Cheeseburger Pasta

This was basically glorified Hamburger Helper.  It wasn't bad...just a little dry.  I would make it again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

What you'll need:
1 pound of hamburger
1 pound of penne pasta-cooked
3/4 c. of milk
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 c. of shredded cheese
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 c of parmesan cheese

What you'll do:
1.  Brown ground beef, add salt and pepper.  Drain fat.
2.  Put on medium-low heat, add milk and cheese.  Mix until cheese is melted.  Add parmesan cheese.
3.  Add cheese sauce to beef and mix.
4.  Add pasta to beef and cheese mix.

Buying a box of Hamburger Helper would have been easier, but we had all of the ingredients in the cupboards.

Mr. Whoa rating:
√√√

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

It's definitely casserole weather here in Iowa.  I found this recipe on Pinterest (weird, right).  It was very easy to make, and made my tummy smile.  

What you'll need:

1 pound lean ground beef ( lean)

1 large onion, chopped or season with Onion powder or minced onion

2 1/2 cups salsa

1 can (15 ounces) black beans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing

Taco seasoning packet

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

6 flour or corn tortillas (8 inches)

1 small can of drained corn, or about 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn (optional)

3/4 cup sour cream  *Note: I used 1/2 cup

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or your favorite cheese

1 cup shredded lettuce

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

What you'll do:

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
• Stir in the salsa, beans, corn, dressing, sour cream, taco seasoning and cumin.
• Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
• Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Layer with half of the meat mixture, and cheese. Repeat as many layers as you like.
• The last & final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
• Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pam or other and bake at 400° for 25 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.
•  Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro. Yield: 8 servings.

Mr. Whoa rating:
√√√√

I think it would have been a lot better had I added more tortillas.  

TTC!

Tator Tot Casserole

No silly...not trying to conceive.  Tater tot casserole.  Its been quite chilly outside, so some comfort food sounded fantastic.  This used to be a favorite of mine growing up, but do you think I found my mom's recipe after she passed?  I found one on Pinterest that seemed easy enough.

What you'll need:

1.  1 pound of ground beed
2.  One medium onion, chopped
3.  One can of cream of celery soup
4.  16 oz bag of frozen tater tots
5.  1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
6.  Salt and Pepper

What to do:

1.  Preheat oven to 375
2.  Brown ground beef, add salt and pepper
3.  Add chopped onion, cook until tender
4.  In a casserole dish, combine and mix cream of celery soup and ground beef
5.  Top mixture with tater tots
6.  Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, until its bubbly and tots are golden brown
7.  Remove from oven, top with cheese, return to oven till melted

Mr. Whoa rating:
√√√√

It felt like it was missing something, and my mom always added veggies to hers.  It was good tho.  Nothing leftover!

Bleu Cheese Burgers

I'm a sucker for curley fries.....

I love bleu cheese.  Love it.  I eat it with salads, wings, and will evem dip veggies in it.  Who knew rotting cheese could taste so good. 

Mr. Whoa and I live down the street from a tasty sports bar (hell, we love it so much our rehearsal dinner was there).  Eight times out of ten when we dine there, I order the black and bleu burger.  I've been hungry for one, but Mr. Whoa and I went out to lunch yesterday, so I wanted to try and make it myself.  Plus the sportsbar burger can be a little too spicy or salty, so I was hoping I could fix that. 

What you need:
1/2 pound of bacon
1 pound of ground beef
4 oz of crumbled bleu cheese
1 TB of hot mustard
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper


What to do:
Fry bacon in a frying pan.  When finished, cover in paper towels and set aside.
In mixing bowl add ground beef, bleu cheese, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Mix together and form into four patties.  Heat in frying pan about 5-7 minutes each side. 

I served on an onion bun and broke a slice of bacon in half to put on the sammy.  Since the bleu cheese was in a 5oz container, I sprinked a little on the top of the burger. 

Mr. Whoa rating:
☺☺☺☺☺

Hot damn these were good.  The flavor was perfect. 

Any other "stuffed" burgers you think are TDF?

Cheeseburger Cupcakes

Ohhhh, Emily Bites, how I love thee.  Another recipe in the books that was super tasty, and the leftovers were awesome. 

I was kind of weirded out with the whole cupcake thing, but it tasted like an awesome maidrite eggroll.  As you can see from the picture, mine were a little crispy, but they didn't taste burnt.  These too were super easy and delicious.  Sister Whoa was up for dinner last night and all but one cupcake was gone (and I made an extra one).

What you need:

¼ c onion, finely chopped

½ lb 95% lean ground beef

1 T McCormick Hamburger Seasoning

4 Laughing Cow Queso Fresco & Chipotle wedges, chopped

3 T ketchup

1 T mustard

16 wonton wrappers (typically found in the produce section)

4 oz (1 cup) reduced fat 2% shredded cheddar cheese

What to do:

1.    Pre-heat the oven to 375. Lightly mist 8 cups in a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.

2.    Mist a large skillet with cooking spray and bring to medium heat. Add chopped onions and sauté until cooked. Add ground beef and Hamburger seasoning and cook until meat is browned. Add mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until mushrooms are browned as well.

3.    In a microwavable bowl, combine meat/mushroom mixture, cheese wedges, ketchup and mustard and stir. Microwave for one minute on high. Stir to combine until meat mixture is fully coated.

4.    Push a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each of the eight sprayed cups in the muffin tin. Using about half of the meat mixture, spoon evenly into the wonton wrappers. Sprinkle about half the cheddar cheese evenly over the top of each cup. Press another wonton wrapper on top and repeat the layering steps with the remaining ingredients.

5.    Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.

This recipe yields about 8 cupcakes, but I had enough for 9.  I also omitted the mushrooms since Mr. Whoa is a brat, and I used the garlic and herd laughing cow because I didn't have the queso kind.  I am sketchballs on buying LC cheese that I've never tried, since my disappointment with the Sun Dried Tomato, and it also being expensive as hell. 

Mr. Whoa rating:

☺☺☺☺☺

He snarfed four of the cupcakes down.  He liked the crunchiness of the wonton wrapper.  Sister Whoa asked for a copy of the recipe.  Easy to make and little clean up?  You bet your ass.  I think these would be a lot of fun for a football party or poker night. 

Cheesy Taco Pasta

I have made not one, not two, but three new recipes this week!  I think Mr. Whoa is liking me only working three days a week, because he has a hot dinner on the table every night.  I am having a lot of fun trying new recipes and just overall being more domesticated. 

I found this number on my girl, Emily Bites blog, and decided to cook it up.  We love tacos, we love casseroles, and it was super easy.  If you haven't checked out her blog yet, do it now and thank me later.




What you'll need:

8 oz wheat pasta (I used Barilla medium shells)

1 lb 95% lean ground beef

1 oz packet reduced sodium taco seasoning

1 ½ c chunky salsa

½ c water

¼ c fat free sour cream

¾ c shredded 2 % reduced fat cheddar cheese  (I used the Mexican cheese)

¾ c shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used extra sharp)

Salt & pepper to taste

What to do:

1.    Cook pasta according to package instructions.

2.    While pasta is cooking, place ground beef in a large sauté pan and cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the beef as it cooks. When the beef is cooked, drain any grease from pan. Add the taco seasoning, salsa and water and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes or until pasta is done cooking.

3.    Once pasta is done, drain pasta and add it to the beef mixture. Add the sour cream, cheese, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cheese will melt when thoroughly mixed. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Mr. Whoa rating:

☺☺☺☺  

I think if we would have used white pasta instead of wheat, it would have been five smilies.  Mr. Whoa is okay with wheat pasta, but it always tastes undercooked to me.  I know some boardies were concerned about tasting the sour cream, and honestly, you can't.  Leftovers were great...will def add this in the rotation!