I found it, the recipe is originally from Bobby Dean's cookbook. Bobby is Paula Dean's son.

The only change I made was that I used a whole 16oz box of rotini. It worked out pretty well. If you don't care for dijon mustard, regular should work just fine. It was quite delicious and earned a 4 out of 5 thumbs up!

Blog Post

Cheeseburger Casserole

Servings: 9 • Size: about 1 cup • Old Points: 6 • Weight Watchers Points+: 7
Calories: 261 • Fat: 9 g • Protein: 21.5 g • Carb: 21.5 g • Fiber: 2 g • Sugar: 3 g
Sodium: 468.5 mg

Ingredients

• 2 cups (6 oz) uncooked rotini pasta (use brown rice pasta for GF)
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 1/2 cups onions, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 lb lean ground beef (95% lean)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 28 oz diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 2 cups reduced fat grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped dill pickles

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente and drain well.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the beef and cook until browned; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the tomatoes and mustard. Let the mixture bubble gently until it is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Toss the meat mixture with the pasta and spread it into the prepared dish. Top with the cheddar and bake until the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the chopped pickles over the top and serve. Makes about 9 cups.

Round...? I 've lost count

Strep hits again.

I have still maintained my own health thus far, but at this point, I feel screwed.

On another note, it was Mexican Meatloaf night. I love anything mexican, so even though this recipe is completely different that how I usually make meatloaf, I decided to give it a try. It's excellent. And more importantly, it gets a 5 out of 5 thumbs up in my family. I like to serve it with Quinoa and Black Beans.

I have stayed pretty close to the original recipe. The only changes I made are that I add closer to 1.5 cups of rice to make it a little firmer and I suggest adding the last layer of fritos and cheese during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time. Tonight, I actually made the homemade cream of mushroom soup suggested in the original recipe and I loved it. I will post it tomorrow. Feel free to use the canned, it's fine.

Here is the original recipe.

Here is how I make it:

Mexican Meatloaf

• 1 lb of Ground Beef
• 1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup (or homemade Cream of Mushroom, will post it tomorrow or check the original recipe for the link)
• 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 Small Can of Green Chilis
• 1 16oz Jar of salsa (I use mild for my kids)
• 1 8oz Can of Tomato Sauce 
• 1 1/2 Cups of Brown Minute Rice (uncooked)
• 2 Cups of Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
• 1 Bag of Fritos, Crushed 

Preheat oven to 350. In a skillet brown the meat until done and drain, then add all of the ingredients except for Fritos and cheese and mix well. This needs to heat until it reaches a bubbling bowl.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Pour 1/2 of the meat mixture on the bottom of the dish, then sprinkle with crushed Frit’s and top with cheese. Add the rest of the meat mixture and bake for about 20 minutes. Add the rest of the Fritos and top with cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Sorry for the lateness of this post (I made this Sunday night), Germ Fest 2013 seems to be going on in my house. So far, I remain unscathed.

Anyway, this recipe is from the Pioneer Woman. I just love her website. And her recipes. I have tried several versions of spaghetti and meatballs and this is my favorite. The meatballs get a 5 out of 5 thumbs up from my family, the sauce only gets 3.5 out of 5. However, one of my kids doesn't like sauce at all and another only likes it sometimes, depending on his mood. So they get pesto and meatballs instead of sauce.

I don't make many changes, except I use a full pound of both the sausage and hamburger. Just easier that way. Also, I use two cans of crushed tomatoes, my kids don't like chunks. Sometimes I use fresh herbs, sometimes I use dried. I have used both grated and shredded Parmesan cheese in the meatballs. Sometimes I make large meatballs (I use a 3 Tbsp size scoop) and other times I make small (1 Tbsp size scoop). With the large, I get about 18 meatballs. I have never counted when I make the small but I assume somewhere around 54. I have browned the meatballs the day before and I have also made this in the crockpot (just make sure you sautee the onions and garlic in the skillet first and brown the meatballs before adding them to the sauce.) and on the stove. As you can see, this recipe is pretty versatile if you have time constraints. It is a lot of work and I usually make my husband help me.

Here is the original recipe.

And here is my version:

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Meatballs:

• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 pound Ground Pork
• 3-4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• ¾ cups Fine Bread Crumbs
• 2 whole Eggs
• ¾ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan
• ¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Splash Of Milk
• ½ cups Olive Oil

Sauce:

• 1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced
• 3-4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 whole 28 Ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes
• ½ cups White Or Red Wine (optional)
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• ¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
• 8 whole Fresh Basil Leaves, Chiffonade (optional)
• 2 pounds Spaghetti, Cooked To Al Dente

 Instructions

 

To make the meatballs, combine meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, and a splash of milk in a mixing bowl. Mix together well with hands. Using either a large or small size scoop, roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet.To brown the meatballs, heat olive oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs 8 at a time, turning to brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel after each batch. Set meatballs aside.
In the same pot, add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes, or until translucent. Pour in whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and wine, if using. Add salt, pepper, sugar, and parsley. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Add meatballs to pot and stir in gently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring very gently a couple of times during the simmer.
Just before serving, stir in basil if using.
Serve over cooked spaghetti. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan.


***I am not advertising for either Amazon or Pampered Chef. I was just sharing which scoops I use. Also, the small one is excellent for chocolate chip cookies, as well as peanut butter!
 

Mongolian Beef

I just love Pinterest! I find so many fattening desserts, cookies, and other yummies there. I swear I can feel the pounds packing on just looking at that stuff! I also find ideas for lunch and dinner and I like to try new recipes. I am always careful and check the actual link, read reviews, and look at ingredients first though. And I have made a couple things that did NOT turn out.

Anyway, the Mongolian Beef is a Pinterest find. It got 3 out of 4 thumbs up from my family (#5 was sick so I didn't count her and I don't think she would have liked it). There are a few things I would change next time. The flavor was good, but I think I will leave the green onions out of the slow cooker and use them as a topping only. The biggest complaint was the texture of the sauce. Next time I won't coat the steak in cornstarch. With those changes, I think I will get 4 out of 4! Also, I think mine was done after 4 hours on low, I tasted it at that point and the meat was perfect, but I left it in another hour because hubby wasn't home from work yet. In that extra time, it started to get slightly chewy.

****I want to add that this was even better leftover the next day, definitely a keeper!

Here is the original Six Sisters recipe:


Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds beef flank steak, cut into stir-fry sized strips
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded carrots
3 medium green onions, chopped

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place cornstarch in a bowl. Coat each piece of steak in cornstarch and place in crock pot. Discard any remaining cornstarch. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over beef in crock pot. Cook in crockpot on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours. Serve over rice, topped with additional sliced green onions.

Beef and Noodles

Another family recipe, this one is from my mother-in-law. My older kids love it, my younger one prefers just the noodles with a little gravy. I think it's the texture of the meat or something. Anyway. My mother-in-law only uses the soups and meat. I prefer to add carrots and potatoes, that way it's more like a stew. Serve over cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes!

Beef and Noodles

1 can french onion soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can beefy mushroom soup
1.5 to 2lbs stew meat
Carrots and potatoes (optional)
Hot cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Peel and chop the carrots and potatoes into 1" chunks. Or be lazy like me and just use a small bag of baby carrots. Place the vegetables in to bottom of a crockpot. Put the stew meat on top of the carrots and potatoes. Mix the soups together and pour on top of everything. I like to give it a little stir to break up the meat, but it's not really necessary. Set the crockpot on low and let it cook until dinner time (about 8 hours). Or if you forget to start it in the morning and remember around lunch, then it's best to set it on high (4-5 hours). Prepare the noodles or mashed potatoes and serve with the stew on top. Yummy!