Free Form Burgers

The original name for this recipe is Loose Meat Sandwiches. But when I was discussing this with my friends, none of them were able to get past the "loose meat" moniker - they thought it sounded gross. And since this recipe is totally NOT gross, I changed the name to avoid any further turn-offs. Because you really DO want to make these sandwiches - they are incredibly easy and incredibly delicious. The recipe comes from one of my favorite blogs, A Year of Slow Cooking. What really caught my eye about this recipe is the fact that you don't have to brown the meat before you put it in the crockpot. I've never come across a recipe that didn't require browning the meat, so I was intrigued. I hate the extra step of browning meat before putting it in the crockpot - I feel like if I have to cook it first, the whole point of using the crockpot is defeated.

So this recipe won points with me right off the bat, but it totally won me over once I tasted it. The meat is savory and full of flavor - you definitely can't tell it wasn't browned first. I served these sandwiches on toasted rolls topped with a drizzle of ketchup and mustard and a slice of pickle. Trust me and don't skip the pickle - it really made the sandwiches for me and Joe! And feel free to call it whatever you want ;)

Free Form Burgers

1 pound extra lean ground beef or turkey, thawed (make sure it's lean)
1 onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups beef broth
8 hamburger buns
burger fixings of your choice

Crumble in the ground meat into slow cooker. Add onion, sugar, spices, mustard, and vinegar. Pour in the beef broth. Mix well until everything is fully incorporated. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Stir well before serving by scooping with a slotted spoons onto hamburger buns. Top with your desired fixings.

Oriental Beef and Noodles

This super easy recipe is courtesy of my good friend Colleen. When it comes to making dinner, there's nothing I love more than tossing a few things into the crockpot and leaving it at that. This recipe requires so little work that you can throw it together in even the tightest time crunch. I made a few minor changes to the recipe. I'd heard talk that the veggies tend to disintegrate in the crockpot, so I held off and added mine around lunchtime to see if that helped. And it did - somewhat. My carrots and water chestnuts held their shape, but I still lost my broccoli! I also could not find plain ramen noodles so I used Chinese rice noodles and they were fine.

This dinner smelled amazing as it cooked and tasted just as good - like an authentic stir fry. Joe and I both really enjoyed it.

Oriental Beef and Noodles

1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir fry vegetables
2 - 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
1 (12 ounce) bottle stir-fry sauce, any flavor
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 (3 ounce) packages ramen noodles, broken
1/4 cup green onions, chopped (I omitted)

Coat a 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place frozen vegetables in the bottom and top with stew meat. In a medium bowl, stir together stir-fry sauce, water, and red pepper. Pour over stew meat and vegetables in cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 4 1/2-5 hours (I recommend low, it will help to break the meat down more).

At the end of cooking time, discard spice packets from ramen noodles. Stir noodles and green onions into meat mixture. Cover and let stand 10 minutes more. Stir before serving. This can be kept on warm for 1-2 hours.

Taco Bake

This recipe has been circulating among my friends for quite some time now, and I'm pretty sure that Colleen started it all. If I remember correctly, she made it for Lauren's family after the birth of Lauren's newest son. Lauren and her husband raved about it, then Lauren made it and posted it on her blog. (I believe the recipe actually originated on Taste and Tell.)

I've had this recipe saved since that time, and since Lauren's son is now 15 months old, I figured it was about time that I got around to trying it for myself. And I'm glad I did - this is delicious! I never would have thought of using buttermilk biscuits in a Mexican recipe, but they act almost like tortillas with a little more heft. I actually ate the leftovers of this for lunch the next day, and I hardly ever eat leftovers. But this was too good to let go to waste!

Taco Bake

16 oz. taco sauce
12 ounce can buttermilk biscuits
4-6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
4-6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can sliced olives, drained
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish. Spread taco sauce evenly over bottom of dish.

Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Place biscuit pieces in hot sauce, turn to coat. Sprinkle biscuits with half of the cheese and the olives. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

In a large skillet, combine ground beef, peppers, mushrooms, cumin and chili powder. Cook until ground beef is cooked through.

Sprinkle the ground beef mixture over the baked biscuit mixture. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake an additional 5-7 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Hamburger Noodle Casserole

Tonight's dinner was another yummy recipe from the Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet magazine. This lightened hamburger noodle casserole is sort of a homemade hamburger helper, but much tastier! The addition of ricotta, sour cream and cream cheese make it nice and gooey and the egg noodles keep it from being too much like a baked ziti. I made a few changes to the recipe - I used only 4 ounces of cream cheese but a cup and half of ricotta (I used fat free), omitted the onion, used whole wheat egg noodles and used shredded mozzarella in place of the cheddar. This was a nice, simple comforting recipe - and it makes a ton so you can enjoy the leftovers another a night!

Hamburger Noodle Casserole

5 cups uncooked egg noodles
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3 green onions, thinly sliced, divided
2/3 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook beef and garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, sugar, salt and pepper; heat through. Drain noodles; stir into beef mixture. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, ricotta cheese and sour cream until blended. Stir in half of the onions. Spoon half of the noodle mixture into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with cheese mixture and remaining noodle mixture. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining onions.

Mini Cheseburger Meatloaves

This is one of those recipes that is so good you honestly can't believe how simple it was. I've actually made these before, but for some reason they have yet to make it on the blog -probably because they're hard to get a nice picture of! They may not be pretty, but they are delicious! This is an Everyday Food recipe that I found on the Joy Through Cooking blog and made just a few modifications to. These little meatloaves take all of five minutes to assemble and bake in 20 minutes, so they're a perfect weeknight meal. And they're full of flavor! It's amazing that a simple glaze of ketchup and mustard can be so tasty, but it is - like eating a juicy cheeseburger without the bun. I definitely recommend these for a family-pleasing meal!

Mini Cheeseburger Meatloaves

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons mustard and ketchup. In a medium bowl, combine beef, egg, breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup cheddar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper. Form into four 2-by-4-inch loaves; place on baking sheet. Brush with mustard mixture; top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar.

Transfer meatloaves to upper rack of oven. Bake until loaves are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets after 10 minutes. Remove loaves from oven.

Taco Pasta Bake

Okay, now I'm starting to feel like kind of a stalker. This is another recipe from my friend Colleen's blog. What can I say, we like the same types of food! This one has actually been on my menu for a few weeks now but for one reason or another kept getting bumped off. I finally got to make it tonight and I'm glad I did. Joe LOVED this. He's definitely a "simpler is better" kind of guy when it comes to dinner, so this was right up his alley. Simple or not, this is a yummy dinner. Nice and creamy and comforting. As with all my meals, I did my best to make this a little healthier. I used extra lean ground beef, whole wheat penne, reduced fat sour cream, about half of the cheddar cheese called for and fat-free cream cheese. (I firmly believe that fat-free cream cheese should never be eaten on its own or used in a dip, but mixed with sour cream in a dish like this it's acceptable!) Joe, John and I ate almost the entire pan of this, so you know it was good! Give it a try when you need an easy and comforting dinner.

Taco Bake

servings1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 packet taco seasoning
15-ounce can tomato sauce
8 ounces medium shell pasta (I used a full lb of penne)
8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef, drain. Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions. Drain.Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream in separate bowl. Spray bottom of 9x13 pan. Put pasta in bottom of pan. Spread cream cheese mixture over pasta. Spoon ground meat mixture over this. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Pasta e Fagioli

With the bitterly cold weather we've been having this week, soup seemed like the perfect choice for dinner this past Sunday. I had found this recipe on Tricia's blog and knowing that Joe likes pasta e fagioli it easily found a spot on my menu. And I'm glad it did - this soup was delicious! It's super easy to make and just requires about an hour total of simmering time. Be warned though - this makes a TON of soup. Joe and I each had a large bowl but ended up with two giant tupperwares full of leftovers. I shared some with my parents, but we are more than happy to eat the remainder for dinner again this week. Warm, hearty and full of flavor, this is just a great soup, especially when served with some crusty bread. I followed the recipe almost exactly, but found that I didn't have much liquid. I even added an extra can of beef broth and still had a very thick soup. Not a bad thing, but if you prefer more liquid in your soup you may want to cook the pasta separate and add it into the soup to prevent it from absorbing too much liquid. But don't wait to make this - especially on a cold evening!

Pasta e Fagioli (copy cat Olive Garden)

Cooking spray
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1/2 of a small 1 lb. bag of baby carrots, chopped
5 stalks of celery, diced (I omitted)
2 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (32 oz.) carton + 1 (14.5 oz.) can of beef broth (I also used an additional can of beef broth)
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped (I used dry)
3/4 tsp tabasco sauce
1 jar (1 lb. 10 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 cup dry small pasta (such as ditalini or elbow macaroni)
salt to taste

Brown ground beef in oil. Drain if necessary.
Add onion, carrot, celery and diced tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes.
Add beans, beef broth, oregano, pepper, parsley, tabasco sauce and spaghetti sauce.
Simmer soup on low for about 30-45 minutes until carrots are almost tender.
Add pasta to pot and simmer on low for about 15-30 minutes until pasta is just shy of al dente. As the soup cools, the pasta will absorb the broth. You can cook the pasta separate and add it to the soup after the soup has cooled.

Sunday Dinner: Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy

Yesterday I was in mood to make a hearty, Fall-like, classic Sunday dinner so I decided on pot roast. Even better, this meal allowed me to use my crockpot so the work was minimal. I invited the in-laws over to share the feast, then tossed everything together and let the crockpot do it's thing. I used the recipe for Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy from Sandra Lee's Slow Cooker Recipes cookbook and it was fantastic! Dinner was a hit - everyone raved about it and helped themselves to seconds (and thirds, in some cases). The nice variety of vegetables and rich mushroom gravy made this a standout. Served with a yummy Fall salad full of cranberries, candied walnuts and apples and some fresh bread it was the perfect Sunday meal with the family.

Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy

1 lb red potatoes, cut into wedges (I used more)
8 ounces baby carrots
1 package (8 ounces) presliced fresh mushrooms
1 onion, cut into 1-inch wedges through core
2 ribs celery, sliced
3 lb beef chuck roast
1 can (14 ounces) reduced-sodium beef broth
1 can (10 ounces) mushroom gravy
1 packet (1.5 ounces) slow cooker beef stew seasoning mix

In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, onion and celery. Place roast on top of vegetables. In a medium bowl, stir together beef broth, gravy and beef stew seasoning mix. Pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Fajita Mac

Yum! This was a great dinner, if not exactly gourmet. A few weeks ago I was organizing my recipe binder and found a ton of recipe I had filed but never tried. This fajita mac was one that's been in the binder forever and I decided to finally give it a shot last night. Originally titled Fajita Macaroni and Cheese, I changed the name because, in my opinion, there was just not enough cheese to justify calling it mac and cheese - the recipe only called for a sprinkling of cheese on top before baking. However, just now while writing this post I re-read the recipe and realized I was supposed to use salsa con queso which would have given me the extra cheese. I had just used regular salsa, although I did mix in a little shredded cheddar before baking. Oh well - Joe and I still thought this was awesome, and it was healthier with just the plain salsa. I think in the future I'll continue to use regular salsa since we enjoyed this so much as is! The only other change I made was to top the casserole with crushed baked tortilla chips instead of taco shells and to use whole wheat elbow macaroni. (My changes are reflected below, but refer to the original recipe if you want it cheesier!) Reminiscent of Hamburger Helper, this had fantastic flavor and the comfort food feeling of enjoying an old guilty favorite. It was a great Friday night dinner!

Fajita Mac

1 pound ground beef
16 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 (1.4-ounce) envelope fajita seasoning mix
1 (15.5-ounce) jar salsa
1/3 bag of baked tortilla chips, crushed

Brown ground beef in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles; drain. Stir in macaroni, 1/4 cup green onions, seasoning mix, and salsa; pour into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with crushed chips.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup green onions.

Ole! Taco Soup

After Wednesday night's crockpot disaster I needed to get back on the horse. Luckily I had all the ingredients for this yummy taco soup ready to go. I found this recipe on Emily's blog and I starred it right away. It seemed perfect for fall, plus Joe and I love tacos so putting the flavors in a soup seemed like a great twist. This can be made on the stove as well, but I opted for the crockpot so it could simmer all day while we worked. We played racquetball after work (um, if anyone has any tips to teach me how to be even a little bit good, I'd appreciate it!) and came home to this delicious spicy soup. I made a few changes to Emily's recipe - I added about a cup of beef broth to ensure that it stayed "soupy" all day in the crockpot, reduced the amount of ingredients, etc. and it came out great! It was like tacos in a bowl! I served these with cheese quesadillas for dipping - yum! AND I remembered to take the plastic of the beef this time - score one for me!

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef
1 cup diced onions
1 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles
1(4 1/2-ounce) can diced green chiles
1 (4.6-ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
Garnish of choice for serving - cheese, sour cream, corn chips, etc.

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker. Add the beans, tomatoes, green chiles, olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Crockpot Barbecue Beef and Beans...Almost

Sigh. Obviously the above picture is NOT of barbecue beef and beans. And there's a good reason for that. Last night, instead of eating the delicious dinner I simmered all day long in the crockpot we ended up ordering pizza. Why? Because I lovingly cooked my beautiful 3 lb chuck roast for 12 hours in the crockpot with the plastic packaging still attached to the bottom of the meat. So while the dinner looked delicious and smelled delicious it had strings of melted plastic running through it. My brother-in-law John wanted to eat it anyway, but I figured all those plasticy chemicals could not be healthy and tossed the whole dinner :( I had planned to shred up the meat and bake the mixture into calzones, but with that plan out the window I decided to brown up some ground beef and onions, add barbecue sauce and corn and bake THAT mixture into some calzones. But then I opened my refrigerated pizza dough only to find that it was all torn and would not allow me to roll it out no matter how hard I tried. Tired and frustrated I tossed the dough into the trash with my ruined crockpot meal and told Joe and John to order a pizza. Oh well. So my apologies to Stephanie at A Year of Crockpoting for destroying your recipe. I do plan to try it again - with uncompromised meat.

Crockpot Barbecue Beef and Beans

3 pound chuck roast
1 yellow onion, sliced in rings
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 can (16.5 oz) barbecue baked beans
1/4 cup prepared barbecue sauce
cheese, optional
jalapeno slices, optional

Place meat in crockpot (AFTER removing all packaging) and add in onions and garlic. Add the beans and barbecue sauce. Cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. Serve on rolls, buns, rice cakes, or over rice (or if you try to make calzones with it, let me know how they are!). Add slices of your favorite cheese and sliced jalapenos.

Five Spice Beef Stew

If there's one thing Joe loves for dinner, it's big hunks of meat so I wasn't surprised when he bookmarked this recipe in my Sandra Lee Slow Cooker cookbook. The recipe is very basic but what makes it unique is the addition of Chinese Five Spice Powder. I had never used nor tasted it before so it wasn't until I bought the bottle that I learned that the powder contains anise, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Upon a little Wikipedia-ing I learned that the mixture is designed to incorporate the five basic flavors of Chinese cooking - sweet, sour, bitter, savory and salty. It smelled strongly of anise and I was immediately concerned that Joe wasn't going to like it. I went ahead anyway, and sure enough he wasn't crazy about it. We determined that its the cloves he doesn't like. Oh well. I didn't even try it, as unlike Joe, I am NOT a fan of big hunks of meat in my meals. But if you enjoy the flavors in five spice powder, this would make a nice fall meal.

Five Spice Beef Stew

2 lbs stew meat
1 lb baby carrots
3/4 cup beef broth
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
1 tbsp Chinese five spice powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients through five spice powder in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours on low. Season with salt and pepper and serve with mashed potatoes.

Barbecue Beef Chili

Both Joe and I really like chili, so I'm always eager to try out new recipes. This one came from the Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes cookbook that Joe got me for my birthday. You know I love to use my crockpot so this cookbook is perfect! This chili was the first recipe I tried from the book. The addition of barbecue sauce to the traditional chili ingredients made it interesting, although Joe felt it also made the chili too sweet. He did enjoy the mix of ground beef and stew beef, however, and I think I will begin incorporating stew beef into my other chili recipes since it was a nice addition. This recipe won't replace my current favorite chili recipe, but it was a nice twist on the traditional. I served my chili with a a handful of Fritos (because I now know that Fritos make many things taste better) in each bowl and corn muffins.

Barbecue Beef Chili

1 lb lean ground beef

1 pound stew beef, cut into bite sized pieces

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 bottle (18 ounce) mesquite-flavored barbecue sauce

1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes

1 cup frozen chopped onion

1 cup frozen chopped bell pepper

1 can (4 ounce) chopped mild green chile peppers

1 packet hot chili seasoning mix

Chopped onions (optional)

Shredded cheese (optional)

In a large skillet over high heat cook and stir ground beef until browned, breaking up clumps. Drain. In a slow cooker, stir together beef, stew meat, kidney beans, barbecue sauce, undrained tomatoes, onion, pepper, chile peppers and chili seasoning; mix until thoroughly combined. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with chopped onion and shredded cheese, if desired.

Taco Lasagna

Before I get to the taco lasagna, I first must show what might happen if you try to take pictures this meal at the dinner table and ask your husband to move his hand out of the shot. Said husband moves his hand right into a plant that has been moved aside on the table and a shower of messy dirt interrupts your dinner.

Once the dirt is cleaned up and you can go back to eating, you will surely enjoy this lasagna! I have made Mexican lasagna in the past but always used tortillas instead of noodles. This recipe, from Sandra Lee is more of a traditional lasagna with taco flavors. The ricotta is seasoned with Mexican spices, the meat is cooked with chiles and taco seasoning and the sauce is a blend of tomatoes and salsa. The only issue I had with this was the fact that it called for Mexican seasoning. What the heck is Mexican seasoning? I didn't know, so I just mixed my ricotta with some cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder. We enjoyed this and I'll definitely make it again. But next time I'll move all non-meal related objects off the table first.

Taco Lasagna

1 lb lean ground beef

1 packet low-sodium taco seasoning

1 can diced green chiles

1 cup frozen chopped onion

1 container (16 ounce) ricotta cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish (I omitted)

1 tablespoon Mexican seasoning

1 can (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes

1 jar (16 ounce) chunky salsa

1 box lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions

3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese (I used less)

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef. Drain fat. Add 3/4 cup water, taco seasoning, green chiles and onion. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, eggs, cilantro and Mexican seasoning. In a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes and salsa. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a deep 9x13 baking dish, spread 1/4 of the sauce on bottom of dish. Add a layer of noodles. Top with 1/2 ricotta mixture, 1/2 ground beef, 1 cup shredded cheese, 1/4 sauce and another layer of noodles. Repeat layers with remaining ingredients. End with a layer of just noodles, sauce and cheese.

Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with cilantro before serving.

Cheeseburger and Fries Casserole

If ever there was a white trash meal, this is it. Ground beef mixed with some condensed soup and topped with frozen french fries and cheese. Don't ask what possessed me to make this or how I even came across the recipe because I truly don't know. For some reason I just wanted to make it. It was actually pretty good! Joe and I ate it with ketchup on top and enjoyed it. I don't think I'll make it again, but hey, experiments are always fun. Oh, and to complete the white trash theme of the evening, Joe ate this meal wearing just a white t-shirt and his boxers. Hey, we're classy around here, what can I say? The original recipe is from All Recipes, but I made a few changes and made a smaller portion.

Cheeseburger and Fries Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
burger seasoning to taste
a few shakes of Worchestire sauce
1/2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
3/4 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 (16 ounce) package frozen French fries
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Bake french fries on baking sheet for 10 minutes while preparing beef.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the beef. Cook, stirring occasionally until beef is no longer pink. Drain off excess grease, and add seasonings and Worchestire sauce.
Return to the heat, and stir in the mushroom and cheese soups until well blended. Heat through, and remove from stove. Transfer the mixture to a 8x8 inch baking dish. Cover the ground beef mixture with a layer of partially cooked French fries.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven. When the fries are golden brown, remove the casserole from the oven, and sprinkle cheese over the top. Return to the oven, and bake just until cheese has melted.

Mexican Lasagna

While I'm not a huge fan of Mexican food, I do like tacos that I can make at home where I control the ingredients and the heat (spicy is not my thing). Joe and I usually have tacos at least once a month, and I often try to mix it up and try the components of tacos in various ways. I basically just winged this "Mexican lasagna" last night and it came out very tasty. I kept it healthy and used all low-fat/low-calorie ingredients (except for the cheese - Joe and I have learned that there's nothing like real, full-fat cheese), which was good since I had found myself unable to stop eating it. I was still nibbling it out of the pan as I was cleaning up. Measurements below are estimated - I just sort of tossed things together by sight. You really can't mess this up, and you can add pretty much anything you like. Next time I'll probably top it with a dollop of sour cream.

Mexican Lasagna

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
3 low-fat Flatout wraps
1 jar salsa
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350. Brown ground beef over medium heat until cooked through. Drain fat and add taco seasoning, finish cooking meat according to seasoning packet instructions. Stir in corn and black beans, heat through. Spray a small square baking dish with cooking spray. Tear Flatout wraps into strips and layer on bottom of baking dish. Top wraps with a layer of the meat mixture, half the jar of salsa and half the cheese. Repeat layers once, ending with cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until cooked through and bubbly.

Heading South

When I saw this recipe on A Taste of Home Cooking, I bookmarked it immediately. I knew Joe would love it, since it was a combination of some of his favorite things - beef, pasta, spices and sour cream. It didn't disappoint. Not only is it easy to make (you only need one pot) it's hearty and very delicious. Joe and I both enjoyed it immensely and it was perfect with my homemade corn muffins. Definitely a keeper!

South of the Border Casserole

1 pound of lean ground beef
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed from half, minced
1 large bell pepper, chopped (I omitted)
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
28 ounce can of whole tomatoes (fire roasted tomatoes, if you can find them) (I used diced)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons of cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups sour cream
8 oz penne, ziti or any small pasta
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup cilantro, minced (I omitted)

In a large deep skillet, brown meat until no longer pink. Drain fat, if necessary. Add the olive oil, peppers, onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium-high heat. Saute until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin. Add the can of tomatoes, breaking up the whole tomatoes with a spoon, but still leaving big chunks. Add sour cream, stir until mixed. Add pasta. Cover and cook until pasta is al dente, about 25 minutes. Make sure to stir frequently so the pasta doesn't get stuck to the bottom. Serve with the cheddar cheese and cilantro sprinkled on top.

Love is...

a man and his steak. Just look how happy this giant, heart-shaped rib eye made Joe! It was a gift from Kara and Audrey, Tucker's doggie daycare "teachers," to thank Joe for helping them master their brand new Wii. I don't eat steak, so Joe shared this with his brother John. It was, as Joe said, "the best steak he's ever had." So thanks Kara and Audrey - you made Joe's week!

Is it summer yet?

Maybe not quite yet, but on Saturday the temperatures neared 60 degrees and I figured it was as good a day as any to pretend it was summer. Joe pulled out the grill and we whipped up a tasty, warm-weather meal in March. Joe grilled up these inside-out cheeseburgers, a summer favorite that I got from Eating Well. Instead of Gruyere and cheddar cheese combo I used cheddar and a mix of parmesan, romano and asiago. I also added about half a cup of breadcrumbs to the meat, because I feel like the burgers needed them to hold together. These were super delicious and curbed my craving for spring...for now.

Inside-Out Cheeseburgers

1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

1 pound 90%-lean ground beef

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat grill to medium-high or preheat the broiler. Combine Cheddar and Gruyere in a small bowl. Gently mix beef, Worcestershire, paprika and pepper in a large bowl, preferably with your hands, without overworking. Shape into 8 thin, 4-inch-wide patties. Mound 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each of 4 patties, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Cover each with one of the remaining patties. Crimp and seal the edges closed.

To grill: Lightly oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the stuffed patties over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. (Be sure not to press the burgers as they cook or they'll split open and the cheese will ooze out.) To broil: Cover a broiler pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Broil the stuffed patties in the upper third of the oven, about 4 minutes per side for medium-well. In either case, let the burgers stand for 5 minutes before serving.

To go with the burgers we prepared Joe's yummy grilled potatoes. They are very easy to make and are a great compliment to anything that comes off the grill. I don't have exact measurements, just use ingredient to taste and quantity.

Grilled Potatoes

small red potatoes

olive oil

burger seasoning

Cut potatoes into uniform chunks and place in a pot. Add water to pot until potatoes are just covered. Bring water and potatoes to a boil and boil 3-5 minutes until potatoes are fork tender; drain. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning, to taste. Cover grill with aluminum foil and place potatoes on foil. Grill 10-15 minutes until cooked through and crisp on the outside.

Simple from the Skillet

I came across this recipe months ago in a magazine ad for Campbell's soup. For some reason it appealed to me - most likely because tacos are one of the very few Mexican dishes I will eat, so I'm always looking for variations. I pulled the recipe out tonight when I knew I needed a quick dinner since I would be late at the gym. This recipe certainly is quick - it took under 15 minutes from start to finish. And it was surprisingly tasty! Looking at it as it cooked I thought it looked like it needed something to go with it. I didn't want to wait for rice to boil, so I opted for a much classier side dish - Tostitos. Yum! Both Joe and I really enjoyed this, and I will make it again. The only change I made to the recipe was to add seasoning to the beef as I was afraid it would be too bland without it. I used several shakes each of garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes and oregano, but a few teaspoons of taco seasoning would work well too.

Beef Taco Skillet

1 lb. ground beef

taco seasoning or seasonings to taste

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Tomato Soup (Regular or 25% Less Sodium)

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup water

6 flour tortillas (6-inch), cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Season beef and cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet until well browned, stirring to break up the meat. Pour off any fat.
Stir in the soup, salsa, water, and tortillas. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Stir. Top with the cheese.