Baked Hungarian Goulash

My grandma gave me this recipe from one of her friends-it has sour cream, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese, whats not to like? Sorry this is from memory, so not a fabulous write up of a recipe;)

Ingredients:
8oz or so of pasta/noodles-we used mostacholi last night because it was on sale for 46 cents a box!
1 pound ground beef
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons butter
1 can tomato sauce (15-16oz)\
8oz-1 block cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
(the original recipe called to add green onions to the sour cream mixture, but I forgot to buy them)
Shredded cheddar cheese to top casserole

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil water and cook pasta to al dente. Drain.

Chop Onion and saute in butter until transparent and soft. Add ground beef, and garlic, continue to cook until browned. Add tomato sauce, and simmer until it thickens a bit.

While that thickens, soften cream cheese and combine cream cheese and sour cream.

In a casserole dish, layer noodles, sour cream mixture, then a layer of sauce. Repeat one mote time. Top with shredded cheese and bake for 25 minutes or so until the cheese is nice and gooey.

Enjoy!

Mini Meatloaves

Pretty tasty, we had these with Mac n Cheese:) They could use a bit more spice, I think!

Original Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mini-meatloaves/detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine the egg, milk, cheese, oats and salt. Add the ground beef, mixing well, and form this mixture into eight miniature meatloaves. Place these in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Stir thoroughly and spread over each meatloaf.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes.

Easy dinner!

Herb Roasted Beef with Potatoes and Carrots

A nice easy roast with veggies! Very tasty, we ate WAY too much:)

Original Recipe: http://www.doitdelicious.com/recipes/make_it/herb_roasted_beef

ingredients

1 lb (about 12) baby red potatoes, quartered

1 lb (about 5) carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch sticks

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds bottom round or rump roast

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon dried Italian Seasoning

directions

Heat the oven to 375°F. On a rimmed sheet pan, toss together the potatoes, carrots, 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper (12 turns on pepper mill). Spread them in a single layer and nestle the roast (fat-side up) in the middle, pushing the vegetables aside as necessary.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, Italian Seasoning, and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (24 turns on pepper mill). Rub evenly over the roast. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meat reaches desired doneness, about 1 hour for medium-rare. Let rest about 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the vegetables.

meat temperature chart:
Rare: 115° - 120°F
Medium-rare: 125° - 130°F
Medium: 135° - 140°F
Medium-well: 145° - 150°F
Well-done: 155° - 160°F

Delish!

Baked Ziti

Picture to follow...

Original recipe: (the only thing I added was a pound of ground beef to the top before baking)

http://www.food.com/recipe/baked-ziti-from-cooks-illustrated-354885

Ingredients:

• 1 lb 1% fat cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 ounces parmesan cheese, grated
• salt
• 1 lb ziti pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 5 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 cup heavy cream
  

  Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F Whisk cottage cheese, eggs and 1 cup Parmesan together in medium bowl; set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 Tablespoon salt and pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain pasta and leave in colander.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil and garlic in 12 inch skillet over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not brown. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in 1/2 cup basil and sugar, then season with salt and pepper.
3. Stir cornstarch into heavy cream in small bowl, transfer mixture to Dutch oven set over medium heat. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup tomato sauce and 3/4 cup mozzarella, then stir to combine. Add pasta and stir to coat.
4. Transfer pasta mixture to 13 x 9 inch baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce evenly over pasta. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan over top. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove foil and continue to cook until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 3 Tablespoons basil and serve.

Meatloaf

My dad made one more meal for us...meatloaf!

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
3/4 ketchup, 1/4 cup milk-mixed together
3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp thyme
1 small onion chopped fine
2 eggs slightly beaten
3-4 slices bacon




Directions:
Mix all ingredients together-except bacon, bake in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Lower heat to 325 degrees, put bacon on loaf, add 2 cans tomato soup around sides for gravy. Continue baking for 45 minutes.

We enjoyed this treat with mashed potatoes and corn:) Yummmm. Maybe my dad should stay and cook us up some more treats!

Crockpot Cube Steaks

Easiest thing ever...I am really going to start using my crock pot since I go back to work this week-AH! :(

Ingredients
Cube Steaks
2 cans Golden Mushroom Soup
Water
Salt and Pepper

Directions
Pop those cube steaks and the soup and a can of water in a crockpot on low all day....add some salt and pepper, and serve over some mashed potatoes=delish.

I love Sunday Supper:)

Chili Mac

I saw a Chili Mac recipe on Serendipity Bistro and wanted to make something quick and easy tonight, so I did just that. It was tasty and super fast. Now enjoying the thunderstorms and the cool breeze:)

Ingredients

1 1/4 c uncooked elbow macaroni

1 # ground chuck
A bunch of minced onion
Seasoned Salt

1 can turkey chili with beans

1 can corn, drained
1 small can tomato sauce

1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Cook macaroni according to package directions. In a large skillet cook ground chuck, season salt, and minced onion until no longer pink. Drain. Stir in chili, corn, and tomato sauce. Drain macaroni. Add macaroni to skillet & heat through. Turn off heat. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover until cheese is melted.

One pot meal:)

Lasagna Stoup

Sooooo I copied this from one of my favorite blogs...http://serendipitybistro.blogspot.com/...I saw this and had to try it. I really like Rachael Ray recipes, and it seems that is where this recipe originated. It was really good. We had garlic bread and Caesar salad with it!

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1# ground chuck
Salt & pepper
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled & grated
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth-I used only about 3 cups...
One 28-ounce can Italian crushed tomatoes
1 pound lasagna noodles, broken into jagged pieces-I only used a half pound of noodles
1 c basil leaves, torn
1 c whole-milk ricotta
Grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, to pass around the table

Directions
In a soup pot, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the beef, season with salt & pepper & cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the onion, carrots & garlic and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water (I used 1), the chicken broth & tomatoes; cover and bring to a boil. Add the pasta & cook until al dente about 15 minutes. Stir in the basil & season with salt & pepper. Serve the stoup in bowls & dollop with the ricotta. Pass the parmigiano-reggiano at the table. Enjoy!

The whole meal! Notice the large amount of cheese....:)


Lasagna Stoup!

Easy Beef Strogonoff

This is probably one of my all-time favorite meals. YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I tweaked the recipe out of my elementary school cookbook. When I make this, I eat WAY too much:) DEEEEEEEEEELISH. I threw in a couple pictures of our babies too...

Ingredients
Beef-I change it up...I have been using breakfast steaks and cutting them into thin strips, or if I have tons of time I will cut up stew meat small and use that, you need something tender!!!
A tad of oil to brown the beef with
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
A touch of water
1 package of dry onion soup mix
16 oz sour cream
Wide egg noodles
Butter

Directions
Brown beef in oil in electric skillet, after beef is cooked through, mix in mushroom soup, onion soup, and a little water-maybe a 1/2 can or so. Stir until all combined and bring to a boil. Let simmer until tender (cover and turn temp down)-the longer the better, I try for at least an hour, even with already tender meat. When close to serving time, cook noodles according to package, and when done, drain and add some butter to them. Right before serving add the sour cream to the beef mixture, and stir in. Once its all warm, serve over the noodles. Then eat a very large serving until you feel sick. (Hahaha)YUMMMMMMMMMMM!

Here it is:)


Kevin enjoying his strogonoff with Olly:)


My babies....


Brett was holding them against their will!

Baked Beef Ravioli

Tonight for dinner I tried another new casserole recipe...my obsession. Since Spring is on its way, I have taken it upon myself to start tanning (I really don't need any comments on this, thanks though!) and start going back to the gym (which I hate every minute of). So dinner is getting later and later at night, which I HATE! I like a nice early dinner so my food can settle before my early bedtime of 10pm. You can find the original recipe here http://www.bhg.com/recipe/beef/baked-beef-ravioli/. I only made a few small changes....and I just put the ravioli in the pan, and poured the sauce over top, because my skillet ran out of room! Get ready for another new casserole recipe tomorrow! I am off to bed:)

Ingredients
2-9-ounce packages refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 10.75-ounce can condensed tomato soup
4 oz cream cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 ounces)
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)
salt and pepper to taste
EVOO

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook ravioli according to package directions; drain. Return to pan; cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground meat, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in tomatoes, cream cheese soup, basil, and oregano. Gently stir in cooked ravioli.

Transfer mixture to an ungreased-I drizzled EVOO in the bottom- 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until heated through. Makes 8 to 10 servings.I wish I would have cut this in half-whoops:)

Finished Casserole...


Not too bad!

Calzones

I never made a calzone until I saw this Rachael Ray Bacon Cheeseburger Calzone recipe http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/dinner-for-10-dollars-or-less-recipes/Grilled-Bacon-Cheeseburger-Calzones. It is super simple, and really good. Below is my usual Bacon Cheeseburger recipe, but tonight, I made myself pepperoni and Kevin hamburger, pepperoni, and bacon. We always dip them in ranch:) Yummy, and quick.

Ingredients
1 pound refrigerated pizza dough-I just use the Pillsbury kind
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
3/4 pound ground beef
4 slices bacon-precooked is easiest
Minced onion
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt
One can of diced tomatoes, I like to use the garlic and onion kind

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide the pizza dough and form into 2 balls. Place in a large bowl greased with 1 tablespoon olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef over medium heat, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the minced onion and tomatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Crumble the bacon into the beef mixture and stir in the cheese; season with salt.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 ball of dough into a 12-inch round and transfer to a large oiled baking sheet. Place half the beef mixture on one side of the round. Top with half the tomatoes. Fold over the dough to form a half moon; crimp the edge to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough. Brush the calzones with olive oil. Pierce a vent in the top of each. Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

It makes 2 calzones, about this size!


This was the inside of my mini pepperoni calzone:)

Beef Tamale Bake

I saw this Beef Tamale Bake a couple of different places, and I am not sure where the original recipe is-but it is a Pampered Chef Recipe, I know that. This was pretty good for a "healthy" recipe. Not my favorite of all recipes, but I enjoyed it. I feel like it was missing something but I am not sure what...possibly more to come on that. I did put a big glob of sour cream on it at the end, which makes everything delicious!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water, hot
2 egg whites
3 tbsp margarine
1/2-1 lb lean ground beef
16 ounces salsa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Sour cream to top!

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray Deep Dish Baker with nonsstick cooking spray. In Small Batter Bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Using Stainless Steel Whick, whisk water, egg whites and vegetable oil spread into cornmeal llmixture; stir until smooth. Pour batter into baker.

Place ground beef in Large Skillet. Cook over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles; drain, if necessary.

Add salsa, beans, garlic pressed with Garlic Press, chili powder and cumin to beef; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Spoon beef mixture evenly over batter to within 1/2 inch of edge of baker. Bake 20-23 minutes or until crust is set. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges.

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/pampered-chef-beef-tamale-bake-recipe-r33060#ixzz0fkSf7XMB

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray deep pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. In small bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add water, egg whites and margarine into cornmeal mixture; stir until smooth. Pour batter into pie pan.

Place ground beef in large skillet. Cook over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles; drain, if necessary.

Add salsa, beans, garlic, chili powder and cumin to beef; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Spoon beef mixture evenly over batter. Bake 20-23 minutes or until crust is set. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, and then return and bake 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and cut into wedges, mine were less than perfect! :)

Ground Beef Mixture


I forgot to take a picture until after we cut into it!